1942 Cadillac Series 61 Fastback 4 door Sedan. Original, Complete, Runs & Drives

1942 Cadillac Series 61 Fastback 4 door Sedan body style 6109. Only5,7001942 model year Series 61 Cadillacs were produced because WWII caused automobile production to cease early in 1942. This is less than 1/5th the number of Series 61 Cadillacs that were produced the year before. Very few of these cars have survived; they were a favorite of high ranking officers in the military;many were forcibly purchased from private citizens and also from Cadillac. By the time they were auctioned back to civilians most were well used and scrapped not so long afterwards.

Here is video of the car when we first got it running a few years ago.

https://youtu.be/iPuD_8OQVdo

It currently has a strong battery that is only a few months old. It runs better now that we have put some miles on it. It is registered as a vintage car in Washington States and the original 1942 license plates do not need yearly tabs when driven here.

This carwasordered byWinifred Filsonon October 4, 1941 from Northwest Motor Company in Seattle, Washington.It came off the assembly line on November 8, 1941. Winifred and her husband Clinton founded a mining and timber supply company with a partner in1890. In 1897,they opened C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers, in downtown Seattle specializing in goods to outfitprospectors making their way to theKlondike Gold Fields. Their clothing, especiallybecame well known for its extremedurability and long service.

In 1919 Clinton Filson died during the pandemic while on a trip to Oregon. Winifredwas thehead ofthe Filson Clothing Company from that time until her death at age 94 in 1958. Under her leadership the company prospered and expanded. She had no children and was survived only by nephew, George Stroble. She was a veryprominent woman in Seattle at the time she purchased this car.She was one of the few women running a large company in the entire country at that time. One wonders about the local dignitaries from the WWII time period that must have been passengers in this car. The Filson Clothing Company is still in existence andto this day continues tomanufacture Clothing in a factory located in Seattle Washington. Did yourealize that any company still does this? Their Clothing is still well known for its extreme durability and much of it is used in the harsh conditions in Northern Alaska. http://www.filson.com/

Unfortunately, when we found this car it had been sitting outside for many years unused. Someone hadbegun some sort ofrestoration but left it unfinished. Wereplaced the ignition parts, fixed the brakes, found some extra wheels and tires that fit it, flushed the engine oil and the car started and ran well. We have kept the car inside since the day we purchased it many years ago.

We intended to restore it to use it as a WWII Military Staff Car or restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately, many years have now passed and it is time to pass it on to someone who will get the job done. It is an amazing car that needs bodywork and a new interior, but it has good bones and a very interesting history. The Filson Company expressed an interest in the car to use in their promotions whenever we got it done. They actually did use pictures of my wife anda1941 Cadillac that we used to ownin several of their catalogs a few years ago.

The caris missing two rear fender spear trim pieces, one rear fender skirt, one windshield wiper blade. It is also missing the air filter. The venting hoses for the heater and vents are missing and the water hoses to the front and rear heaters need to be replaced. The radio is out of the car but included; I will try to test it to see if it is still working. The muffler seems to be OK, but the tailpipe iscurrently just a straight piece of steel pipe and should be replaced. These parts are available. It needs new front springs which are available. The block was leaking coolant from a crack from freeze damage. It was repaired with JB Weld, which has held for several years, but should be properly welded at some point. It should be possible to do this repair without removing the engine from the car. The drivers side window was cracked when we hit a big speed bump with it rolled part way down. The rest of the glass is good. As you can see from the photos the car needsa lot ofrestoration work, but we do not believe it will be necessary to do a frame off restoration unless desired. Although we drive it frequently on the roads near our home, we would not consider it ready for a long trip... the purchaser will want to haul it home on a trailer even if it is only a few hundred miles.

Please ask questions if interested. We would be glad to work with whoever purchases the car to get it shipped. We would be very glad if someone from the Seattle area purchases it, since it has an interesting local history. We have done our best to disclose all the challenges; we would be glad to have it inspected before shipping it or completing the sale. The $500 deposit through Paypal will be refunded if you or your representative inspect the car within a week and decide that you do not want it.

We think that because of its rarity, history, its mechanical condition,and its completeness, that this car is a very worthwhile project. It is a 75 year old car that has plenty of power to keep up with traffic and even an automatic transmission. It was originally designed to reach speeds of over 100 mph while still getting respectable fuel economy. This same engine and transmission combination were actually used in light tanks during WWII, so this car literally was built as tough as a tank and onsome of thesame assembly lines! We were offered $6000 by two different parties sightunseen before we got it running, when discussing the car at a Cadillac show several years ago but were not ready to part with it at that time. That is how we arrived at the price.