1948 Cadillac 60 Special - $4,500 (Camarillo)

[Guest]

Interesting project.  One owner, may still run.  Looks pretty solid.

 

 

https://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/d/camarillo-1948-cadillac-60-special/7315970561.html

 

1948 Cadillac 60 Special. with original license plates (front and back) and clean title. One owner bought this car in 1948. The car has been in the family for 73 years!!!! Not sure if the car still runs. Last time this car was driven is around 20 years ago.

Please text or email me for showings. Showings will be on Mondays and Thursdays.

Jessie (805) 758-7948

[Bleach]

Last year of the 346 flathead V8.

[supercub]

What transmission would this car have? That could be the money pit of getting it back in the road.

[58L-Y8]

4 hours ago, supercub said:

What transmission would this car have? That could be the money pit of getting it back in the road.

GM Hydra-Matic.  Expensive, yes, but if one is going to restore a Cadillac four door sedan of these years, the 60 Special is the one to do.  It was the first of the extended-deck luxury models Harley Earl created during GM's zenith.   The first iteration of the famous tail-fins, 133" wheelbase, 226" OAL 60 Special versus 126" wheelbase, 214" OAL Series 61 and 62 sedans, it was 27% more expensive than the 62.  It was their top-of-the-line Cadillac sedan, next to the convertible, THE Cadillac to aspire to and own in that era.

[Guest]

Hmmm?

I'm a little confused.

So the 60 series was bigger than the 61 and 62 series and cost more as well.  Is that correct?

I had assumed the higher the series number, the bigger the car.

Greg

[supercub]

Looks like a 2 speed auto by the shifter markings. I like color, patina.

[Matt Harwood]

Hydra-matics are 4-speed automatics with high and low ranges.

[daniel boeve]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

Hmmm?

I'm a little confused.

So the 60 series was bigger than the 61 and 62 series and cost more as well.  Is that correct?

I had assumed the higher the series number, the bigger the car.

Greg

Correct ! The 60 was the most expensive 4-door beside the 75 series .I didn't know neither .Looked it up in the price guide .

[58L-Y8]

35 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

Hmmm?

I'm a little confused.

So the 60 series was bigger than the 61 and 62 series and cost more as well.  Is that correct?

I had assumed the higher the series number, the bigger the car.

Greg

Cadillac's numerical hierarchy is a tad confusing.   Preface to this is these were the years GM's A-B-C-D body sharing program was being instituted which bears on model designations.  It will be clearer after you read the following...maybe.

 

To explain, the Series 60 was introduced in 1936 as their lowest-priced, owner-driven, entry-level luxury car below the Series 70 and 75, all V8 models.  The 80 and 85 were twelves and the 90 the Sixteen.  Disregarding those 70, 80 and 90 Series cars as they came and went simplifies it somewhat, the 80 and 85 twelves end after 1937.   

 

For 1937-'38, while a B-Body 60 continued, a 65 appeared but the big news for 1938 was the 60 Special sharing the powertrain with the 60 but with its own, exclusive seminal 3-box sedan body.  The 60 Special was approximately $300 more than the standard B Fisher-bodied sedan, the 60 Special was the stylish owner-driven premium sedan.  For 1939, the 60 Special continued, the plain 60 became the B-bodied 61 entry models and the 90 Sixteens ended.
 

The major introduction for 1940 was the 60 Special-inspired GM Fisher Torpedo C-Bodies given to each division except Chevrolet for their top-line series, they were an industry sensation.  The B-Body 61 disappeared, the 62 C-Bodies along with the 60 Special, and a new C+ 72 Body, plus a hold-over 75 rounded out the now V8-only line-up.

 

1941: Cadillac goes model proliferation crazy!  The original iteration 60 Special body appears for its last season, a fastback B-Body 61 is added to take the place of LaSalle, a single body style Series 63 is added to utilize the body originally assigned to the still-born 1941 LaSalle; a 139" wb Series 67 that shares its body with the Buick Limited is added....and the prior lwb 72 is kicked up to replace the old 75 body as the 136" wb Series 75.   1942 plays out with the same models and body style selections.  In addition to a fairly extensive restyle of the C-Bodies, the 1942 60 Special now becomes an extension of the C-Body on an exclusive 133" wb.

 

With resumption of production for 1946, the Series 63 and 67 are gone, the B-Bodied 61 downplayed with all the main emphasis on the Series 62 and 60 Special.  The 75 retained the pre-war bodies through the 1949 model year even after the new 1948 C-Body of this car came on-line.

 

Ask a simple question...get a dissertation...  

[Guest]

Holy cow!

"I'm a little confused"  was an understatement!  

 

Perhaps I should have quit while I was ahead but.....

I was curious about this turquoise color so I decided to see what they called it.  Checked with a Auto Color Library (an excellent source) but they don't list anything even close to it.  Much more sedate color options. 

I checked 1947 & 1949 as well just to be sure but no soap.

(I checked the 1947 Cavern Green listed at the bottom, missing a chip, but it is a very dark green)

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

Although Cadillac didn't offer that turquoise as a factory option, dealers would happily refinish a new car in the color choice of the buyers then.  Some companies would supply the car in primer for the dealer to finish to customer specification.  This may be the case here, if the color code can be found on the date plate or on a build sheet hidden somewhere in the body, the original spec'd color code would be stamped.  

 

Maybe it was a jeweler who dealt in a lot of silver and turquoise Southwest jewelry...

[Guest]

That is interesting.  I'll see if i can get an image of the trim tag.

Is it affixed to the firewall?

Edited May 4, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[Guest]

Trim tag shows Paint Code 19 which translates to French Gray upper, Lucerne Green lower.

 

 

 

A google image search  shows this for 1948 Lucerne Green.  It looks like a different green to me, 70+ years of fading/patina?  Or perhaps the car was repainted at some point.

 

[B Jake Moran]

I much prefer the 46-47s.  The 48 restyle and the drum instrument cluster are not improvements. 

[58L-Y8]

GregLaR: 

It safe to assume this car has been color changed at some point, though it was an unusually thorough job since the door jams match the exterior.  In the desert Southwest, the intense sunshine faded automotive finishes quite quickly, resprays were the only way to keep a car looking good after a few years of exposure. Chalky paint on the upper surfaces of older vehicles are much rarer now, though patches of failed clear coat are common.   

[suchan]

Those old paint chips discolor with age as well. Not much use when trying to match a car's paint, unless only one shade of a color is offered a particular year.