Cad Attack: 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

Cadillac has a special place in the American identity. If you ever wonder how that started, look no further than a vehicle like this one. This 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, dubbed “Cad Attack”, is a re-imagining of one of Caddy’s prized post-war coupes. It is the heart and soul of a Cadillac, plus a hand-crafted body design by famed rodder Greg Westbury. It is a classic rod rebuild of an American icon, and it’s heading under auction this fall.

This smooth, curvy Caddy is a refined, simplified take on the original. At the time, occasional art deco influences on auto styling yielded a lot of body elements that seem to complicate the design. For “Cad Attack”, Westbury removed all of the excess, leaving traces of chrome on the rear end and bumper up front. Any other extraneous element was removed, allowing the shape and form to speak louder than the “jewelry” of the original. In a sense, it’s a Cadillac in a black nightgown, with nothing else to complicate its beauty.

Under the hood, the Cad Attack is powered by a 400-horsepower V8 engine. It’s optimized with a special carb and intake, and is controlled by an automatic transmission. That power is pushing a pretty heavy automobile, so you can’t expect lighting fast acceleration. Loud and aggressive will have to suffice, and if you’re familiar with this generation of automobile, that’s precisely what you expect.

Personally, if I awoke to the Cad Attack in my garage, I’d take one step to make this beauty a little bit more like the 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible that it once was. I’d search for some original wheels, or at least something a little closer to the Cadillac inspiration. This vehicle is very much a hot rod project, but I’d want it to appeal to a lot more than the hot rod crowd. It should. Just look at this thing…

The Cad Attack: 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible is heading under the gavel in Dallas, Texas this fall at the Sam Pack auction by RM Auctions.

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