The 1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible featured here was produced during the last model year before Cadillac unveiled their all new post war designs. Even though the styling of this Cadillac is essentially prewar, the car is beautiful and truly reflects
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Cadillac’s ability to produce great looking luxury automobiles and serves as a nice example of prewar Cadillac’s.
Cadillac began it’s Series 62 models to compliment the entry level Series 61. Aside from a few cosmetic differences, the Series 62 Cadillac was lower, longer and looked more sleek. The Series 62 was produced from 1940 through 1964. Much of the design credit for the Cadillac Series 62 was given to Harley Earl. Earl was very influential with designs going through the decade of the 50’s. He is also credited with being the first to use clay models to design automobiles and he was a fan of tail fins which you can see on GM products through the 50’s.
Cadillac Could Easily Have Sold More Cars Then They Could Build
After the war there were material shortages. At the same time there was a tremendous amount of new car buyers eager just to own a new car. Cadillac went into 1947 with about 100,000 back orders for cars. Even though Cadillac produced about 62,000 automobiles, there were still over 90,000 orders not filled. The model proved very popular with buyers.
The automakers understood the demand that would erupt at war’s end. Ford Motor Company ran an advertisement after the war that said..“An automotive public that has not seen a new car since the war will get the first opportunity to view the 1946 Fords today,” There was no difficulty placing your order with a new car dealer but the cars arrived from the factory at a slower pace than the orders coming in.
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Styling
Immediately after World War Two, Cadillac as well as all the American automakers were building automobiles by relying on designs going back to 1942. The first postwar Cadillac rolled off the assembly line on October 7, 1945.
In many cases with these 1946 Cadillac’s there were cosmetic changes made but the designs were essentially prewar. Automakers quickly rushed to redo prewar designs for the new postwar era. Using the prewar models as a base, styling was tweaked each model year after 1946 until the new postwar designs were released. One example is that postwar models had their grilles tweaked each year .
The Series 62 Convertible is the ultimate of the two door Series 62 models. In the case of Cadillac, the totally new postwar design was for the 1948 model year and these designs showed the first vestiges of tail fins.
For 1947, styling tweaks included a change to a five bar front grille and some trim changes such as stainless steel fender guards and new script. Fog lights were added in 1947 as an option.
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Specifications
The 1947 Cadillac Series 62 was built with a 346 cubic inch Flathead V-8 that delivered 150 HP. The 346 Flathead V-8 also has a history that goes back to prewar years and was considered very well built. The engine was known for both it’s power and durability.
Transmission is a three speed manual or a three speed automatic.
Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drums.
Front suspension are coil springs with rear suspension semi elliptical leaf springs.
Dimensions for the 1947 Cadillac Series 62 included a wheelbase of 129.0 inch, width 80.7 inches, overall length 219.3 inches.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below..
1949 Cadillac New Postwar Design
Reference material for this article includes…GM Archives, The Complete Book of Collector Cars by the Editors of Consumer Guide..The Cadillac Story : The Post War Years by author Thomas Bonsall.
The 1947 Cadillac Series 62 Collector Automobile
The 1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible is an excellent example of Cadillac styling that goes back to prewar years. The 1947 Cadillac Convertible is the ultimate of the two door Series 62 and excellently restored original models are priced accordingly.
Auction and sale prices for excellently restored and highly original 1947 Cadillac Convertible’s are generally found in a sales range of about $70,000 to $125,000.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)