1962 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special -- now purchased, with photos

[Brian Laurance]

Looking to add a third GM passenger car to my personal collection -- currently comprised of a fine original 1959 Pontiac Star Chief and 1959 Buick Electra -- I have an opportunity to purchase a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special.

This car would be my first foray into ownership of a collectible Cadillac, and, I'll admit, I have no real grasp of current market values for this model.

I have seen the car briefly, but expect to test drive it this weekend.  Lacking photos, I know that it is difficult to obtain precise input, but welcome any counsel you can offer me.

Here is what I do know about the car:

Finished in solid Aleutian Gray.  Lower body was poorly repainted when some 1970's-era aftermarket protective side moldings were removed.  The paint needs to be re-done.  The car's roof paint is original, but very thin and down to the primer in some areas.  Chrome can be polished and made presentable, but is fading in some areas.

The car is said to be a strong runner, which I hope to confirm this weekend.  Mileage is about 85,000, and this has always been a West Coast car.  There is no visible body rust, and I'll be inspecting the frame and underbody this weekend.  The car has been mostly garaged, but there were periods of time when it sat outside.  Rear bumper was bumped on the driver's side, and needs to be repaired.

The car has factory A/C (not working), but is complete and not messed with.  Other features include the (optional?) fog lamps, cornering lamps, Guidematic.  Early in the car's history, it was fitted with the rear seat footrests from a Fleetwood 75.  Am I correct that these were not offered on the 60 Special?  The interior and carpets are all original and remain serviceable and presentable, but the wood panels on all doors are deteriorated and need to be re-done.  The headliner is intact, showing some light staining.

The owner has indicated that a new choke stove is needed.  Is this part readily available?

The car's history is interesting, in that it was retained by Cadillac Motor Division's San Francisco Zone Office when new, and utilized in the executive motor pool until sometime in the late-1960's.  A tasteful Cadillac Zone Office nameplate is attached to the car's decklid.  The seller has researched the car through Cadillac Historical, and I will examine the documents this weekend.

Based on my brief description, can anyone offer any pricing input for me?   The seller has not communicated an asking price. 

Thank you in advance for any pricing parameters you can offer.

[Dan LeBlanc]

Just sent you a PM.

[Coupe Deville]

The car has factory A/C (not working), but is complete and not messed with. 

The owner has indicated that a new choke stove is needed.  Is this part readily available?

Mileage is about 85,000, and this has always been a West Coast car.

There is no visible body rust, and I'll be inspecting the frame and underbody this weekend.  The car has been mostly garaged, but there were periods of time when it sat outside.

Hello there Brian. My friend has a 62 Fleetwood 60 Special which I sometimes maintain for him. I'm sorry but I can only answer the mechanical side of your questions. It is pretty typical of cars of this era for the A/C not to work. If you can get your hands on some R12 your could go down that route, or if you wanted to convert to r134a you could too. Either way that will cost some big bucks. As for the choke stove. Not sure if you mean choke stove pipe or choke coil its self but both parts are readily available. You can even make a choke pipe out of brake line. As for the milage. That wouldn't concern me if it was lightly driven or well maintained. My friends 62 Fleetwood has over 120,000 miles, motor and trans have never been out or rebuilt. And believe me, through the years that he has owned it he has not driven it "lightly". But we have kept the maintenance up. And the last thing is probably the deal breaker. The RUST. Look for any signs of rust on the body and underneath the chassis. If there isn't any, great. But I wouldn't take anyones word for it without seeing it in person. But personally, I love the feel of driving the Fleetwood, just floats down the road and feels like a boat. Not to mention it is just a great looking car too.

Good Luck!

-Gavin 

[Brian Laurance]

Thank you to all who have responded.  I'm grateful for any input!

[Series75]

Describe the rear footrests please.  Sounds like the car I owned years ago.   Tom CLC#6866

[Brian Laurance]

Tom, I will try to shoot photos of the footrests when I inspect the car this weekend.  If you previously owned this car, I'd welcome any further history or perspective you can add.

[76eldo]

A friend of mine recently called me about a car he saw for sale about 10 min from my house.
It was a 62 Fleetwood. Terrible condition, lower body rust, torn up interior, a non air car, reportedly runs well and firm at $2500.  I was not even remotely interested given the condition.

I would be willing to bet the seller on your car is going to be asking more than you mentioned but hopefully not.

Good luck

Brian

[Brian Laurance]

Brian and Art, thank you for your comments regarding these cars.  This is extremely useful information -- precisely what I needed.

I will keep you all posted about the car after I've inspected it in greater detail.

[alfredgee]

Hey Brian,

It was nice meeting you at the Buick Nationals!  If you wanted one to benchmark against, this is a nice one for sale locally that was once owned by a member of our Cadillac Club. 

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/4490179779.html

I think the price is high given that this was roughly what the car was sold for before the market crashed, but the body and paint was perfect on this car.

Keep us posted!

Cheers!

Alfred
2008 Cadillac CTS
1981 Seville Elegante

[Brian Laurance]

Alfred, it was great to meet you, too!

Thanks for the link.  The pricing of the car you've shown really helps put the pricing of these cars into perspective.  That appears to be a nice example, suggesting that a lesser-condition car should go for significantly less money.

[Brian Laurance]

I inspected and drove the car on Sunday, and found it to be a very nice, solid car.  The paint is poor, but the car is otherwise very nice.  The interior is beautiful, really needing only a refinishing of the wood panels on the doors.  The trunk compartment looks new.  There is no evidence of rust or rot, and the underbody looks very dry and solid.

As noted previously, the car is a factory A/C car, and, even though the system is not operable, no one has molested the system.  The car also has the Wonderbar radio, fog lamps, and Guidematic. 

The car's rear seat footrests are attached to the floor rather than the front seat, so this is not the car that Series75 recalls.

The car runs and drives very nicely. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the seller's asking price, which was at the bottom end of the range I was willing to pay.  The deal was made, and I drove the car home about 45 miles on the Interstate highway.  I suspect that this was the car's first outing on the Interstate in more than a dozen years.  I was amazed by how nicely the car drives, and, despite the paint issues, I received numerous "thumbs up" along the way.  I will shoot some photos this evening for insurance purposes, and will share here tomorrow.

Thank you all for your help.

[Lucas Feininger #15674]

Congratulations on your purchase! There's no better experience for an old car buff than to buy a car and drive it home safely. I wish you many happy years with your Fleetwood and keep us posted as you fix her up.

[SixDucks]

Congratulations on your purchase.  You will soon find that the Fleetwood is one of the finest offerings available from Cadillac. Enjoy it to the fullest.

[quadfins]

I will add my congratulations on your new purchase. You will find that car to be a great combination of modern drivability and old-style beauty, that will attract a lot of attention.

Don't hesitate to make inquiries on this forum as questions arise.

Jim

[Brian Laurance]

Thank you for your warm comments.  I love this car!

I have always admired the '61 and '62 Cadillacs, appreciating their crisp styling and the skeg fins.  I fully understand the sentiments regarding the pursuit of the nicest example one can find, and I admittedly took the contrary approach with this car. 

I can address the car's issues slowly over a long period of time, but can enjoy driving it in the meantime.  While I bought the car because I like it, I may opt to liquidate it at some point in the future in order to help fund ongoing improvements to my other collector cars. 

As promised, a few photos!  Having just received the car on Sunday afternoon, I have not yet performed any cleaning or detailing.

[Brian Laurance]

Some interior photos:

[Brian Laurance]

Just a few more:







In the garage, the '62 Fleetwood and the '59 Electra:

[76eldo]

Looks beautiful. It's much easier to deal with a paint job than a car needing a complete interior. I doubt if anyone could duplicate that interior for a reasonable price.

Congratulations and good luck!

Brian

[N Kahn]

Beautiful car(S) very elegant machine, congratulations.

[jock82]

I love those 62 Cadillacs, also like the 59 Buick, beautiful cars. 


Guy Moore CLC #12650