1962 Cadillac Fleetwood Sedan

VIN: 62M022394; Sedan; Ebony Black / Gray; 390 V8 / Automatic; Mileage: 76,183; Has keys, numbers matching 390ci 4bbl V8, 4-speed Hydramatic, treasure trove of parts, barn find

1962 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Series Special Sedan

For auction, a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood showing 76,183 non verifiable miles on the odometer, presenting in barn find condition and retaining its numbers matching engine. To borrow lyrics from a David Wilcox song, "I am that tailfin road locomotive, you can polish my chrome so clean, we can fly off into the sunset together, my rusty old American dream."

Exterior
Holy moly! This once stately and elegant sedan now features a good amount of rust and even the epic chrome bumpers were not spared. The car's Ebony Black finish is barely hanging on and the same could be said about some panels, especially the front where it looks like the car went headlong into an acid rainstorm for a few years. Yes, she's rougher than a stucco bathtub but here are the overall shape and structure remain and it's an incredible, finned design and was once "long and dark, shiny and black" as Bruce sang in Cadillac Ranch. Most trim, lenses, emblems, and glass are intact, and the front and rear grilles are also unbroken. Ooh, that rear section and its fins would make an excellent couch!

Interior
The interior is toasty too and I think I saw a tear or two in the eyes of our car specialists. There are hints of greatness here with wood veneer inserts in gray vinyl door cards and all four are badly weathered with a closer resemblance to driftwood at this point. And if not for staining, age and wear the front and rear vinyl and broadcloth benches actually look decent and rear passengers get a limo-like experience with a decorative façade and grab handles. Up front, the large, 2 spoke, 2 tone steering wheel is cracked and fronts a fitting dash that is decidedly horizontal and long, just like the car itself. There's an AM radio on board and a clock over the straight line of the lower dash and glove box while an autronic eye perches up top, intended to dim the headlights for oncoming traffic. Gray carpet is in place and dirty and the headliner is gone, exposing surface rust of the metal roof. We could not get the trunk open.

Drivetrain
Under the hood is the numbers matching 390ci V8, originally rated at 325 horsepower, fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor and mated to a Hydramatic 4-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear axle and 2.94 gears. It's coated in surface rust but looks mostly complete. The A/C compressor is gone and the car is equipped with power brakes and power steering.

Undercarriage
A coating of surface rust but otherwise in decent condition, the underside features a single exhaust through a stock style muffler, power drum brakes on all four wheels, and suspension includes coil spring front and rear with a 4 link in back.

Drive-Ability
The car does not crank.

A once visually striking car that's emblematic of a time when Cadillac was indeed the "Cadillac of cars" and were reserved for the well to do. This one has seen better days of course but you can't help but be impressed with its design and how its mass is used to interpret those elements flawlessly. This is pure, American elegance now captured in this rusty old American dream!