Let’s face it. Barn find cars (and trucks), whether asleep under decades of dust or covered for safe keeping, always get my attention and make me want to read more. A close second are near-original survivors; the lucky few that have somehow beaten the odds and survived Father Time as well as the Crusher. Submitted for your approval is this highly original 1957 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe that even includes a customer’s copy of the invoice and title. This classy coupe is currently located in Springfield, Massachusetts and is for sale here on eBay. As of this writing, bidding has been brisk and had reached $17,500, which was still short of the reserve.
The seller doesn’t share any of the car’s history or what it’s been up to the past 64 years and describes it as “1957 Cadillac Series 62 in beautiful survivor condition. Has mostly original paint with some touch ups. No rust or rot issues. Has a couple small dings from moving in and out of garage.” The photos seem to back this up. It looks straight, solid, rust-free, and the chrome and glass and trim also look very good. There might be some touch up on the driver’s door, but overall, it appears to be wearing its Code 30 paint choice (Glade Green) well for its age.
Check out the condition of the cool tri-color interior, especially that cloth pattern. The front seats look very presentable, and the back seat appears to have little-to-no wear at all. The dash chrome sparkles but the dash pad has some noticeable waves and there’s some wear on the steering wheel. The seller describes the interior as being “in very, very nice condition” and states that only the carpet isn’t original and that the heater, lights, horn, turn signals, wipers, and radio all work (and there’s even an aftermarket radio in the glove compartment). All the glass is good and the non-power windows roll up and down perfectly.
Under that long Glade Green hood sets the ’57 Caddy’s standard 365 cubic-inch V8 that generates 325 horsepower and is mated to the standard Hydramatic automatic transmission. Overall, the engine bay looks good for 64 years old. The odometer reads 54,020, but the seller doesn’t state if that’s the original mileage or not. Nothing is mentioned about how well the engine runs or if it’s ever been rebuilt. Maintenance performed is listed as “recent tune up, dual exhausts, and shocks.”
It’s always a treat to have original paperwork with a vintage car. We’re not sure who the first owner was, but there’s paperwork included that shows this ’57 Caddy was bought used at Broad Street Motors in Falls Church, Va. with 6,917 miles on its odometer on July 24, 1958. A ’51 Cadillac Coupe was traded in for $695 and the total transaction was for $3,698.50. A voided title dated August 1, 1958 is also included. Pretty cool stuff. For 1957, 146,841 Cadillacs were produced (ranking them ninth in the industry for a second year in a row), 25,120 of which were Series 62 Coupes like this splendid survivor currently for sale and looking for a new home. So, what do you think? Is this mint green beauty “mint” to be in your garage?
What a great looking coupe!
Wouldn’t be so sure that the odo rolled; back when planned obsolescence ruled the industry, cars as old as me (!!!) weren’t designed to last 150k+. Not to say impossible, just unlikely without records.
Somehow that front bumper has me thinking of an old girlfriend..
Hey, a lot of us grew up as “brace faces.”
Now I have Bob Seger’s Night Moves stuck in my head!!!
The front bumpers were called “Dagmars” after a well endowed 50’s actress. I owned a 56 Coupe de Ville in this colour with a darker green roof and I would be tempted to paint the roof on this beauty like that too. I love all Caddys from this era but do prefer the 56 to the 57..but would be delighted to own this. As I remember the Eldorado had 325 HP with a triple ( I believe) carb set up and the rest of the line was just under 300. My 56 was quite quick with this motor and the four speed auto..how I miss “Maybelline”.
I had a 57 Cad a few years ago and was touring it in San Francisco. I stopped at an intersection where there was a tour bus full of Japanese folks beside me. The entire bus load ran to my side of the bus and stared out the windows at me and the car. I swear I thought the bus was going to tip over on me. It was silver grey with a copper-colored top. It was a beauty. Yes, the relationship between the top color, and the car color, makes a great deal of difference in the presentation of the car. Isn’t that true for most cars?
No power windows….. no deal
Pretty car, though
Angel,
I have to agree, a 1957 American luxury car should have the typical power options, and where I live, factory A/C is a must-have as well.
This car was on Facebook marketplace a few weeks ago in Virginia it was sold by the original owners family for 18,000
I would be proud to park her in my shop.
I just looked at the twin to this car. In the parking lot of the hotel I’m at for Hot August Nights in Reno. Same color an everything. This 1 has power windows,A/C autotronic eye etc. A very nice survivor. A rust free California car. Spent its whole life garaged.
Until the 1970s, Bill, I was under the impression that all Cadillacs came with power windows and automatic transmissions. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there are “basic” Cadillacs out there. Like a 1965 Calais with no pws. Or a 1940 Cadillac with 3 on the tree.
Live and learn.
This ’57 is a beautiful car and no pws is not a deal breaker, but, I personally would feel weird driving it.
Back in the 1980s I had a 1975 Fleetwood. It did have pws, pdls, pseats, power trunk release….. all that stuff came with the Fleetwood name (fortunately) as standard equipment. This car however, was a “basic” Fleetwood. Whatever was standard is what you got. No real options to speak of.
Angel,
I’ve seen many unusually optioned Cadillacs over the last 60+ years, I remember seeing a 1967 4-door Calais in silver, without any options, it was in the used car lot at Suburban Cadillac-Olds in Bethesda, MD. It had a delete radio plate, I was informed it was built on special order by an elderly person who had various older Cadillacs, none of which had a radio, power windows or seat [Why do I need power windows? My arms work fine!].
I suspect that if that person could have ordered it with manual transmission, they would have done so! But the last manual transmission in a full size Cadillac [that I am aware of] was 1962, following the end of the cast iron Hydra-Matic. But this option was limited to special orders on the commercial hearse/ambulance chassis.
By 1950, the Hydra-Matic was standard equipment on all Cadillac cars, but thru the 1956 model year they could be special ordered with a manual gearbox. That said, I’m betting that if a long-time Cadillac buyer insisted on a stickshift car thru 1962, Cadillac would build it.
My first memory of power windows was my grandfather’s 1959 Series 75 sedan, but I only saw that car a few times before it went overseas with him. He had always owned senior Buicks, and his previous car was a 1957 Roadmaster Riviera 2-door hardtop. In early 1959 He was asked by the US Dept. of Agriculture to go to Pakistan and oversee the introduction of a new weevil-resistant cotton plant.
When he found out that it wouldn’t be advisable to ship a 2-door car, because he would be driven around by a driver at all times, and it wouldn’t be good to be seen sitting in the back seat of a 2-door car, he bought the Cadillac 75. He ended up selling the Cadillac to the Pakistani government before returning to the US in 1960. He promptly went back to Capitol Cadillac in Washington, DC and bought a new dark blue 1960 Fleetwood sedan that he kept until his death in 1974. I wanted the Cadillac, but other family members said it had to be sold to split the money.
My roomate’s Dad, an Air Force Colonel, had a gorgeous 1969 black “custom” with a manual transmission. As a dumb kid, I challenged in disbelief, but yes, “custom.”
Less things to go wrong.
I had a 1941 Cadillac with 3 on the tree. Wish I had not lost it in the divorce.
Bill, very interesting story about grandpa and his ’59. I’ve told stories before here on Barn Finds about my aunt and uncle next door who always had Cadillacs in the 50s. My first recollection of Cadillacs was their 1956 Coupe de Ville when I was 4 years old. My uncle skidded on ice and t-boned it into a tree. It was baby blue with a white top.
Then came the 1959 Coupe de Ville. I was 6. Medium metallic blue. The biggest memory of that car was my aunt always yelling at me to stop playing with the power windows. I’d be in the back seat with my cousins putting the rear window up and down. Up and down. When I got my license at 17, my first car and all following cars had to have power windows. Except for my ’72 MG Midget. But that goes without saying.
My father never cared for automatic transmissions or power accessories. Too many things to go wrong. He was right I guess but all my cars had to be top of the line with auto trans and power everything. Am I spoiled? Yes! And I love it.
In the late ’90s early ‘2000s my husband at the time bought me a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood, 1975 Eldorado convertible, 1976 Coupe de Ville, 1970 Buick Riviera, 1971 Buick Riviera , 1972 Buick Riviera and a 1972 Olsmobile 98 Regency.
All top of the line with every power accessory made at the time. I too. Lost most of them in the divorce.
My email is adharris101@gmail.com if you’d like to have more conversations of Cadillacs and such.