With its 138-inch wheelbase and luxurious Fleetwood semi-custom bodies shared with the upper-level V-12 and V-16 models, the Series 75 was as large and lush as a V-8-powered Cadillac could get in 1937. Among the scarcer and especially well-proportioned variations available to discerning customers was body style number 7529, the Five-Passenger Convertible Sedan—of which just 50 were produced and 10 are known to survive. With the convertible top and cabin divider down, this body style looks much more like a sporty phaeton than the era’s typical convertible sedan.

This preeminent Fleetwood Convertible Sedan, chassis number 3-B-808, was special-ordered in September 1936 via Stuyvesant Cadillac by Emily Rockwell Crane Chadbourne of Stone Ridge, New York, undoubtedly for chauffeured use.

A woman of particularly refined taste and immense wealth, by the time she acquired this Cadillac Mrs. Chadbourne was already renowned as one of the most important art patrons in the United States, with longtime leadership positions at both the Chicago Institute of Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Living in Paris from 1904 until 1917, she remained a central cog in the cross-Atlantic diffusion of impressionist, post-impressionist, and avant-garde art to the American public.

According to a copy of its build sheet, this Series 75 Fleetwood retains its original color combination, an elegant Thessalon Green body with matching green leather upholstery beneath a tan Haartz convertible top. Upon her passing in 1964, this Cadillac passed through the Crane family until 1991, when it was purchased by its previous owner in a presentable and highly original condition.

Around 2011, the car’s previous owner commissioned a bare-metal respray in its original and striking Thessalon Green paint, with many other details cosmetically restored, including the extensive brightwork and interior burlwood. Shortly thereafter, this Cadillac also had its numbers-matching 346-cubic-inch V-8 engine and other major drivetrain components fastidiously rebuilt by marque specialists, while the entire fuel and braking systems were similarly recommissioned. More recently, its convertible top was redone with new fabric and plating.

This award-winning Series 75 Convertible Sedan is a rare and beautiful pre-war Cadillac with commanding presence and sterling provenance. It is a wonderful target for the most devout Cadillac enthusiast’s stable.