1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille / Specs, Model History

The automobile featured in this article is a great looking, restored, 1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille. The 1957 Series 62 Cadillac represented the fifth generation.

1957 cadillac specs — 1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille

The 1950’s was the decade of the car fins and Cadillac did not disappoint. Starting in the late 40’s and continuing straight through the decade of the 50’s, Cadillac tail fins, which were first inspired by the P-38 military airplane, would become larger and larger through the years.

This really began with the first new post war designed Cadillac’s for 1948. In 1949 the most significant engineering change involved the introduction of the new overhead valve 331 cubic inch V8 engine.This worked out well for Cadillac and the benefits carried on for over a decade. The new post war design was spearheaded by Frank Hershey, working under Harley Earl, who is credited for the first tail fins on a Cadillac, and the 1955 Thunderbird.

By the 1950’s Cadillac was the leader in the luxury car category. Much of this had to do with changes beginning after 1940 when Cadillac stopped producing the LaSalle. From that time on Cadillac concentrated on building only what was referred to as prestige automobiles.

57 cadillac tailfins — Good view of the larger tailfins

Cadillac Changes for 1957

GM’s Harley Earl was the head of the design team for the new 1957 Cadillac. A major change for Cadillac in 1957 was the new tubular X-frame without side rails which resulted in lower body lines but with the same usable space.

Front end styling was changed with rubber bumper guard tips and dual, circular parking lamps set into the lower bumper area. The side trim was changed and all models had dual taillights.

Wheelbase measurements were changed with three different lengths being offered in the Eldorado sub series. The Sedan DeVille was longer than “standard” models and the Eldorado Coupe Seville and Biarritz convertible were even larger than that.

1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille Specifications

The 1957 Cadillac Series 62 models were all given 365 cubic inch V-8’s with Rochester Four Barrel Carburetors that delivered 300 horsepower.

All Cadillac for 1957 were built with Hydra-Matic drive transmissions, power breaks and power steering. These were standard equipment on all models.

Front suspension was independent coil spring and rear was longitudinal leaf spring.

Overall length for the 1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille was 215.9 inches. Wheelbase was 129.5 inches. This differed from the Series 62 Coupes and Convertibles which were five inches longer overall but with the same 129.5 inch wheelbase. Width was 80.0 inches and height 61.0 inches.

Cadillac sold a total of 146,841 units for the 1957 model year.

Additional Auto Museum Online articles you may enjoy are on the links below…

The 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

The 1954 Cadillac Coupe deVille

The 1951 Cadillac Series 61 Sedan

Reference material for this article includes Cadillac Database… The Cadillac Story: The Post War Years by Thomas Bonsall…Cadillac: The Tailfin Years by Robert J Headrick Jr.

57 cadillac dashboard — 57 Cadillac dash

Cadillac Collector Cars

Most automobiles and trucks from the 1950’s continue to be very popular collector vehicles.

In the case of Cadillac, you have a car built by one of the oldest brands in American automobile history. Cadillac was formed in 1902 by three men who had been involved with Henry Ford. The brand is named after the founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, and was sold to General Motors in 1909.

The 1957 Cadillac deVille was named one of the top-10 Cadillacs of all time by Money Inc. This was also the car that Elvis Presley reportedly purchased as a gift to his

An excellent website for Cadillac enthusiasts...http://www.cadillaccountryclub.com/ Here you will find information ranging from classics to the new Cadillac Escalade. For a list of Cadillac Car Clubs see website…http://www.carclubsworldwide.com/cadillac-car-clubs.php

The new car base price for the 1957 Cadillac Sedan deVille was about $4,900. Today the model would have a wide range of values depending on of course condition, restoration history and originality. As a rule you may be looking at $20,000 to $35,000 and up for restored models. Values also differ significantly based on exact model.