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Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Generation (1954-1956)

Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Gen Origin

The years 1954 to 1956 saw the production of the fifth generation of the Cadillac Series model. Between these years, however, Cadillac did not produce a Series 70 since the production of the Series 70 had been halted in 1938. Therefore, the company only produced a “high-headroom” Series 75 and the brilliant mind behind the design was Harley Earl who is also the person behind the design of the previous fourth-generation model.

These model cars were built to succeed the 1953 models of the Series 75. The Series 75 was introduced for the first time in 1950 and it was designed to have a postwar automobile styling that the various Cadillac models used since 1948 as a replacement for the prewar design in 1941.

The 1954 to 1956 Series 75 was available as a limousine which had a driver’s partition and also a sedan with no partition, each one having floater seats and capable of carrying up to eight passengers.

Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Gen Overview

The body of the Series 75 was glossier than the body of its predecessors. It also featured a new cellular grille insert, tapered Dagmar style bumper guards, and inverted gull wing front bumpers. It came with two round jet-style exhaust outlets which were integral to the vertical bumper extensions. The rear bumper, on the other hand, was given a whole new design different from those of the previous models. It featured an Eldorado-style windshield with a wide ventilator stretched across its base and the 1954 version had a 149.8 in wheelbase.

In 1955, Cadillac redesigned the grille of the Series 75 to have a wider space in between the blades. It also had a more unique trim in comparison to other models; there’s a horizontal rub molding running from the front parking light housings and stopping at the trailing edge of the front door.

It retained the high-headroom appearance of the 1954 model and a Fleetwood script was placed on the deck lid at the rear of the car. Both the limousine and sedan retained jump seats; however, the Imperial limousine had a glass driver’s partition that was operated hydraulically.

Another redesign of the grille in the Series 75 came in 1956 with a finer texture and the parking lamps placed below the wing guards. There were two grille options for buyers to select from; one was a gold finish and the other one was a standard satin finish. The 1956 model had a narrow chrome molding and nine vertical louvers.

It retained standard equipment and the style of the previous model which featured auxiliary seats for the sedan and limousine while the Imperial limousine had a glass driver’s partition.

Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Gen Engine

Between 1954 and 1956, three different engines were used on Series 75. The 1954 model ran on the 331 cu in (5.4 L) OHV V8 engine from the 1953 model however its output was boosted to produce 230 hp (172 kW). The same engine was used for the 1955 Series 75 but the output was further increased to deliver 250 hp (186 kW), although there was an optional double four-barrel carb setup that generated 270 hp (201 kW). A different engine was used in 1956; it was a 365 cu in (6.0 L) OHV V8 with an output of 285 or 305 hp (213 or 227 kW)

Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Gen Production

In 1955, one feature that became standard equipment in the Cadillac Series 75 was the Hydramatic automatic transmission. These cars were high model cars and the company produced quite a lot of them.

Between 1954 to 1956, the units of limousines without partitions that were produced were 889, 1075, and 1095 respectively. While the units of partitioned limousines were 611, 841, and 955 respectively.

Cadillac Series 70/75 5th Gen Price

Exploring all the specs of the Cadillac Series 75 for the 1954 to 1956 model years will be incomplete without mentioning the price of the cars. In 1954, they were sold at $5,875, the price rose to $6,187 in 1955 and by 1956, they went at the price of $6,558 which is equivalent to $63,798 in today’s market

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