Pick of the Day: 1936 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible Coupe
By: Derek Shiekhi (ClassicCars. com Journal)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Pick of the Day: 1936 Cadillac Fleetwood Convertible Coupe
If you're looking for a vehicle to use for commuting to and from work, you'll probably go for something practical with a reasonable price, good fuel economy, and space for your family, friends, and/or pets. But if you're in the market for a collector car that you'll occasionally drive for pleasure, your priorities are completely different. Should you happen to be in search of one in an eye-catching color combo with a convertible top and an unusual engine, check out our Pick of the Day. This 1936 Cadillac Series 80 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe is listed on ClassicCars.com.
Many people shopping for an A-B car consider how its color will impact its resale value. But when you set your heart on getting a car you want instead of need , have fun—get something different. Finished in yellow and riding on red wheels with grooved covers and rim-to-road whitewalls, this Caddy definitely stands out, whether its tan soft top is up or down.
Then there are the details that make it even more distinctive, such as the orange auxiliary lights, bright hood louvers, and twin side-mounted spare tire covers.
The interior is just as eye-catching as the exterior. Bright red leather covers the bench seat and matches the color of the door panels. A black banjo steering wheel and a gray dashboard with metallic accent strips keep the cabin from being too visually loud.
What if a friend wants to join you and your spouse/significant other for lunch? There's room for him or her too—on the matching rumble seat.
Here's another question: When's the last time you saw a V12-powered American car on the road? It's probably been a while. This convertible is powered by a 368ci V12 and comes from an era in which 12 cylinders were offered under the hoods of Cadillacs, Packards, Pierce-Arrows, and Lincolns. Fortunately, it's received several updates since then. The dealer states that it was given "a meticulous 100-point restoration in the early 2000s and went on to earn both Senior and Premier honors from the Classic Car Club of America (badge #1641). Today, it remains well-preserved and recently benefited from recommissioning in July 2025, including new brakes, a flushed and serviced cooling system, and additional mechanical updates."
If this 1936 Cadillac Series 80 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe is just the kind of different you want your next just-for-pleasure car to be, you can make it yours.
Derek Shiekhi
Derek Shiekhi is the Editor and Lead Writer at ClassicCars.com’s sister site AutoHunter.com. He was previously a freelance automotive writer who won numerous awards from the Texas Auto Writers Association for his coverage of events and vehicle reviews. He has been lucky enough to drive Lamborghinis on a track, go off-roading over sand dunes in a Land Rover Discovery, haul a BMW M Roadster with a Ford F-450 Limited, and perform several 55-mph jumps in the Ram 1500 TRX.
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I have just 1 question. How do you get into the rumble seat without a short ladder?
Maybe you can crawl in from an opening in the rear (from inside the car). ???
First taking off the cushion from the back seat of the inside of the car?
(Either that or maybe the rumble seat is for very tiny midgets… using a short ladder as you suggested…?)
Actually, the only reasonable solution would be stepping into it from the back of the front seat.
The car certainly has “eye appeal but if I owned it I think I get tired of the yellow after a while.
Not my choice of colour - it needs a "TAXI" sign on it.
If I hit the lottery, I would consider buying it, though it wouldn't be on my top ten list of things I'd do after hitting the lottery.
Looking at it reminds me of how badly GM has maintained the car lines they created. Cadillac no longer represents what it what it once did.
I was never impressed by Cadillac. I was so disappointed when my dad bought his first one, a 1960 Coupe deVille, because he didn't like the 1959 Jaguar Mark IX he test drove, which was the car I loved. I mean, YOU compare them...Here's the Cadillac, even the same colour - so long that you needed two parking spaces to park it.
And here is the 1959 Jaguar Mark IX, The Cadillac was a car for the neuveau riche but the Jag was a car made for royalty. Solid burled walnut dashboard and drop-down tables for the back seat passengers, soft glove leather seats. You'd expect a chauffeur to drive it.
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Your dad had good taste and good common sense. The jag is butt ugly from every angle, and it has british dependability (lol) to boot.
You have insulted the car I love.
Sorry Buzz, it’s nothing personal, just one man’s subjective opinion on the styling. The dependability part, not so much.
LOL. No apology necessary, I wasn't serious.
I figured as much, and good thing because your response gave me a good laugh, thanks.
I like both.
As to the American car lines, it was Alfred P Sloan at GM who decided that a car was not merely transportation but a reflection of status.
The Cadillac was supposed to be all of that.
IMO the Lincoln had more class than the Cadillac.
That has long been debated. In my lifetime, I've owned both. I've had a few Cadillacs and 1 Lincoln Town Car. Class wise I'd rate them about even. There is nothing comparable today. I had an uncle who was an undertaker and he only used black Cadillacs. They were beautiful.
Cadillacs seem to be the choice for most hearses.
I had a client who had a caddy that looked a lot like this one. I think it was a LaSalle and it had a straight eight, not a v 12.
I think straight 8s were common in higher priced cars in those days. I know a 1937 Packard limo had one. I almost bought it when I was 16 years old in 1953, but my dad wouldn't allow it so he bought a 1950 Ford Custom Coach for my brother and me to share. .