A spectacular restoration! Whether you want an ultimate CARavan classic or a concours competitor, this fits the bill. We love the elegant and conservative color combination.
This 1938 Cadillac 75 Series, Fleetwood Bodied Convertible Coupe, Style 38-7567, has a Body Number 20 of 44 produced. Vin No. 3271124.
A complete body-on restoration, to concours standards but intended also for touring. The quality of the restoration is easily qualified to show at the finest of concours events, including Pebble Beach.
Importantly, of the 44 Series 75 Cadillac convertible coupes made in 1938, this is one of only two that were built without side mounted spares. Within the classic car hobby, the side mount deleted cars are considered by far the most beautiful because of the unbroken lines that make the car look much longer and sleeker. The side mounts really shorten the look of the front.
A brief history of the car:
Built in Detroit and shipped by truck to the South Chicago Cadillac Agency where it was sold. It did not spend a lot of time in Chicago, as the owner found a business card in the trunk when the restoration was started from a tailor shop near Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles with a telephone number of WA-0691 (dates to the 1950’s). Ed Gunther, a long-standing member of the Cadillac LaSalle Club, remembers this car being for sale in L.A. back in the 60s. It was sold and Ron VanGelderen restored the car the first time and it was awarded a Senior Badge from CCCA, #697 back in 1975. It was also the cover car for the January 1986 issue of the Self Starter with an accompanying story of the car.
Dick Haeberle from New Jersey owned the car which was sold in 1992. It then bounced up to New York for a while owned by Burdette Pomeroy who sold it in 2000 and the present owners purchased it on Feb 15th, 2003, from Randy Hall of Saratoga CA. Randy had purchased the car while he was restoring his 1938 75 Series Convertible Sedan. The car at that point was somewhat drive-able and in need of a total redo. Shortly after that, a ten-year nut & bolt restoration began.
Features of the car:
To put it mildly this is one massive automobile with a 141-1/2 inch wheelbase. All 75 (V-8s) and 90 (V-16s) series Cadillacs in this era were on the same chassis and almost identical custom built Fleetwood bodywork. They were offered in many different custom built body styles, the majority being seven passenger sedans. As mentioned, this is one of only two non-side mounted 75 Series convertible coupes made in 1938.
New features for 1938:
The gearshift was moved from the floor to the steering column. Also new for ’38 was the fact that there was no longer a rumble seat on this model, instead there were two jump seats behind the main seat giving this car a trunk that is almost seven feet deep!
The car is equipped with the following options:
Pleated (or tufted) main seat, a working master radio with a cowl mounted antenna, very rare script Cadillac 6 inch diameter amber fog lights, a cowl mounted heater-defroster unit, full wheel discs, two outside rearview mirrors and the correct car jack and period tool kit. There is also an original, never used key case from the delivering dealer!
Additional features that have been added for safety and comfort are:
A Gear Vendors Overdrive unit for better drivability (as the only rear end ratio offered was a 4.58), two period correct Harrison under seat heaters for greater comfort while motoring with the top down. These units became an option for Cadillac about two years later, front seat extenders moving the seat further back and tilting it back also giving a much more comfortable driving position, a master dis-connect electrical switch, a Pertornix solid state ignition system, two lap style seat belts, 5 Michelin radial tires with the sidewalls buffed clean, self-cancelling turn signals that are incorporated into the fog lights and rear lights, a special tonneau cover for the entire rear compartment in addition to the regular tonneau. The conver
