Description
In the 1940 model year, the Cadillac series was divided into the Series 60S (Sixty Special), Series 62 and Series 75.
The Series 62 replaced the 1939 Series 61 which was offered as the cheapest Cadillac model. It was powered by the 5,7-liter V8 with vertical valves and 135 hp, which was carried over unchanged from its predecessor. Two-door coupes and convertibles and a five-seat coach and a four-door convertible were offered. The wheelbase of the 62 was 327,6 cm (+7,6 cm compared to last year's Series 61).
From model year 1941 onwards, the old Series 61 made a comeback, as it now served as a replacement for the discontinued sister brand LaSalle, which had offered cheaper upper mid-range models from 1927 to 1940 under the leadership of Cadillac. The 62 moved up a notch in the Cadillac hierarchy.
In 1941, the 5,7-liter V8 was boosted to 150 horsepower and the four-door convertible was dropped in the shortened 1942 model year. The Series 62 was part of General Motors' C-platform family and thus related to several Oldsmobile and Buick models, while the 61 was based on the group's shorter B-platform.
When Cadillac resumed production in May 1946 after the end of the war, it also returned the 62 in an unchanged guise. For the 1948 model year, the 62, like all Cadillacs, received new bodywork with the first tailfin approaches; Wheelbase and dimensions were now identical to the entry-level 61, so from now on the 62 simply represented a better-appointed 61. The line-up continued to consist of Club coupes, convertibles and sedans, powered by the 5,7-litre, which from model year 1949 was replaced by a new 5,4-liter overhead valve V8 (160 hp).
For the 1950 model year, the Coupe DeVille appeared with a hardtop coupe body without a B-pillar as part of the 62 series. In 1952 the power of the 5,4-liter V8 increased to 190, in 1953 to 210 and in 1954 to 230 hp. From 1956, the Sedan de Ville was added to the 62 series as a hardtop sedan. The Cadillac Eldorado luxury convertible, launched in 1953, and the coupe version released in 1955 were also officially part of the 62 family in the first years. In 1955 the engine power was further increased to 250 hp. In 1956 the engine was enlarged to six liters (285 hp, 1957: 300, 1957: 310 hp). In 1958, in addition to the regular 62 sedan, an “extended deck” version with an almost 25 cm longer rear was added to the range. From model year 1959 onwards, the DeVille and Eldorado models from the 62 series were officially split off and produced as separate model series (internally referred to as Series 6300 and Series 6400). From 1959 onwards, a larger 6,4 liter V8 was also used in all models (in the 62 with 325 hp). The longer Extended Deck variant was discontinued after one year, but the 62 sedan was offered from 1959 to 1964 with four or six side windows and a different roofline. A four-door Town Sedan was added in the 1962 model year with an almost 20 cm shorter rear end. In the last model year of the 62, 1964, the convertible was dropped.
From the 1965 model year onwards, the Series 62 was replaced by the Cadillac Calais.
A total of nearly 1940 million examples of the 1964 were built from 1,39 to 62 (plus a total of 18.257 Eldorado models from 1953 to 1958).
