1947 Cadillac Series 62: A Grand Convertible
It was the day before Thanksgiving in 1947 when a Washington, D.C., resident took delivery of a sleek midnight blue Series 62 Cadillac convertible. The base price of the car was $2,973. But nobody gets away without some optional extras.
Accessories on this car, according to the original window sticker included AM radio, underseat heater, undercoating, fog lights, wheel discs, white sidewall tires, backup light, windshield washer, antifreeze, glare-proof mirror, and license plate frames.
Cadillac did not charge anything extra for the three-speed manual transmission. Additional fees included $171.22 for fire and theft, collision, public liability, and property damage insurance. Tags and title were an extra $26.04. The original owner also opted for a lubrication contract for an additional $36.50.
When the dust had settled the total price — out the door, off the lot — was $4,765.27, about the same price of a 1947 Chevrolet convertible and a 1947 Ford convertible combined! Of course, those two cars didn’t have the cachet of a Cadillac convertible.
Over the years, the Cadillac changed ownership a few times, but stayed within the same Virginia family. It was always well cared for and, in the late 1990s, the Cadillac was sent out to a shop in North Carolina for sale, along with a full restoration.
At the same time, Bob and Grace Gluck had begun a specific search for a 1947 Cadillac convertible. A friend referred them to the restoration shop, where the 1947 Cadillac convertible was almost complete.
“Grace sat in it and had her picture taken,” Bob says. They decided that they would never find a nicer 1947 Cadillac. They bit the bullet and bought the car that sported a 346-cubic-inch flathead, 150-horsepower V-8 under the long, sculpted engine hood.
The Cadillac was trucked to their home, but much to the new owner’s dismay, the car wouldn’t start when it arrived. After running several tests, it was eventually determined that the car was simply out of gasoline. It’s amazing what a replenished fuel tank can do for an engine.
With the rebuilt V-8 purring smoothly, the Cadillac rolled off the truck on its 126-inch wheelbase. “We had to re-chrome the center piece on the back bumper and re-porcelain the exhaust manifold,” explains Grace.
Of the 6,755 models manufactured in 1947, Bob says, “Fewer than 300 had manual transmissions.” He reports that he enjoys 12 to 14 mpg with his manual transmission. Capacity of the fuel tank is 20 gallons. Bob happily adds, “We burn no oil.”
“Basically, we polish it and keep it clean,” Grace says of their beautiful Cadillac convertible.
