Cadillac · 1936–1987

Cadillac Series 70

The Cadillac Series 70 (models 70 and 75) is a full-size V8-powered series of cars that were produced by Cadillac from the 1930s to the 1980s. It replaced the 1935 355E as the company's mainstream car just as the much less expensive Series 60 was introduced. The Series 72 and 67 were similar to the Series 75 but the 72 and 67 were produced on a slightly shorter and longer wheelbase respectively. The Series 72 was only produced in 1940 and the Series 67 was only produced in 1941 and 1942. For much of the postwar era, it was the top-of-the-line Cadillac, and was Cadillac's factory-built limousine offering. Production of the short wheelbase Series 70 ceased in 1938, but reappeared briefly as the relatively expensive Series 70 Eldorado Brougham four-door hardtop from 1957 to 1958, while the long wheelbase Series 75 made a final appearance in the 1987 model year.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Cadillac Series 355

All Cadillac Series 70 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

1936–1937

The 1936 Series 70 and 75 both had V-shaped windshield styles by Fleetwood. A narrower radiator shell was supported by the new louver style "Convex vee" grille. Headlights were mounted on the radiator shell. Parking lights were inside the headlights. Front fenders were new with a crease along the center line. The cowl vent was changed back to opening forward. There were built-in trunks on "touring" styles, town cars and four-door convertibles. Coupes and two-door convertibles had rumble seats plus a separate door for the spare tire at the extreme rear of the deck. All bodies now featured the Fisher Turret Top. The Series 70 and 75 were powered by the new 346 cu in (5.7 L) Monobloc V8, This 135 hp (101 kW) engine was both less expensive and more powerful, and the stylish body by Fleetwood should have made the Series 70 and 75 an instant hit. However, the high price (US$2,445 and up ($56,728 in 2025 dollars )) limited their appeal in the Great Depression era. Only 5,248 were sold for 1936. In 1937 bodies were the same except for drip moldings running from the bottom of the front pillar up and over the doors and rear quarter window, new fenders and bumpers, headlights rigidly attached (adjusted by moving reflector), wheel discs incorporated a hubcap, and a built-in trunk was incorporated on most bodies. A die-cast eggcrate grille was used, but the hood louver treatment differed from that used in Fisher bodied cars. Chrome die cast strips were used at the rear of the hood side panels. A seven-passenger Fisher-bodied Special touring sedan, without a division window was offered on the 138.0 in (3,505 mm) wheelbase. These two body styles had the eggcrate hood louvers typical of all Fisher bodied Cadillacs for 1937. The Business car line included eight-passenger versions of th

1938–1940

For 1938 the Series 70 and Fisher-bodied Series 75 Specials were dropped. The Series 75 used a 141 in (3,600 mm) wheelbase and now only offered bodies by Fleetwood. In 1938 the Cadillac Series 65 and the Series 75 shared a new front end style featuring a massive vertical cellular grille, three sets of horizontal bars on the hood sides, alligator hood, and headlights on the filler space between the fenders and the hood. Optional sidemount covers were hinged to the fenders. Quarter windows were of sliding rather than hinged construction. The rear of the body had rounder corners and more smoothly blended lines. Trunks had more of an appearance of being an integral part of the body. Bodies were all steel except for wooden main sills. New chassis details included a column gear shift, horns just behind the grille, battery under the right hand side of the hood, transverse muffler just behind the fuel tank, wheels by a different manufacturer, "Synchro-Flex" flywheel, hypoid rear axle and the deletion of the oil filter. All Cadillacs shared the same 346 in3 L-head V8, although the 75 generated 140 hp (104 kW) instead of 135 hp (101 kW) like the rest of the line thanks to a higher 6.70:1 compression ratio, necessitating the use of higher octane fuel. For 1939, all Cadillac V8s had new grille styling; similar in appearance but different in detail dimensions on each series. The pointed center grille and the functional side grilles were die-cast, with fine pitch bars. A single die-cast louver was positioned to the rear of each hood side panel. Headlights were once again attached to the radiator casing. Chassis changes included: tube and fin radiator core; sea shell horns under the hood; 10mm spark plugs. In 1940 the one year only Series 72 was introduced as a less expensive companio

1941–1942, 1946–1949

For 1941, the wheelbase was reduced to 136 in (3,454 mm), though power on the 346 cu in (5.7 L) L-head V8 engine was up to 150 hp (112 kW). The one piece hood came down lower in the front, included the side panels and extended sideways to the fenders. A single rectangular panel of louver trim was used on each side of the hood. The rectangular grille was wide, vertical, and bulged forward in the middle. Rectangular parking lights were built into the top outer corners of the grille. Headlights were now built into the nose of the fenders, and provision for built in accessory fog lights was provided under the headlights. Three chrome spears appeared on the rear section of all four fenders. Rear fender skirts were standard. Unlike other Cadillacs the Series 75 could only be ordered with running boards. It was with this generation that all GM vehicles experienced increased width dimensions to accommodate three passengers on the front bench seat and an additional three passengers on rear bench seat installed vehicles. This was accomplished with the deletion of running board thereby adding additional room inside the passenger compartment. In 1941, the Series 67 was introduced using Fisher Body coachwork on a 139 in (3,531 mm) wheelbase and an overall length of 228 in (5,791 mm), and offered the Touring Sedan seating either five or seven passengers, and continued until 1942 with a listed price of US$2,890 ($56,947 in 2025 dollars ). A passenger compartment divider was optional for US1,500 ($29,557 in 2025 dollars ). The Series 67 was longer than the Fleetwood bodied Series 75 using a 136.5 in (3,467 mm) wheelbase, and a listed price of US$4,045 ($88,542 in 2025 dollars ). The grille became more massive in 1942, with even fewer bars and was the beginning of the traditional "egg c

1950–1953

An all-new Series 75 was introduced for 1950 which conformed to the postwar styling introduced on other Cadillacs in 1948. This would replace the pre-war design dating back to 1941 with a new 146.8 in (3,730 mm) wheelbase. It featured six-window styling, a one piece windshield, the absence of running boards and a "high-headroom" limousine-type appearance. Seven-passenger seating was again offered via jump seats in the sedan, business sedan and Imperial sedan. Surprisingly Hydramatic automatic transmission was optional but power windows were standard equipment. A minor face lift and small trim variations were the main Cadillac styling news in 1951. Miniature eggcrate grilles were set into the out-board grille extension panels below the headlights. Larger, bullet shaped style bumper guards were used. Jump seats were used in both the seven-passenger sedan and Imperial limousine. Hydramatic automatic transmission was optional and hydraulic window lifts were standard. Business sedans were built in limited numbers on a special order basis. In 1952, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cadillac, the V-shaped hood and deck emblems were done as gold castings. The grille wraparound panels were redesigned once again having broad chrome trim below each headlight with side scoop styling and gold-colored winged emblem mounted in the center. Back up lights were now standard equipment and were incorporated in the taillights. At the rear all Cadillacs adopted a through the bumper dual exhaust system. Although all Series 75 had been Fleetwood bodied since 1938 it was not until 1952 that Fleetwood script appeared on the rear deck lid. Equipment features were the same and no business sedans were built. Engine output for the 331 was up to 190 hp (142 kW) for 1952. It would borrow the bump

1954–1956

The big Series 75 "high-headroom" car came as an eight-passenger limousine with driver's partition or eight-passenger sedan without partition, both having jump seats. The Series 75 included a lower sleeker appearing 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. A wide ventilator intake was now stretched across the base of the windshield and a chrome visored headlamp look was emphasized. V-shaped ornaments appeared on the hood and deck lid with Fleetwood script in the latter location. Wheelbase was up to 149.8 in (3,805 mm) for 1954, and engine output jumped to 230 hp (172 kW). In 1955 the grille was redesigned with wider spaces between the blades and the parking lamps were repositioned beneath directly below the headlights. The trim of the Series 75 long wheelbase model was distinctive from other lines. A horizontal rub molding ran from the front parking light housings to the trailing edge of the front door and stopped. A full-length vertical air slot-style fender break molding was placed directly behind the rear gap of the back doors. The two moldings did not meet at right angles. A Fleetwood script appeared on the rear deck lid. The high headroom appearance was seen again. Both the sedan and the limousine continued to feature auxiliary seats for extra passenger carrying capacity and the Imperial limousine had a hydraulically operated glass driver's partition. Engine output was increased to 250 hp (186 kW). An optional dual-four barrel carb setup boasted 270 hp (201 kW). Hydramatic automatic transmission was now standard

1957–1958

In 1957 a tubular X-frame without side rails was adopted. This resulted in greater structural rigidity and provided for a lower body without a loss of usable space. Front end styling was marked by rubber bumper guard tips and dual circular lamps set into the lower bumper section. Side trim was revised and a dual taillight theme was used. Identifying the Series 75 were bright metal moldings, just forward of the rear wheel openings, highlighted by seven horizontal wind splits. At the upper end this fender break trim joined a horizontal molding that ran along a conical flare extending towards both taillamps. The Series 75 came as a limousine or in a nine-passenger sedan configuration, both with auxiliary seats. Power was 300 to 325 hp (224 to 242 kW) for 1957. In 1958 there was a new grille featuring multiple round "cleats" at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical members. The grille insert was wider and new bumper guards were positioned lower to the parking lamps. New dual headlamps were used and small chrome fins decorated the front fenders. Tailfins were less pronounced and trim attachments were revised. On the sides of the car were five longer horizontal wind splits ahead of the unskirted rear wheel housing and front fender horizontal mouldings with crests placed above the trailing edge and no rocker sill trim. The limousine and nine-passenger long wheelbase sedan were available once again. The highly expensive and exclusive four-door Cadillac Eldorado Brougham hardtop marked the return of the name Series 70, but for only two years, as from 1959 to 1960 the Eldorado Brougham was denoted a Series 6900, and it was discontinued thereafter. Announced in December 1956 and released around March 1957, the Series 70 Eldorado Brougham was a hand built, limited car der

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Cadillac Series 70
Manufacturer: Cadillac (General Motors), Hess & Eisenhardt
Production: 1936–1942, 1946–1976, 1985–1987
Platform: D body
Layout: FR layout (1936–1984), FF layout (1985–1987)
Predecessor: Cadillac Series 355
Related: Cadillac Commercial Chassis
Class: Full-size luxury car

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1025241CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Series_70CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376382408 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1940_Cadillac_Series_75_34.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.