Beautiful older restoration still in excellent condition. Desirable 3-speed manual transmission. Handsome tan interior with excellent woodgrain. Runs smooth and strong, cruises easily at 65 MPH. If you can have just one old car, there aren’t many better choices than a 60 Special!

We don’t know when the restoration was done or by whom, but someone spent good money on it. There’s some documentation suggesting that this 1941 Cadillac 60 Special was owned by Thomas Barrett of Barrett-Jackson fame, and the quality of the work certainly seems consistent with his standards. The black paint is deep and glossy, applied over super straight bodywork that is every bit as good as it looks. All four doors thunk shut with reassuring solidity and that giant clamshell hood fits neatly between the fenders. Chrome and stainless brightwork is excellent, particularly the pot metal parts like the grille and side inserts on the hood—very little pitting. It also sports optional factory fog lights, an accessory spotlight, working back-up light, and a subtle gray pinstripe around the perimeter of the greenhouse, which is a nice detail that many 60 Specials lack. It’s not a perfect car, but it’s the nicest ’41 Cadillac we’ve ever featured and we like these cars a lot. It’s ready to tour!

The tan interior is Cadillac luxury from the ‘40s, with plush seats as comfortable as your living room sofa and beautiful details throughout. Check out the burled walnut woodgrain pattern on the dash, the intricate steering wheel, and symmetrical instruments that put the speedometer right in front of the driver. All the gauges are working except the fuel gauge, which is a little jumpy so it’s probably just a stray ground. Under the dash you have accessory controls for the back-up light, fog lights, and under-seat heaters, both of which are operational. The radio is still in the dash, but is sadly not operational, nor is the clock—neither of which is surprising. Door panels are in excellent condition, the windows zip up and down effortlessly, and all the interior lights are working so it looks suitably luxurious at night. Even the delicate little roll-back ashtray lids in the back seat armrests are completely intact. The only notable demerit is some moth damage to the headliner above the driver’s B-pillar, but it is not significant. The trunk has also been recently reupholstered in a correct style and carries a matching full-sized spare tire assembly.

Cadillac’s 346 cubic inch flathead V8 is legendary in its smoothness, torque, and durability. There’s 150 horsepower and 283 lb-ft. of torque on tap, but that doesn’t really give the full picture of just how effortless this engine feels. It turns over slowly, as they all do, but right about when you’re about to stop—it fires! It quickly settles into an easy idle that’s ever-so-smooth and there’s a wonderful V8 burble from the tailpipe that’s as pleasurable as anything else of the era. It’s nicely detailed with olive green engine enamel, a correct air cleaner assembly, and correct pieces like the hose clamps, spark plug wires, and asbestos wrap on the exhaust pipe. There are signs of age and use, but it’s quite clean and very presentable, right down to the decal on the air cleaner assembly. The generator makes plenty of electricity, there’s a newer fuel pump, and it pulls hard through all three gears and cruises easily at modern highway speeds. The 3-speed manual transmission has light clutch action and with 3.77 gears out back, it feels quick around town. The suspension is as supple as any modern car and there’s evidence of recent suspension work to improve the ride. This was a frame-on restoration, so it’s mostly original under there, but there are no signs of rot, especially in the massive wooden rocker sills which is critical to a 60S. Important areas like the floors at the base of the A-pillar and the spare tire well are completely solid and it’s all protected by a layer of undercoating that helps with noise and heat. Bright red wheels look fantastic with full-face wheelcovers and relatively recent 7.00-15 Firestone wide whitewall tires.

The 60 Special is one of our favorite cars—just look how many we’ve sold. It’s handsome, competent, comfortable, parts are easy to find, and they remain one of the most affordable ways to own a Full Classic. This is the best we’ve had yet, with great cosmetics, strong mechanicals, and lots of accessories, all backed by that wonderfully smooth V8 torque. Still an A-list car, ready to tour next summer. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.