Rough Droptop: 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible
Out of all of the luxury car brands out there, hands down one of my favorites is Cadillac. My dad bought a 1967 De Ville convertible back in 1989 for $100 (which he still own today and is, almost ironically, one of our own barn finds in our garage) and last year we owned, drove and later sold a 1972 Sedan De Ville hardtop sedan. Cadillac has never been a shrinking violet for its luxury and at times its looks, especially on this 1959 Series 62 convertible. Find it here on eBay in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with a little more than two days left to bid.
Originally designed to replace the entry level Series 65, the Series 62 was introduced in 1940 and was available until 1965, when it was replaced by the Calais series. The Series 62, along with the rest of the Cadillac line, was redesigned in 1959, and was renamed from Series 62 to Series 6200; the easiest way to spot a Series 62 is its straight body rub moldings, running from front wheel opening to back bumpers, with crest medallions below the spear. The flashiest and most identifiable parts of the Series 62 and most other 1959 Cadillacs however is its huge iconic tail fins with dual bullet tail lights and its jewel-like grille patterns and matching deck lid beauty panels. Overall, Cadillac built 11,130 Series 62 convertibles for 1959. Looking over this car, there is rust on both fenders, rear quarter panels, and rocker panels; the convertible top is basically shot, too, and some of the exterior trim is missing. The bumpers look to be in good shape, as is the tail lights, and it appears to have three out of the four original wheels still mounted; I also dig the vintage Alberta license plates; factor in the options the car has exterior-wise (power trunk, Autronic Eye, and tinted glass), and this rough car has some nice options thus far.
In addition to its sky-high tail-finned styling, Cadillac gained a new V8 for 1959: a 390 cubic inch V8. Rated at 325 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, the 390 V8 may not have the full-fledged power the later 429, 472 and 500 V8s that Cadillacs were powered by, but the 390 V8 is perfect for effortless cruising in this land yacht. According to the seller, the car “was parked over 20 years ago in a barn”, and the owner “was told that it was running when it was parked”; currently, the motor will not turn over however. Backed by the Hydramatic transmission, the 390 V8 is also missing its air cleaner. I would try to get the drivetrain running before deciding on whether or not a rebuild will suffice, source a correct air cleaner and proper decals, and make sure all the motor accessories are in working order before deciding whether or not they need to be replaced.
Inside, the interior is fairly rough on the edges; the front and back seats has some tears in it (the worst in the front seat) and the floors are shot. On the plus side, the interior is nicely optioned with a power front seat, black and white leather upholstery, power trunk, power windows, day/night mirror, and Wonderbar radio. Furthermore, the door panels, the steering wheel, dash and gauges are in good shape. Overall, this Cadillac is a very rough project that needs a full restoration, but many of the parts are being reproduced, and once restored this car can be worth upwards of $100,000. What are your thoughts on this rough 1959 Series 62 convertible?
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Comments
No matter how rough this car is, it’s a 59 Cadillac convertible. It will always be a very desirable car. At the current bid of just over 20k, it could be a great buy.
Looks like it sat outside. A shame. But as long as you are willing to put the (huge amount) of money into………it is a convertible.
How did this one manage to avoid being rounded up and painted hot pink 30 years ago?
Always gotta wonder when ground grips are on a rag top
Just glad to see BF posting vehicles in Canada and in this case, even within reasonable driving distance for once. Thanks guys. Gives me hope that someday I can actually buy something you list.
I LOVE these 59 Caddy’s and hope to own a coupe or convt. one of thee days. The thing with these cars is that you’re better off buying a really nice one for $50-60k than you are dumping that much into one of these. It hurts me to say that, but experience makes it a factual statement…..You’d be looking at $25k just to make decent driver out of this, add the purchase price and it just makes no sense. Sure you see a show quality one go for $100k once in a while, but great looking drivers can be had anytime for $50-60k…….
In his ad he says we don’t use titles here ? I’m pretty sure you need a ownership (produced by department of transportation )to transfer any car in Canada ,you can have new one requsted by owner and signed by them for transfer
William – Nope, you only need a bill of sale to transfer a car here. You can sign over a car on a paper napkin if you want. The signed over provincial registration is preferred but not required.
I let my own registration lapse on one car for a year and when I went to re-register it, the registrar had me sign another piece of paper that said the car was mine and I didn’t steal it. We’re very fastidious about such details here in Canada :P
This doesn’t have a model 62 interior, it has a Deville interior.
Got to really wonder when a car has what looks like brush applied house paint over the rust and cracking bondo. Whoever buys this car, I have a mint, rust free pair of doors and fenders and a perfect hood.
Absolutely….this could be a $100,000 car.
Too bad it will take about $150K to get it to that level. Wish I were joking. This car is a complete and I mean COMPLETE mess.
Someone said it before. Labor of love. Don’t restore it with the though of making money. Rust is not your friend. It eats metal and money.