Cadillac Series 65

Cadillac Series 65 at a glance

The Cadillac catalogue on 1cars lists the Series 65 with the other pre-war Cadillac series, and the history of Cadillac describes the company in the 1930s.

Series 65 production timeline

Where the Series 65 fitted in the 1937 Cadillac range

In 1937 Cadillac offered six series, from the V8 cars up to the sixteen-cylinder flagship:

Below the Series 60 was the LaSalle, GM's companion brand to Cadillac. The Series 65 therefore offered the size of a Series 70 for less money. German Wikipedia, citing the Standard Catalog of Cadillac, puts its 1937 price about US$400 above the Series 60 sedan and US$500 below the Fleetwood-bodied Series 70 touring sedan.

Development and production history

The Series 60 of 1936, developed under Cadillac manager Nicholas Dreystadt, had proved that a cheaper Cadillac could sell: it accounted for half of all Cadillacs in its first year. For 1937 Cadillac filled the next gap in the range. Instead of a new body, it took the large GM C-body that Fisher built and put it on the 131 in (3,327 mm) wheelbase of the Series 70, also used by the Buick Roadmaster. The Series 60 used the smaller B-body on a 124 in (3,150 mm) wheelbase, so the Series 65 offered 177 mm (7 in) more between the axles for the same engine and 101 kW (135 hp). To set it against other pre-war cars in the catalogue, use the 1cars comparison tool.

In its first year the Series 65 was a single model, a four-door five-seat sedan with three side windows on each side, listed at US$1,945. Cadillac built 2,401. For 1938 the range grew to a better-equipped sedan and a four-door convertible sedan, priced from US$2,285 to US$2,600, but production fell to 1,476. For 1939 Cadillac reorganised its mid-range around the Series 61 and the Sixty Special, and the Series 65 was not continued.

Design and engineering

The Series 65 had an all-steel body except for wooden main sills. It used Bendix dual-servo brakes and GM's Knee-Action independent front suspension. The quarter windows slid instead of being hinged, the rear corners were rounder than on earlier Cadillacs, and the boot was blended more smoothly into the body. Sidemount spare-wheel covers hinged to the wings were an option.

For 1938 the Series 65 shared its front end with the Series 75: a vertical cellular grille, three sets of horizontal bars on the bonnet sides, an alligator-type bonnet that opened from the front, and headlamps mounted in the space between the wings and the bonnet. The wheelbase grew to 132 in (3,353 mm). Under the skin the 1938 chassis brought a column-mounted gear lever, horns behind the grille, the battery under the right side of the bonnet, a transverse silencer behind the fuel tank, a "Synchro-Flex" flywheel and a hypoid rear axle. The engine lost its oil filter.

Monobloc V8 engine and drivetrain

All V8 Cadillacs of 1937 used the Monobloc side-valve V8, enlarged that year from 322 to 346 cu in (5.7 litres). In the Series 65 it was the only engine and produced 101 kW (135 hp) at 3,400 rpm. German Wikipedia gives about 99 kW (135 PS); the difference reflects the hp and PS units. A Stromberg AA-25 carburettor (AAV-25 in 1938) with an electric choke fed the engine. Drive went to the rear wheels through a three-speed synchromesh manual gearbox.

Cadillac Series 65 specifications

Series 65 variants

The Series 65 today

With fewer than 4,000 cars built in two years, the Series 65 is a rare pre-war Cadillac. Survivors still change hands in Europe and the United States, as sale videos from Bilweb Auctions in Sweden and Gateway Classic Cars in the US show. The car shares its V8 with the other Cadillac series of 1937–1938 and its C-body and wheelbase with the Series 70. When buying, check the wooden sills under the steel body and confirm the series from the chassis and body numbers, because 1938 Series 65 and Series 75 cars look alike from the front. More cars of the period are collected in the classics section.