Asking $65,000.
Reasonable Offers Encouraged
The Sixty Special name has been used at Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Bill Mitchell-designed Series 60 derivative. Although the 1938 model began in Cadillac's lowest price range, soon the Sixty Special name would be synonymous for some of Cadillac's most luxurious vehicles. For 1938, the Bill Mitchell designed Sixty Special was added to Cadillac's lowest-priced line of cars - the Series 60. The new four-door sedan, designed to look like a convertible, showcased trend-setting features including a completely integrated trunk, lack of side running boards (which all makes soon followed), and four front-hinged doors. It was built on a 127-inch wheelbase - 3-inch longer than the standard Series 60 cars. The new Sixty Special utilized a unique "X" frame underneath, which allowed the 4,170 lb. car to sit within its frame. This not only gave the new Cadillac the stiffest chassis on the market, but it was also 3" lower than other Cadillacs - with no sacrifice in headroom. The disappearance of running boards along the side and its lack of belt-line trim made the sleek car appear even lower. The Sixty Special was powered by Cadillac's standard 130 hp , 346 cu in V8 engine. In its debut year, 3,703 Sixty Specials were delivered, at a base cost of $2,090 each - it was a success in every measure. The new Sixty Special outsold every other Cadillac model in its first year. In 1938, aside from the standard 4-door sedan, three special order models were built on the Sixty Special body - two very dashing four-door convertibles (each owned by GM executives), and one Sixty-Special coupe (the only one of its kind).
A pleasing new front end, a few minor trim changes, and some unique options appeared for Sixty Special in 1939. First was a retractable metal panel above the front seat called a "Sunshine Turret Top Roof," a predecessor to the moon roof. The sliding roof, patented by GM's Ternstedt Hardware division, was operated by a hand crank. Second was a retractable division glass in between the front and rear seats. This partition did not have a header in the roof, only channels between the door posts for the retractable glass to travel in. The 1938 price of $2,090 remained for 1939 as well. More than 5,500 Sixty Specials were built for 1939, but only 280 of them were equipped with the sun roof option (of those 280 sun roof optioned cars, 55 of them were also equipped with the retractable glass partition).
For 1940, the price (for the third year in a row) and general styling remained the same, with only modest trim changes. Of special note is that 1940 was the last year that side-mounted spare tires (optional on all Cadillacs, including Sixty Special) were offered. 1940 was also the first year that Fleetwood built the Sixty Special bodies. Thus, the Sixty Special line expanded to four models this year: Touring Sedan (the base model), Imperial sedan (priced at $2,230, it featured a retractable glass partition between the front and rear seats), and two open-front Town Car models (one style with a painted roof, the other with a leather-covered roof). These two very formal cars had a removable roof section over the front seat and a glass division window. Of the Sixty Specials built in 1940, 4,242 of them were the Touring model. There were 113 Imperials (including 3 that were also equipped with the sun roof), and lastly, only 15 Town Car models. Of the 15, 9 had the painted metal roof (priced at $3,465), and 6 were the formal leather-covered roof version (priced at $3,820).
1941 was the last year of Bill Mitchell's original Sixty Special design, as an all new 1942 model was in the works.There were nearly 17,900 Sixty Specials made from 1938 to 1941, including about a dozen custom bodied versions.
This exceptional example is arguably one of the finest, if not the finest, in the country. The car was completely professionally restored at a cost of well over $100,000.00 in the early part of the decade and won its class at Pebble Beach, shortly thereafter. The car has traveled very few miles since, and is kept in climate controlled storage, so it hasn't degraded at all. Finished in a striking Color Combination and sporting the rare above mentioned Dual Side Mounts, this car is ready to continue to produce trophies for its new owner on the show circuit. Offered at well below the cost of restoration due only to the failing health of the owner, this is the car to buy if you have been looking for a top flite 60 Special.
