1949 Cadillac Sedanette - What Is Luxury?

 

Save for their engines, Cadillacs were all new for 1948. That changed when a new overhead valve V-8 replaced the flathead V-8 in 1949.

 

The dictionary defines luxury as, "the state of great comfort and extravagant living". That's interesting because great comfort and extravagant living is subjective, after all; a pair of shoes is a luxury item to a person who doesn't have a pair. What to make, then, of a "luxury" automobile like this 1949 Cadillac that offers little in the way of creature comfort above the most plebian of automobiles? 
 

 

That new V-8 engine made substantially more horsepower than the flathead engine it replaced. It was also lighter, smaller and delivered better fuel economy and acceleration.

 

Luxury automobile manufacturers struggled then as they do today with the notion of what is and what isn't a luxury automobile. With this lovely '49 Cadillac, save for a trick new V-8 engine and an automatic transmission, this car is no easier to drive than a low cost Chevrolet, Ford or Plymouth. What did you get then, actually, for springing for this expensive pair of shoes?

 

 

1949 Cadillacs were sold in "series". There was top of the line Fleetwood Series 75, Sixty Special, mid level Series 62 and the Series 61 like our feature car. Very sparsely equipped, the series 61 was meant to be an entry level Cadillac for those who wanted a Cadillac at moderate cost.

 

Provenance and heritage and not much else. Those things matter to a lot of people; then as now. These cars were built, if for nothing else, to look impressive in the driveway. Buick and in particular Oldsmobile built very similar automobiles. But, they were not a Cadillacs.

 

 

Cadillac was named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms.

 

Part of the luxury car buying experience today, allegedly at dealerships like Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes dealerships et all, is a posh dealership experience. On the other hand, Hyundai, amongst others, forgo the white glove dealership experience and put the focus on their cars which offer all if not more of the creature comforts the more expensieve makes offer. So, what is a luxury car? Ultimately, it's buyers who decide what is and what isn't a luxury car and, most importantly, what is worth a premium price.