As the decade of the 1960s dawned Cadillac was undergoing a metamorphosis. The colorful Harley Earl had retired as the Vice President and head of GM’s Styling department in 1958. One of his final actions was to promote 30-year-old prodigy Chuck Jordan to director of design at Cadillac in 1957. Earl’s swan song—the flamboyantly finned ’59 Cadillac—was already penned when Jordan arrived, and the 1960 model was merely a refresh. The proper redesign would come for the 1961 model—and with it Jordan’s first big test.

In sculpting the new-for-’61 edition Jordan’s department had to walk a stylistic tightrope. At the time Cadillac was the undisputed king of the American luxury car market. Jordan was tasked with modernizing the line without straying too far from the formula that had dominated the segment. While the more extravagant flagship models like the Fleetwood and Eldorado Biarritz got much of the attention, it was the entry level Series 62 that comprised the bulk of Cadillac’s sales and thus it would be a prime focus of Jordan’s new look for the brand.

The chassis and powertrain carried over from previous years so the general dimensions remained similar. Yet the new contours help the 1961 models appear smaller and sleeker than their predecessors. The signature tailfins, which had been trimmed for the 1960 refresh, were straightened and made more crisp for ’61. They were joined by what is perhaps Jordan’s most distinctive addition: the “skeg” fins on the lower edge of the rear fenders, replacing the pontoon-like rear fenders of the 1960 models. Like the 1960 fins, the ‘61 inset the taillights into the trailing edges of the fins, appearing almost like a rudder on the tail of an aircraft. The brake lights and turn signals were also evocative of the jet age, housed as they were in a chrome surround reminiscent of the exhaust nozzle of a jet engine, but they were mounted horizontally for 1961, allowing for a slimmer rear bumper and a character line that ran uninterrupted from the beltline around the lip of the trunk, tying the sides and rear together beautifully.

The front end was an even greater departure from the previous models. The front overhang was significantly shortened and the fender protrusions were pulled in, yielding a much flatter hood line. The giant grille that had defined Cadillac for decades was trimmed down raked back at the top and bottom to tuck neatly into the hood and bumper, respectively. The alterations combined to give the new model a leaner, more athletic look. That was further accentuated by abandoning the bulbous wraparound windshield for glass that followed the contours of aggressively curved A-pillars—a feature that appears even more dramatic on the convertible!

Automodello® is proud to present this stylistic masterpiece as the latest replica in the exquisite ONE24™ line. No effort has been spared to capture the details of the car that ushered in a new era for Cadillac. Each model comes in one of five authentic colors. The Standard Editions come in Lexington Green with green accented interior or Shell Pearl Poly with white interior. Production for Standard Editions is limited to 124 of each color. The more exclusive Encomium Editions are offered in Nautilus Blue Poly with two-tone blue interior or Fontana Rose Poly with black and white interior. Production for Encomium Editions will be strictly limited to no more than 62 of each color. And finally, an Exclusive Limited Edition run of up to 9 cars will be issued in Ebony Black with white interior. Each replica comes with a removable boot cover and matching convertible top, a second convertible top in white, a display base and a clamshell display box to showcase what we are confident is the finest recreation of the 1961 Cadillac Series 62 ever.

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