For General Release, Wednesday, January 20, 1954
1954 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe De Ville - A silver metallic floral pattern tapestry cloth with white leather leads the list of exceptionally rich upholstery choices available for the 1954 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.
Dramatic new styling and new chassis and suspension engineering make the 1954 Cadillac a major automotive advance establishing important future trends, according to Don E. Ahrens, General Manager of Cadillac Motor Car Division.
Panoramic windshield, new front and rear end designs, new low length of body lines and increased interior roominess are outstanding. With improved steering, braking, handling and riding qualities, the new Cadillac delivers even greater smoothness and responsiveness from its high compression V-8 engine.
Yes, the 1954 Caddy was something to behold alright. It featured round, jet-style dual exhaust outlets which were incorporated into the vertical bumper extensions and the rear bumper was entirely redesigned.
Assembly of the 1954 models began on January 4, 1954 after a 25 day halt for changeover to new production specifications. An Eldorado type wraparound windshield was seen on all models. Sedans used a distinctive type of window reveal molding which created a built-in sun visor effect.
For coupes, a smoothly curved wraparound backlight (i.e., rear window) was referred to as the "Florentine" style rear window. A wide ventilator intake now stretched across the base of the windshield on all models and the chrome visored headlamp look was emphasized.
The Series 62 chassis had a brand new, longer wheelbase. One identifying
feature of this line was the lack of rear fender louvers. V-shaped ornaments
and crests were used on the hood and deck and there were full-length body
underscores in bright metal. Coupe DeVille scripts were seen on the rear
corner pillars of the luxury hardtop, which also had wider sill moldings.
The Eldorado (which is still considered a series 62) had golden identifying crests centered directly behind the air-slot fenderbreaks and wide, fluted beauty panels to decorate the lower rear body sides. These panels were made of extruded aluminum and also appeared on a unique, one-of-a-kind Eldorado coupe built for the president of the Reynolds Aluminum Co.
Also included on the production convertible were monogram plates on the doors, wire wheels, and custom interior trimmings with the Cadillac crest embossed on the seat bolsters. Automatic windshield washers, power steering, 12-volt electrical system and aluminum alloy pistons made the long standard equipment list this year. The Series 62 four-door sedan was now seven inches shorter than other models in this range. Another one-off creation was an exclusive Sedan DeVille.
