1959 Cadillac flat top

[djohnson]

Good morning folks

I am usually a late 60's cadillac lover, however lately I have a love affair with the 1959 Cadillac "Flat top" model.  My question is was there a Coupe Deville Flat top?   So far i have only seen the Sedan Deville with the Flat top Option.  Pleas let me know any info you have as this will be my next Caddy if it exists.

thanks
Djohnson

[R Schroeder]

As far as I know , only the 4 door cars in the GM line used it in 59. I know Chevy used it in 61 on a 2 door.

[Bill Hedge CLC 14424]

From the Standard Catalogue of Cadillacs by James T. Lenzke:  "Flat-top roof styling was used on four-window sedans.."  The same was true for 1960.

[quadfins]

The above replies are all correct.

Technically, the style was referred to as the 4-window sedan (in either 6239 Series 62 or 6339 de Ville trim level) as opposed to the 6229 or 6329 6-window sedan.

I think that they look much sleeker than the 6-window models. There was a beautiful '60 model at the GN in Columbus last year. Oh, My!!!

They had a lowered windshield and roofline, and from what I gather, there were complaints that they did not have enough head room for a proper gentleman to wear his hat. As a result, the '61 versions had a raised roof which, to me, looks awkward and ugly. That opinion must have been shared by others, as that model was the lowest selling version in 1961. The coupes and convertibles retained the lower roofline.

For 1962, the 4-window version returned to the lowered roofline, and adopted the wider C panel. I think these (and the continued versions for '63 and '64) are among the most beautiful Cadillac designs of the early '60s. Since I don't wear a hat, it would not bother me to have the lowered roofline.

I would love to have a '59, '60, or '62 4-Window sedan. It would be a tough choice between one of them and my '61 Coupe de Ville.

Jim

[djohnson]

Thanks for the advice.  I wish they had a coupe deville with the flat top...that would look great.   Also agree with Jim, the 1962 roofline is one of the nicest looking caddies of the early 1960s. 

[Brian Laurance]

The "flat top" 4-door hardtop roofline is my favorite body style for the 1959/1960 General Motors cars, and the design has attracted significant collector interest among fans of the '59/'60 GM cars.  Indeed, numerous collectors have sought out this body style, with some even preferring it over the 2-door hardtop Coupe DeVille style.

As noted above, these cars have low windshields that are shared with the 2-door hardtops, whereas the 6-window 4-door models share taller windshields with the regular GM 4-door sedans of those model years.

I have some collector car publications dating as far back as the mid-1970's that classify the 4-window flat top cars as having "special interest", and, during the 1980's, "Special Interest Autos" published a two-part article on the "Rolling Greenhouses" GM 4-door hardtop designs of '59 and '60.

My understanding is that the roofline was referred to as the "Flying Wing" or "Cantilever" design while it was being developed at GM.  The objective, evidently, was to create the impression that the car's roof was simply floating above the car's body, accounting for the slender "C" pillars and wrap-around rear window.  One article indicates that Harley Earl originally wanted the roofs to be finished entirely in stainless steel, but the Eldorado Broughams demonstrated that this treatment would have been prohibitively expensive for the regular production cars.

This collector searched for a white "flat top" for each of GM's five passenger car lines from '59, but his Pontiac Bonneville Vista was sidelined for engine problems and missed this photo session of his collection:





A GM tour I organized a few years ago in Washington state brought out a few of the '59 flat tops, seen here in Sedan DeVille, Electra, and Bonneville form.  Not surprisingly, as this trio cruised together on Interstate 5 through the heart of Seattle, they attracted considerable interest and enthusiasm from the other motorists sharing the highway!

[P Cedergren]

Here's a coupe flat top for you.
Outside a car show / swap meet in Italy three years ago.

/Per 4218

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Desireability of '59 4 Window Flattop Sedans has increased dramatically over the past several years. The shared roofine with many of the lower-priced GM siblings may have had something to do with their historically lower values than the 6 Window version but all that seems to have changed in more recent years.

At any rate, '59 4 Window Sedans are well represented in the most recent issue of Hemmings Motor News and all have photos:

White for $21,000 (S62?)

Brenton Blue S 62 (seller professes 100% orig), $27,500

Gotham Gold/White Sedan deVille, $29,800

Woodrose/White Sedan deVille- no price- promo pic for Mecum Houston, TX auction.