Start with what the Cadillac Series 70 is: a car with 346 cuin Monobloc V8, built from 1936 to 1987, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Harley Earl.
Where it came from
The Cadillac Series 70 (models 70 and 75) is a full-size V8-powered series of cars that were produced by Cadillac from the 1930s to the 1980s. It replaced the 1935 355E as the company's mainstream car just as the much less expensive Series 60 was introduced. The Series 72 and 67 were similar to the Series 75 but the 72 and 67 were produced on a slightly shorter and longer wheelbase respectively.
The Series 72 was only produced in 1940 and the Series 67 was only produced in 1941 and 1942. For much of the postwar era, it was the top-of-the-line Cadillac, and was Cadillac's factory-built limousine offering. Production of the short wheelbase Series 70 ceased in 1938, but reappeared briefly as the relatively expensive Series 70 Eldorado Brougham four-door hardtop from 1957 to 1958, while the long wheelbase Series 75 made a final appearance in the 1987 model year.
Under the skin
The engine is 346 cuin Monobloc V8. On the scales it comes to 4500 -. Drive goes through a 3-speed synchromesh manual. The wheelbase is Series 70: 131.0 in / Series 75: 138.0 in / Commercial:156.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Cadillac line-up the Cadillac Series 70 has a clear place: it replaced the Cadillac Series 355; the factory was Detroit Assembly, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Bugatti Type 57, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Chevrolet Suburban. Nearby in the Cadillac catalogue sit the Cadillac 353 and the Cadillac ATS.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Cadillac Series 70 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.