From the late 1930s through the mid-1980s, it was truly the Cadillac of Cadillacs—the car of choice for the titans of American business, government and the entertainment industry. The stately long-wheelbase Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Eight-Passenger Sedan and Imperial Limousine occupied an exalted niche at the very pinnacle of the automotive pecking order in the U.S. and abroad. Whatever the destination—embassy, corporate head office, hotel, airport or Hollywood red carpet—when one arrived in a Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five, one had truly arrived! Introduced in 1937, Cadillac’s new Series 75 included 11 Fleetwood body styles ranging from coupes and convertibles to a seven-passenger touring sedan. In 1938, the restyled Series 75 got what was destined to become its signature body style —a severely formal long-wheelbase sedan and companion limousine. Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five business sedans and limousines quickly won favor with commercial livery operators and funeral directors, challenging rival Packard’s long domination of this small but prestigious market. By 1941 the Fleetwood Seventy-Five name was reserved exclusively for General Motors Corporation’s flagship car—the long-wheelbase formal sedan and companion limousine with glass division.
