For 1938 the Series 70 and Fisher-bodied Series 75 Specials were dropped. The Series 75 used a 141 in (3,600 mm) wheelbase and now only offered bodies by Fleetwood.
In 1938 the Cadillac Series 65 and the Series 75 shared a new front end style featuring a massive vertical cellular grille, three sets of horizontal bars on the hood sides, alligator hood, and headlights on the filler space between the fenders and the hood. Optional sidemount covers were hinged to the fenders. Quarter windows were of sliding rather than hinged construction. The rear of the body had rounder corners and more smoothly blended lines. Trunks had more of an appearance of being an integral part of the body. Bodies were all steel except for wooden main sills. New chassis details included a column gear shift, horns just behind the grille, battery under the right hand side of the hood, transverse muffler just behind the fuel tank, wheels by a different manufacturer, "Synchro-Flex" flywheel, hypoid rear axle and the deletion of the oil filter. All Cadillacs shared the same 346 in³ L-head V8, although the 75 generated 140 hp (104 kW) instead of 135 hp (101 kW) like the rest of the line thanks to a higher 6.70:1 compression ratio, necessitating the use of higher octane fuel.
For 1939, all Cadillac V8s had new grille styling; similar in appearance but different in detail dimensions on each series. The pointed center grille and the functional side grilles were die-cast, with finepitch bars. A single die-cast louver was positioned to the rear of each hood side panel. Headlights were once again attached to the radiator casing. Chassis changes included: tube and fin radiator core; sea shell horns under the hood; 10mm spark plugs.
In 1940 the one year only Series 72 was introduced as a less expensive companion to the Series 75. 1940 was the final year for the optional sidemounts. Sealed beam headlights were standard equipment. The engine manifold was set at five degrees to the engine to cancel the rearward tilt of the engine and give balanced distribution.
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