Cadillac 62 Generation 1 Series 41-62 6229D Convertible Sedan Deluxe by Fisher
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Car producer : |
Cadillac |
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Model: |
62 Generation 1 Series 41-62 6229D Convertible Sedan Deluxe by Fisher |
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Year: |
1940-1941 |
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Type: |
Cabriolet |
In 1941 the one piece hood came down lower in the front, included the side panels and extended sideways to the fenders. A single rectangular panel of louver trim was used on each side of the hood. The rectangular grille was wide, vertical, and bulged forward in the middle. Rectangular parking lights were built into the top outer corners of the grille. Headlights were now built into the nose of the fenders, and provision for built in accessory fog lights was provided under the headlights. Three chrome spears appeared on the rear section of all four fenders. Rear fender skirts were standard. The Series 62 offered the only 4-door convertible built by Cadillac in 1941 and it would be the last time this bodystyle was ever made by the marque. All Cadillacs shared the same 346 cu in (5.7 L) 135HP (101 kW) L-head V8 that year, with power rising to 150HP (112 kW).
Sales more than quadrupled to 24,734, accounting for 37% of Cadillac sales in a sales year that well more than doubled the previous Cadillac sales rate record set during the two model years of 1926-27, in part due to the huge popularity of the new Series 61. Evidently the new "torpedo" style with its low streamlined running board less bodies and expansive shoulder room had proved a big hit. The following model year, abbreviated as it was by a world war, would set no such sales record.
The six-model Series Sixty-Two was "the Cadillac version of popular 'Torpedo' styling. Its cost is moderate and economy is remarkable." The Sixty-Three, "available only as a Five-Passenger Touring Sedan -- is a completely new and exclusive body design. With matchless beauty it combines unusual economy.
The '41 Caddy was the first luxury automobile with a fully automatic transmission, four-speed Hydra-Matic, which had been pioneered by Oldsmobile in 1940. About 30 percent of production came equipped this way for '41, and that would double the next year, and more than triple post-war.
The '41 model year also saw the introduction of air conditioning as a Cadillac option. Truly, this was a big step from the classic era into the modem age -- even though only 300 cars were equipped with the bulky apparatus that occupied a considerable amount of space throughout the car. In fact, the unit had no automatic clutch and could be disengaged only by removing the belt in the engine compartment. By comparison, Packard had advertised its "Weather-Conditioner" as early as February 1940, and it was every bit as bulky and primitive as the Cadillac arrangement.
Performance wasn't neglected, either. Cadillac claimed that its 5.678 Litres V-8 had undergone "hundreds of improvements," including a higher 7.25:1 compression ratio (up from 6.25:1 and 6.70:1 in 1940). The changes boosted output of the L-head unit to 150 horsepower at 3400 rpm, enough to propel the lightest models from 0-60 mph in about 15 seconds, and from 0-30 in about four. Safety wasn't overlooked either, as directional signals were standard equipment, unusual in 1941.
Styling was heavily emphasized for '41, and the new Cadillacs emerged looking quite distinctive. The prow-nose motif of the Thirties was gone, replaced by a blunter and more massive frontal design that was highlighted by a dramatic horizontal egg crate grille -- a theme that has been continued to this day. That, plus the coffin-nose-style hood (evidence of the industry-wide effect of Cord styling), and the headlights integrated into the broader fenders, separated it from all Cadillacs that had gone before. Meanwhile, a three-piece front bumper guard (one horizontal) provided a cove to protect the license plate, and provision was made for extra-cost fog lights under the headlights (cars without them sported round emblems with a "V" in their centre).
At the rear, fenders were squarer, the left taillight hid the gas-filler cap, and on most models twin vertical bars divided the rear window into three segments. A large circle medallion on the fender skirts and three horizontal chrome "speed stripes" on the front and rear fenders of most models also set the cars apart from previous Cadillacs.
Front end stylists adopted a theme which was to be repeated for years to come. The one piece hood came down lower in front, included the side panels, and extended sideways to the fenders. A single, rectangular panel of louver trim was used on each side of the hood. Access to the engine compartment was improved, to say the least. The rectangular grill was wide, vertical, and bulged forward in the middle. Rectangular parking lights were built into the top outer corners of the grille. Headlights were built into the nose of the fenders, and provision for built in accessory fog lights was proved under the headlights. Three chrome spears were on the rear section of all four fenders, except on the Sixty Special. Rear wheel shields (fender skirts) were standard on most bodies.
Series 62 came in the standard body style line-up, including the only Convertible Sedan for 1941 and the last such body style offered by Cadillac.
