CLASSIC CAR PROFILE: 1949 CADILLAC SERIES 62 CLUB COUPE
Cadillac had taken a gamble with its first new postwar design for 1948, and it had paid off. Despite styling chief Harley Earl's trepidation, the public loved it all, from the broad hood to the pontoon fenders to the stubby tailfins that had been inspired by the Lockheed P-38 fighter. They loved it enough to make Cadillac the only General Motors division to exceed its prewar production peak.
For 1949, the focus shifted to the big change that lay beneath the Cadillac's hood: the traditional L-head V-8 had been replaced by an all-new overhead-valve V-8. “...[A]s beautiful as this automobile is, its big story is performance,” the brochures read. “For with this 1949 model, Cadillac presents to the world its creative masterpiece—a wholly new V-type, overhead-valve engine which is establishing altogether different ideas as to what motor car performance can be.”
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Relocating the valves from the block to the heads allowed the adoption of wedge-shaped combustion chambers, leading to higher compression ratios to take advantage of improvements in fuel quality. Although the new OHV's compression ratio of 7.5:1 was not a radical change from the L-head's 7.25:1, engineers anticipated going as high as 12.0:1 with the higher-octane gasoline that was on the way. As it was, the 331-cu.in., 160-hp V-8 gave Cadillac buyers the satisfaction of having the most powerful new American car on the road. Motor Trend gave the ’49 Cadillac its first-ever Car of the Year award, while “Uncle” Tom McCahill, dean of the automotive writers, called it “America's finest automobile to date.”
Cadillac's 1949 catalog included the Series 61, as a Four-Door Sedan or Coupe; the Series 62, as a Touring Sedan, Club Coupe, Convertible, or hardtop Coupe de Ville, introduced late in the model year; the Series 75, as a five-, seven- or nine-passenger sedan; and the long-wheelbase 60 Special Touring Sedan. It would be the final year for the fastback styling of the Club Coupe, pictured here. The price of Cadillac ownership started at $2,788 for a Series 61 Coupe, and topped out at $5,170 for a seven-passenger Series 75. Most popular was the Series 62 Touring Sedan, with 37,617 produced, followed by the Series 61 Four-Door Sedan, with 15,738 built.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
A variety of cloth and leather interiors, designed by Fleetwood, were offered, and hydraulic window lifts were standard equipment on the Series 60 Special, Series 62 Convertible and Coupe de Ville, and Series 75. Options included the Hydra-Matic Drive four-speed automatic transmission, chosen by some 98 percent of buyers; a radio; and optional heating and ventilation systems. Hydra-Matic would become a standard feature the following year on the Series 60 Special and Series 62.
Cadillac production for the 1949 model year rose more than 75 percent from the year before, to 92,554. Among those was the 1 millionth Cadillac, a Series 62 Coupe de Ville, which rolled off the line on November 15. Restyled for 1950, Cadillac would become even more popular, with more than 100,000 finding buyers. GM's premium brand was well on its way to dominance in the U.S. luxury car field, a position it would hold for decades. In fact, while it had taken a half-century to hit the 1 million mark, the 2 millionth Cadillac arrived just nine years later.
Photo: Hemmings Archives
Specifications
- Engine: OHV V-8, 331-cu.in. 160 hp at 3,800 rpm 312 lb-ft at 1,800 rpm
- Transmission: Three-speed manual, optional Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic
- Suspension: Front, independent knee-action, coil springs, lever-arm shocks, torsion-bar stabilizer; Rear, solid axle, semi-elliptic springs, lever-arm shocks, cross-link stabilizer
- Brakes: Four-wheel drums
- Wheelbase: 126 inches
- Curb weight: 3,862
- Price new: $2,966 ($37,615 in 2023 dollars)
- Value today: $27,000 to $75,000