[ last update:
01.26.2015 ]
The (new)
Cadillac Database©
Photo Pages
Cadillac
1956
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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
The full range of 1956 models on display in the
Auditorium
at GM's Technical Center in Warren, MI
New model awaiting delivery at the Clark Street
facility
1956 Models at annual Auto Shows
(Left) the center display features the 1955 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
show car/prototype
(Right) Visible at far left of the photo is the 1956 Eldorado Brougham pre-production car,
fresh from the Paris salon
Promotional photo showing 1956 and 1905 Cadillac models
The millionth post-war Cadillac built was
this Eldorado Biarritz model
Here is an interesting custom (?) interior
for what I would assume (from the
seat pattern) is a "gold"-colored Coupe de Ville or Sedan de
Ville; it has
a custom, padded dash-board and out-of-place "Thunderbird" floor mats!
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The 1956 models were, according to the copy writers that year, the
most inspiring motor cars the world has ever seen. The de luxe product catalog for
1956 is in fact a desirable collector's item. The stiff, off-white front cover is
embossed with the Cadillac "V" and crest and marked 56 Cadillac in gold
and black script. In my opinion, the artist's views of the cars and of its principal
features are among the finest ever published by the company. In those days,
artistic license allowed the auto manufacturers to stretch, widen and lower their cars;
that would change in the late sixties when manufacturers were obliged to use photography
to advertise their products. The wide-angle lens then became a popular accessory with the
advertisers!
This year's increased range of models was presented in this order:
the Sixty Special sedan, Sixty-Two coupe, Sixty-Two Coupe de Ville,
Sixty-Two Sedan de Ville, Sixty-two sedan, Sixty-two
convertible, Eldorado Biarritz convertible, Eldorado Seville coupe (new
for 1956) and the Series Seventy-Five. That is also the sequence in which I
have presented the illustrations below. There were also a large fold-out and a few mailing
catalogs.
The artist's drawings from the prestige catalog, below, are mixed
in with color photographs published in the dealer "mailer" catalogs that year.
There is no publication date on the prestige catalog.
The styling of the 1956 models was quite similar to that of the
previous year's models, with only minor detailing changes. Principally, the grille
took on a fine-mesh appearance and a fine chrome molding was added to the top surface of
the rear fenders. Gone was the Cadillac script on the front fenders; it was
replaced with an elongated and gilded Cadillac crest; some models got their name in script
in addition to that crest.
The distinguishing mark of the 1956 Cadillacs is without any doubt
the gilded Cadillac script set diagonally across the top half of the grille, on
the LH side. In addition, the 1956 models are the only Cadillacs to have the date (Nineteen
Fifty-Six) written in script on the RH side of the instrument panel.
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Front clip and detail of new, "gold"
Cadillac script
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Additional information on the 1956 models and the
related sales literature may be found in The
(New) Cadillac Database© sections entitled "Descriptions
and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1956 - 1965", "Cadillac and
La Salle Sales
Literature 1955 - 1959" and "Dream cars of 1956-1957". Further recommended reading includes:
(a) "Automobile Heritage's Illustrated Guide to 1950
Through 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) 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].
The Series Sixty Special
  
These three illustrations are from period ads
[ Z. Taylor Vinson collection ]
 
Illustration (cropped) from 1956
merchandising brochure
 
Left: interiors came in a wide selection of
patterned nylons, broadcloths, metallic
nylons and fine leathers in matching shades gray, blue, beige or green (seen here)
Right: in addition to the Cadillac crest, the Sixty Special carried its
name in gilded script
A fine survivor in the Cadillac & LaSalle
Club
|
The Sixty-Two Series
The Sedan
 
Interiors of the "62" sedan came in four
selections of Heather-pattern nylon and wool gabardine
in blue, green, beige or gray; there were also three choices of Frost-pattern nylon in
green,
blue or gray, combined with white Elascofab bolsters gray (as seen here)
This lovely survivor lives in Germany ...
sehr schön !
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The Coupe
 
 
Interiors of the "62" sedan came in four
selections of Heather-pattern nylon and wool gabardine
in blue, green, beige or gray; there were also three choices of Frost-pattern nylon in
green,
gray or blue, combined with white Elascofab bolsters (as seen here)
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The Coupe de Ville
 
The illustration at right is from a period ad
[ Z. Taylor Vinson collection ]
Illustration (cropped) from 1956
merchandising brochure
The Coupe de Ville and Sedan de Ville
interiors came in five selections of lustrous Stardust Black
nylon combined with top-grain leathers in blue, white, yellow, green and mountain laurel,
as well as
five additional choices of metallic nylons, combined again with leather, in gold, gray,
red, green and blue
[ Factory promotional photo - cropped for Cadillac
Database ]
 
This fine survivor waqs sent in by its owner, Forrest
Ward
[ Photos: © 2007, Forrest Ward ]
This fine survivor was for many years part of
the Astor collection that was auctioned off in July 2008
A superb survivor in an unusual, desirable
color scheme
[ Photo: Glenmoor Concours d'Elégance ]
Yet another "peachy" survivor .... whose
home is in Georgia
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The Sedan de Ville
 
These illustrations are from period ads; car at
right has the optional gold-anodized grille;
the theme was "European fashions" with background names like Jacques
Fath, Balmain, etc.
[ Z. Taylor Vinson collection ]
 
Illustration (cropped) from 1956
merchandising brochure
 
The Coupe de Ville and Sedan de Ville
interiors came in five selections of lustrous Stardust Black
nylon combined with top-grain leathers in blue, white, yellow, green and mountain laurel
(seen here), as well as
five additional choices of metallic nylons, combined again with leather, in gold, gray,
red, green and blue
Here is the Sedan de Ville in metallic taupe
with gold
metallic nylon combined with white leather upholstery
Factory promotional photo
 
A survivor in France [ photos, ACCF, Americaines
clasiques]
Mine was black with the regular wheel
discs
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The Convertible
 
 
The Series 62 convertible durable leather
interiors came in black and white (shown above, left),
all black, light blue and white, aquamarine and black (shown above, right), all
beige, light green and white,
red and white or all red. Tops were available in white, black, light blue,
beige and light green
This excerpt from a Cadillac service
training loop film
shows satisfied couple leaving the service bay after regular car maintenance
This may be a first-owner car, snapped
circa 1956-57 ...
or possibly a staged photo with period cars in the background
[ Photo: Internet ]
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The Eldorado
The Seville coupe
[new for 1956]
  
Eldorado Seville interiors came either in
full leather or in a combination of Florentine pattern metallic nylon with
leather bolsters and trim; available shades of leather were black, blue,
green or red with white leather bolsters
and trim; Florentine pattern metallic nylons were available in shades of black,
blue, green and red with white
leather bolsters and trim. Vicodec roof coverings came in white, black, light blue, beige
and light green
 
(Left) Early factory photos and one prestige catalog
illustration show the Seville coupe
with only the Eldorado script; others show the car with the script Eldorado
Seville;
it is believed that all the production cars had the full Eldorado Seville
script.
(Right) Exclusive to the Eldorado models were a new 305HP motor
with the "bat-wing" air cleaner and two 4-bbl carbs
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The Biarritz convertible
 
Standard on Eldorado models for 1956 were
the cast, polished aluminum sabre-spoke wheels (available
at extra cost on all other models); they were optionally available on the Eldorado
models in gold finish at no
extra cost with a matching gold-finished grille (above, right), These were available at
extra cost on the
other models in the range (although I've never seen a 1956 Fleetwood 75 with gold
grill and cast wheels!)
 
Left: cast wheel in polished aluminum; right:
gold finish [center cap removed]
Eldorado Seville interiors came either in
full leather or in a combination of Florentine pattern metallic nylon with
leather bolsters and trim; available shades of leather were black, blue,
green or red with white leather bolsters
and trim; Florentine pattern metallic nylons were available in shades of black,
blue, green and red with white
 
Exclusive to the Eldorado models were a new
"winged" hood mascot (left) , Eldorado script nameplate
on the front fenders and a 305HP motor with the "bat-wing"
air cleaner and two 4-bbl carbs (right)
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The Seventy-Five Series
sedan and limousine
 
 
The sedan was upholstered in ultra-smart Bedford cord
with all wool broadcloth bolsters and trim, in shades
of light blue, light gray, beige, dark gray, or brown (left). Broadcloth
throughout was also available in
light gray, light blue or beige. The limousine front seat was upholstered
in black or blue leather
(blue being used only when blue upholstery was selected for the rear
compartment - right).
 
I photographed this survivor in Charleston, SC, in
February 2001
  
Here's another in even better shape
The superb survivor in the above 2 rows
resides in Switzerland's Canton of St. Gallen
[ Photo: Internet ]
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Details
 
Front and rear clips
 
This would be the last year for the small, fish-tail
fin introduced in 1948
 
Not legible in the small, low-resolution image (left)
is the special
nameplate at far right that reads Nineteen Fifty-Six
All 1956 cars got this front fender mounted Cadillac
crest.
Some models got in addition their name spelled out in script
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Survivors
 
 
Left: survivor with custom continental
kit (cast, gold-finish aluminum wheel)
Right: nice surviving Coupe de Ville
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Trivia
Ouch!
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To view more 1956 Cadillac photos, click
here
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© 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle
Club, Inc.
[ Background image: 1956 Cadillac front clip ]