Lot 212

Monterey 2018

1939 Cadillac Series 75 Convertible Coupe by Fleetwood

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$173,600 USD | Sold

United States | Monterey, California

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Engine No.
3291095
Body No.
21
  • Exceptional restoration in very attractive, correct colors
  • One of just 27 built and five extant
  • Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) National First Prize winner
  • CCCA Full Classic

In 1939, the Series 75 represented Cadillac’s most expensive, luxurious, and exclusive V-8-powered model, sharing its 141.3-inch-wheelbase chassis and semi-custom Fleetwood bodies with the V-16-powered Series 90. Available styles included the convertible coupe, which, thanks to the limousine-length chassis beneath, provided capacious room for four adults, all inside the car, as well as a large trunk suitable for extended touring. The convertible coupe was a great rarity even when new; only 27 examples were built, of which just five remain today.

The car offered here, the 21st, was originally delivered by the John D. Wendell dealership in Albany, New York, equipped with dual side-mounted spares, wheel discs, and floor mats. According to a former owner, it was acquired around 1988 by the Walt Disney Company, to be part of a promotional display in Long Beach, California, alongside the famous Spruce Goose and Queen Mary. Plans for this arrangement soon ended, and in 1992 the car passed into new ownership.

Between 2004 and 2007, the Cadillac was immaculately restored by Steve Cooley Motors, in a restoration that reportedly took over 2,000 hours to complete, including locating a correct original chassis-mounted radio aerial. Reportedly the car was found to be a very original and solid example, with the exception of the left rear fender, which had multiple bullet wounds, the reasons for which remain a mystery. Finished in Antoinette Blue with a tan leather interior, the work won numerous honors, including a Senior Premier badge from the Classic Car Club of America in 2011, and an AACA National First Senior. Today the Cadillac still presents beautifully inside, outside, and underneath, and it needs little for continued showing and driving enjoyment.

An exceptionally rare and seldom-seen Full Classic, this beautiful Series 75 deserves a fine home like it has enjoyed for all these many years.