As many of the country’s top automakers were filing for bankruptcy during the height of the Great Depression, Cadillac, with the full might of General Motors behind it, introduced a fully redesigned lineup for the 1934 model year.

The new cars possessed a host of both stylistic and technological updates, including novel Streamline Moderne design, which focused on concealing all chassis features save for the wheels.

Notable cues included teardrop Guide Multibeam headlamps, airfoil-shaped front and rear fenders swooping low over the chassis, as well as a sloping windshield and rear deck.

Overall, the bodies were two inches lower than the 1933 models, imparting a significantly sleeker appearance.

Such was the success of these new models that Cadillac chose to change almost nothing for 1935, the year in which this Series 355-D V-8 Convertible Sedan rolled off the assembly line.

As confirmed by a copy of its build sheet on file, this exquisite example was custom ordered new through Cap...