Transformable Sedan

[John Morrissey]

I am looking at a 1937 7519 Transformable Sedan.  What does the "Transformable" mean?

Thanks

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Hi, where did the word transformable come from???  From the seller?  A 7519 is your basic 5 passenger car. Bob

[John Morrissey]

From this website:     http://100megsfree4.com/cadillac//cad1930/cad37s6.htm

and from this:    http://www.motorera.com/Cadillac/cad1930/CAD37S8.HTM

[Otto Skorzeny]

It looks like one website got it's information from the other.

I've never heard of a "Transformable" anything as it it relates to automobile body styles. 

Could it it be some weirdo British term like hood (roof), bonnet (hood), wing (fender) or boot (trunk)? I'd have been tempted to guess that it meant convertible except there were also convertibles on the list.

They appear to be using the term to refer to touring cars. That makes no sense at all, though.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

In my opinion, it's nothing but a fancy word that Cadillac marketing guys dreamed up. Later they were called touring sedans. Bob

[Don Boshara #594]

My guess is that it referred to the fold-down seats that would transform it from a 6 to an 8 passenger car. Or maybe that model didn't have those seats which would leave me as puzzled as everyone else.

[Otto Skorzeny]

That sounds logical.

Did all the touring sedans have fold away seats? The term is used throughout the range to refer to 5p, 7p, 8p touring sedans and Imperial touring sedans, sport touring, etc

[John Morrissey]

I wondered if the seats for additional passengers might be dealer installed.  That might explain it.

[TonyZappone #2624]

Can the door post on the passenger side be removed, or opened with the rear door?  If this is the case, than I can tell you what it is.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

OK guys, I just checked the 1942 Cadillac Master chassis parts list. All body styles are listed in the front. Everywhere it said transformable in John's link, it now says TOURING. Let's not read more into this than there really is. Bob

[Otto Skorzeny]

Right. I think we had already established that.

Why would a touring car be referred to as transformable? Who uses that terminology? Did GM used to refer to them that way? If so why?

[Mike Simmons 938]

To my knowledge, transformable has always been used in reference to a town-car style body in which the back portion can be opened, like a convertible. Just flipping through  James Schild's "Fleetwood" book, pages 115 and 116 illustrate Transformable Town Cabriolets on two Packard and one Hispano-Suiza chassis. I used to see the term frequently in older Rolls-Royce literature. Obviously, when one source used it incorrectly to refer to a touring sedan, the other dude just copied him. 

[John Morrissey]

I looked at the service manual that I have for my 37 LaSalle.  It lists the 7519 as a touring sedan and does not use the word transformable any place I can find.  I think this is one problem with the internet.  If one person writes something that is wrong, then someone else takes it as fact and spreads the misinformation.  Thanks for your replies.