1955 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe DeVille

- All Original, Survivor
- 331ci V8
- Recent Motor Overhaul
- Starts, Runs, and Drives Exceptionally Well
- Priceless Patina

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe DeVille on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 135 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Favorite of All Nations” – 1955 Cadillac magazine advertisement headline

The Cadillac ad went on in beautifully written copy: “At a conservative estimate, fifty per cent of all the motorists in America would rather own a Cadillac than any other automobile. But what is equally important, this desire to own and drive the “car of cars” is shared by people throughout the civilized world. In virtually every nation where the Cadillac car is seen and driven, it is the overwhelming favorite! This is, we think, entirely logical. For Cadillac's virtues are too apparent to be overlooked anywhere. The car's inspiring beauty… its magnificent performance…its extraordinary luxury… simply have no counterpart on the world's highways. Why not visit your Cadillac dealer soon—and discover these remarkable qualities for yourself in the 1955 Cadillac. We know you'll agree that Cadillac is indeed “The Standard of the World!”

The “Mad Men” guys sure knew how to describe a car for maximum appeal.

Offered here is a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe DeVille in two-tone brown-and-cream-white over light-tan. The car is a true survivor in all-original, lightly patina-ed condition, with a recently overhauled engine. The original mileage shown on the odometer is 37,266 miles, or just 564 miles per-year on average since new. The full range of owner literature and period documentation is included in the sale showing the Cadillac was purchased by Edward F. Woods from the Ruby Oldsmobile-Cadillac-GMC Truck dealership in Pontiac, Illinois on June 16, 1955, and returned to Bay City, Michigan.

Here's how Hagerty describes these historic cars: “The 1955-56 Cadillacs were variations on the 1954 design, but were favored by a variety of drivers ranging from youthful rock-and-roll stars to graying bankers in Omaha. Subtle changes fore and aft, revised side trim and other detail tweaks kept buyers happy. The 1956 Coupe de Ville was elegantly refined and its new companion, the Sedan de Ville, was Cadillac's first four-door hardtop. Meanwhile… GM introduced a smoother shifting Hydra-Matic. New styling inspired by GM Motorama concepts and an innovative X-frame chassis enabled a 3-inch height reduction for 1957, creating a daringly modern Cadillac. Fine examples… fairly exude the panache and quality that made GM's prestige leader the Cadillac of American cars.”

The exterior of this “fine example” has been extremely well-maintained for over 65 years. Close-up photos in the gallery allow appraisal of the car's original paint. The color combination was a period creation and retains its appeal today. Chrome trim is in excellent condition overall with some light patina. The front bullet-grille, front bumper, and dual-exhaust-containing rear bumper are truly breathtaking. Design features including the rounded shape of the hardtop, wrap-around cabin glass front and rear, delicate “fins” incorporating the taillights, elegant chrome side trim, and gold emblems front and rear together really do mark this as the “Standard of the World.” The coupe body style would've been selected by well-to-do doctors, lawyers, and captains of industry; choosing a Coupe DeVille telegraphed the owner's personal power, style, and success. This example is of museum quality.

Inside, the style-statement continued. Door trim incorporates tan, tufted, buttoned brocade square-pattern cloth, two shades of tan vinyl and leather, and stylized chrome trim in a luxurious array. The same tufted, buttoned-brocade-cloth pattern (with tan leather trim) covers the cabin seating on the folding-front bench and rear bench with center armrest. Darker brown carpeting covers the cabin floors. All these materials are original to the car. The stock, two-tone (matching the cabin colors) steering wheel with “Cadillac V8” center emblem frames a dark-brown padded dashboard with instrumentation and controls that, taken altogether, can rightly be described as gorgeous. All instrument lenses are clear, bespoke chrome trim is original and well-maintained, and all surfaces still look and feel perfect. The shift lever for the automatic transmission is mounted on the steering column. The original radio, gold script-Cadillac emblem, and a square, analog clock are arrayed across the dash.

Under the hood, the 331-cubic-inch Cadillac V8 is in original, unrestored (but overhauled) condition in a clean, complete, and orderly engine bay. Surfaces are original with patina from age. A glass-bottle fluid reservoir remains mounted on the firewall. Viewed from below, the chassis is complete and undamaged with expected surface rust on untreated metal. The “X- frame" reinforcement, unique to Cadillacs at the time, is a focal point.

The car's build and identification tags remain as they were mounted at the factory.

The car still drives and runs extremely well.

While the more than 135 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '55 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe DeVille in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

“The Standard of the World” was far from puffery, as this Model 62 Coupe DeVille makes perfectly clear. While as noted above, the car could be headed for a museum, we hope the next fortunate caretaker will exercise it from time to time on the open road, especially so that younger folks can appreciate the way Detroit expressed luxury in the mid-Fifties