Cadillac design experienced a great shift in 1941 under the guidance of legendary General Motors styling guru Harley Earl. A complete restyling clearly separated the new models from prior generations, with headlights now fully integrated into the front fenders, flanking a wide horizontal grille that stretched from side to side and made a bold statement, indeed. The hood was made front-opening for the first time, and the filler for the gas tank was hidden in the left rear taillight, which soon became a Cadillac hallmark. Power for the Series 62, the division’s bread-and-butter line, came from a 346-cubic-inch V-8 mated to a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission. Hydra-Matic, General Motors’ new fully automatic transmission launched the prior year, was optional and became more popular later in the course of production.

Among the most sought-after of these very modern, pleasurable classics is the Series 62 Convertible Sedan, Cadillac’s last production four-door convertible. Only 400 examples were made.

The car offered here was acquired by the late, respected collector Roger P. Willbanks some years ago from fellow Colorado enthusiast and avid 1941 Cadillac aficionado Terry Johnson. Per its build record, the Convertible Sedan had been originally ordered by a Boston Cadillac dealer in the highly sought-after color scheme of black over tan leather and equipped with an enviable roster of options, including running boards, a heater/defroster, and the Hydra-Matic transmission. It was refinished some years ago in the correct color and fitted with a new top, but to this day retains its original leather seats—still in very good condition with much patina—and even its original carpets, indicative of just how well it has been cared for and preserved. Even the original oil-change shield is still present in the door jamb, with pencil markings from a service at 23,572 miles, indicating that the present mileage—less than 45,500 at the time of cataloguing—could be actual.

A well-equipped, nicely kept, satisfyingly original example of perhaps the most sought-after 1941 Cadillac, this car is offered with pride from the collection of a distinguished enthusiast, well-known to the international concours community. As a Classic Car Club of America Full Classic, it would be an ideal entrant in CARavans as well as other Antique Automobile Club of America tours.