Cadillac Series 60

Infobox Automobile


name = 1938 La Salle (Similar Model)
manufacturer = General Motors
production = 1936–1940
successor = Cadillac Series 61
class = Compact luxury car
related = Cadillac Sixty Special
platform = FR B-body
body_style = 2-door club coupe
4-door sedan
wheelbase = Auto in|121|0
engine = 346 in³ "Monobloc" V8

The Cadillac Series 60 was the company's mid-priced vehicle line when it appeared in 1936. It was replaced by the Series 61 in 1940, but the offshoot Sixty Special continued through 1993.

Note that the model names of the 1930s used the year as well. So a Series 38-60 is a 1938 Series 60. This Series 60 should not be confused with the V-16 cars of the prior year.

The Series 60 was the brainchild of new Cadillac manager, Nicholas Dreystadt. Debuting in 1936, it filled a gaping price gap between the LaSalles and Series 70/Fleetwood Cadillac models. It rode on a Auto in|121|1 wheelbase and shared the B body with cars from LaSalle, Buick, and Oldsmobile.

The exterior featured a new Harley Earl-designed look with a tall, slender grille and split vee-shaped windshield. This body used Fisher Body's new "turret top" one-piece roof and Bendix dual-servo brakes. "Knee-action" independent suspension in front was a welcome novelty for the time.

Under the hood was the new (less expensive) "Monobloc" V8. This 322 in³ (5.3 L) engine produced 125 hp (93 kW), just 10 less than that in the larger Cadillacs. The Series 60 quickly became the company's best-selling model, making up half of all Cadillacs sold that first year.

The next year, displacement on all Monobloc Cadillacs was 346 in³ (5.7 L). This new engine produced 135 hp (101 kW), more than all V8 Cadillacs of just a few years earlier. The Series 60 was superseded by the Series 61 and disappeared after 1940.