“Fintastic” (related to the Thunderbird): ’48 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

There is no question that post World War II automobiles were influenced by sleak fighter planes, in this particular case, the P38 Lightning. At first, many of these design concepts were judged to be a little too far ahead of what the public might accept. When it came time to design the new Cadillacs for 1948, that was the case. The designer was a man by the name of Frank Hershey and he was the guy that decided that tailfins might be a cool design detail for the new car. His boss, didn’t agree and told him to get rid of them. He just covered them up with a sheet. The next time the Boss came in he chastised him for not removing the fins. Hershey covered them up again. Then the big brass came in and loved them. History was made that day and the tailfin craze spread throughout the industry. Read More