1951 Cadillac Series 62

Documents: Belgian Certificat d'Immatriculation

Chassis No. 516283074

Introduced for 1948, the third-generation Cadillac Series 62 was one of the marque's first completely new postwar designs. Penned under the direction of Harley Earl, its graceful proportions were punctuated by the now-iconic tailfins inspired by the twin booms of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane, a design aesthetic which would come to define Cadillac throughout the 1950s. The Series 62 Convertible epitomized American postwar luxury with rich leather upholstery and a host of power-operated conveniences including the seats, windows, and folding soft top. Elegant and technologically advanced, it became a favorite of Hollywood stars and international royalty alike.

It was precisely this combination of prestige, comfort, and kingly presence that led this 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible to enter the service of the Belgian Royal Family. According to a digital copy of its Cadillac build sheet, this example was originally finished in Corinth Blue and specified with fog lights, windshield washers, heater, radio and antennae, and wheel discs. The Cadillac was dispatched from New York on 11 September 1951 to General Motors Continental S.A. in Antwerp, Belgium, just two months after the coronation of the young King Baudouin. It was first registered to the Royal Household that same month, with an accompanying title showing the registered address as the Palace of the Academies (adjacent to the Royal Palace) in December 1954.

Likely refinished in Black upon delivery to match other Royal transportation and fitted with flag stanchions, the Cadillac was primarily used for Joyous Entries-inaugural visits to a city by a member of royalty- to several towns at the dawn of Baudouin's reign. Period photographs show the King riding in this very car in inaugural visits to Liège and Brussels in 1952 and Hasselt the following year. The regal Cadillac is believed to have been retained by the dynasty until the 1960s, and was purchased from another collector by the seller's family in 1976 as shown in an accompanying invoice-remaining under their care for an incredible 50 years!

This royal 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible is offered today with under 55,000 kilometers at cataloging, a figure believed to be original given its measured use from day one. It presents with the same majestic presence today on the grounds of Kasteel Te Lake as it once did as the focal point for crowds lining the streets of Belgium's grandest cities seven decades ago. This stately example offers its next custodian both a reminder of the grandeur that first attracted the Belgian Royal Family to the New Standard of the World, and the ability to own and drive an exceedingly rare automobile on European roads that will command attention regardless of its provenance.