Cadillac Fall Festival
CADILLAC STATION WAGONS
Station wagons were a post-WWII phenomenon that were eventually replaced by mini-vans and then SUVs in the last half of the 20 th century. During this period, the only Cadillac Station Wagons were one-off specials or limited-production conversions by specialty manufacturers. As part of the development of the second-generation CTS models between 2005 and 2010, a Sport Wagon version of the CTS grew from an idea to a design proposal and ultimately production to enable the CTS to compete in the European market.
1949 MGM Limousine
In 1949, MGM Studio ordered the conversion of two Cadillac limousines for transporting celebrities. Although not a true station wagon, it represents the use of wood for specialty vehicles in the 1940s. This conversion was prepared by Maurice Schwartz, a skilled woodworker, of Bohman & Schwartz, the coachbuilding firm that prepared other wood-bodied Cadillacs in the 1950s. This car was wrecked in the 1950s traveling to a movie location. The wrecked car was discovered in the 1960s.
Between then and the 2000s it passed through several owners, some who did restoration and others who did not. It was acquired in 2020 by Canadian collector, Steve Plunkett.
1955 View Master
The 1955 View Masters were created by Hess & Eisenhart using a Series 62 chassis. There were 11 built in 1955 and 7 in 1956. Most were equipped with three row seats, but some had only two rows. Many custom features were available to accommodate wishes of the original owners. The example displayed is from the Wayne Turner collection, a recognized View Master expert.
1976 Sammy Davis Jr. Cadillac Castillian
Between 1974 and 1976 Traditional Coach Works Ltd. of Chatsworth, California produced 200 plus Cadillac based pickups and station wagons
that were sold through Cadillac dealers. Sammy Davis, Jr. ordered his Castillian that is based on a Fleetwood Brougham for use by his third wife Altovise. Under the direction of renown customizer Gene Winfield, a company consultant, the car was finished in black with a red leather interior, the only known Castillian with this color combination.
The other custom features included red pinstriping with “Mr. D” on each front door, wire wheels, and sunroof. The current owner, Ken Fischang of Michigan has restored much of the car and preserved the original interior.
1987 Fleetwood Brougham Station Wagon
This station wagon was ordered from Cadillac by William (Bill) Johnson, owner of Delta Detroit Diesel Allison, Memphis, Tennessee, for
his wife. She needed a car to transport her dogs to shows and only a Cadillac would do.
The car is based on a Brougham 4-door sedan mounted on a Heavy-Duty
Coachbuilder/Livery chassis. Wisco in Detroit, the alleged coachbuilder, transformed the car into a station wagon with three-row seating, tailgate, full vinyl top, roof rack and other custom features. It is equipped with the 5.0 Liter V-8, producing 170 HP with many luxury options. The final cost was $52,000, about $123,000 in today’s dollars.
The current owner, Rita Trapani, is the third owner and has owned it for 20 years. Except for repainting the exterior in the original Medium Blue Firemist and replacing the carpets, the car is original.
2014 CTS-V Sport Wagon
Cadillac produced the CTS Sport Wagon from 2010 to 2014. It introduced a high-performance “V” version in 2011. The rare Cadillac wagon drew accolades from the automotive press. Road and Track magazine named it one of the “10 Most Beautiful Cars.” Automobile magazine wrote “The CTS-V wagon is a true automotive unicorn. It’s a miracle Cadillac made it at all, but the automotive world is better off for it.”
This car is one of 2139 CTS-V Sport Wagons produced between 2011 and 2014. It is powered by a supercharged 6.2 liter V-8, making 556 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Top speed is 140 mph.
The Red Obsession Tintcoat Sport Wagon was purchased new from Sewell Cadillac in Grapevine, Texas by its current owners, Alan & Joy Oldfield of Iowa.