Cadillac Sixty Special
The Cadillac Sixty Special is a full-size luxury sedan produced across 10 generations from 1938 to 1976. Through its run the model kept a sedan-family body — Sedan through most generations, Sedan Hardtop for the 1957–1964 generations — and was powered exclusively by naturally aspirated V8 gasoline engines mated to manual or automatic gearboxes driving the rear wheels.
Cadillac Sixty Special
The Cadillac Sixty Special is a full-size luxury sedan produced across 10 generations from 1938 to 1976. Through its run the model kept a sedan-family body — Sedan through most generations, Sedan Hardtop for the 1957–1964 generations — and was powered exclusively by naturally aspirated V8 gasoline engines mated to manual or automatic gearboxes driving the rear wheels.
Generations
The 1st generation (1938–1941) came as a Sedan with two versions of a 5.7-litre V8 producing 130 hp, offered with either a 3-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearbox.
The 2nd generation (1942–1947) carried the same 5.7-litre V8 architecture forward with an output increase to 150 hp, again offered as 5.7 MT and 5.7 AT.
The 3rd generation (1948–1949) expanded to four versions: the carried-over 5.7 AT (150 hp), plus a new 5.4-litre V8 rated at 160 hp in both manual (5.4 MT) and automatic (5.4 AT) form, alongside a 5.7 MT (150 hp).
The 4th generation (1950–1953) simplified the range to a single version, the 5.4 AT with 160 hp.
The 5th generation (1954–1956) offered two engines: the 5.4 AT at 230 hp and a new, larger 6.0-litre AT at 285 hp.
The 6th generation (1957–1958) moved to a Sedan Hardtop body with a single 6.0 AT version rated at 300 hp.
The 7th generation (1959–1960) continued the Sedan Hardtop body with one version, a 6.4-litre AT producing 325 hp.
The 8th generation (1961–1964) kept the Sedan Hardtop body and offered two versions: the 6.4 AT (325 hp) and a larger 7.0-litre AT at 340 hp.
The 9th generation (1965–1970) returned to a Sedan body with two versions: a 7.0 AT at 340 hp and a 7.7-litre AT at 375 hp.
The 10th generation (1971–1976) was the final generation, a Sedan with a single 7.7 AT version producing 380 hp at 4400 rpm and 712 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm, with a compression ratio of 10 and a 98-litre fuel tank.
Engines and specs
| Generation | Version | Power | Torque | Displacement | Fuel system | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (1938–1941) | 5.7 MT | 130 hp / 95 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual, 3-speed | RWD |
| 1st | 5.7 AT | 130 hp / 95 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 2nd (1942–1947) | 5.7 MT | 150 hp / 110 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual, 3-speed | RWD |
| 2nd | 5.7 AT | 150 hp / 110 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 3rd (1948–1949) | 5.7 AT | 150 hp / 110 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 3rd | 5.4 MT | 160 hp / 117 kW | not measured | 5424 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual, 3-speed | RWD |
| 3rd | 5.4 AT | 160 hp / 117 kW | not measured | 5424 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 3rd | 5.7 MT | 150 hp / 110 kW | not measured | 5700 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual, 3-speed | RWD |
| 4th (1950–1953) | 5.4 AT | 160 hp / 117 kW | not measured | 5424 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 5th (1954–1956) | 5.4 AT | 230 hp / 169 kW | not measured | 5424 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 5th | 6.0 AT | 285 hp / 209 kW | not measured | 5981 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 6th (1957–1958) | 6.0 AT | 300 hp / 220 kW | not measured | 5981 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 7th (1959–1960) | 6.4 AT | 325 hp / 239 kW | not measured | 6391 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 8th (1961–1964) | 6.4 AT | 325 hp / 239 kW | not measured | 6391 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 8th | 7.0 AT | 340 hp / 250 kW | not measured | 7030 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 4-speed | RWD |
| 9th (1965–1970) | 7.0 AT | 340 hp / 275 kW | not measured | 7030 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 3-speed | RWD |
| 9th | 7.7 AT | 375 hp / 250 kW | not measured | 7735 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 3-speed | RWD |
| 10th (1971–1976) | 7.7 AT | 380 hp / 279 kW | 712 Nm @ 3000 rpm | 7729 cc | Carburetor | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic, 3-speed | RWD |
All engines are naturally aspirated gasoline V8s with 2 valves per cylinder. Fuel octane grades are given where recorded: 76 for the 1st–3rd generations, 80 for the 5th–10th generations; the 4th generation figure is not measured.
Performance and economy
Acceleration 0-100 km/h, top speed, and fuel consumption figures are not measured for any generation or version in this dataset. Only the 10th-generation 7.7 AT records a fuel tank capacity, at 98 litres; CO2 output and eco class are not measured across the entire range.
Dimensions and weight
Kerb weight is recorded for several generations: 2000 kg for the 1st, 2nd and 4th generations; 2200 kg for the 5th and 6th generations; 2300 kg for the 9th generation. Kerb weight is not measured for the 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 10th generations. Gross weight, ground clearance, and wheel sizes are not measured for any version.
Suspension and brakes are recorded for most generations: the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th generations use independent spring front suspension with dependent leaf-spring rear suspension and drum brakes front and rear; the 8th and 9th generations switch to dependent spring rear suspension, still with drum brakes. The 10th generation is the only one with ventilated disc front brakes, paired with drum rear brakes and independent front / dependent rear spring suspension. Suspension and brake data are not measured for the 3rd and 7th generations.
Which version to choose
Within the model's run, power climbed steadily as displacement grew: the earliest 5.7-litre versions of the 1st and 2nd generations produced 130–150 hp, while the final 10th-generation 7.7 AT delivers 380 hp — 250 hp more than the original 1938 5.7 MT, and it is the only version in the range with a documented torque figure (712 Nm) and ventilated front disc brakes rather than drums.
Buyers looking for the biggest jump in output for a similar-era body should note the 5th generation: the 5.4 AT makes 230 hp while the same-generation 6.0 AT makes 285 hp, a 55-hp gap on the larger 6.0-litre unit. Similarly, in the 8th generation the 7.0 AT (340 hp) outguns the 6.4 AT (325 hp) by 15 hp on the same Sedan Hardtop body, while in the 9th generation the 7.7 AT's 375 hp exceeds the 7.0 AT's 340 hp by 35 hp, though the 7.0 AT carries the higher torque-adjacent power rating in kW (275 kW vs. 250 kW), reflecting the different rpm and measurement bases recorded for each.
For the earliest cars, the choice within a generation is mainly about gearbox rather than output, since the 1st and 2nd generation MT and AT versions share identical horsepower — 130 hp and 150 hp respectively — with the manual using 3 speeds and the automatic 4. The 3rd generation is the exception, where the 5.4-litre versions (160 hp) outpower the 5.7-litre versions in the same generation (150 hp) despite the smaller displacement.