DeVille, Calais, Series 61 & 62

The numbers 61 & 62, of the model name Series 61 and Series 62, came from the first two digits of the model designation that had been assigned to the car. The Series 61, first formally used in 1939, was followed by Series 62 in 1940. Both models were classified as an entry level Cadillac. The use of the Series 61 nameplate halted in 1951, and the Series 62 was replaced in 1965 by the Calais. The Calais was Cadillac's entry level vehicle, much like the Series 61 and Series 62 were before. It was supposed to be the first Cadillac you owned, and as your wealth increased, you moved up in the Cadillac family. The name Calais came from the seaport and industrial town on the French channel coast. The nameplate remained in service until 1976.
The DeVille nameplate was first introduced in 1949 as the Coupe DeVille, followed by the Sedan DeVille in 1956. The Coupe DeVille was described as a "hard-top convertible" and, with its beauty and technology (First to have a high-compression over-head-valve V-8), it garnered Motor Trends first ever Car of the Year. The 1,000,000th Cadillac, produced on November 25, 1949, happened to be a Coupe DeVille.
The DeVille nameplate is still in use today, but the Coupe DeVille ceased production in 1993. With that demise, the Sedan prefix also ceased in 1996. DeVille was derived from the French phrase meaning " of the city or town " and to further translate, Coupe DeVille means " Town Car ".
DeVille set another milestone on October 12th, 1972 by being the four millionth post-war Cadillac produced. The original press release that accompanied this photo read as follows: You've come a long way, baby! Four million Cadillacs and 27 years later, styles have changed a lot since World War II. The four millionth post-war Cadillac (upper), a Coupe de Ville, was produced yesterday at Cadillac Motor Car Division. Pretty Karen Golles, a sales employee, strikes a pose similar to the scene that took place with the first post-war Cadillac (lower) produced in October, 1945.