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Archive for the ‘CADILLAC’ Category

1970 Cadillac NART American sports car

At the 1971 Turin Auto Show the Cadillac NART was on display at the Zagato booth. At the New York International Automobile Show it was on Chinetti Motor’s stand.
By the time the prototype was completed, Chinetti’s Ferrari business was requiring all of his attention. A second prototype was scheduled but was never created leaving this the only Cadillac NART ever built.
At the 2006 RM Auction it was estimated to sell between $50,000 – $100,000. The owner, who had owned it ever since buying it from Luigi Chineeti, Jr. nearly twenty years ago was willing to depart with this magnificent creation. The lot was sold at auction for $57,750.

1970 Cadillac NART racing car

A prototype was built by Zagato and furnished with parts from a Cadillac Eldorado. The design could be considered both controversial and daring. The engine was placed mid-ship while the interior could comfortably house four to six passengers. Work began on the prototype in 1969 and within a year the Cadillac N.A.R.T was complete.

Luigi Chinetti was a race car driver that had piloted a Ferrari to a victory at LeMans. During the sixties he served as a US distributor of Ferrari automobiles. He continued his racing passion through his NART Team, NorthAmerican Racing Team . The vehicles were renowned for providing podium finishes for their drivers. After many successful racing campaigns, the cars were sold often to the wealthy, attracting high premiums.

1970 Cadillac NART Muscle car

The Cadillac NART was intended to cater to the wealthy. It was to be produced in limited numbers and built to the high standards and expectations. It was to have the performance of a sports car and the class of a luxury vehicle. Of course, it would be accompanied by a price tag that matched.

1961 Cadillac Jacqueline Concept Classic American car

The Cadillac Jacqueline Concept was a vehicle which debuted at the 1961 Paris Auto Show. It had been created by the talented design studio, Pininfarina, to showcase their ideas to Cadillac. Their contract with Cadillac was coming to an end as the limited production bodies for the Eldorado Broughams were no longer created after 1960. Their strategy was to convince General Motors Management that an updated and stylish limited production would continue the legacy of the Eldorado Brougham. Pininfarina developed a pair of unique customs, both two and four-door versions of what they hoped would become the replacement for the Eldorado Brougham. The name ‘Jacqueline’ was chosen in honor of the newly elected President John F. Kennedy’s wife. Jacqueline Kennedy had a sense of fashion about her, she was glamorous and had a gracious demeanor that won the hearts of the public from around the world. Pininfarina hoped that their concept would have similar qualities as the First Lady, and so the concept was dubbed ‘Jacqueline.’

1961 Cadillac Jacqueline Retro car

It was originally finished in Cadillac‘s Ermine White and accented with a brushed stainless steel to, similar to the 1957 and 1958 Brougham. The interior was black with modest amount of chrome; there were one-piece bucket seats with a center armrest and a special compartment behind the passengers to store luggage, picnic basket, or possibly a set of golf clubs.

Though the Jacqueline Concept was never put into production, Cadillac and the General Motors Division did incorporate some of its design aspects into their model lines.

Once the days of the show circuit had come to an end of the Jacqueline, the car was put into the Pinin Farina museum. It would stay there for more than 30 years and only shown on vary rare occasions. During the mid-nineties, Pininfarina sold their design study from the 1960s and the Jacqueline eventually ended up in the United States.

1961 Cadillac Jacqueline Stylish retro car

Once the days of the show circuit had come to an end of the Jacqueline, the car was put into the Pinin Farina museum. It would stay there for more than 30 years and only shown on vary rare occasions. During the mid-nineties, Pininfarina sold their design study from the 1960s and the Jacqueline eventually ended up in the United States.

Upon its arrival to the United States, plans began for outfitting it with running gear. The car was a concept, had a flat bottom floor, no engine, no transmission, no gauges, no steering, and lacked many other necessary components. It had been merely a ‘pushmobile’ and moved into place on dollies. It had only a custom tubular frame equipped with a pair of axles from a trailer.

1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Classic sedan

The Eldorado was a word with many meanings. It was chosen as the name to adore an upscale car that was built by Cadillac to celebrate its Golden Anniversary in 1952. Mary-Ann Zukosky, a secretary in the merchandising department, participated in a in-house competition and suggested the name. Eldorado was derived from the Spanish words ‘el dorado’ meaning ‘golden one’. The name had first been used by the chief of a South American Indian tribe. The story was that his followers and tribe would sprinkle his body with gold dust on ceremonial occasions. He would later cleanse himself by diving into a lake.

Another story states the name represents a legendary but undiscovered city in South America filled with riches. Many European adventurers have long sought for this city including England’s Sir Walter Raleigh.

1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Classic car

‘Palm Spring Life’ magazine claimed the name Eldorado was derived from a Californian resort that was frequently visited by General Motors executives. The name of the resort located in Coachella Valley was the Eldorado Country Club.

In respects to the automobile built by General Motors, the Eldorado name was first used in 1953 and given to a limited-edition, low production, convertible and would continue to be used for many years. The original Eldorado was indeed a limited-production vehicle with only 532 examples created. The year prior, GM had shown the ‘El Dorado’ concept car in celebration of its 50 year anniversary. The Eldorado was the production version of this concept. It was based on the Series 62 and carried no special badging except a golden nameplate ‘Eldorado’ could be found in the center of the dash.

The convertible tops were available in black or white while the rest of the body could be ordered in one of four colors that included Azure Blue, Artisan Ochre, Alpine White, and Aztec Red. It carried a factory sticker price of $7,750 which was nearly twice as expensive as the vehicle it had been based, the Series 62.

The styling was influenced by the legendary Harley Earl who championed the wraparound windshield design along with other unique and stylish features.

The following year the Eldorado lost much of its unique qualities as it began sharing its body with other standard Cadillac’s. This standardization allowed for lower, more cost effective pricing.

For 1955 the Eldorado continued to grow in bold features and radical designs. Tailfins could now be found in the rear giving the impression the car was in motion or pointing forward, even at a stand still. The following year Cadillac introduced the Eldorado Seville, a two-door hardtop coupe version.

1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado-Red Muscle car

In 1967 the Eldorado was redesigned and now shared an E-Body platform with the Build Riviera and the Oldsmobile Toronado. The styling had been courtesy of GM’s styling chief Bill Mitchell. One of the more distinctive features were the hidden lights. It continued to define luxury, prestige, and style. Under the hood lurked a potent 429 cubic-inch V8 which drove the front wheels. Zero-to-sixty took less than 9 seconds. This excellent performance did not translate to all of its mechanical components and its drum brakes were rather inadequate for its size and speed. Disc brakes could be purchased for an additional price.

Strict government regulations, emissions, and safety concerns meant the Eldorado changed slightly in aesthetics and mechanical components for 1968. For 1969 the hidden headlights were no longer part of the Eldorado design. A halo vinyl roof was offered as optional equipment.

1959 Cadillac DeVille Coupe

The Cadillac DeVille was aluxury car produced by Cadillac after the Fleetwood name was dropped by Cadillac. Production began in the post-war era, in 1949. It was produced for many years, ending in 2005 when it was replaced by the DTS. The acronym DTS represented DeVille Touring Sedan.

1959 Cadillac DeVille Retro car

The name for the DeVille was derived from its body styling, with ‘DeVille‘ meaning ‘town’ in French. The DeVille had an open chauffer’s compartment and an enclosed passenger area. The design and changes would change throughout the years and served the company well as an ultra-luxury and elegant automobile.

1959 Cadillac DeVille American Muscle car

A name used on a variety of Cadillac’s luxury car models the DeVille became the largest Cadillac sedan and was eventually replaced by DTS for the 06 model year. The nomenclature ‘DeVille stands for ‘of the city’ or ‘town’ in the French language and comes from its town body which showcased an enclosed passenger compartment and an open chauffeur’s compartment. Lincoln used the term ‘Town Car’ in 1922 to describe a one-off vehicle produced for Henry Ford.In 1949, the original Cadillac to carry the name De Ville was introduced, and in 1956 a 4-door hardtop was introduced with the name Sedan de Ville. DeVille was dubbed as Cadillac‘s mainstream model, and nestled in between the Fleetwood and the Calais at the beginning of 1965. Three years later the DeVille received minor exterior changes to keep up with new federal safety and emissions legislations along with the rest of the Cadillac lineup

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

The Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz of 1959 was powered by an enlarged Q-code 390 cubic-inch V8 engine that breath through three two-barrel Rochester carburetors. It provided 345 horsepower which was sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. A 2.94:1 was the standard rear end gear ratio, while the optional 3.21:1 gears were a necessity for cars equipped with air conditioning.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

This particular example was awarded an AACA Senior National First Prize in 1992. Since new it has been treated to a complete body-off frame restoration and well preserved since that time. It has traveled a mere 527 miles since the restoration and is finished in Persian Sand with a white power-operated convertible top. The interior is white leather upholstery with dark red carpeting.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

In 2008 this 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible was brought to RM Auctions’ Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook. It was estimated to sell for $180,000-$230,000. A high bid of $231,000 including buyer’s premium was enough to secure new ownership. The lot was sold.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville Roadster

Cadillac first used the nameSeVille in 1956. It was a hardtop version of the Cadillac Eldorado Convertible. The Eldorado was Cadillac‘s top-of-the-line offering and was the pinnacle of luxury for the GM nameplate. Produced in limited numbers, the Eldorado would set the buyer back $7750. Only 532 examples were sold in the first year. The following year Cadillac reduced the price of the Eldorado by more than $2000 making it more reasonable and affordable for more buyers. A hardtop version was introduced in 1956. The convertible was dubbed the Eldorado Biarritz and the hardtop was the Eldorado SeVille.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville Retro car

Under the hood a four-barrel engine could be found and offered 305 horsepower. This was an increase in power by 20 over the other Cadillac‘s.

As the years inched toward the start of the 1960′s, the designs of the Eldorado became very body and unique. Tailfins, known as shark fins, could be found at the rear of the vehicle. The engines were improved and the vehicle was given minor facelifts to coincide with the outrageous fins. Chrysler may have introduced the tailfins in 1957 but it wasCadillac that out-did every other vehicle on the road. In 1959 every vehicle produced by Cadillac had the fins with built-in taillights. When the lights were lit, the vehicles resembled rockets or space ships. The Eldorado‘s continued this extravagance with lots of chrome.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville American Retro car

The name ‘SeVille‘ lasted until 1960. It would not reappear on a Cadillac until 1975. The 1950′s and 1960′s was a great time for the American Automobile. World War II had ended and the world was longing for sporty automobiles. The muscle car era may have lasted a short time but many new designs and engineering marvels were introduced. These increases in power and reduction of weights brought about a greater level of social responsibility. Accidents were on the rise as these vehicles which were extremely dangerous roamed the world a quarter mile at a time. The government was forced to intervene and did so by increasing regulations and safety requirements. Marque’s shifted their focus from mid-sized, lightweight vehicles with massive horsepower to large and luxurious vehicles. The engines paled in comparison to what they used to be. The oil embargo sent manufacturers struggling to keep up with the ever-changing marketplace. The high cost of fuel had consumers searching for fuel efficient vehicles. Many consumers shifted to the import market who has long been builders of small and practical vehicles with potent engines that are been performance minded and fuel friendly.