46 and up Cadillacs with three speed column shift

I have owned several 50's Cadillacs, but never a column shift, actually haven't seen many around. Where many made? One of my all time favorites around here was a friends 1950 2 door cadillac with factory column shift, it was satin black, sat real low and had brand new chrome (one of the rustiest driving cars I've ever seen, but it was all mud filled and you wouldn't know it unles you peaked under it!) Any of you own a column shift Cadillac or know much about 'em?

 

I believe they were special-order, or on "commercial" cars like he****, ambulance, flower car. Most Caddys had an automatic during the 50s. I wonder what the last year they were available was?

 

1950 or 51 was the last year for manual trans, or synchromesh trans, on the regular Cadillac line. The last manual trans Cadillac was the 1953 model 75 commercial ch***is. At least until the Cimmaron in the early 80s.

Road tester Tom McCahill had a 1950 Cadillac model 61 hardtop with synchromesh. This was the smallest Cadillac, he claimed they only made 4 61 hardtops with synchromesh, his and 3 more bought by sportsman Briggs Cunningham. These were the cars Cunningham raced at LeMans that year.

Can you imagine a stock Cadillac hardtop racing at LeMans? They did, and did pretty well too. The stock body car came in 10th and one with a custom made streamlined body came in 11th after running off the road into a sand bank.

Wonder if your buddy's car was McCahill's or one of Cunningham's?

McCahill sold his to a dealer in New York City when it was about a year old. Cunningham's headquarters were in Florida. The 2 race cars ended up in museums but the third one, used for regular transportation, may have ended up in your friend's hands.

The 61 was Cadillac's smallest model, based on the GM B body usually used for Oldsmobile and Buick Special. It was rather smaller than the regular C body Cadillac.

Cadillac at LeMans

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/5917198297/sizes/o/in/photostream/

 

Incidentally, Cadillac made thousands of cars with Buick Dynaflow transmissions in 1953, after a disastrous fire wiped out the Hydramatic factory in Livonia Michigan. So they went from a choice of synchromesh or Hydramatic, to having neither.

 

I worked on a friends 50 he**** around 1967, that was factory column stick.

 

Were these ******s the twin turbine models also introduced on the 53 Buick Special w/the straight 8?

 

there is a black 50 Cad coupe de ville here in Portland with a factory stick. I told the guy I wanted it and he said "There is a long line ahead of you" broke my heart

I have a stick behind my 331 Cad powered GMC and have driven a couple 49 with sticks, makes a great driver

 

my 1950 61 series is a 3 speed with roll up windows. i'm doing a convertible conversion with all the inner structure, trim, top frame and windshield frame from a 1953 convertible which was too far gone to save, but provided everything i needed. the windows are still roll up and the rears are converted to convert frames modified for roll up regulators. the top will be normal hydraulic cylinders with a pump with reservoir in the trunk. cadillac did not make a short body convertible.

 

WOW! more pic's of this please!

 

Early 60's at my first service station job, a local school teacher dropped his 55 or 56 Caddy off in the morning for an oil change. When I jumped in and started it up, I immediatly ran those big Dagmars into the side of the building. Luckily no damage except the divits in the porcelain panels on the building. Who the hell would expect a Caddy to have three pedals!! When he came to pick the car up after school, I nonchalantly asked how he ever came up with a stick Caddy..... seems like he had built it with older parts from local bone yards.

 

Sweet!!!