Need help deciphering Cad Historical Services info

[Angelo Van Bogart]

Hello,
Im hoping someone can help me decipher the information I received from the Cadillac Archives regarding my 1955 Series 62 coupe.

The outlet code for the car reads "FAC," and one of the archivists penciled in "Factory account; cars in company use." I was wondering if anyone knew how cars were used by the company, by whom they were used, and then how they were sold off. I know from the information provided that the car was fitted with a license plate frame per Michigan standards, so the car at least spent its early years in Michigan.

When I bought the car, I was told it came out of California, and its extremely solid and particularly clean underneath, which made me believe the gentleman I bought the car from wasnt giving me one of the old salt-belt car sales tales we hear so often in Minnesota.

Since the car in question is a very well preserved and unrestored car with no rust and 133,000 miles, I have a hard time believing it spent any significant length of time around Michigan.

Finally, I was hoping the information would explain the presence of the "T" located on the trim tag a 1/2 inch to the right of the Trim Code of 47. This mysterious T is not explained in the packet of information I received from the Cadillac Archives, and I was hoping that someone could explain it. The car does have seat covers, which look to be period correct and professionally installed; could the T represent the seat covers? I had a book of Cadillac accessory seat covers from 1954, but not 55, so I cant match the pattern.
Sorry for the long note, but any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Angelo

[Doug Houston]

A lot of time has passed since your car was built, and it has had a lot of chances to have all sorts of things done to it. When you got the build information on the car, it was probably the tabulated sheet, showing many cars that went to distributors all over. Cadillac had a distributor system in those days, where the car was billed from the factoy to a distributor, such as the factory stores in the major cities, as Detroit, New York, or Chicago. I know that Scott-Smith Cadillac was the one in Philadelphia, and Greenlease-Moore in Oklahoma City. Oliver Cadillac was in St. Louis, and I believe that Capitol Cadillac was the one in Atlanta.

ANYWAY, There were many cars that went to the division offices around Detroit as "pool" cars for use of priveledged employees. The cars are deiven for about 4000 miles, as I recall, then often sold to the employee whe had ordered the car into the pool. I had a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Estate that was a pool car at Chevrolet Central Office, and was sold to one of my friends in the CCCA, then sold to me with 9000 miles on it.

The first modern Cadillac I had, a 56 convertible, was a company owned car for about the first year. It was sold in 1957, through the Cadillac factory branch used car lot to the next owner. I bought the car in 1958. Later, I called my contact at the factory for the build data on it.  It developed that the car had been built with a green and white interior, and when I got it, it had a red and white interior. I told my friend, no,its red and white. He said that the build data said green and white. Thats how it was built. I later found some well-hidden evidence of the change! The engine also had heads from a 57 engine. Since it was a Cadillac, it had been in the hands of a pretty high official,possibly in Cadillac engineering, and may have been a "test mule" of some sort.

The invoices for the earlier model Cadillacs had a totally different format, and sometimes had some interesting information on them. They had the distributors name on them, and that wasnt necessarily the selling dealer. The distributor system was eliminated about 1961, and all dealers ultimately became direct dealers.

A 41 Caillac owner in Oregon, I believe, sent me a copy of the invoice from a convertible sedan he has. It was delivered to the Cadillac Motor Division branch in Chicago in December, 1940, WITH HYDRA-MATIC. That option didnt become available until March 1, 1941. However, the big mystery seems to have this solution: Was it sent as a special build for the Chicago auto show? I think it was.

So, there are always cars that were built for company use for one reason or the other. I saw a Cadillac Eldo convertible, around 1974, in a special buff body color, and matching buff leather interior. Jack Humbert, director of one of the division styling studios had it for the weekend. It was Bill Mitchells car.

On one occasion, one of the styling guys ordered an Olds Toronado in black body color. The zone office bounced the order, reminding him that black wasnt offered in the Toronado that year. He shot back that he was one of the designers of the car, and he WANTED IT IN BLACK!! He got a Black Toro. Later, more customers saw it and  began to ask for Toronados in bleck. It became an available color.