Cadillac does not build many cars like the Cadillac Sixty Special: a 4-door sedan with 346 cuin Monobloc V8, built from 1938 to 1993 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Its designer of record is Bill Mitchell.
How it came about
Cadillac Sixty Special is a name used by Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Harley Earl–Bill Mitchell–designed extended wheelbase derivative of the Series 60, often referred to as the Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Sixty Special designation was reserved for some of Cadillac's most luxurious vehicles.
It was offered as a four-door sedan and briefly as a four-door hardtop. This exclusivity was reflected in the introduction of the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham d'Elegance in 1973 and the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham Talisman in 1974, both offered as a single trim package below the Series 70 limousine. The Sixty Special name was temporarily retired in 1976, returned in 1987, and continued through 1993.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 346 cuin Monobloc V8. Kerb weight is 4000 -. The gearbox is a 3-speed selective synchromesh manual / 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic. The wheelbase is 1938–40: 127.0 in / 1941: 126.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Cadillac's history is not in doubt: the Cadillac Series 65 came before it; it was built at Detroit Assembly, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Volkswagen Beetle, the Lincoln Continental, the Rolls-Royce Wraith. Its Cadillac stablemates include the Cadillac 353 and the Cadillac ATS.
The money
There is no federal ownership record for the Cadillac Sixty Special — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.