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In 1941, Cadillac’s slow restructuring at the hands of division president Nicholas Drystadt reached its most noticeable rationalization of products. Both the V16 and the LaSalle were gone. All cars were powered by the same V8 engine. To replace the series 50 LaSalle as the lowest priced offering from the division, the series 61 was re-introduced. Available in just two fastback body styles, a club coupe and sedan, either could be upgraded to Deluxe status. The Cadillac model line-up for the year in price hierarchy was series 61, series 62, the 60 special, series 63, series 67 and finally the top of the line series 75. The series 63 and 67 only came as traditionally styled sedans filling the gap, both price wise and size wise, between the popular series 62 and the top of the line 75. The series 67 would only survive one more model year.
Body sharing was a new cost saving technique at General Motors when it started in 1934. It proved so successful that it could be seen across all divisions of the company by 1941. The Series 61 Cadillac Club Coupes shared the GM B-bodies with the Buick Special and Century. The more traditional notchback Cadillac series 62 Coupe shared its GM C-body with the Buick Super, Oldsmobile 90 and Pontiac Torpedo.
The body sharing program allowed each division to add their own unique flavor to the basic body but it was up to the marketing departments of each to differentiate similar styled cars in the eyes of the public. Consequently, each division used their own unique naming conventions. Contrary to popular belief, not all fastback styled coupes at General Motors were Sedanets. Only the Buick division used the Sedanet moniker on two-door coupes with full back seats. Cadillac called these Club Coupes.
The series 61 was a hit with buyers. Priced in the $1,345 to $1,535 range the cars remained in the LaSalle price range but were full-fledged Cadillacs in all respects. More than 29,000 series 61 cars found buyers in 1941, accounting for 44% of Cadillac's volume. The series 61 outsold the LaSalle in each of its last three years of manufacturing. -
Company
General Motors
Make
Cadillac
Model
61, 41-6127
Body Style
Coupe, 2-dr, 5-pass
Body Manufacture
Fisher Body Co.
Model year
1941
Wheelbase
126 inches
Length
215 inches
Engine
L-head, V-8, 346 cid
Horsepower
150 hp @ 3400 rpm
Transmission
3-speed manual on the column
Original Base Price
$1,345
Brand Production
59,572
This Car Production
29,258 all body styles -
This Cadillac was rescued by a local Allentown collector from a field in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania some time in the 1990s. It is unknown how long the car lay dormant in the field or how it found its way there. It was purchased by the NB Center in “as found” condition in 2000.
The restoration got underway in 2004 and required two years to complete. Now painted in a correct shade of dark green the car looks black until the light hits the surfaces at just the correct angle.
This base model Cadillac was the lowest priced offering from the brand in 1941. Despite this being the first model year for the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, a $125 option that most buyers opted for, this car has the base three-speed manual transmission. The only options on the car are a radio at $69.50 and fog lights for $14.50, and a heater for the cold Pennsylvania winters, a $59.50 extra.