Re: Interesting 41 120 listed on Hemmings

Posted by 58L8134 On 2015/10/16 7:55:32

Hi bkazmer

Another reason those '61-'63 shorter-decked Cadillac sedans at 215" O.L. were made available was a response to the '61 Lincoln. At only 212.4" O.L. the Lincoln was very trim compared to 222"-225" for prior Cadillacs. Clark Avenue and Misterl had been pushing extended-deck styling for a number of years which proved very popular. Long trunks implied luxurious cars.

Having gotten wind of the trim-sized '61 Lincoln, Cadillac hedged its bets with the Series 62 Town Sedans and DeVille Series Park Avenues. For public consumption, the reasons given were Cadillac was responding to buyer complaints their new Cadillacs wouldn't fit in existing garages and maneuverability issues in modern urban traffic.

Apparently the excessive length objections weren't that great of a motivator as the sales volume for the short-decked models was a tiny percentage of overall sales. After three years, they were quietly dropped for 1964. Lincoln eventually grew back to 224" O.L. by 1970. So much for the down-sizing foray until the market forced it in the late 1970's

Steve