Can you believe that by 1961 there had already been seven whole generations of the Cadillac Sixty Special? Often referred to as the Fleetwood Sixty Special (before Fleetwood became a sole model designation), it stood as one of the carmaker’s most luxurious vehicles throughout history.
Even though designs changed over the years, the recipe remained the same: a full-size four-door sedan, powered by large V8 engines, mated to, for the most part, automatic transmissions—at least in 1950 and newer models.
Between 1961 and 1964, we had the eighth-generation Fleetwood Sixty Special (or 60 Special, both spelling ways are accepted), featuring a thorough redesign compared to its predecessor. GM decided to go with a more traditional roofline while also shortening the wheelbase. The small decorative louvers were there to stay, though.
These cars had power steering as standard, weighed as much as large, modern-day SUVs, and were powered by either a 390 ci (6.4-liter) V8 or a larger 429 ci (7.0-liter) V8. The 390 ci unit was carried over from the seventh-generation model.
The one you see here is a 1961 car and is a “real barn find,” according to its eBay ad. By the looks of it, that certainly seems to be the case—after all, it’s got the dust and the rust to prove it. The ad also states that this Caddy has been stored since sometime in the 2000’s and is now kept in the Bar Harbor area of Maine (it originated from Boston).
The seller also claims that the car actually ran when it was initially put into storage, although that hardly matters now since it clearly needs a bumper-to-bumper type of restoration.
We’ve seen a few really nice 1961 Fleetwood Sixty Special rebuilds/restomods over the years, so we can confidently say that this car could make some vintage automobile collector really happy once brought back to its former glory.