The war was over, and it was time to enjoy again the goods of life. And of course, Cadillacs were part of that equation. Not that Cadillac could build enough of them, as the company had accumulated 100,000 back orders by 1947. And here, these four ’47s were well on their way to meeting that demand.
Like most passenger cars, these ’47s were mechanically pretty close to prewar models; in Cadillac’s case the trendsetting Sixty-Special of 1942. Yet, enough trim and mechanical changes had been performed to keep the model in the public’s mind and favor.
Regardless of American shoppers’ desires, GM found it wise to import a fair number of Cadillacs abroad. Of course, this only increased the brand’s allure; at home and elsewhere.
Further reading:
Curtis Perry Capsule: 1946 Cadillac Sixty Special – The Beginning Of Cadillac’s Dominance
—and one of those ’47’s was a Black convertible of my aunt and uncle.Drove it often.Felt like it was built with left over tank parts.Solid, wonderful car
They were in a sense: the big flathead V8 and Hydramatic were both used in Stuart tanks and some other US WW II military vehicles. That 346 V8 is smooth and quiet, and some vintage Cadillac experts actually prefer it to the ohv V8 of 1948. We had a ’47 60 Special (black of course) that that powerplant is indeed magnificent, if not efficient.
Only one has WWs.
Born in 47, same vintage as these Cadillacs! Have owned several RWD FLEETWOODS when Cadillac was still Standard of the WORLD. Favorite (though not owned) was 58 Sixty Special. Sad to see what now wears the Cadillac name.
Memories! When I worked in the Distribution Department of Chrysler in the 1970’s I often spoke with people at Howard Sober regarding vehicles. Usually, they had not been delivered on time to the dealerships and customers were waiting for their new vehicles. Once I called a carry in Arizona. The lady from that company pronounced vehicle as VEE-HIKKEL. i still laugh although this might be normal speech down there.
The 48s tend to get most of the adoration with their more modern body and of course the iconic p38 Lightning tailfins but I really like this pre-post war bodystyle quite a bit, it wears what I consider among the most definitive “Cadillac faces”, one imitated by other brands and manufacturers on their cars, and even the advanced design Chevy pickups used it.
Speaking of their faces, GM alone persisted in making the sort of annual model changes to their prewar holdovers for ’47 and ’48. They weren’t much – more akin to the 1970s/80s pro forma annual tweaks to the grille texture than the radical design progress of the 1930-41 and 1949-70 or so eras – but they were intentional and required effort on the styling department’s part. Nobody else had the resources to spare for that.
Curious that the Caddy’s on the top deck have protective coverings. Commonplace now, but cannot remember ever seeing that pre-2000. Also, the cars on the lower deck don’t. Really don’t think they were any more protected than the ones up top.
From the shadows on the lower cars, it looks like the higher deck is solid, not as on modern carrier trailers.
Pretty cars, bummer about the FlatHead V8 though .
I was gassing up Tuesday and noticed the small, blue four door sedan one pump over had CADILLAC badges on it ! .
It was smaller than my old Mercedes W123 taxi .
I too miss the aspirational Caddies .
-Nate
Amen and Hallelujah to that! See my comment. SUVS, crossovers, and a few tiny little coupes and sedans wearing the Cadillac name (not even laurel wreath) must have Billy Durant, Alfred Sloane, and Harley Earle spinning in their graves!
The last half century of Cadillac – the quest for volume and cost-reduction that turned the Standard of the World into a gussied-up Chevy starting around ’71, the brief hope spot of the taut but still majestically plush and very elegant ’77s followed by the Lost Decade of fragile engines and stagnant design through the ’80s and spending 20 years getting caught up on sport sedans only to find all the volume had moved over to crossovers – is an object lesson in how hard it is to regain leadership once forfeited.
Of fairly modern Cadillacs, my favorites are the 1965 – 1972 models, at least in terms of styling presence. To me, these cars just look like Cadillacs. And I like all body styles of these years–Coupe DeVille, Sedan DeVille and Fleetwood. Of course the ’67-’68 Eldorados are favorites of mine too. Don’t like the later Eldorados when the exposed the headlamps.