Beschreibung
For sale by auction on Saturday 23rd September 2023 with Historics auctions.
Registration OFO 582
Chassis Number 59F077323
Odometer reading 89889
Estimate £58000-£68000
Although Cadillac had invented the tailfin in 1948, by the late 1950s, others were offering their own take on the theme. In fact, the 1959 Cadillac fins were a response by Cadillac to the 1957 Chrysler line, which had borrowed Cadillac's own idea and took it one step further. According to the late David Holls, former design director at GM, the famous fins of 1959 were the result of a directive from management that Cadillac would not be outdone by Chrysler products. There was little danger of that, as the 1959 Cadillac was a modern classic that truly represented the high point of the era of fins and flash. It was huge yet remarkably docile to drive, thanks to abundant power, a first-rate automatic transmission, and excellent power steering and brakes. No other car captured the essence of the Jet Age quite like the 1959 Cadillac. In addition to sharply swept and dramatically pointed fins, surface development was a series of curves, nacelles, and character lines that could have come from one of the new jet fighters of the time. Wheel covers carried a turbine wheel motif, and there were even vestigial ventral fins at the lower edge of each rear side, passing through the bumper skirts to merge into the massive rear bumper.
This lovely 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible was imported to the UK in 1995. It was purchased from London by the current owner in 2018 and added to his collection of classic cars based in the West Midlands. During his ownership he has had the petrol tank replace and recently had the original red and white leather interior redressed. Finished in red with the original power hood, the car has the standard features of power assisted steering, power windows and features the iconic rear fins with the bullet rear lights. This Cadillac Series 62 is supplied with a V5C registration document and a MoT test certificate which expires in August 2024. "No single automotive design better characterises the industry's late 1950s flamboyance than the 1959 Cadillac, which incorporated totally new styling." – Standard Catalogue of Cadillac, Ed. James T Lenzke.
Interested parties should note that the pin strips are not painted but stickers which the new owner can remove easily.
