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The (new) Cadillac Database©

Photo Pages
Cadillac

1935
 

Return to The (New) Cadillac Database© Index Page
or go back to the Cadillac photo index page to pick another year

 

Unless otherwise specified all photos and illustrations are from Yann Saunders'
collection of Cadillac photos, advertisements and product catalogs,
reproduced courtesy of the Cadillac Motor Car Division and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club

 

1935 was a face-lift year for all Cadillac and La Salle models.  Take away those snazzy but delicate  bi-plane bumpers of 1934 and replace them with a broad single-bar type and, hey presto! Style-wise, the model range remained basically unchanged for the three year period, 1935-1937, hence I am grouping them on this page. On the individual photo pages for 1936 and 1937 you may view also some colored images of these basic models, carried through for three years.

In 1935, all Series designations were changed although I don't believe that would suffice to dispel the buyer's idea that he was getting a warmed over "last year's model".

The 1935 models continued (since 1930) to be offered in V-8, V-12 and V-16 configuration, with "V"-type as well as flat windshields. Only the V-8 and V-12 styles are illustrated in this section.  The La Salle and V-16 production models for 1935, 1936 and 1937 may be viewed elsewhere in these pages [click on the underlined text]. 

Potential buyers were told that The motor car mode is established by Cadillac ... we sincerely believe that the 1935 Cadillac V-8, with its many new refinements and improvements ... with its unmistakable leadership in style ... and its low new price ... is without question the most exceptional fine car value of the year. Safety was enhanced in the Fisher-bodied V-8 models, starting this year, with the introduction of the "turret top", stamped out from a single piece of steel; the Fleetwood-bodied cars, including the V-12 and V-16 models followed suit later.

Sales promotion this year was very low key;  to my knowledge there were no full-color catalogs nor any folders depicting the "new" models.   I have seen three different sales brochures, all in B&W, although one of them, covering the V-8 Series 10 and 20, does have a two-tone cover.

The apparent plethora of "different" models offered on the books is impressive (six  Series 10, seven Series 20, eighteen Series 30,  eighteen Series 40, five Series 50 (LaSalle) and twenty-five Series 90, providing buyers with an apparent  choice of SEVENTY-NINE "different" models.  In fact, many of these were identical in sheet metal, most "differences" being in the wheel base (120", 128", 136", 146 and 154"), the power plant   (straight-eight, V8, V12 or V16 motors) and in thevarying luxury of the iuterior trimmings.

 

 

36FLWPLT.JPG (5411 bytes)
The old Fleetwood Body Works, in Fleetwood, PA
from 1936 The Book of Fleetwood

36METAL.JPG (5657 bytes)
Metal fabrication (metalling)
under way in the Fleetwood shops

 

 

Illustrations herein, from marketing literature of the time, are complemented with photos of designer's drawings from the factory archives as well as photos of survivors, from my own and other collections. Unfortunately, illustrations of many models are still missing. Considering the number of different models offered, in so many series, this is not surprising.  In addition, a given style that was offered on the V-8 chassis was available also on the V-12 and V-16 chassis and looked identical, with the exception of the model badges. In 1935 and 1936, the various power plants were identified by a small, rectangular plate at the forward end of the hood, just ahead of the lateral vent openings. The V8 badge on Fisher-bodied cars has a red background and is marked "CADILLAC" [above] and "MOTORS" [below]; on Fleetwood models it is yellow;. The V12 plate [Fleetwood bodies] has a black background; again, the markings were "CADILLAC" and "FLEETWOOD".  The V16 plate is red; there was no need for any other markings!

 

em81216.jpg (11646 bytes)
Power plant identification badges of 1935-36

35FRTCLP.JPG (6868 bytes)     35TLPOD.JPG (3308 bytes)     V235HDEM.JPG (3931 bytes)

 

Without access to the preceding ID badges, it would be impossible to distinguish between a V-8 and V-12 model without raising the engine hood.  Therefore, in the illustrations below, the power plant is indicated only if the document was properly identified or if the particular car is known to me.

The easiest way to distinguish the 1935 V-8 and V-12 models from the rest is by looking at the front grille and bumper combination.  As may be seen in the background images, the Veed radiator grille is raked back and divided by one vertical and five horizontal bars.

Additional information on the 1935 through 1937 models and the related sales literature may be found  in The Cadillac Database© sections entitled "Descriptions and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1932 - 1937",  "Cadillac and La Salle Sales Literature 1935 - 1939",   "Dream Cars of 1933 - 1936" and "Professional Cars of 1933-1936".

Further recommended reading includes:

The Standard Catalog of Cadillac, 1903-2000 edited by James T. Lenzke, © 2000, published by Krause Publications, Inc., 700 E. State Street, Iola, WI 54990 [ISBN #0-87341-925-1, Library of Congress #91-61301].

I have a copy of an old Cadillac price list, from the Detroit Public Library, dated January 5, 1935; the following listing of the Cadillac V-8 and V-12 models is based on it, as also on the Master Parts List and on the 1936 Book of Fleetwood.  In the absence of production figures for 1935, itemized by model/style number, the cars are listed in ascending order of their initial cost ...which does not necessarily compare with their current value nor desirability!

 

Series 10, Body by Fisher
128"  wheel base chassis

 

35cp.jpg (7675 bytes)     35cpf.jpg (9237 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 coupe for 2 passengers, style #35-728, list price $2345

 

 

 

35cvc10.jpg (7485 bytes)     35cvcpp.jpg (9466 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 convertible coupe, style #35-718, list price $2445

35CvCp4.jpg (40776 bytes)

       
Superb survivors found on Internet

 

 

 

35sd5.jpg (8006 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 sedan for 5 passengers, style #35-709, list price $2445;
5-pass. models have a smaller rear quarter window than the 7-pass. cars

 

 

 

35tcp.JPG (8151 bytes)

35TnCpe5.jpg (146162 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 town coupe for 5 passengers, style #35-722, list price $2495
[there was no town coupe in any other Series]

 

 

 

35tsd.JPG (8825 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 town sedan for 5 passengers, style #35-702, list price $2495
In 1935, there were six different versions of this eye-pleasing body style

 

 

 

35awp.jpg (7787 bytes)
Series 10, V-8 convertible sedan for 5 passengers [formerly called an all-weather phaeton],
style #35-721, list price $2755; artist's view makes car appear longer, lower

35awp1.jpg (9848 bytes)    35awp3.jpg (7609 bytes)
A fine survivor photographed at the Gilmore Museum, Kalamazoo, MI in June 1994
[Photo:  courtesy Katie Robbins]

 

 

Series 20, V-8, Body by Fisher
136" wheel base chassis

 

35cp2p.jpg (136123 bytes)
The Series 20, V-8 coupe for 2 passengers, style #35-678,  listed for $2545

 

  


35CvCp2p.jpg (133942 bytes)
Series 20, V-8 convertible coupe, style #35-668, list price $2645

 

 

  

35Sdn5.jpg (62442 bytes)

35sdnf.jpg (10279 bytes)    35int.jpg (6058 bytes)
Series 20, V-8 sedan for 5 passengers, style #35-659, list price $2645

35sdn.jpg (9000 bytes)    35sdn3.jpg (8305 bytes)
Period photos

 

 

 

35TnSdn5.jpg (149623 bytes)
Series 20, V-8 town sedan for 5 passengers, style #35-652, list price $2695

 

 

 

35_LIMO.JPG (7787 bytes)
Looks mighty aggressive from this angle !

35Sdn7.jpg (153536 bytes)

35sdn7.JPG (8492 bytes)   


35_20sd7.jpg (9633 bytes)    35sdnf2.jpg (9054 bytes)
Series 20, V-8 sedan for 7 passengers, style #35-662, list price $2795
The Series 20 limousine, style #35-663, had the same outward appearance
but comprised a partition and division  glass; it listed for $2945

 35sd7b.jpg (6373 bytes)    35sd7c.jpg (6890 bytes)
This survivor was photographed by the late Gene Babow in the early seventies

35sd7sr.jpg (7767 bytes)
This one features an optional travel trunk

 

 

 

35Sdn7.jpg (153536 bytes)
Series 20, V-8 imperial limousine for75 passengers, style #>>>>, list price $2945

 

 

 

35CvSdn.jpg (131901 bytes) 

35v8cv.jpg (11938 bytes)     35CVSD.JPG (11010 bytes)     
Series 20, V-8 convertible sedan for 5 passengers, style #35-671, list price $2955;
survivor (right) may be a V12 model [not sure]


Convertible Sedan survivor
[ Photo: Internet, 2013 ]

 

      

Series 30, V-8, Body by Fleetwood
[cars with flat windshield]
146" wheel base chassis

    
Series 30, V-8 sedan for 5 passengers, style #5730-S or 6030-S, list price $3295
 

 

    

35_89.JPG (8849 bytes)     35_89B.JPG (6778 bytes)
Series 30, V-8 town sedan for 5 passengers, style style #5733-S or 6033-S, list price $3345
(this survivor has been retrofitted with a modern engine and drive train)

    


This fine survivor came up for sale at auction by RM Auctions in 2013
[ Photos (2 above rows):
© 2012 and courtesy RM Auctions ]

 

 

 

35v8sdn.jpg (11498 bytes)     35sdn2.jpg (17586 bytes)     35limo1a.jpg (34602 bytes)      35limo2Limal.jpg (18067 bytes)

    35limo3a.jpg (40853 bytes)     35limo6.jpg (40711 bytes)     35limo4a.jpg (52427 bytes)
Series 30, V-8 sedan for 7 passengers, style #6075-S, list price $3445

 

 

 

[ Photos much like the preceding car, but with a partition between the driver and passenger compartnments ]

35_LIMO.JPG (7787 bytes)     35LimInt.jpg (83561 bytes)
Series 30, V-8 limousine for 7 passengers, style #6075, list price $3645

 

   
The caption to the Cadillac reads: The long, aristocratic lines of the Cadillac wears   little transformation, this season. The top may be
more rounded, seeming to sit snugly a little closer to the frame. Reminds me a bit of those elegant, low-crowned derbies poised over a
well-groomed face. Defined and more refined is the theme of the makers of the V16, V12 and V8; and still more ways have been
found to add to what the same makers call the traditional comfort of the Cadillac. Presumably, the owner of a Cadillac is never
personally enamored with the mechanism of the article as to let us preserve an aloof attitude toward hood and chassis

These artist's views were painted by the great Alexis Sakhnoffsky; the are excerpted from a colorful advertisement showing four different
American autombiles: the Super-charged Auburn, a Buick convertible sedan, a Chevrolet sedan and, of course, the big Cadillac Fleetwood V8 sedan

 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 formal limousine for 5 passengers, leather covered roof, style #5730-FL or 6030-FL, list price $3695
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 formal limousine for 7 passengers, leather covered roof, style #5775-FL or 6075-FL, list price $3845
 

 

Series 30, V-8, Body by Fleetwood
[cars with "V" or flat windshield]

146" wheel base chassis

   
Series 30, V-8 special sedan for 5 passengers, style #5630-S, list price $3745
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 special town sedan for 5 passengers, style #5633-S, list price $3795
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 coupe, with auxiliary seating for 2, style #5676, list price $3895
 

 

    
Series 30
, V-8 special sedan for 7 passengers, style #5675-S, list price $3895
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 convertible coupe, with auxiliary seating for 2, style #5635, list price $4045
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 special limousine for 7 passengers, style #6075-S, list price $4095
 

 

    
Series 30
, V-8 special formal limousine for 5 passengers, leather covered roof, style #5630-FL, list price $4145
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 special formal limousine for 7 passengers, leather covered roof, style #5675-FL, list price $4295
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 convertible sedan, with imperial division, style #5680, list price $4295
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 town car for 5 passengers, style #5612, list price $5495
 

 

    
Series 30, V-8 town brougham for 7 passengers, style #5691, list price $5495
 

 

 

35tc.jpg (24584 bytes)
Series 30, V-8 town car for 7 passengers, style #5625, list price $5595
[ This barn-stored survivor was offered for sale in late 2006 in the "classifieds" section of the Self Starter;
described as a "5725 Town Cabriolet" (which would make it a V-12), it had the V-8 power plant;
it was said to have belonged originally to a New York city socialite - compare with V-12 version, below ]

 

 

Series 40, V-12, Body by Fleetwood (1935)
[ cars with flat windshield ]

146" wheel base chassis

    
Sedan for 5 passengers, style #6130-S, list price $3995
 

 

 

35tsdf.JPG (6549 bytes)    35tsdc.JPG (7835 bytes)
Town sedan for 5 passengers, style #6133-S [or #6033-S], list price $4045
The survivor (right) is recognizable by its center-hinged doors

 

 

    
Sedan for 7 passengers, style #6175-S [or #6075-S], list price $4145
 

 

    
Limousine for 7 passengers, style #6175 [or #6075], list price $4345
 

 

    
Formal limousine for 5 passengers, leather covered roof, style #6130-FL [or #6030-FL], list price $4395
 

 

    
Formal limousine for 7 passengers, leather covered roof, style #6175-FL [or #6075-FL], list price $4545
 

 

Series 40, V-12, Body by Fleetwood (1935)
[ with "V" windshield ]
146" wheel base chassis

    
Sedan for 5 passengers, style #5730-S [or #5830-S], list price $4445
 

 

    
Town sedan [close-coupled sedan] for 5 passengers, style #5733-S [or #5833-S], list price $4495
 

 

    
Coupe, with auxiliary seating for 2, style #5776 [or #5876], list price $4595
 

 

   

35sd7s.jpg (8129 bytes)
Sedan for 7 passengers, style #5775-S
[or #5875-S], list price $4595

 

 

 

35_5735.jpg (8663 bytes)
Convertible coupe, with auxiliary seating for 2, style #5735
[or #5835], list price $4745

 

 

 

3512INT.JPG (5813 bytes)
Limousine for 7 passengers, style #5775 [or #5875], list price $4795

 

 

    
Formal limousine for 5 passengers, leather covered roof, style #5730-FL [or #5830-FL],
no quarter windows, list price $4845
 

 

 

35_5780.jpg (8331 bytes)
Convertible sedan with imperial division, style #5780 [or #5880], list price $4995

35cvsdp1.JPG (11030 bytes)    35cvsds.JPG (8498 bytes)
Survivor, above, was photographed in the early seventies by the late Gene Babow

35v2cvsa.JPG (10215 bytes)    35v2cvsb.JPG (9121 bytes)
Road lights suggest this may be the same car,   photographed many years later

35CVSD2.JPG (7889 bytes)

 

 

   

3512int.jpg (8044 bytes)
Formal limousine for 7 passengers, leather covered roof,
no quarter windows, style #5775-FL [or #5875-FL], list price $4995

 

One unit may have been built without the leather roof covering;
it is listed as style #5775-FM [or 5875-FM] in the Master Parts List

 

 

    
Convertible Victoria for 5 passengers,  style #5785 [or #5885], list price $4995
[ this one does not appear on the pricelist ]

 

 

   

v235aero.jpg (8106 bytes)
Aerodynamic coupe for 5 passengers,  style #5799 [or #5899], list price $4995
Of the twenty fast back coupes built to special order, from 1933 to 1937
, on the
V8, V12 and V16 chassis, only six are reported to have survived. Of the eight
(seven???) units mounted on the V12 chassis, the foregoing car  is believed to be
the sole survivor; it was owned for many years by Robert De Mars of Hollywood, CA

 

 

    
Town car for 5 passengers, style #5712  [or #5812], opera seats,
no quarter windows, leather roof covering, list price $6195
 

 

    
Town brougham for 7 passengers, style #5791 [or #5891], list price $6195
 

 

   

35TC2.jpg (182106 bytes)

35v2tc.jpg (8600 bytes)    35v2frnk.jpg (10525 bytes)    V2tc35Frank.jpg (8414 bytes)
Town car for 7 passengers, style #5725 [or #5825], full auxiliary seats,
no quarter windows, leather roof covering, list price $6295. This is probably
the most well known of all surviving 1935 V-12 models; it belongs to
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Frank of California and has been in their possession for
decades; I was fortunate to meet this charming couple in Santa Clara,
in June of 1999, and to be allowed to photograph and film this beauty

 

 

 

Details

   

35fclp2.jpg (3987 bytes)     35engv8.jpg (5394 bytes)
Left: distinctive rake of front grille and horizontally creased front fenders are a 1934 carry-over
Right: all V-8 models used the time-proven 353 ci, L-head, 130 BHP motor

35dash.JPG (10278 bytes)     35ridrec.jpg (6481 bytes)
Left:  the steering position in the new, 1935 Cadillac models
Right:  this device was used to test (and prove) Cadillac's superior riding qualities
at the general Motors Proving Ground; it is called a "Ride Reaction Recorder"

35dtail1.JPG (9999 bytes)     35dtail2.JPG (3809 bytes)    35dtail3.JPG (4489 bytes)
(Left) independent front suspension; (center) new, rear ride stabilizer; (right) new, center-point steering linkage

36tknosi.jpg (7758 bytes)     36trkrak.jpg (6567 bytes)     36tksdli.jpg (7438 bytes)
Left: trunk layout in Fleetwood touring sedans and imperials with a single spare tire
Right: trunk layout in Fleetwood touring sedans and imperials fitted with twin, side-mounted spares
Center: Fleetwood accessory trunk rack for 5p. sedan, 7p. sedan,  7p. imperial,
formal sedan and town car when the latter are fitted with two, side-mounted spares

 

 

Return to The (New) Cadillac Database© Index Page
or go back to the Cadillac photo index page to pick another year

 

© 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.
[ Background image:  1935 Cadillac front clip from two different angles ]