Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 11 ¤
1938 Cadillac 38-60S Sixty Special Touring Sedan Chassis no. 38B3109678 Engine no. 38B3109678
Sold for US$21,280 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 11¤
Formerly owned by Reno personality LaVere Redfield
1938 Cadillac 38-60S Sixty Special Touring Sedan
1938 Cadillac 38-60S Sixty Special Touring Sedan
1938 Cadillac 38-60S Sixty Special Touring Sedan
Chassis no. 38B3109678
Engine no. 38B3109678
Chassis no. 38B3109678
Engine no. 38B3109678
346ci L-Head V-8
Stromberg AAV-25 Two-Barrel Carburetor
135bhp at 3,400rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Coil Spring Independent Front Suspension, Leaf Spring Live Axle Rear Suspension
Four-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes
* Owned by LaVere Redfield, a Reno millionaire known for twice having his home safes stolen and for his caches of silver dollars
* A design milestone by Bill Mitchell
* One of the most significant body designs in the history of the U.S. automobile
* Mostly original and an ideal restoration project
THE CADILLAC SIXTY SPECIAL
Except for one monumental change, the 1938 V-8 Cadillacs were little different from 1937 with the same 346 cubic inch 135 horsepower V-8, "knee-action" coil spring independent front suspension and modest restyling features. One material change was a column-mounted gearshift and elimination of the V-12 Series 85 brought some shuffling of coachwork offerings.
The one monumental change was introduction of the 38-60S Sixty Special Touring Sedan, a paradigm shift in American coachwork design that introduced the "three-box" layout that fundamentally altered how automobiles appeared with the hood and front fenders, the passenger compartment and the trunk and rear fenders in separate but joined elements.
Although the Sixty Special was designed during Harley Earl's leadership of GM Design it was the styling and design creation of Bill Mitchell.
THE CAR OFFERED
This 1938 Sixty Special is largely original and unrestored. It was donated to the National Automobile Museum by the family of LaVere Redfield, a well-known character in Reno best known for hoarding silver dollars and postage stamps and for several notorious burglaries at his home.
LaVere Redfield's Cadillac Sixty Special is equipped with a column shifted manual transmission, clock, heater, turn signals and hazard warning flasher. It has dual enclosed sidemount covers, full size hubcaps, Firestone Deluxe Champion tires and Trippe driving lights. It has not been run in some time and displayed after, supposedly, being drained of fuel and coolant. The steering wheel rim is shrunken and cracked to the point where replacement or reconstruction is in its future. The chrome and upholstery are in decent condition. The odometer reads only 32,768 miles at the time of cataloging and, given Redfield's well-known aversion to spending money on gasoline might be plausible.
The combination of a colorful ownership story and the Sixty Special's important place in the development of American coachbuilding and design this should be an attractive and fulfilling restoration project.
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| ¤ | No Reserve |
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