Post-War & Chrome / 1946–1959

1948 Cadillac Series 62 2-Door Fastback

No. 062 of 207

For the 1948 model year, General Motors designers Harley Earl and Frank Hershey struck gold with their new Cadillac line. Fresh, beautiful styling combined with a well-built chassis and robust, though dated L-head V-8 engine.

What set the car apart was a subtle design cue that led to one of the most iconic, heavily copied trends in motoring history - the tailin. The inspiration for the small kicked-up fin at the end of each rear fender came from Lockheed's P-38

Lightning, America's finest heavy fighter plane during World War II.

1948 Cadillac Series 62 2-Door Fastback — museum photo

The Series 62 had the broadest range of bodies, including a convertible coupe, four-door sedan, pillarless Coupe De Ville, and the gorgeous fastback two-door coupe, also known as the Sedanette. Series 62 production totaled 34,213 vehicles for the 1948 model year, accounting for 68% of Cadillac's volume. Just 4,764 of the fastbacks were produced, and they stand among the most sought-after and collectible of all post-war Cadillacs.

The Series 62 included a lower sleeker body, a new cellular grille insert, and inverted gull wing front bumpers and tapered dagmar style bumper guards. Round jet-style dual exhaust outlets were incorporated into the vertical bumper extensions and the rear bumper was entirely redesigned. An Eldorado-style wraparound windshield was seen on all models. Sedans used a distinctive style of window reveal molding, which created a built-in sun visor effect. For coupes a smoothly curved wraparound backlight was referred to as the "Florentine"-style rear window. A wide ventilator intake was now stretched across the base of the windshield on all body styles and the chrome visored headlamp look was emphasized. The Series 62 could be distinguished by the lack of rear fender louvers. V-shaped ornaments and crests were used in the hood and deck and there were full length body underscores in bright metal. Coupe de Ville script was seen on rear corner pillars of the luxury hardtop, which also had wider sill moldings. The Eldorados had golden identifying crests centered directly behind the air-slot fender breaks and wide fluted beauty panels to decorate the lower rear body sides. These panels were made of extruded aluminum and also appeared on a unique one-of-a-kind Eldorado coupe built for the Reynolds Aluminum Corporation. Also included in the production Eldorado convertible were monogram plates on the doors, wire wheels, and custom interior trimmings with the Cadillac crest embossed on the seat bolsters. Automatic windshield washers, power steering, 12-volt electrical system, and aluminum alloy pistons made the long list of standard equipment for the first time this year. Power steering, windows, seats, and auto headlight dimming were optional. A parking brake release reminder light was new. Popular Mechanics rated the 0-60 mph time as 17.3 seconds. Air conditioning was provided by Frigidaire optionally on sedans and hardtops, which consisted of a self-contained unit that was retrofitted at the customer’s request.

Rick DeBruhl Commentary - The fins that started an automotive revolution!

327 cubic-inch L-head inline 8-cylinder engine

Highly-modified Cadillac

Special paint and custom Interior

500 cubic-inch engine

375 horsepower

Turbo 400 automatic transmission

Torsion bar front suspension

Front disc brakes

Original cost of $2,728