Cadillac Sixty Special 1955: an American luxury icon

This was an (almost) unique opportunity to bring a genuine old-school American luxury car to the Razão Automóvel channel for the first time: the 1955 Cadillac Sixty Special.

It is special in more than just its name. Introduced in 1938, the Sixty Special designation would become permanently linked with some of the American brand’s most luxurious models. That is evident in several features of this vast saloon, which measures almost 5.8 m long and weighs more than two tonnes.

Guilherme Costa introduces us to this leviathan of the American highways, although he can only drive it on German roads, which are better suited to compact family cars:

Mechanics proven… in war

To understand cars such as the Cadillac Sixty Special, it is necessary to look back to their era. These were unquestionably very different times. A few years before this Sixty Special was launched, the Second World War ended in 1945, ushering in a huge economic boom in the United States.

After spending years contributing to the war effort, the American car industry could finally resume previously frozen projects and technologies, while also making use of others employed by the armed forces.

That is exactly what happened with this Sixty Special. Based on the Cadillac 62, the Sixty Special was longer and used a 5.4-litre Small Block V8. It produced 250 hp, with power sent through the Hydramatic four-speed automatic gearbox - long live luxury… - which was regarded as cutting-edge technology at the time.

Interestingly, this gearbox was not actually new. Developed during the 1930s, it first reached General Motors (GM) cars, specifically Oldsmobiles, in 1939. Cadillac models would only receive it as an optional extra in 1941.

Its automotive career was short-lived. When the United States entered the war, passenger-car production was halted from 1942 onwards, but the Hydramatic would find a new and important role.

Rather than serving luxury cars such as Cadillacs, it was fitted to tanks including the M5 Stuart and M24 Chaffee. The transmission was not the only Cadillac component they used: Cadillac V8s provided the motive power for these tanks, which required two engines each.

Could there be a better endorsement of this mechanical package’s quality than its use in Second World War tanks? We do not think so.

A film star

As if the Cadillac Sixty Special’s history were not interesting enough, it later enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame by appearing in a film widely considered one of the greatest ever made.

The Sixty Special from 1955, the very year of the car shown in the video, is one of the wheeled stars of the classic “The Godfather” (1972). It was driven by capo Peter Clemenza - undoubtedly a car worthy of the character’s status.

Behind the wheel

As you might expect, driving a car from the 1950s is an entirely different experience from driving a modern vehicle - particularly one with the imposing dimensions of this Cadillac.

Driving the Sixty Special must be the closest thing to steering a boat across tarmac. In objective terms, it is a long way from the precision and control we now take for granted, yet it remains a driving experience that is impossible not to appreciate and enjoy. But let Guilherme put the sensations behind the wheel into words: