The 1951 Cadillac

During the forties, Cadillac, as well as other car makers, found themselves having to meet with the unfortunate events of war and poverty. Therefore, to stay in business, Cadillac came up with a Cadillac 61 Series. This car was less expensive than other models and yet still offered the Cadillac driver a comfortable and dependable ride. However, after nearly 49 years of business based upon the concept that Cadillac was the “Standard of the World”. Cadillac once again decided to cater to upper working class individuals and customers. As a result, the 1951 Cadillac 61 Series was discontinued in the middle of that year because of lack of sales.

It seems the booming fifties were all about prestige, most Cadillac owners preferred the more expensive models that offered them longer and sleeker body styles, unlike the short wheelbase 61 Series that the 1951 Cadillac offered.

The most popular Cadillac for 1951 was once again the Series 62 four-door sedan, offering drivers luxury and comfort in a pillared coupe, convertible or the ever so loved Coupe de Ville. And unlike the 1950 Coupe de Ville, the 1951 model offered it’s buyers another type of prestige, the script lettering located on the Coupe de Ville was like none other, distinguishing it from all other Cadillac’s, as well as standard power windows.

Both the 60 special Fleetwood and the Fleetwood 75 Series offered the owner the same features as previous years; however, there were some minor outward appearance changes. For example, the 60 special Fleetwood featured eight vertical chrome louvers on the rear fender, as well as a full wheel disc mount, unlike previous models.

By far, the biggest change that occurred to Cadillac in 1951 was the elimination of the 61 Series model. An estimated 4,700 total cars were produced in 1951, a remarkable drop in total sales, especially in relation to the previous year, where sales for the 61 Series were much higher. In fact, the 1950 61 Series Cadillac 4-door Sedan was the second most produced Cadillac for that year, with total production for the entire 61 Series topping 26,000 vehicles.

As the years have passed, Cadillac has often found them selves trying once again to market to the middle classes, only to find that their efforts are not met with open arms. Therefore, perhaps as with the 1951 Cadillac 61 Series, it’s best for Cadillac to stay ahead of the rest, catering to upper class individuals that crave pleasure and reliability from their pricier Cadillac, after all, this car is “the Standard of the World”.

Ref: Cadillaccountryclub.com