Cadillac Models & History 1956

The1956 year saw the introduction of Cadillac’s first four-door hardtop Sedan de Ville, which immediately scored almost as many sales as the Coupe de Ville and standard 62 hardtop combined.

1956 Cadillac Fin

Despite an all-new ’56 Lincoln and revitalized ’57 Imperial, Cadillac remained America’s luxury sales leader by far. Combined Lincoln/Imperial volume never exceeded 40,000 cars a year in this era; at Cadillac, that was a good quarterly output.

1956 Cadillac

For 1956, the milestone V-8 was stroked to 101.6mm to deliver 285 bhp standard and 305 for Eldorado.

The lineup remained the same as in 1954. The Series 62 (which included Coupe deVille and Sedan deVille) had a sub-series Eldorado. The Fleetwood name would grace the Series Sixty Special and the limousine Series 75.

HISTORICAL NOTES

1956 Cadillac

1956 Cadillac Notes

  • The Cadillac Series 62 Sedan DeVille four-door hardtop and Eldorado Seville two-door hardtop were introduced to the public almost a month earlier than other models on October 24, 1955.
  • The remaining cars in the line were introduced the following month on November 18.
  • The 1956 Hydra-Matic transmission incorporated changes that increased its size and smoothed out shifting qualities.
  • It was developed by GM at a cost of $35 million.
  • The 1956 line set records in sales and production moving Cadillac from 10th to 9th position in the American sales race.
  • On Aug. 5, 1956 the division announced the purchase of the former Hudson Motor Car plant on Detroit’s east end.
  • 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
  • Cadillac production figures
Series 6261,634 (decreased 19,702)
Sedan de Ville41,732
Coupe de Ville24,086 (decreased 9,214)
Eldorado6,050 (increased 2,100)
Series 6017,000 (decreased 1,300)
Series 754,075 (increased 184)

1956 Automotive Notes

  • Harlow H. Curtice was president of GM
  • Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. was chairman of the board at GM until April until Albert Bradley took over
  • U.S. Federal government will pay 90% for a 41,000-mile interstate highway system
  • 156-mile Indiana Toll Road opens to create a Chicago-New York superhighway
  • Industry output drops to 6.3 million; 80% have V-8
  • Ford joins the Automobile Manufacturers Association and Henry Ford II is elected president
  • Pushbutton automatic transmission selector installed on Imperial, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Plymouth, and Packard
  • Highway Hi-Fi record players offered in Chrysler Corp. cars
  • Ford offers seat belts, padded dash, and other safety items; but they are not well received
  • Thunderbird sports a continental tire and porthole window in the wide C-pillar
  • AMC develops a 250-cid V-8 (4.1 litre) to replace Packard’s V-8
  • Continental Mark II is introduced at $10,000 and is separate from the Lincoln line
  • Packard Clipper is a separate make, but sales are not as good as hoped
  • Packard offers electrically controlled door latches and a limited-slip differential
  • Hudson Rambler Cross Country is the first four-door hardtop station wagon
  • Studebaker introduces four Hawk models with big Packard V-8 engines
  • A quad headlamp system is announced by the Automobile Manufacturers Association for the 1958 models
  • Top American Automobile Corporations for 1956
1. General Motors3,184,906 (decreased 536,621)
2. Ford1,789,293 (decreased 18,894)
3. Chrysler1,060,768 (decreased 201,317)
4. Others213,504 (decreased 113,719)
  • Top model year production for 1956
Chevrolet1,567,196
150157,294
210737,371
Bel Air669,064
Corvette3,467
Ford1,408,478
Mainline164,442
Customline368,653
Fairlane645,306
Station Wagon214,446
Thunderbird15,631
Buick572,024
Series 40 Special334,017
Series 50 Super81,398
Series 60 Century102,189
Series 70 Roadmaster53,427
Plymouth571,031
Plaza106,947
Savoy226,162
Belvedere152,248
Suburban81,792
Fury4,485
Oldsmobile485,458
88216,719
Super 88179,000
Ninety-Eight90,439
Pontiac405,730
Chieftan (860)184,232
Chieftan (870)93,872
Star Chief127,325
Mercury327,943
Medalist45,812
Custom85,328
Monterey105,369
Montclair91,434
Dodge240,686
Coronet142,613
Royal48,780
Custom Royal49,293
Cadillac154,577
Series 6261,634
Sedan deVille41,732
Coupe deVille24,086
Eldorado6,050
Series 6017,000
Series 754,075
Chrysler128,322
Windsor83,380
New Yorker40,070
Town & Country3,770
300B1,102
DeSoto110,418
Firedome77,905
Fireflite32,513
Nash92,488
Rambler10,000
Statesman/Ambassador14,352
Metropolitan Series 542,914
Metropolitan Series 563,078
Studebaker69,593
Six28,918
V-8, 25930,654
V-8, 28921,819
Golden Hawk4,071
Lincoln50,322
Capri8,791
Premiere41,531
Hudson22,588
Rambler5,000
Wasp2,519
Hornet Special1,757
Hornet 63,380
Hornet V83,015
Imperial10,684
Imperial10,458
Crown Imperial226
Packard10,353
Clipper18,482
Executive2,815
Patrician3,775
Four Hundred3,224
Caribbean539
Continental2,550