Curbside Classic: 1952 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible – Land Yacht in the Tropics

First and foremost, let’s just take a moment to appreciate that what you see before you is now a Seventy two year old automobile! My mind refused to process that fact until I actually did the math, because it still thinks a 70 plus year old car means something from the 1930s. But alas, time stands still for neither man nor machine, and this shiny emblem of jet-age Americana is unquestionably, a septuagenerian. It also appears to be the very first example of a 1952 Cadillac to appear on CC, although a couple of brethren that are slightly older and younger, have had their moment.

So I think it’s a good job that I found such a lovely example of a ’52 to take a turn on the CC stage, a Series 62 Convertible, pretty close to the top of Cadillac’s range for that year, and the only surviving Cadillac convertible in Sri Lanka, to my knowledge. 1952 was quite the year for GM’s premier marque, marking 50 years (or in their own words, a “Full Half Century”) since it started producing automobiles. GM was justifiably proud of the “Golden Anniversary” and this showed in their advertising, with some ads calling it a “car among cars”, which was no exaggeration back in the days when Cadillac’s tagline “The Standard of The World” was not just marketing BS but a fair description of the cars they were building.

Actual truth in advertising

 

It might be expected that such a significant anniversary would call for all-new models, but GM decided that evolutions of the previous year were good enough, continuing on the same basic body shells that were introduced in 1950. To signify the anniversary, the Cadillac emblems and the V on the hood and trunk were finished in gold, and below the headlights were winged logos that were also gold. They also got dual exhausts, which exited through the bumper, and re-profiled bootlids on Series 62 and 75 models, as well as new choices in interior materials and colours. The bigger news though, was underneath, as the 331 CID Caddy V8 gained 30 horses from new induction and exhaust systems and a four-barrel carb, taking it up to a solid 190 (the highest output of all production models, in that year). Helping get those horses to the road was the new Dual Range Hydra-matic transmission, while optional power steering made driving even easier.

The model line was simplified with the deletion of the Series 61 models, leaving the Sixty Special, Series 62 and Series 75 for buyers to choose from, along with sedan, coupe, convertible and limousine body styles. Buyers could rest assured that they were getting a truly special automobile, that could proudly stand among the best in the world.

Impressive, no doubt about that! It is possible that the first owner’s father saw this very advertisement and decided he wanted the car!

 

The “best in the world” thing is the only reason I can think of for how this particular Series 62 convertible ended up on our tiny little island, as a brand new car in 1952. The owner of one of the country’s largest business ventures apparently wanted to give his son (who was graduating from university in another country and returning to the business) a truly special graduation present, which ended up being this car. There is no record of what the young man thought about his rather magnificent gift, but it’s hard to imagine he was anything but thrilled.

Seriously, imagine getting THIS as your graduation present?

 

I’d like you to take a moment to imagine what sort of impression this massive land yacht would have had in Sri Lanka in the early 1950s. Although we were fairly early to adopt the automobile, it was far from common. Most parts of the country still relied on animal-powered transport, and paved roads were usually found in urban areas only. The bullock-drawn cart and the human-drawn rickshaw were still commonplace and the cars that were around would usually be along the lines of an Austin A30 or Morris Minor, with perhaps bigger metal like Morris Oxfords and Peugeot 203s showing up occasionally.

50s Colombo, somewhat colorised.

 

So this V8 powered, dazzling beast with the leather interior and powered windows, seats and convertible roof may well have looked like it arrived from a completely different planet, not just a different country! I would imagine the impact of seeing it would be like Paul’s encounter with a 1959 Caddy in Innsbruck, but even wilder, and driving it must have felt like driving a modern Bugatti today, not for the shy and retiring types!

Yup, will definitely make an impression!

 

The first owner was by all accounts very happy with his car and kept it for around 10 years, after which it was sold on to a couple of other owners who were also enthusiasts, and it remained well cared for until the mid 1960s. Towards the end of the 60s, Sri Lanka began its first experiment with extreme left policies, and the economy was closed, resulting in almost no imports and things like spare parts for cars becoming almost impossible to get, among other things. Fuel also became very expensive and tough to get, so naturally, a car like this was not exactly in high demand and it went through a few more hands with the condition worsening year on year. By the late 1980s, the car was no longer running and had wound up in a semi-dismantled state with a fellow who bought and sold old cars in a town outside Colombo.

At some point in the 60s, with an unidentified former owner

 

This is where the current owner, Chanaka Jinasena or CJ as he is most often known, enters the picture for the first time. He first set eyes on today’s Series 62 from afar in 1994, as a very young lad when on a trip to one of his family estates with his father. The yard that contained the car was located below the road level, but travelers on the main road could see into the property. The Caddy was barely a rolling shell visually, as the paint was long gone and was covered in primer. None of the chrome was on it, and the glass had been removed, so it was a far cry from its glory days. Even so, the young CJ fell in love with the car at first sight and wanted to find out more about it, so he pestered his father (who was also very much into cars) to take him to check it out.

This happened in due course but the Cadillac didn’t look any better close up, with lots of rust, primer on top of rust, and other horrors. The seller showed them a large pile of parts and swore that glass, trim and fittings were present and correct but despite CJ’s pleas his father would not hear of him taking on the car and instead suggested that he find a good MGA or similar British sports car, which was popular and well understood. Due to his father’s opposition CJ reluctantly gave up on the Caddy but the love for American cars never left him and he went on to own and restore multiple ones. However, the Cadillac was never far from his thoughts and was his ultimate “dream car”.

The infatuation is totally understandable, don’t you think?

 

Meanwhile, the car itself was purchased by a different collector in 1996. This gentleman assessed the car’s condition and needs and realized that Sri Lanka did not have the skills to restore it correctly, so he shipped it to the US. Communication and getting quotes from multiple shops was a lot tougher back then, and some estimates had been extremely high, but he eventually selected a small restoration shop run by a single enthusiast owner. The Caddy was shipped to the US and remained there for around four years, after which it arrived back on the island.

CJ ran across the car again at a motor show in the early 2000s and remembers being stunned at how it looked, happy that it had finally been saved. The owner was a family friend so he immediately asked if he would sell but was turned down. Then, at some point in the 2010s, the Caddy arrived at a garage owned by a friend of CJ, and he was offered a drive to help diagnose some issues it was having. An opportunity he jumped at, of course!

The car was apparently running rough and overheating, while also having issues with the 6-volt electric system, though he still thoroughly enjoyed the drive and working on it, which only strengthened his resolve to make it his own in the future. One day while buying some key tags online CJ relates that he came across one that would be perfect for the Caddy, so he bought and sent it to the owner with a note reminding him that he would still love to have the car if it ever came up for sale.

The very same key tag, still on the car of course!

 

The owner used the car infrequently over the next few years, and it eventually developed some rust issues and needed mechanical refreshing, so it was sent to one of the largest automobile workshops in the country for full body restoration and mechanical work. This job lasted several years and included an interior refurb, re-chroming, and conversion to a 12V electric system. After restoration, the car was booked to be one of the star attractions at the biggest Sri Lankan motor show. The owner was not on the island then and instructed that CJ, who was part of the organizing committee, be the only one to drive it or move it, which he followed to the letter. After the show, the car went back to the workshop for final touches.

A few months later, CJ finally got the news he had waited so long for; the owner had finally decided it was time to move the Cadillac on and said “Son, I would like this car to go to you, so you tell me what you think it is worth”. Barely able to believe his luck, he made what he considered a fair offer, which was accepted immediately and after over 25 years of wanting it, his dream car was finally his own!

Naturally CJ was over the moon and was looking forward to immediately using the car he had waited so long for, but it turned out to be not quite as straightforward as that. It appeared that the car couldn’t quite be driven and ended up arriving at his workshop on a truck. Among the list of remaining issues was an unusual engine ticking that couldn’t be solved at the famous workshop, along with a power steering leak, weak brakes, and several smaller issues.

The Cadillac first arriving at CJ’s premises

 

None of these bothered CJ very much because he is a man with considerable mechanical knowledge and skill, as well as all the needed resources to put to use. He listed out the problems and went at them one by one. The brakes, which were first up since the car seemed to have almost no braking at all, turned out to be that way because the master cylinder (which is apparently located right behind the pedal in a rather inaccessible place), was bone dry, with the access panel sealed up as well! It appeared that no one had actually looked at it in years. Refilling and bleeding the system showed some other leaks, so everything was rebuilt as needed.

Next up was the ticking from the engine, which the previous workshop had insisted was from the lifters. However, CJ didn’t think so, which led to the heads coming off and then eventually full disassembly, which revealed that one of the eight pistons was a different type from the rest and that the cylinder was low on compression with bore damage as well. So CJ decided a full rebuild was the only way to get it right and the necessary parts were imported from the USA. The work was done in-house under his supervision.

Among the new parts were an upgraded water pump and other cooling components –very important in our hot conditions. Also purchased was a genuine new old stock four-barrel carburettor, which replaced the worn out and poorly modified original unit. Once the engine was done (and painted in the correct colours for the period),  the Hydra-matic transmission, which was not shifting properly due to wear and poor maintenance was looked into. This also turned out to be pretty far gone, so CJ bought a better, used transmission in the USA and had it rebuilt there before importing, to ensure reliability and longevity.

How the engine arrived, how it looked after being freshly rebuilt, and how it looks in the bay now

 

Even the hydraulic system that operated the top, seats and windows was not working very well, which was traced to a problem with how the 12-volt conversion was done; the 6v driven hydraulic pump and components had been retained and were naturally malfunctioning. CJ eventually replaced the full hydraulics with a 12 Volt-driven system from a 1953 model Cadillac, to ensure that everything worked properly. The “few adjustments” that were originally supposed to be needed wound up being a full-scale mechanical reconditioning, but CJ forged ahead because he uses his cars and wants them to perform to their fullest potential. In his own words “I don’t regret it a bit, because I can actually use the thing now”

Just as good looking from behind as the front

 

Seeing it in the metal, it’s impossible to disagree because the Caddy seems pretty much factory-fresh. I asked CJ what his favourite things about the car are, and these are his thoughts;

Well, first of all it’s the sound I love, the exhaust was restored back to the correct original spec and it makes this lovely deep burbling rumble, which is exactly how I think a car like this should sound. You can hear it really well with the top down, and it adds to the sense of occasion. In terms of power, it has plenty of it, and the torque just lets you waft along with the ability to go as quickly as you need with a small adjustment of your foot. The 52 model has no power brakes, but the braking efficiency is pretty good nonetheless now that it is working properly. And believe it or not, it actually handles pretty well, once you understand how to drive it properly.

I didn’t get a chance to drive the beast (I was a bit apprehensive about it, to be honest), but I did go for a passenger ride and it was a genuinely special experience. The sheer scale of the car and the proportions are arresting the minute you set eyes on it, and it takes a little while to take it all in. When you do, all the little details just add to the visual pleasure and the basically showroom fresh condition certainly increases the allure of the thing. Once inside the acres of red leather, chrome and top quality materials (even things like the window switches have been restored by CJ) really make one feel important, a feeling which is reinforced by the seating position, which is quite high.

That is truly one gorgeous interior

 

The burble of the 331 V8 is just lovely and is just the right level of loud to be noticeable but not obnoxious, increasing the sense of occasion and putting you in mind of a vintage speedboat. The Caddy gathers speed with authority and road imperfections don’t seem to register much at all, in the best luxury car tradition. We didn’t exactly go corner carving, but the corners we did encounter showed the car was far from being a wallowing mess, the big white Series 62 actually seemed reasonably adept, with well-controlled body motions. It’s pretty evident that CJ is already very comfortable with this car and his genuine thrill at owning and driving it is plain to see. Given that it took over 25 years (and a lot of restoration effort with his own hands) for him to get here, that certainly is easy to understand!

Every car has a story, and this particular 1952 Cadillac has certainly lived quite a few. But the most significant one, of course, is that of a young man and his decades-long chase of his dream car finally became a reality.

Special thanks to Chanaka Jinasena. To see detailed pictures of his rebuild of this car, I highly recommend checking out his Facebook album on the process.

 

Related CC reading:

Curbside Classic: 1950 Cadillac Series 61 Coupe – The Ultimate Curbside Classic