Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe 1949

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Model number: 92307B

Review of the model:

If a car could be a diva, the 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe will be my first choice. This very car has it all; Style, size, exclusivity and lines like the famous female movie stars of the days. This car is so sexy that even today it will be a “head-turner” at every party she will attend.

There is a naturally cause why model car makers will have a replica of this car in there inventory ( BoS-Models makes a Coupe de Ville) and here Road Signature also have the Convertible Coupe. This 1949 Cadillac is a milestone in the American Motor History.
Road Signature launch this model in the "Limited Real Leather Edition series", this otherwise normal budget model car have real leather seats in the cabin! If you touch gently with your fingers you can feel the real leather. – A fine feature!

My model here is in metallic  blue and shines like a movie star. Further down this article I have added a paint chip card from Cadillac in 1949 who state the color as “Berkshire Blue Poly”.

One of the things I like with the scale 1:18 budget-class from Lucky Die-cast/Road Signature/Yatming is they are mostly all fine models for the money. And with a small research on the internet one can improve the looks of the models, with only some fun hours invested.

If we look general at all American model cars from this Chinese manufacture, the issue lay in the detailing of the interior such as wrong colors at the dashboard and seats etc. And nearly all of the convertibles have the steering wheel in wrong color too. And if we look under the hood and deck lid, some extra work can be done here. One could easily think I’m not a fan of these cars, but frankly I like them a lot! –They just need a little help. On the highlights of these models are: flawless casting, well done prep work and painting, fantastic chrome parts. And overall a very important feature: Good quality control! You hardly ever find lose parts in the box, or worse missing part.

The above pros and cons say it all about this Cadillac convertible Coupe 1949. When you have the model car in your hand (hands) you will notice how well build and heavy this model is.

This model only needed some extra paintwork as the parts all are fine for this model.
I started to paint the emblems on the Sombrero hubcaps, first the red center, and hereafter the emblems in yellow and black. I found a matching light blue color for the rims of the wheel hubs, it gave the all five wheels (incl. spare wheel) some life to the model. The upper part of the dashboard is white on the model from the box. If we look at the real cars the color shall match the color of the cars hood color. I was able to paint this upper part of the dashboard without totally dismantling the instrument panel from the windscreen.

I only removed the six screws from the underside of the model, to separate the top parts in die-cast metal from the plastic underside. This operation was necessary to paint the trunk light grey. The main purpose was the steering wheel that had the wrong black color, as mostly convertibles has crème color. The steering wheel itself is a bit heavy made and my concern was the new lighter color will enhance the thickness. If some have the nerve to make a new thinner steering wheel it will be good for the model.
The people who assembled the model had placed the steering wheel 180 degrees wrong! The quality control on this model is high and only a small spot of sticky glue was on one of the rear backlights, this small issue was quickly fixed with some help of WD40.

No need to paint the carpet, as the black plastic go’s well to the blue leather seats. But my light blue paint was useful on the doors, as the white plastic inner linings do not wrap around the doors on the real car. My magic pen (liquid chrome) from Molotow was helpful around the backlights, handles on the back side of the front seats and on the small bottoms on the canvas cover. On this model the face of the car was improved by reducing the black “pupil effect” on the headlights (inner side of the lenses was painted white)

One of the first things I look after on a model is the detailing, prep work/paint and realistic appearance overall of the model car. I most say here we get a lot for our money. As always the chrome on this model is impeccable. The same can be said about the casting and paint. The only negative point I can highlight beside the wrong colors mentioned earlier is the hood - It can not be open high enough. Road Signature has made a fine model here. I will highly recommend this model car to anyone – even if you just will display it, strait out of the box.
 

I will give this model 4 out of 6 stars  ******

Below here are pictures of the model, historical description, old brochures, technical data and a little movie clip for the real car. So please enjoy!

History:

1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible.

Having produced a blockbuster for 1948, no one expected much in the way of new excitement from Cadillac for the 1949 model year. They were wrong.

Shortly before the war, engineers at General Motors had realized that the old Cadillac V-8 needed to be replaced. Engineering was rapidly reaching the limits of what could be extracted from the reliable, but aging, L-head V-8 design. In fact, engineering had attempted a redo of the heads on the old engine to yield an 8.0:1 compression ratio. But the point of diminishing returns had been reached. Despite pushing the ratio these far, engineers saw no substantial increase in economy or performance, and there was a breathing loss. It was time to move on.

Ernest W. Seaholm, who had been in charge of Cadillac engineering for 20 years, came to this conclusion long before his retirement in 1943. Indeed, he had directed that work he started on a new power plant shortly before Pearl Harbor, but the ensuing war had halted progress on the new engine's development. After the war, the top engineers at GM, now under the direction of Harry F. Barr, Edward M. Cole, and John F. Gordon, tackled the problem. Their final creation set the pace for engine design and performance for years to come -- and it powered the 1949 Cadillac.

Not only did the new engine give the car unequaled performance and ability, but it did so at a substantial gain in fuel economy. The engine weighed in nearly 91 kg less than the old L-head, but because it was cooler running it required less radiator mass, making the savings in weight even greater (100 kg). Cadillac was able to offer all this, plus an engine which allowed for sleeker styling due to the fact that it was 127mm shorter and 102mm lower than the L-head. And even though the compression ratio was just 7.5:1, the new power plant was designed to take full advantage of higher-octane postwar fuels because it could tolerate a compression ratio of 12.0:1 or more.

By 1948, 88-octane premium fuels were reaching the pumps, and higher octane was promised by the oil companies, so this was important in looking toward the future. So was the fact that there was ample block space for cylinder enlargement, and indeed displacement would be increased to six liters in 1956. Also featured in the new V-8 were wedge-shaped combustion chambers and advanced "slipper" pistons. The latter, devised by Byron Ellis, traveled low between the crankshaft counterweights to permit short connecting rods and thus reduced reciprocating mass, meaning the engine could run more smoothly at higher rpm without undue wear or damage.

The engine was a sensation, so much so that it was rushed off to race tracks across the country. Almost-stock Cadillac’s with big racing numbers plastered on their sides were seen roaring down race track straight-aways within a few short months after the '49 models bowed. The cars were so hot that famed Briggs Cunningham took the Cadillac’s racing, even to the 24 hours of Le Mans in France. There, a near-stock Coupe de Ville finished tenth overall against the world's finest racing machinery. The British Allard Company even used the engine in its new J-2 sports/racing car.

Out on the street, buyers could tell the difference, too. Though road test magazines were few in 1949, "Uncle" Tom McCahill reported in Mechanix Illustrated that "With this engine, Cadillac, despite its large size, out-performs just about every car being made." He backed that up by posting a 96.6 km/h romp of 12.1 seconds (with stick shift) and a top speed of around 169 km/h. No other car he tested that year did better. Author Hendry quoted slightly more conservative figures of 161 km/h tops and 96.6 km/h in 13.4 seconds. Either way, probably only the lighter-weight Olds 88 could keep up.

Introduction of the new engine helped erode a consumer problem Cadillac Division had faced since the close of the war. Cadillac had advertised heavily during World War II that M-5 and M-24 tanks were powered by Cadillac engines, so some consumers tried to get hold of the military engines and modify them for domestic use. Of course, such attempts at modification were more often than not fraught with a host of technical problems. Cadillac had tried every way it could to discourage such modifications, but it was the arrival of the new overhead V-8 that made the L-heads seems far less attractive.

In retrospect, the new Cadillac V-8 arrived on the scene just when it was needed. The L-head had served its era well, including the emergence of the automatic transmission. But now roads were getting better -- there were already a few limited-access roads and talk of many more to come -- and gasoline octane ratings were climbing. The new V-8, under constant development even after introduction, could handle these, so the first major redesign wasn't deemed necessary until 1964.

Sheet metal surfaces on the '49 Cadillac remained the same, except that the hood was made a bit longer. Shortly after production was underway a larger deck lid was phased in on notchback models. The grille, now with just one horizontal bar, was given bolder lines and the parking light housings wrapped around the fenders.

The heavier grille on the '49 was the product of consensus between Earl and Hershey. Back when the '48 was being designed in Hershey's farmhouse, there wasn't enough space to get a full-size clay model of the car into the room, but there was room for a full-size mock-up of the front end. Earl had come by the farm every week or so to check on the progress the design team was making. During one of his visits he told Hershey that he wanted a delicate, almost jewel-like grille treatment. Hershey complied, and this "delicate" grille appeared on the '48. When it came time to do the '49 facelift, Earl asked Hershey if he really liked the delicate grille. Hershey said that he did not. Earl then suggested a heavier treatment, which became the '49 front end.

One quick way to tell a '48 Caddy from a '49 when seen from the rear is that the '48 had only one back-up light, while the '49 got two. Also, the '48 Series Sixty-Two models sported neat-looking triple horizontal chrome slashes between the taillights and bumper, but they were absent in 1949.

The story of the changes made inside the car for '49 paralleled that for the grille. Hershey found that he wasn't ecstatic about the "rainbow" dash. Thus, the large bulge over the instrument cluster which has endeared the '48 to so many automotive enthusiasts was replaced in the '49 model with a more conventional hooded horizontal speedometer. Critics have continually pointed out over the years that the 1948-49 interiors were rather bland for Cadillac, the '49 especially so. Others, as would be expected when dealing with matters of taste, exclaim over the richness and simple elegance displayed by the interiors of the two model years.

The formidable 3454mm-wheelbase, limited-production Series Seventy-Five remained much the same as it had been in 1946-48 except that it, too, was now powered by the new V-8. It might be noted that Cadillac had entered the decade with 10 distinct bodies and exited with only five, the loss coming at the expense of the Seventy-Five lineup. Explanation of the varied and often unexplainable tastes of automobile collectors would probably merit writing a book. For example, many collectors today prefer the '48 Series Seventy-Five models for the sole reason that they were powered by the faithful old L-head, despite the new engine's increased economy and efficiency.

One '49 Caddy much sought after by collectors is the Series Sixty-Two Coupe de Ville, a "hardtop convertible" introduced late in the model year. Though Cadillac had to share the honors with the Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Holiday, this trio was the first to market this pillar less body style. The Coupe de Ville was basically a Series Sixty-Two convertible fitted out with a steel top, and featured a large wraparound three-piece rear window. Fitted out every bit as luxuriously as the ragtop, the Coupe de Ville even sported simulated top bows inside under the roof. That explains why the $3497 price tag was only $26 less than the ragtop's base price. Coupe de Ville output reached just 2150 units, but this new body style was destined to become all the rage in the Fifties.

Perhaps it's fitting, then, that when Cadillac produced its 1,000,000th car on November 25, 1949, it was the sporty Coupe de Ville that rolled off the Clark Street assembly line in Detroit. Though this milestone car was the last Cadillac of the Forties, it was in truth a car fully poised for the Fifties.

Also in November, Motor Trend magazine named its very first "Car of the Year." The field was narrowed down to three: Ford, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac. Ford was eliminated first. Despite "an entirely new chassis and body, plus many mechanical changes," wrote auto journalist John Bond, "[the Ford] offers nothing new or outstanding from an engineering viewpoint, since it now falls in line with conventional design practices established by competitors before the war. The Cadillac was chosen in preference to the Olds because, while both have outstanding new V-8 engines which are similar, they are not by any means the same. The Cadillac, with 10 per cent more piston displacement than the Olds, develops 18.5 per cent more bhp and weighs a few pounds less." In addition to the increased power of the new V-8, Bond cited "an even more important advantage" of greatly increased durability. He also pointed out that the new V-8 "is brand new, and can normally be expected to be continued with little change for a period of at least seven years." In this regard, his assumption was certainly on the conservative side -- Cadillac doubled that time period. Incidentally, Motor Trend followed up the honors it bestowed on the '49 Cadillac by giving the similarly engineered '52 models, now up to 190 bhp and about 91 kg heavier, its "Engineering Achievement Award."

The 1948-49 Cadillac’s have also come in for latter-day accolades. The Milestone Car Society, which honors the crème de la crème of postwar cars, has bestowed "Certified Milestone Car" status on the following models: Sixty-One Sedanet; Sixty-Two Sedanet, Convertible, and Coupe de Ville; Sixty Special; Seventy-Five Sedan/Limousine.

Cadillac Division could certainly take pride in the achievements of the Forties. And Franklin Q. Hershey could certainly take pride in the fact that he had finally been able to design production models of his first love -- Cadillac. In fact, with his development of the tailfins and the full-length flowing line, he had redefined Cadillac. And only about a million examples of the "Standard of Excellence" separated his last production Caddy from the first one his mother, Clara, had driven back in 1903!

The major difference between Series 61 and Series 62 models of similar body style was minor trim variations. The higher-priced series again had grooved, front fender stone shields and bright rocker panel moldings. Chevrons below the taillights were no longer seen. The convertible was an exclusive offering, as was a new pillar less two-door "convertible hardtop" called the Coupe De Ville. A more Deluxe interior was featured and power window lifts were standard on the convertible coupe and optional with other styles.

Technical specification:

ENGINE

Type             V-8: Overhead valves.

Block            Cast iron block.

Displacement                   5.425 Liters

Bore and stroke               96.8mm x 92.1mm

Compression ratio           7.50:1.

Brake horsepower           160 hp @ 3800 rpm

Power          119 kW @ 3800 rpm

Bearings      Five main bearings.

Valve lifters Hydraulic valve lifters.

Carburetor   Carter WCD two-barrel Models 682S or 722S.

CHASSIS

 Wheelbase : 3200mm

Overall Length :  5436mm             

Front Tread : 1499mm 

Rear Tread : 1600mm

Tires : 8.20 x 15 inch

POWER TRAIN OPTIONS

Hydra-matic transmission :$174

CONVENIENCE OPTIONS

Whitewall tires

Radio and antenna

Heating and ventilating system

Chrome wheel discs

Fog lights

Safety spotlights

Other standard accessories

SERIES 62 STYLE

NOTE: The sedan for export was shipped in completely-knocked-down (CKD) form to foreign countries.

Old brochures of the Cadillac 1949

Video of the real car from Youtube

If you have any question or comment your are free to contact me at: aeronautic@stofanet.dk

Dealers are welcome to get their models reviewed too.

Aeronautic Dec 2017

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