The powerful, new 1949 models with their light-weight, overhead-valve engine were covered in much detail in the June, 1999 issue of the "Self-Starter", the magazine of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc., so I will start the post-war Cadillac photo displays with the 1950 models, Distinguished beyond all others according to the alluring banner in that year's prestige sales catalog.
In my opinion, the sales and merchandising catalogs published by the Cadillac company in the early post-war years did not meet the high standards to which the company had got potential buyers accustomed. Despite new buyer optimism following the hard-earned peace in Europe and the Pacific, prestige color brochures advertising the new Cadillac models were few until 1954; exceptions were 1946 and 1950.
The artist's drawings below are from the extremely rare, prestige color catalog of new Cadillac models for 1950. In addition to this catalog, there were also a standard, two-tone catalog in pale green and beige, as well as a large fold-out in full color. The publication date on the prestige catalog is February, 1950. This was unusually late, as buyers had become used to seeing the new Cadillac models advertised already two or three months before the new year set in.
A definite change of styling will be witnessed in these new models, compared with those of 1946 through 1949. Gone, for one, was the sporty fastback; it gave way to a new so-called notch-back model. The "75" sedan and limousine models were completely restyled to match the rest of the line.
The new, 1950 models were classified in the catalog into the following groups (in ascending order of value): the series "Sixty-One", "Sixty-Two", "Sixty Special" and "Seventy-Five". That is the order I have chosen to follow in this photo presentation.
Once again the easiest way to distinguish between the different Cadillac models of the early post-WW2 period is to look at the grille extensions below the headlights. In 1950 they were "plain" (below), in 1951 an egg-crate design was adopted and in 1952 a gold, winged-emblem was added in this position.
Generally, the panels below the headlights, to left and right of the grille, became the favorite area for featuring the most obvious, annual styling change to early post-WW2 Cadillac models; this was espcially true of the years 1947 through 1953.
For forty years, from 1930 through 1970, the complete front ensemble (grille, bumpers, lights) was an easy giveaway. From 1971 on, changes became more subtle as U.S. auto manufacturers seemed to vie for who could make the least noticeable annual styling changes (personal opinion!).
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Additional information on the 1950 models and the related sales literature may be found in The (New) Cadillac Database© sections entitled "Descriptions and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1946 - 1950" and "Cadillac and La Salle Sales Literature 1950 - 1954". Further recommended reading includes:
(a) "Automobile Heritage's Illustrated Guide to 1950 Thru 1959 Cadillac" by Roy Schneider, © 1978, published by Automobile Heritage Publishing Co., Post Office Box 7, Temple City, CA 91780 [ISBN #0-917104-02-1] and
(b) "Standard Catalog of Cadillac, 1903-2000" edited by James T. Lentzke, © 2000, published by Krause Publications, Inc., 700 E. State Street, Iola, WI 54990 [ISBN #0-87341-925-1, Library of Congress #91-61301].
Some photos of surviving cars may be added here, as space permits.
