30-Year Barn Find: 1962 Cadillac Series 62
The Series 62 would continue to dominate Cadillac production going into the 1960s. More than 88% of all Cadillacs that were built in 1962 came from that series, including the seller’s car. The only difference between the 62’s and the De Ville’s was the trim level and standard vs. optional equipment, with the De Ville being the victor. This Series 62 2-door hardtop from 1962 has been sitting in an open-air barn for nearly 25 years. The paint and body may not look bad once the car receives a thorough bath. Located in Ramona, California, it’s available here on eBay where the bidding is at $1,075 so far, and there is no reserve.
I love a car with a story and this Caddy has one. It was purchased in 1989 by a San Diego artist, a friend of the seller. It went into storage in a garage for a time as he was going to use it as a parts car for a ’62 convertible that he also owned. That didn’t occur and the coupe found itself in a barn in Ramona along with several other cars from the same period, with many of them being owned now by the seller. The artist friend passed away and the car was willed to him/her. The odometer reads just 45,000 miles, which may or may not be accurate.
From what we can tell, the body on this car looks straight with no obvious flaws but some may be covered up by decades of dirt, dust, and grime. The interior offers a nice surprise in that most everything there looks solid. Perhaps once the interior is cleaned up as well, it will pass should the car be chosen as an occasional driver. Out of 160,840 Cadillacs built for 1962, 143,610 were Series 62 models and the 2-door hardtop accounted for 16,833 units assembled.
We don’t know if the car was running when it was first parked and it’s doubtful it does now after more than 30 years. Factory air conditioning was an option back then and something the original purchaser didn’t choose to order, but power seats and windows were on this Series 62 (they were standard on the De Ville). The carburetor on the 390 cubic inch V8 looks to have been blocked off to prevent debris from getting into the engine and we’re told the air cleaner is in the trunk. After the deal is done, the seller will have the car removed from the barn and taken to a private lot where the buyer can pick it up. With or without the dirt.
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Comments
I’m waiting for the seller to start listing some of the other cars seen in the background of the 58 Series 62 that was featured yesterday. That is a big building, it might be hiding some great finds.
Steve R
This is the third Cadillac this seller has listed in this location and all of them have been on barn finds recently, not a bad thing whooo. In my opinion the 62 cadillacs are the 59 caddy’s gone through puberty, smooth, graceful, refined,
This one looks pretty decent, the best the seller has offered so far. Judging from the inside I wouldn’t be surprised if the mileage was actual.
Yes, there’s a Chevy truck, I’d love to see more of. The interior of this is amazing. He’s got a few time capsules but only the ones with the doors closed the convertable shown elsewhere has that 40 years of crust on the interior.
Look at the seat fabric and the steering wheel. Both in incredible shape for a 59 year old Cadillac. The wheel isn’t even cracked from what I can see, and the upholstery on the front seat looks to be in very good shape and not worn thru. This just might be an honest 45K miles on it, but will reserve final judgement for when/”IF” we ever see more photos of it washed off and out in the sunlight. Too many If’s with an inch of dust on it.
Beautiful looking car. 1962 has always been my favourite year for Cadillac, along with 1964. Assuming everything on this Coup de Ville works like they should, and all that’s needed is a good washing and cleaning, I can see this being a good resto project.
I’m confused. People seem to be talking about series 62, coupe Deville, and 1962. It is difficult following some of these posts!
There’s a lot of rust under that dust… and I imagine the frame is not in that great a shape either… at least seller seems to be honest about it.
Does anyone here know why the air cleaners are so often off the vehicles? Why, for example, would this one be in the trunk?
I think it’s commonly done to block off aberrant entry of undesirable items or vermin during storage. Sometimes done for pictures, you can see so much more.
And remember,always remove the air cleaner before storage!