The 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé is one of the first American luxury cars of the post-war era.

With its sweeping lines, massive proportions, and opulent styling, the ’47 Cadillac defined what a luxury car should be in the prosperous years following World War II.

This full-size convertible stands out for its timeless elegance and remains a highly coveted collectible classic car today.

Cadillac convertible coupe 1947

The official model designation was the Cadillac Series 62 convertible coupé. It was part of GM’s Cadillac Division and was marketed by Cadillac as a prestige vehicle.

“Convertible coupé” referred to its dual nature as both a full four-seat convertible and a hardtop coupé for all-weather driving.

How Many Were Made?

GM produced a total of 6,755 Series 62 convertible coupés for the 1947 model year. This included both V8 and straight-6 engine models.

Total Cadillac production across all model lines for 1947 was around 70,000 cars, so the convertible coupé made up a significant portion of Cadillac’s output that year.

What Makes It Special?

The 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé had an instantly recognizable and highly influential design. It was one of the first pillarless hardtop coupés ever made, giving it sophisticated styling reminiscent of the elegant coachbuilt cars of the 1930s.

The low, sweeping profile with uninterrupted body lines was a major departure from previous models and set the tone for GM styling for years to come.

Some key attributes that made the ’47 Cadillac convertible coupé special:

• Pillarless hardtop design with sophisticated coupe styling
• Massive proportions with long hood and tail
• Iconic front grille design
• Futuristic-styled rear fenders that extended beyond the rear wheels
• Low, wide stance for dramatic profile
• Powerful V8 and luxury features
• Design evolution of Harley Earl’s groundbreaking 1938 60 Special

The ’47 convertible coupé was the first step in what would become Cadillac’s signature look in the 1950s. It directly influenced the iconic 1959 Cadillac, cementing the brand as a style leader.

Who Designed the 1947 Cadillac?

The 1947 Cadillac was designed under the direction of GM’s design chief Harley J. Earl.

Earl began GM’s Art and Colour design section in 1927 and went on to lead GM Styling starting in 1937. He was the dominant force in shaping GM’s brands through the late 1940s and 1950s.

The direct designer of the 1947 Cadillac was Franklin Q. Hershey, who worked as a designer under Earl at GM from the late 1930s through the 1950s.

Hershey helped develop the flowing forms and aircraft-inspired elements that characterized GM styling in the post-war era. The ’47 Cadillac convertible coupé was one of his most noteworthy designs.

The Specifications

The 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé had the following key specifications:

• Wheelbase: 129.5 inches
• Overall Length: 205.3 inches
• Width: 75 inches
• Height: 63 inches
• Curb weight: 4,370 pounds
• Powertrain: L-head V8 engine, 3-speed manual transmission
• Power: 150 horsepower with 5.7 liter V8 engine

The car rode on a ladder frame and had an independent front suspension with coil springs. The rear was a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. The brakes were hydraulic drums.

Luxury features included a modular instrument panel, cloth and leather seats, assist straps, a clock, and a cigarette lighter. Custom options included two-tone paint, fender skirts, and a continental tire mount.

The Engine

The 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé came equipped with Cadillac’s famous V8 engine. For 1947, it was Cadillac’s 5.7 liter “346” V8.

This L-head (flathead) V8 had a 3.25″ bore x 4″ stroke, for a total displacement of 346 cubic inches or 5.7 liters. It featured cast iron cylinder blocks and crankcase, hydraulic valve lifters, and a 2-barrel carburetor.

In baseline form, the 1947 346 V8 produced 150 horsepower at 3,800 RPM. Optional dual carburetors boosted output to 165 horsepower.

This engine delivered smooth, quiet operation. Its torquey powerband enabled effortless highway cruising speeds even for the massive 4,370-pound convertible. Fuel economy was around 15 mpg.

This reliable and proven V8 design formed the basis for Cadillac’s engines well into the 1950s, gaining displacement and more advanced technology along the way. It gave the ’47 convertible coupé potent, refined performance worthy of the Cadillac name.

The Interior

The interior of the 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé exemplified luxurious postwar styling. It featured:

• Expansive fabric and leather front seats
• Rear bench seat for 2-3 passengers
• Thick cut-pile wool carpeting
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Analog gauges, clock, and radio in dash
• Courtesy lighting, assist straps, sun visors for passengers
• Cigar lighter and ashtray
• Separate climate controls for rear seat passengers
• Abundant chrome trim and handles
• Deep pile wool headlining in roof

The interior space was generous, befitting the car’s overall size. The flowing lines of the exterior were echoed in the curved dashboard and door trim panels. Materials were high-quality, with wool broadcloth or leather seating surfaces.

The interior was designed for comfort on long journeys. Occupants rode in sofa-like seats, surrounded by soft textures and materials. Even rear-seat passengers enjoyed climate control and lighting – hallmarks of a luxury automobile.

How Many Are Left?

As an over 70-year-old collector’s item, the 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé has dwindled down to just a few hundred remaining examples. The exact numbers are not known.

According to most sources, it is estimated there are between 200-400 of the original 6,755 ’47 convertible coupés still in existence.

Many were driven into the ground decades ago. Some were modified heavily as hot rods or customs. Others rusted away or were wrecked over the years. Parts for restoration can be difficult to find.

Low survival rates combined with very high demand among collectors means any remaining original 1947 convertible coupés are tightly held in collections or museums today. They rarely come up for public sale.

When they do, it generates significant interest among wealthy classic car collectors looking to acquire an icon of post-war American luxury.

How Much is a 1947 Cadillac Convertible Coupé Worth Today?

The original price was $2,902, but because so few original examples remain, the 1947 Cadillac convertible coupé has become an extremely valuable collector’s item.

Pristine, fully-restored examples trade hands in the $250,000 – $350,000 range at auction or private sale. Certain rare factory options or custom features can push values even higher.

Poor condition project cars begin around $40,000-60,000 but require extensive restoration work to bring to show quality due to the scarcity of parts. Concours-level award winners can fetch well over $500,000 at times.

The high valuations reflect the ’47 Cadillac’s status as an instantly recognizable symbol of postwar prosperity. For enthusiasts of American automotive history, the flowing forms and elegant styling make it one of the must-have classics from this era.

In summary, the iconic 1947 Cadillac Series 62 convertible coupé stands out for its landmark styling, luxury features, and collectability today.

It retains immense prestige nearly 80 years on as a prized symbol of Cadillac in its prime – the Standard of the World. This exclusive convertible coupé is a treasured gem from 20th-century American automotive history.

Claveau cars are among the world’s rarest cars because hardly any were made.

But Émile Claveau should be celebrated as he came up with ideas way ahead of their time. You can draw a line from his thinking directly forwards through French cars such as Citroen.

Émile Claveau’s first design was for a mid-engined car with an aerodynamic body. He applied for a patent in 1923 and this model was discovered in Tours near where the designer was making a living as a grain broker:

In this design, Claveau foresaw mid-engined, aerodynamic cars with a forward driving position and independent suspension.

And in 1930 he designed a front-wheel drive car.

After the war, Émile Claveau came up with something quite different. At the 1947 Paris Auto Show, he presented his Claveau Déscartes, surely the first car to be named after a French philosopher.

This thoughtful machine had a 2.3 litre V8 engine and front-wheel drive. René Descartes may have asked, “Cogito ergo sum?”: how many gears are there? It had a five-speed gearbox.

The Claveau Déscartes therefore preempted the 1966 Oldsmobile Tornado, also a car with a V8 and front-wheel drive.

Now then, if someone asked “which was the first 1950’s small car of under 900cc capacity, with front-wheel drive and rubber suspension” you might say “BMC Mini!”, right?

But you would be wrong.

Try Claveau.

In 1955 Émile Claveau showed this prototype at the Paris Auto Show. The car had a unibody bodyshell with independent suspension. The springing medium was by rubber rings called “Anneaux Neiman”, a system also used on scooters.

The car had a DKW three-cylinder two-stroke engine of 896cc, and a four-speed gearbox with the drive to the front wheels. It wasn’t entirely original: the design owed something to the Cisitalia 202 coupe of 1947.

The Claveau 56 prototype never had a fuel tank fitted and could not be driven. After the Paris show it was despatched to a scrap yard.

Luckily it was rescued by one Doctor Jeanson, a French car enthusiast. The Tampa Bay Museum acquired the car, restored it and fitted a fuel tank.

At last, after fifty years the car was driven on the road.

How much is a Claveau worth?

It is not known how much a Claveau car is worth. As the total production number of this car was only one, it is almost impossible to put a value on it. Let’s say $100 million.

Before the Cisitalia, car designers treated each part of a car as a different box: one for the engine, one for the passengers, and one for their baggage. Headlights and wings were stuck on as extra appendages. Even streamlined contemporary cars looked like this Aero 50:

At last, the car was conceived as a single shell. But who was the mystery designer who produced this masterpiece?

Northern Italy has a long history of aesthetic excellence that can be traced right back to the Renaissance. Bronze statues and church doors were made by Byzantine craftsmen in the 11th and 12th centuries, and sculpting metalwork became family business.

The Italian tradition of motor car design goes back to the tradition of carrozzeria: the coachbuilding of horse-drawn carriages.

But the most famous Italian car designer of all, Battista “Pinin” Farina didn’t even have the advantage of an artistic family. He was the tenth of a family of eleven children and was nick-named “Pinin” (“baby”) as he was only five feet tall.

His mother struggled to make ends meet and insisted that all the children contributed something. Pinin was set to burnish his mother’s pots and pans and found that he enjoyed polishing the curving metal. He joined his brother Giovanni’s coachbuilding workshop at 18.

Pinin then set up his own design and car construction house; Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, but after the Second World War vehicles from Italy were banned by the French from the 1946 Paris Motor Show.

So, undeterred Pinin Farina and his son Sergio drove two of their creations, a Lancia Aprilia cabriolet and an Alfa Romeo 6C from Turin to Paris and parked them outside the entrance to the exhibition.

This anti-salon tactic worked, as it had for the Impressionist’s Salon des Refusés (exhibition of rejects) of 1863.

Suddenly the press and the public woke up to the importance of Italian car design. Then Pinin Farina came up with the car that cemented his reputation and began an epoch of beautiful Italian sports cars: the Cisitalia 202 Coupe.

Pinin Farina had clearly been influenced by the new science of aerodynamics and he formed the Cisitalia as one continuous, flowing movement, just as aircraft designers did during the war.

The line follows over the bonnet, flows into the wings, over the windscreen and down over the roof. The wheels and the headlights sink into the body for the first time. The wings and the bonnet bulge like muscles under a tense skin. 

The doors seem not to be cut into the metal but sketched onto the surface.  There are no sharp edges, just gentle swellings and depressions that maintain the overall flow and unity, creating a sense of speed. The side view suggests a crouching animal, ready to pounce.

The body was handmade in the old Italian fashion, with aluminium panels beaten over wooden forms. Only 170 copies were made.

One of them is on permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was the first automobile to enter the permanent exhibition of any art museum in the world. The curator Arthur Dexler wrote this appreciation:

The Cisitalia’s body is slipped over its chassis like a dust jacket over a book. Modelled by swellings and depressions, the surface of this seemingly one-piece metal jacket is made to incorporate those elements which, in the Mercedes (SS Tourer), are superimposed on the body.

Arthur Dexler, curator, Museum of Modern Art in New York

The openings Farina cuts into the jacket provide some of the most skilfully contrived details of automobile design. The grille opening is a modified cross-section of the hood, which thus resembles the cut end of a cigar, while the rolled edge of the opening itself helps to suggest that the grille is part of a continuous structural framework beneath the metal surface.

Because the sloping hood lies below the two front fenders it suggests low, fast power. This hood treatment has the additional merit of making the wheels seem larger, (an illusion reinforced by the high, tight curves of the openings which skirt them) and because they are dominant elements in the design Farina has made them appear to project outside the body by decorating them with slotted, chromium plated discs, as if they were bright roulette wheels.

Arthur Dexler, curator, Museum of Modern Art in New York

To maintain the sculptural unity of the entire shape its surfaces are never joined with sharp edges but are instead wrapped around and blunted. The door is minimized to prevent it from contradicting the appearance of a taut metal skin. Vertical contrast, necessary for an illusion of length, is supplied instead by the clearly modelled rear fender.

Arthur Dexler, curator, Museum of Modern Art in New York

The side window is given pronounced forward direction by one sharp corner pointing toward the front wheels, and the roof and window seem to unfurl from this point, flowing back like a pattern of air currents in a slipstream. Perhaps the most subtle device in the Cisitalia’s design is a slight shift in its horizontal axis.

Arthur Dexler, curator, Museum of Modern Art in New York

The back of the car, particularly the fender, is lifted at an angle rising from the strict horizontal base line which gives stability to the design. Thus both ends of the car gain an extraordinary tension, as though its metal skin did not quite fit over the framework and had to be stretched into place. This accounts, in part, for that quality of animation which makes the Cisitalia seem larger than it is.

Arthur Dexler, curator, Museum of Modern Art in New York

In my opinion this was sculpture every bit as accomplished as that executed by the masters of the Renaissance. But this was rolling sculpture.

You’ll see the influence of this design in the Porsche 356, Lancia Aurelia B20, Aston Martin DB2, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint and many Ferraris and Maseratis.

The Cisitalia might not look that special now because all cars quickly adopted the “single shell” look, apart from outliers such as the Morgan, which shows us what cars of the 1930s used to look like. 

Pinin Farina went on to design countless cars, being mostly associated with Ferrari. He gave to sheet metal powers of expression that Michelangelo had once given to marble.

Unlike Barthes’ “unknown designers”, Italy’s car designers became nationally celebrated, and they became household names: Bertone, Castangna, Frua, Ghia, Michelotti, Scaglietti, Zagato.

Some had family roots in Italian art: Giorgetto Giugiaro’s grandfather had painted frescoes in Italian churches, and his father, Mario, was an artist working in oils. Giorgetto was sent to study art in Turin, eventually designing the Alfa Romeo 105 coupés and the VW Golf.

What was the specification of the Cisitalia 202?

Cisitalia’s founder and owner, Piero Dusio was a businessman and racing driver. His company was called Consorzio Industriale Sportive Italia. The first car was the D46, a small single-seater which had a space frame with a tiny Fiat 1090cc engine and Fiat 500 suspension.

After some racing success, Dusio decided to build a small car based on the D46’s chassis and Fiat mechanicals. The cars were delivered as rolling chassis and were bodied by various design houses. Pinin Farina was responsible for the first coupe, and as we have seen it received great acclaim.

But the Cisitalia was never successful commercially as the cars were so painstakingly built by hand. Sadly, Cisitalia went into receivership in 1949 and was sold in 1952.

What engine did the Cisitalia 202 have?

The Cisitalia 202 had a four-cylinder Fiat engine:

Capacity: 1089 cc / 66.5 in³

Power: 52.2 kW / 70 bhp @ 5500 rpm

Carburation: 2 Weber 36DR4SP Carburetors

What was the Cisitalia SMM Nuvolari Spider?

The Cisitalia SMM Nuvolari Spider was called the SMM for “Spider Mille Miglia”, and this special open version was built for the 1947 Mille Miglia, and driven by Tazio Nuvolari, who led for most of the race, despite the 1100 cc car being one of the slowest cars in the race. He was in front of cars with engines three times bigger.

At the finish, Nuvolari took second overall and the Cisitalia was first in class. All subsequent competition spiders were thus named Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolaris.

How much is a Cisitalia 202 worth?

A Cisitalia 202 is worth between $70,000 and $715,000, with a recent sale of $550,000, according to Hagerty.

A racing Cisitalia SMM Nuvolari Spider is worth around $700,000 – $850,000, according to the Gooding & Company auction company (source: roadandtrack)

Bristol Cars had only one showroom, in Kensington, London, and the company gave a general impression that it didn’t really want to sell its cars to just anybody.

To such consummate engineers, the buying public was a bit of a nuisance. But to some, owning a Bristol car was to be part of a cult.

The first Bristol model was the 400. This was the first car to come out of Bristol Cars Limited just after the end of the Second World War, but it was a direct copy of the best pre-war German cars from BMW: the chassis was based on the BMW 326, the body on the 327, and the engine on the 328. It was sold between 1947 and 1950.

So why were these subtle, tasteful and unostentatious luxury cars bought by larger-than-life celebrities such as Bono, Liam Gallagher and Sir Richard Branson? And how was Bristol allowed to copy BMW with their first car, the 400?

Read on to find out more…

The Bristol Aeroplane Company, founded in 1911 was one of Britain’s best aircraft manufacturers, eventually being responsible for Concorde.

During the First World war, they made excellent biplanes such as the Bristol Fighter, but after the Armistice, they were suddenly faced with a collapse in orders. After a struggle, they managed to diversify into car and bus production.

Later in the 1930s came the Bristol Bulldog fighter, and aircraft engine production. When war broke out again in 1939, the Bristol aircraft factory at Filton was the biggest in the world. During the war, they built the Bristol Beaufighter, a twin-engined long-range fighter and torpedo bomber, and thousands of powerful air-cooled radial engines for bombers.

After the Second World war, the management wanted to avoid the same financial difficulties and dramatic loss of orders they had suffered after the First World war, so they decided to diversify into car production.

Plans had been drawn up well before peacetime to build a Bristol car at Filton to keep some of the 50,000-strong wartime workforce occupied when the military contracts ended. There was no time to develop their own car design, and so it was decided to base the new Bristol car on an existing design.

Bristol went into brief alliance with AFN Ltd owner HJ Aldington. He had made chain-driven Frazer Nash sports cars before the war and had been the official British BMW importer. During the war AFN had made gun turrets for Bristol aircraft such as the Blenheim Mk. IV and Beaufort, hence the business relationship with the Bristol Aircraft company.

The high quality of the 700 or so BMW cars Aldington had sold in England before the war had been well understood by anyone with a feel for efficient, fine-handling cars. Bristol started to examine the possibility of making BMW cars under licence.

Aldington’s contacts with BMW’s German managers and engineers – many of whom were in Allied jail – enabled Bristol to acquire the plans and rights for the firm’s pre-war range.

Remember, too that as a result of war reparations the German nation had to make amends for the damage done to the Allied nations. To the victor, the spoils!

So Bristol was able to purchase the rights to manufacture a design based on the BMW 326 saloon, 327 coupe and 328 sportscar (source: wikipedia).

The BMW 326 was a good choice of chassis, as this car was a highly-regarded saloon released at the 1936 Berlin Motor Show, and designed by the talented Fritz Fiedler. It featured an aerodynamic four-door body mounted on a box-section chassis enabling different bodies to be fitted.

It had a torsion bar rear suspension inspired in turn by the Citroën Traction Avant. Car makers are great copiers of other designs!

The Bristol 400 also copied the BMW 328’s M328 engine, an unusual and powerful design by Rudolf Schleicher. It had six cylinders with a total capacity of 1,971 ccs or 120.3 cu in. This engine had a particularly interesting valvetrain design.

BMW wanted to build a 2-litre car that could compete in international racing. The company knew the engine should have a true double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design, with hemispherical combustion chambers and overhead valves in a V shape.

However, the company did not have enough money. So they had to use their existing six-cylinder engine with its conventional side-mounted camshaft and overhead valves.

So a clever design solution was dreamt up that many engineers thought was totally impracticable, but which vindicated its design through many production and racing successes.

Although the camshaft was in the conventional place, running low in the cylinder block and operating the valves by long pushrods, the exhaust valves were opened by extra short pushrods running across the head, pushed by extra bell cranks.

This design enabled the engine to have the desired hemispherical combustion chambers, with the inlet and exhaust valves inclined like a double overhead camshaft design (DOHC). Furthermore, the inlet passages were vertical, entering the cylinder straight between the inlet and exhaust valves (source and drawings: thesahb.com).

This meant that the three downdraft SU carburettors had a straight shot downwards, leading to great volumetric efficiency. The Bristol engine produced 80 hp at 4,500 rpm and could propel the Bristol 400 to 92 mph, with good acceleration. This was at a time, remember when most cars on the road struggled to maintain 50 mph.

This engine went on to power not only all the Bristol models until 1961, but also Lotus, AC, Cooper, Frazer Nash and Lister sports and racing cars.

The torsion bar rear suspension on the Bristol 400 was unusual, too. The first time you look under the back of a Bristol 400 you can’t fathom out what they’ve done (source: thesahb.com).

The torsion bars ran forwards, parallel with the chassis members, their rear ends terminating in right-angled suspension levers. The rear axle hung on these, with a central A-frame to provide lateral location. Most car designs of the time used cart springs in this location, indeed lots of vans and trucks today still use these old horse-drawn era springs.

As well as using the BMW blueprints, Bristol Cars were lucky to have the expertise of the original BMW designer, Fritz Fiedler. In 1947 Fiedler was persuaded to move to England and work for AFN Ltd.

He was lent by the Frazer Nash company to Bristol for consultancy work on the Type 400 project. Dr Fielder, as he was known was very popular with his English colleagues, who admired his engineering expertise and described him as a kind man, and charming.

Bristol made many improvements to the German design. They used aircraft levels of build quality which made the 400 better than its German older sisters. It was sharp to drive, it had zippy performance, it was quiet at speed, and thanks to excellent aerodynamics, it was fast for its relatively modest power output.

Everything was made in-house to exacting aircraft standards, including the door locks and the shock absorbers. Only the Borg & Beck clutch, the carburettors and the Lucas electrics were outsourced. Bristol 400s competed on the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio.

At £2400, or £105,000 today this was a wealthy connoisseur’s machine (source: CPI Inflation Calculator). Before motorways the Bristol 400 was probably the fastest way to travel point to point in mainland Britain.

The word got out, though and all sorts of unlikely people bought Bristol cars- people such as the celebrities mentioned above, and also the UK’s best car journalist L.J.K Setright, who was evangelical on the subject of the Bristol 400. He stated unequivocally that the Bristol was the World’s Best Car (source: Motor Sport Magazine).

It was he who largely contributed to the Bristol cult, and as with most cults in the end the wrong people joined.

Stats: 0-60 mph: 15 seconds. Top speed: 95 mph. Weight: 1120 kg. 487 examples were made.

Are Bristol Cars Still Made?

Bristol Cars are no longer made. The designs became increasingly eccentric and irrelevant, and after being placed in receivership and taken over in 2011 the company was liquidated in February 2020.

Perhaps they should have stuck to making BMWs.