For Sale 1962 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible SOLD

Matt Harwood · September 22, 2015

*SOLD*

Look, before you dismiss this 1962 Cadillac ragtop because the colors aren't quite OEM, have a closer look, because this sucker's a rock star. Someone has invested a fairly sizable amount of money in the restoration of this clean convertible, including new paint, new interior, new top, and a lot of new chrome, and I have to admit that the two-tone look is striking. The car is already about as long as a city block, but the paint job makes it look even longer, and everywhere it goes, traffic almost comes to a stop. I have rarely driven a car that draws the attention this one does out on the road.

Have a look down the flanks of this sleek Cadillac and you'll find that the bodywork is quite nicely done. You all know the deal with black paint, and on a car with fins and angles and sharp creases, it's doubly important to get it straight, so they obviously put in the time to make it right. The two colors are separated by a subtle dark red pinstripe, so it looks clean and elegant, and even though Cadillac wasn't doing two-tones like this in 1962, you have to kind of wonder why after seeing this car. There was also a considerable sum of cash dumped into the chrome, because the bumpers, door handles, and body moldings are very, very nice. Things like the grille at the base of the windshield and the ornaments on the hood and trunk are probably original and in good shape; they only stand out because everything else is fresh. The only real demerit I can find on the body is that the top of the driver's door isn't quite lined up with the tailfin--it's off by about 1/8 inch and is noticeable when you grab the door handle. Otherwise, this sucker's pretty danged nice.

The black interior is all-new, including seats and carpets and maybe even the door panels. Code 21 is a black interior, so it's hard to tell where the original stuff ends and the new stuff begins and it's all in good condition. The seats should probably be leather for 1962, but I believe it was redone in black vinyl, but it's pretty convincing and we spent a long time examining it to be sure. The carpets are plush and nicely tailored and it appears that a lot of extra sound-deadening materials were added, perhaps in preparation for a big stereo (the original radio is disconnected). The gauges are original and showing some age, but they all work, although the speedometer is a relentless pessimist and the faster you go, the more pessimistic it becomes. All four power windows work smoothly, but the power seat is not working properly--the motors are running, but it's not tracking, so we're looking into it. The heater is bypassed under the hood, but the blower works, and as I said, the radio is bypassed and the antenna is not moving. The brand new black power top goes down easily, where it stows under a new black boot, and a lot of the weather-stripping is new. The trunk is also neatly finished with handsome if not totally correct fabrics and includes a full-sized spare and jack assembly.

I believe this is the car's original 390 cubic inch V8 and it's nicely detailed. We don't have any information on whether it was rebuilt or when, but it starts easily and runs very well, with big car torque and effortless performance. I don't see any modifications from stock and it's been painted stock Cadillac Blue so it looks right. It's quiet and smooth, and the single exhaust system has just the right muted hum for a big luxury car. In 1962, Cadillac was still using a 4-speed HydraMatic automatic, and it shifts well, although as is typical with these transmissions, the 1-2 shift is firm while the 3-4 shift is imperceptible--only the engine's changing note lets you know it happened. The brakes are power-assisted drums, so it's not a sports car, but they do a decent job of keeping it under control. The tires are bias-ply wide whites, which are probably the one thing I'd change--one, the whitewalls are a little wide and two, they follow ruts and tracks in the road worse than almost any other car I've driven. Not awful, but somewhat noticeable, especially if they're under-inflated (I've aired them up to about 34 PSI and it cured most of it).

This is a pure driver-grade car, but all the hard work is done and it really is handsome in person. You could fix the last few little things and have a really nice Cadillac convertible with fins, authenticity be damned. Why the 1961-64 Cadillacs are lagging behind their siblings, I don't know, but at just $27,900, this car represents a heck of a lot of A-list sheetmetal for the dollar. Thanks for looking!