NO LONGER AVAILABLE Listing ended Oct 5, 2026

1955 Cadillac Fleetwood

$45,495

Vehicle Details

Make

Cadillac

Model

Fleetwood

Year

1955

Mileage

79,000 miles

VIN

AMS38660

Body Type

Coupe

Transmission

Automatic

Engine

331ci 230hp V8

Description

1955 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special, 79,000 actual miles, one family owned, stunning Alabaster Gray paint, brilliant gleaming chrome and stainless trim, immaculate Blue cloth interior, 331 cu in 230HP V8, automatic transmission, super rare Factory A/C, power windows, power seat, always garaged and meticulously maintained, fully serviced including all fluids changed, battery, rebuilt carburetor, fuel pump, gas tank and sender, front and rear shocks, rebuilt starter and generator, stainless steel dual exhaust, transmission fluid and filter, sway bar links, and more, runs and drives beautifully!

Cadillac Fleetwood Buyer's Guide

Full guide

Sarah Whitfield

Pre-War Classics

1955–1976

~4 min read

Updated Apr 2026

The Cadillac Fleetwood is not merely a car, it is the summit of coachbuilt American luxury, the standard by which every full-size automobile of the postwar era was measured, and the vehicle that defined what the word "Cadillac" meant as an aspirational shorthand for the very finest.

This guide covers

✓ 9-point inspection checklist

✓ Common issues & what to avoid

✓ In-person inspection guide

✓ Market pricing by year & condition

✓ 5 FAQs answered

✓ History & fun facts

Read the Full Fleetwood Buyer's Guide

Cadillac Fleetwood Market Overview

Based on 22 Cadillac Fleetwood listings currently on ClassicCarsArena.com

Listed Now

$28,164

Avg. Asking Price

1937–1995

Year Range

Price Position on Our Site - Above Average

This car: $45,495

Low: $7,495 High: $89,995

Transmission Distribution

Automatic 82% ◄

Manual 5%

Condition Distribution

Excellent 5%

Good 14%

Fair 9%

Data from ClassicCarsArena.com listings Browse all 22 listings →

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Cadillac Fleetwood Buyer's Guide

Sarah Whitfield here. The Fleetwood name carries history that most buyers don't fully appreciate. Fleetwood Metal Body Company of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania was one of America's premier coachbuilders (crafting custom bodies for chassis from Packard, Lincoln, and Cadillac) before General Motors acquired it in 1925. GM used the Fleetwood name to designate their finest, most carefully constructed bodies from that point forward. When you buy a Cadillac Fleetwood, you're buying the continuation of that coachbuilding heritage applied at industrial scale.

The postwar Fleetwood from 1955 through 1976 represents the apex of this tradition. The 1959 Fleetwood with its famously extreme tailfins is perhaps the most recognizable single American car of the century. The later Fleetwood Brougham is the executive transport standard. Both deserve serious collector attention.

What to Check Before Buying

✓

Interior Specification , Compare interior materials and colors against the registry specification for the year, incorrect materials are a value deduction.

✓

Power Seat Operation , Test all seat positions and the reclining mechanism, seized motors or tracks indicate electrical neglect.

✓

Tailfin Rust (1959–1964) , Probe the tailfin bases and lower quarters on fin-era cars, trapped road spray creates rust in these locations.

✓

V8 Cooling System , Warm to operating temperature and monitor for overheating, 472/500ci engines are sensitive to coolant system neglect.

✓

Carburetor Function , Cold start and warm idle should be smooth: Rochester Quadrajet gums up when the car is stored.

✓

Air Conditioning , Note whether the AC has been converted from R-12 to R-134a: R-12 systems still operating are valuable on original cars.

✓

Electrical Ground Straps , Test all accessories, intermittent failures often trace to corroded ground straps rather than component failure.

✓

Vinyl Roof Condition , Check vinyl roof carefully at all seams, trapped moisture is the primary rust vector on formal-roof cars.

✓

Body Code Documentation , Verify the body tag and build sheet match the car's specification, especially important before paying documented-example premiums.

Common Issues

Power seat motor failures and seized seat tracks, nearly universal on high-mileage or long-stored examples. Interior vinyl and leather deterioration from age and UV exposure, sourcing original-specification replacement materials requires specialist vendors. 1959–1964 tailfin base rust where fins meet the lower body. Cooling system deterioration on high-displacement V8s, the 472 and 500ci are heat generators that punish neglected coolant and hoses. Rochester Quadrajet carburetor deterioration on stored cars. Air conditioning system R-12 freon requiring conversion to R-134a. Electrical system ground strap corrosion causing intermittent accessory failures.

What to Look For

Interior condition is paramount for Fleetwood valuation, the specific upholstery materials, piping details, and hardware on each year are documented in the marque registries, and incorrect replacement materials reduce value significantly. Verify the interior against the production specification for the year. Inspect the vinyl or leather carefully for tears and the correct color code. On 1959–1964 cars, inspect the tailfin structure for rust at the fin bases and the lower quarter panel, these areas trap road spray. On any Fleetwood, check the power seat track operation: the motors are rebuildable but seized tracks indicate overall electrical neglect. On the 500ci V8 (1970–1976), inspect for exhaust smoke and verify the carburetor function, a Rochester Quadrajet that has been sitting will need rebuilding. On the Fleetwood 75 limousines, inspect the rear jump seat mechanisms and the extended roof structure for any leaks or rust.

Price Guide

1955–1958 Fleetwood 60 Special (driver): $18,000–$35,000. 1959 Fleetwood 60 Special: $35,000–$80,000+ for quality examples. 1960–1964 Fleetwood: $18,000–$40,000. 1965–1970 Fleetwood Brougham: $14,000–$30,000. 1971–1976 Fleetwood Brougham: $12,000–$28,000. Fleetwood 75 Limousine (any era): $20,000–$55,000 depending on condition and documentation. Original-color, matching-numbers documented examples add 30–50% over comparable undocumented cars.

Did You Know?

The Fleetwood Metal Body Company, from which Cadillac's most prestigious cars took their name, was a small coachbuilder in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania that General Motors acquired in 1925 specifically for its exceptional craftsmanship. The 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood's tailfins at 42 inches tall remain the highest ever fitted to a production American automobile, a record that has stood for over 65 years. The 500ci V8 in the 1970–1976 Fleetwood displaced 8.2 liters, making it one of the largest passenger car production engines in American automotive history.

$45,495