Cadillac Models & History 1951
AlthoughCadillac styling ultimately drifted to chrome-laden glitter, reaching a low point with the 1958-59 models, the basic 1948 tailfinned design, inspired by wartime aircraft and originated by Franklin Q. Hershey under the watchful eye of GM design director Harley Earl, was good enough to remain largely intact through 1953. This was no real surprise. As Cadillac styling chief Bill Mitchell noted: “A traditional look is always preserved. If a grille is changed, the tail end is left alone; if a fin is changed, the grille is not monkeyed with.”
And so it was: a new one-piece windshield, revamped grille, and a somewhat bulkier lower-body look for ’50; small auxiliary grilles under the headlamps for ’51; a winged badge in that spot for ’52; one-piece rear windows and suggestive “Dagmar” bumper bullets for ’53.
Otherwise, the Cadillac lineup didn’t change much in this period. Still accounting for most sales, the Series 62 offered four-door sedan, pillared coupe, pillarless Coupe de Ville, and convertible, all on the usual 3200mm wheelbase. The familiar Sixty Special continued as a solitary super-luxury sedan on its own 3302mm platform (versus 3378mm in the Forties), while the Series 75 continued its traditional array of limousines and long owner-driver sedans on a 3729mm chassis. The Series 61, still the “entry-level” Caddy, was demoted to a 3099mm wheelbase (from 3200mm), but again offered a sedan plus newly styled de Ville-inspired pillared coupe. Manual shift was standard on 61s, which were otherwise identical to 62s except for chrome rocker moldings and slightly plainer interiors. Cadillac also continued supplying chassis for various coachbuilders, averaging about 2000 units per year through 1959.
The division really didn’t need a “price leader” anymore, so the 61s were dropped after 1951, never to return. Rival Packard, meantime, was still pushing cars priced up to $750 less than the Series 61s, a mistake that Packard didn’t fully realize until too late.
HISTORICAL NOTES
1951 Cadillac Notes
- The Series 61 line was discontinued in the middle of the year due to lagging sales.
- Don E. Ahrens was general manager
- Charles F. Arnold was chief engineer
- Edward Glowacke was chief designer (Cadillac Studio)
- James M. Roche was general sales manager
- Cadillac production figures
Series 614,700 (decreased 22,072) Series 6271,603 (increased 11,785) Coupe de Ville10,241 (increased 5,734) Series 6018,631 (increased 4,876) Series 755,165 (increased 1,653)
1951 Automotive Notes
- The industry produces 5.3 million cars
- Charles E. Wilson was president of GM
- Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. was chairman of the board at GM
- Chrysler introduces its first “Hemi” Firepower V-8 engine
- Ford, Plymouth, Hudson, and Packard finally offer hardtop pillarless coupes
- Chrysler is first to offer Hydraglide power steering
- A Chrysler Saratoga is third in the Carrera Panamericana road race
- Ford introduces its 3-speed automatic transmission built with Warner Gear and calls it Ford-O-Matic and Merc-O-Matic
- Last year for Frazer
- Kaiser introduces its economy Henry J
- Hudson introduces its Hornet which wins in stock-car races
- Hudson also offers GM’s Hydra-Matic transmission as well as their semi-automatics, Drive-Master and Super-Matic
- Last year for the Nash “inverted bathtub” style
- Oldsmobile continues to win stock-car events
- Packard finally re-designs their cars, the first full change in ten years.
- Plymouth introduces Oriflow shock absorbers
- Studebaker first to install Orlon convertible tops
- Top American Automobile Corporations for 1951
1. General Motors2,400,757 (decreased 583,388) 2. Ford1,356,342 (decreased 174,418) 3. Chrysler1,170,613 (decreased 97,640) 4. Others922,352 (increased 172,857)
- Top model year production for 1951
Chevrolet1,229,986 Styleline Special175,285 Fleetline Special9,805 Styleline DeLuxe855,293 Fleetline DeLuxe189,603 Ford1,010,381 Deluxe220,618 Custom789,763 Plymouth611,000 Buick399,732 Series 40 Special164,448 Series 50 Super169,226 Series 70 Roadmaster66,058 Pontiac370,159 Streamliner Six53,748 Streamliner Eight316,411 Mercury310,387 Dodge290,000 Oldsmobile285,615 8834,640 Super 88150,456 98100,519 Studebaker246,195 Champion144,286 Commander124,280 Nash205,307 Rambler70,000 Statesman91,800 Ambassador61,600 Chrysler163,613 Windsor81,678 Saratoga27,847 New Yorker34,035 Town & Country2,308 Imperial17,303 Crown Imperial442 Kaiser139,452 Special60,000 Deluxe89,000 Hudson131,915 Pacemaker Custom34,495 Super Six Custom22,532 Commodore Six Custom16,979 Hornet43,656 Commodore Eight Custom14,243 Cadillac110,340 Series 614,700 Series 6271,603 Coupe deVille10,241 Series 6018,631 Series 755,165 DeSoto106,000 Packard100,713 20071,362 2504,640 30015,710 Patrician 4009,001 Henry J81,942 Standard38,500 DeLuxe43,400 Lincoln32,574 Lincoln16,761 Cosmopolitan15,813 Frazer10,214 Standard9,900 Manhattan283 Crosley6,614
Keyword: Cadillac History 1951