A Cadillac Woodie Sedan? This Wood-Paneled 1951 Cadillac Series 75 Was Once Owned By Gene Autry

This curious-looking wood-paneled 1951 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 sedan, which last sold for more than $250K in 2023, was customized by famed Pasadena coachbuilder Maurice Schwartz and was owned for years by a couple different Hollywood stars: singer-actress Marie McDonald and singing cowboy Gene Autry.

Although it’s now most associated with Gene Autry (1907–1998), who owned it for about 35 years, this Cadillac Series 75 sedan was originally commissioned by shoe tycoon Harry Karl for his then-wife, Marie McDonald (1906–1965), an actress and singer nicknamed “The Body” because she’d been a popular pinup star during WW2.

Karl ordered the car through the well-known Cadillac dealer Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks, California (which is still in business at 14401 Ventura Boulevard), but the custom work was done by coachbuilder Maurice Schwartz at his shop at 1901 E. Walnut Street in Pasadena, California.

Cadillac experts may notice right away that the grille isn’t quite correct. The blue car IS a 1951 Cadillac Series 75, but because the custom bodywork wasn’t completed until after the 1952 models arrived, Schwartz substituted the newer 1952 Cadillac grille.

The black 1951 Series 75 limousine pictured above shows what the grille looked like from the factory.

Schwartz had previously built several wood-bodied Cadillac customs like this, including six made for the movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the late ’40s. Marie McDonald had briefly been under contract to MGM around that time, so I’m guessing she’d seen one of those cars and decided she wanted one like it.

The Fleetwood Series 75 models were the top of the Cadillac line, riding a long 146.75-inch wheelbase, compared to 122 or 126 inches for the cheaper Cadillac Series 61 and Series 62 models. This car is a whopping 236.25 inches overall, over 2 feet longer than a Series 61 sedan.

Although it was probably mostly chauffeur-driven, this Empress Blue Series 75 isn’t technically a limousine: It’s a Model 7523X seven-passenger sedan, meaning it has rear jump seats, but no divider window, and broadcloth upholstery for the front seat rather than black imitation leather. The “X” in the model number means that it has hydraulic power window lifts.

This is where the owner would usually sit.

In 1951, the 4-speed Hydra-Matic was standard on all Cadillac models EXCEPT the Series 75, where it was still optional for $185.74. This car has the automatic transmission, plus the fancy new signal-seeking radio. The blobby thing on the dash to the left of the steering wheel is the phototube sensor for the Autronic Eye automatic headlight dimmer, a factory option added for 1952.

The base price of a Series 75 sedan in 1951 was $4,770, although with a heater, Hydra-Matic, radio, and other accessories, total list price was more like $5,300 (a relative worth of over $105,000 in 2026). I have no idea what the custom work cost, but it wasn’t cheap; Schwartz had a reputation for meticulous craftsmanship.

Marie McDonald apparently only had this car for a couple of years. Her relationship with Harry Karl was stormy: Between 1954 and 1958, they separated, divorced, reconciled, separated again, and divorced a second time. In 1960, Karl married singer-actress Debbie Reynolds (I guess he had a type) and became Carrie Fisher’s stepfather. It was sometime in that period that that the Cadillac was sold to Gene Autry.

The “GWB 038” vanity plate makes me think it might have been titled to Autry’s Golden West Broadcasters company, which owned a number of TV and radio stations. The woodie Cadillac later showed up in a 1957 movie called Footsteps in the Night, and then spent about 30 years at Autry’s Melody Movie Ranch in the San Gabriel Mountains before it was sold to one of Autry’s friends in 1989.

I have to say, the Cadillac is a rather strange-looking car.

The closest point of comparison is probably the seldom-seen wood-bodied 1946–1948 Chrysler Town & Country sedan, which was also answering a question not many people were asking.

I’m sure Schwartz’s original execution was very high-quality, but the Cadillac’s design detailing is a bit of a fright. Even if we ignore the current mismatched stain of the front passenger-side door (presumably a more recently acquired flaw), the wood panels seem out of place with the aircraft-inspired styling of the Cadillac body. Maurice Schwartz wasn’t to blame for the unequal heights of the side doors — the standard Series 75 was the same way — but the wood makes the disparity a lot more noticeable.

Following the chrome side spear with a strip of wood framing looks rather odd too, and so does having the wood-framed door next to the simulated fender scoop. (Maybe if the Cadillac had been inspired by the wooden de Havilland Mosquito rather than the Lockheed P-38 Lightning …) However, probably the weirdest design touch is the way the wood strips extend through the rear fenders.

On the Chrysler Town & Country, the trunk itself was wood.

On this Cadillac, the rear fender wood is just sort of there.

Although it’s not very easy to see in most of these photos, the Empress Blue car has wood strips on the roof like the ones on this 1949 Schwartz-modified Cadillac. They weren’t structural, but they acted as rub strips when using the roof rack.

This Cadillac woodie definitely isn’t to my taste, but it is certainly a conversation piece, and some people go nuts for this kind of Hollywood connection. The Empress Blue Series 75 sold for a whopping $257,600 at Gooding Christie’s in August 2023.

 

Related Reading

Curbside Classic: 1946 Chrysler Town and Country Sedan – A Slave To Fashion And Varnish (by Paul N)

Dealership Classic: Casa de Cadillac Restored To Its Full 1949 Glory (by Paul N)

1949 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville – From Image Leader To Standard-Bearer For The U.S. Industry (by me)