Cadillac's distinctive catalog was big news in 1949.

Foremost of those much-acclaimed developments was the release of a new overhead-valve V-8 engine.

The marque's engineering prowess now combined with their popular, streamlined styling--the perfect prelude to the all-out space age styling of the fifties.

This was unquestionably the dominant American automobile of the late 1940s, and its 331-cubic-inc, 160-horsepower high-compression overhead-valve V-8 established industry standards that would prevail for decades.

The styling, executed by Frank Hershey and Harley Earl, implemented design cues like tailfins and “jewel” grills which quickly became de rigeur features across the industry for the next 15 years.

The distinctive Club Coupe fastback design was often referred to as a “Sedanette.” It represented an aerodynamically efficient body with graceful, fluid, and subtle lines that was married to the singularly responsive new powerplant, making the 1949 Cadillac a true road-going mac...