Petersen-Linked 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Chases Hagerty's Six-Figure Mark on Bring a Trailer

A fin-tailed icon of late-1950s excess has reappeared for sale, with a 1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible finished in red over red-and-white leather now bidding on Bring a Trailer listing ahead of a July 29 close. Photography and background for this feature come from that listing, which shows a car refreshed mechanically shortly before consignment.

The seller's account notes the convertible spent time on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles before changing hands in 2025. Since then, the car has been refinished in its current red paint, matched to a white power top and a red-and-white leather interior that carries over to the door panels, dash, and rear bench. Fresh red carpeting with Cadillac-crested rubber mats, a locking glovebox, a front center armrest, a heater, a push-button AM radio, and an Autronic-Eye automatic headlight dimmer round out the cabin equipment.

Power comes from Cadillac's 390-cubic-inch V8, factory-rated at 325 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, feeding a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic. An oil change was performed in October 2025 and the alternator was replaced this past April, while the convertible-top hydraulics were also serviced ahead of the sale. The five-digit odometer shows 12,000 miles and is noted to have rolled over, with roughly 100 miles added since the current owner took possession. Rolling stock consists of 15-inch steel wheels with Cadillac-crest covers wrapped in BFGoodrich Silvertown whitewalls, while power steering and power-assisted drum brakes handle the driving duties, and rear fender skirts complete a profile from the most flamboyant model year in Cadillac history.

Cadillac built roughly 71,000 Series 62s for 1959 across four body styles, and the convertible was always the priciest and most coveted of the bunch. The Petersen connection noted in this listing fits a broader pattern of major institutions rotating significant American cars through public display, a trend Motorious covered recently in its report on the Mullin Collection's permanent move into the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Hagerty's price guide currently values a #3-condition (Good) 1959 Series 62 convertible at $119,000, a figure that has held flat over the past year and sits well above the four-door hardtop siblings, reflecting the convertible's status as the strongest performer of the four Series 62 body styles. Across all conditions and specifications, Hagerty pegs the average good-condition Series 62 near $59,750, while the model's best three-year auction result reached $330,000. Recent public sales show how wide that spread can be: a similar 1959 example sold for $185,500 on Bring a Trailer this past April, while another changed hands for $85,065 through Hagerty Marketplace in June. Against that backdrop, the current $39,000 bid on this Petersen-linked convertible still leaves plenty of room to climb before bidding closes. Motorious readers who track these valuation swings may also want to revisit our recent look at how a numbers-matching 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda stacked up against Hagerty's muscle-car guide, or catch up on another late-1960s BaT find, a 1969 DeTomaso Mangusta that resurfaced after more than two decades with one owner.

With a clean New Jersey title, a documented mechanical refresh, and provenance tying back to one of the country's premier automotive museums, this Series 62 convertible offers a fairly turnkey entry into late-1950s Cadillac ownership. Bidding continues on Bring a Trailer through July 29.