My favorite Cadillac is the 1955 Coupe DeVille, but given the circumstances where I could own two, I’d also have a 1962 Cadillac, like the Coupe DeVille that Barn Finder T.J. found here on Hagerty Marketplace in Smyrna, Tennessee. Not only did Cadillac refuse to shed their tailfins, but they also added two more “skegs” on the lower quarters of this car’s 1961 predecessor. They might even look better on the ’62 model; the result is something completely audacious and worthy of the name Cadillac, and with a few days to go on the auction, the high bid on this example is a light $13,500.
Barn Finders love when a body tag is posted, so here goes:
- 62-6347: Coupe DeVille
- FW19058: Fleetwood Body Plant (from what I can gather)
- 46: Turquoise Camelot Cloth and Turquoise Leather Trim
- 29: Turquoise Metallic Paint
- E: Soft Ray Glass
- Y: Power Front Seat
This seems like a fairly lightly optioned DeVille, but remember that a lot of equipment came standard on this model, including power windows, brakes, and steering.
The engine is Cadillac’s 325-horsepower 390, which is paired with GM’s four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission, both of which are said to be original to this car. It would be fair for onlookers to assume that the master cylinder has been upgraded to a later dual-circuit unit, but 1962 Cadillacs had that system as standard, five years before most cars followed suit. You can see in some of the pictures that there’s an air conditioning compressor mounted on the passenger side.
Even though it wasn’t installed on the car from the factory, it looks like someone has installed an aftermarket AC system. Nice. This car also has the Autronic Eye, which was supposed to dim your high beams when faced with oncoming traffic, but everything I’ve read about it suggests that reflections would often wreak havoc on its operation. The seller also mentions that something is wrong with the power seat; the motor runs but the seat does not move. Those in the comment section of the auction have offered suggestions for potential repairs, but that might be left to the next owner. The rest of the interior looks great, and the color combination simply could not be better. I’m in love.
I’m also in love with the 1962 Cadillac’s intricate wheel covers that are painted to match the car’s exterior color. Not everybody likes factory wheel covers, but replacing these with anything else would be a shame. Whitewall tires were standard on the 1962 Cadillac.
The undercarriage looks solid; it’s no show-winner but it’s perfect for driving. Notice the single exhaust system, which was standard on Cadillacs.
But perhaps the best view of the Coupe DeVille is this one, with those fins and skegs. I can’t buy everything I write about on Barn Finds, but I hope I can live vicariously through a lucky reader. Let us know if that lucky reader is you.
The ’62 Cadillac is absolutely one of my all time favorite cars, and is on my short list ( which I’ll never be able to afford) of cars I want. This color is perfect. Even though the ’61 is similar, the ’62 just got it right with the tailfins and tailight design. There is a Mad Men episode where Don Draper is in a Cadillac showroom in 1962 buying a brand new Coupe Deville. I can’t tell you how many times I rewound that one scene with the showroom. Thank you for the great write up on one of my all time favorite cars Aaron.