Cadillac Models & History 1954
appearance improvements marked the 1954 Cadillacs. They included
- a lower, sleeker body
- a new cellular grille insert
- inverted gull-wing front bumpers
- tapered “Dagmar” style bumper guards.
Round, jet-style dual exhaust outlets were incorporated into the vertical bumper extensions and the rear bumper was entirely redesigned. An Eldorado type wraparound windshield was seen on all models. Sedans used a distinctive type of window reveal molding which created a built-in sun visor effect. For coupes, a smoothly curved wraparound backlight (i.e., rear window) was referred to as the “Florentine” style rear window. A wide ventilator intake now stretched across the base of the windshield on all models and the chrome visored headlamp look was emphasized.
Cadillac offered four models: Series 62 (including the Sedan, Sedan DeVille, and Coupe DeVille), Series 50 Special Fleetwood, Series 75 Fleetwood, and Eldorado Special.
HISTORICAL NOTES
1954 Cadillac Notes
- Assembly of 1954 models began January 4, 1954 after a 25 day halt for changeover to new production specifications.
- Fiberglass-bodied Cadillac show cars appearing at the GM Motorama this year included the Park Avenue four-door sedan, El Camino coupe, and La Espada convertible.
- Don E. Ahrens was general manager
- Charles F. Arnold was chief engineer
- Edward Glowacke was chief designer (Cadillac Studio)
- James M. Roche was general sales manager
- Cadillacs are longer, lower, wider, with up to 230 bhp — and the first with standard power steering
- Designer “Dutch” Darrin buys 100 leftover Kaiser-Darrins and install Cadillac V-8 engines
- Cadillac production figures
1954 Automotive Notes
- Harlow H. Curtice was president of GM
- Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. was chairman of the board at GM
- The horsepower race has begun
- Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson join to become American Motors Corporation, George Romney is CEO
- Studebaker and Packard join to become Studebaker-Packard Corporation
- Henry Kaiser buys Willys-Overland
- GM cars sport wraparound windshields
- Buick introduces the Century
- Dodge Royal 500 convertible has a “continental” spare tire and wire wheels.
- Last year for 6-cyl in Chrysler and DeSoto
- Ford’s low-price car has ball-joint front suspension
- Plexiglas roof panels appear on the new Ford Skyliner and Mercury Sun Valley hardtops
- Nash introduces the Metropolitan
- Packard is first to use tubeless tires, the other makers wait until 1955
- Plymouth gets PowerFlite automatic transmission to replace Hy-Drive semi-automatic
- Top American Automobile Corporations for 1954
- Top model year production for 1954