Overtly Original: 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville 39K Survivor – Sold?

June 1, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

In the 1950s, driving a new Cadillac showed the world you had arrived.  In addition to their sheer size, the combination of overhead valve V8 power, space-age-influenced styling, and ever-growing tailfins was hard to replicate on most other automobiles of the period.  1956 represented the first year of the upscale Sedan de Ville trim option on the Cadillac Series 62 Four-Door Hardtop. Sales of Sedan de Villes outpaced regular Series 62 models that first year, and by 1959 it was a separate trim line.

As the saying goes, “They are only original once.” If you prefer your classic car to be a low-mileage original versus a restored example, then this teal 39K-Mile 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville for sale on Craiglist in Litchfield Park, Arizona (Phoenix) in April 2023 might be the ride for you.  Between its distinctive Persian Green exterior and like-new interior, you and five of your friends will enjoy a comfortable ride as you admire the car’s distinctive pillarless four-door hardtop styling.  The seller does not provide details about the powertrain or options their Cadillac features, so you’ll need to interview them to learn more about the car and its low mileage history.

Last offered for $39,800, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for fourth-generation Cadillac Series 62s of all trims and body styles produced between 1954 and 1956.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Cadillac featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask is well above this guide’s #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $26,100.

Cadillac produced the fourth generation Series 62 line of coupes and sedans for the 1954 through 1956 model years.  The Series 62 included a lower sleeker body, a new cellular grille insert, inverted gull wing front bumpers, and tapered “Dagmar” style bumper guards. Round jet-style dual exhaust outlets were incorporated into the vertical bumper extensions and the rear bumper was entirely redesigned. An Eldorado-style wraparound windshield was now used on all models.  For coupes, Stylists referred to the smoothly curved wraparound backlight as the “Florentine” style rear window.  A wide ventilator intake was now stretched across the base of the windshield on all body styles and the chrome-visored headlamp look was a new styling trend. The Series 62 could be distinguished by the lack of rear fender louvers. Stylists liberally used V-shaped ornaments and crests on both the hood and trunk. Also present were full-length body underscores in bright metal.  Automatic windshield washers, power steering, 12-Volt electrical systems, and aluminum alloy pistons made the long list of standard equipment for the first time in 1954.

Two years later, in 1956, Cadillac stylists developed a new grille with a finer textured insert and repositioned the parking lights into the bumpers below the wing guards. Cadillac provided buyers with the option of either the standard satin finish grille or an optional gold finish. Designers also added a narrow chrome molding and nine vertical louvers. The Coupe de Ville had a model nameplate and a Cadillac crest on the sides of the front fenders.  In 1956 the Series 62 Coupe de Ville was joined by the Series 62 Sedan de Ville, Cadillac’s first standard production 4-door hardtop. Similarly to the Coupe de Ville, it was also more expensive and more luxuriously trimmed than the standard 4-door Series 62. With 41,732 sold, it also easily outsold the Series 62 sedan in its very first year.

The Charles Phoenix YouTube Channel features this video giving the perspective of what it’s like to drive a 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville survivor in modern times:

The seller of this well-preserved, 39K-mile, 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville survivor for sale lets their excellent pictures do the talking as they only provide a very brief description. While it’s likely a formality given the extremely low miles of this survivor-grade Cadillac, we would ask for pictures of the engine bay and undercarriage before sending any money.

If you are serious about buying this Sedan de Ville, you can start the conversation by contacting the seller using the information provided in their Craigslist ad.  When you connect, please remember to mention you saw their Cadillac survivor featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville survivor for sale?  Please comment below and let us know!