Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible, Barn Find, California Car on 2040-cars

Year:1957 Mileage:62541 Color: Black /
 Red
Location:

Urbana, Illinois, United States

Urbana, Illinois, United States
Advertising:
Transmission:Automatic
Body Type:Convertible
Engine:Cadillac 365 V8
Vehicle Title:Clear
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: 5762046423 Year: 1957
Interior Color: Red
Make: Cadillac
Number of Cylinders: 8
Model: Eldorado
Trim: 2 dr convert
Drive Type: Hydramatic
Options: Leather Seats
Mileage: 62,541
Power Options: Power Windows
Sub Model: Biarritz
Exterior Color: Black
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

     Offered for your consideration is one of the most desirable of all 50's cars, this 57 Biarritz convertible.  I have owned this car for over 15 years and I am reluctantly offering it for sale. This car was from California originally and has been in  dry inside storage since 1974, it has not been run since then as well. The engine is fee and all the windows operate. The power top runs but does not engage. As far as I know the car is completely original except for a poor repaint done before 1974. Poor adhesion has caused the paint to peel and crack. I am assuming it is lacquer. Everything that is supposed to be there is ther as far as I know.  I am not an expert on these cars but I think it is an  amazing survivor examle of an amazing styling triumph.    

Seldom has a motor car created such intense excitement as the all-new Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible for 1957. With styling inspired by Motorama show cars, the ultra-prestigious Eldorado Biarritz oozed opulence. From the massive shimmering chrome grille, dual winged front fender ornaments, to the American style rear fins mounted on European-look rounded fenders, commonly referred to as "chipmunk cheeks", on to the chrome rear panels that swept from the rear wheel arches into a wraparound bumper featuring molded exhaust outlets; all seductively pulled together in stunning dramatic fashion by the rounded rear deck lid. And of course, as with all convertibles, it looked most exquisite with the top down and the parade boot in place. Even in the fantasy world of Harley Earl there was nothing like it before or since. If reading this description out loud leaves you breathless, well that’s the condition the car was meant to leave you in.

Allegedly one of the hardest ‘50s era cars to restore because of the scarcity of parts due to the low production numbers and amount of hand work, a concours quality Biarritz is truly a sight to behold. One of just 1,800 built , I doubt that ther are many opportunities left to find a car of this callibur.

Innovations included an unusual tubular X-frame, without side rails. This new design gave the car greater rigidity, an increase in length and wheelbase, and allowed the body to sit 3” lower to the ground; at the expense of side impact protection. A radically curved wraparound windshield added style. The optional air-ride suspension system afforded a luxurious ride when it worked, which was at best sporadically. Most buyers took a pass on this option and many of those who didn’t chose to retrofit to traditional springs lest their car take on a list, sag and drag hardly fitting the “standard of the world”.

Weighing in at 4,930 pounds the Biarritz needed massive power to haul itself around. Fittingly, the 1957 Biarritz sported the most potent V-8 engine offered by Cadillac. The over-square, bored-out 365-cid V-8 with twin Carter four-barrel carburetors delivered 325 horsepower to the 'Sabre Spoke' aluminum wheels via a four speed Hydra-Matic transmission, enough power to propel the car to a luxurious 118 mph top speed.

List price of the Biarritz was a staggering $7,286 (about $58,324.04 in today’s dollars), more than $2,000 above a Series 62. Understandably only 1,800 were ever built.

To mark Cadillac's Golden Anniversary in 1952 a special show car was built. An in-house competition was held to name it. Mary-Ann Marini, a secretary in the GM merchandising department, proposed the name “Eldorado” and won the contest. The name Eldorado, often associated with the fabled "Lost City of Gold" from the days of the Spanish Conquistadors, is derived from the Spanish words "el dorado", which translates in English to "the golden one". A fitting name for the ’57 Eldorado Biarritz if there ever was one.
Please feel free to call with any questions to Allen at 217 778 1425. I am only selling this car because I have in process two other restoration projects which require my focus.

Auto Services in Illinois

Waukegan-Gurnee Auto Body ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc
Address: 3923 Grove Ave, Park-City
Phone: (847) 623-4422

Walker Tire & Exhaust ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Mufflers & Exhaust Systems
Address: 400 Illini Dr, Beason
Phone: (217) 935-8923

Twin City Upholstery ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Seat Covers, Tops & Upholstery
Address: Towanda
Phone: (309) 829-3839

Tuffy Auto Service Centers ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair
Address: 1505 E Vernon Ave, Heyworth
Phone: (309) 662-0537

Top Line ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Seat Covers, Tops & Upholstery, Automobile Accessories
Address: 1135 Caledonia Ln, Sleepy-Hollow
Phone: (815) 479-0658

Top Gun Red ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: 1510 Mound Rd, Crest-Hill
Phone: (815) 730-3672

Auto blog

This 1969 Ford F-100 has a Cadillac CTS-V engine lurking underhood

Fri, Jan 30 2015

Something always feels just a little taboo when someone builds a custom and then slots in a powertrain from a rival automaker. That's exactly the case with this modded 1969 Ford F-100 boasting a highly tuned LSA supercharged V8 like from the second-gen Cadillac CTS-V. However, with a claimed 800 horsepower on tap thanks in part to running an estimated 20 pounds of boost, it's easy to get over any bad feelings. Built by Tommy Pike Customs in South Carolina, the truck tries to keep the exterior looking somewhat stock. Although, the jade green and satin gold paint, Quaker State logo, lowered suspension and black wheels immediately suggest something is up. Once the F-100 starts up with its menacing growl, absolutely any doubts of this beast being unaltered are immediately gone. Not so obvious are some tweaks to actually help put all that power down, including disc brakes and independent suspension setups at the front and rear. The video gives some glimpses at a few of Pike's other creations, but the real star here is definitely his mean, green Ford.

Remembering Pierre Cardin's automotive legacy

Wed, Dec 30 2020

Pierre Cardin has passed away at age 98, and while the designer had a great impact on the world of fashion, he also brought his signature style to the automotive realm, chiefly with the unlikely partner of American Motors. At the dawn of the 1970s, AMC decided to seek out a little glamour for its freshly renewed product lineup by having famous fashion designers work their magic on AMC cars. The first model to get the fashion treatment was the Hornet Sportabout wagon, with a special Gucci edition that became available for 1972. Later that same year, Pierre Cardin's Javelin was introduced. The Cardin Javelin arrived midway through the '72 model year as an interior option package. The designer had submitted as many as 10 proposals to AMC, and the chosen selection was a black interior with a wild multi-hued stripe of silver, white, red and purple that grooved across the seats, touched the door panels and continued onto the headliner. "People should feel like they're sitting in a living room rather than a machine," the designer was quoted in ads introducing his eponymous Javelin. In a press release, AMC said, "Cardin takes an ultra-modern abstract approach to his interior design." The Cardin interior option package was available with specific exterior colors: Snow White, Stardust Silver, Trans Am Red, and Wild Plum. For the '73 model year, Diamond Blue was a new exterior color option. The Pierre Cardin option was only $85 and was offered exclusively on the Javelin SST, although it's reported that the Pierre Cardin option also appeared on a handful of Javelin AMX models. For 1973, you could officially get a Pierre Cardin Javelin AMX. A total of 4,152 were built over the two model years. AMC's next fashion special was the Matador coupe, but the automaker tapped Oleg Cassini for that gig. Pierre Cardin was not finished with the automobile business, though. In 1975, he put his touch on the Sbarro Stash, an obscure supercar based on the SV1, with the result displayed at the Paris auto show. The designer next customized a run of early-'80s Cadillac Eldorados, and this time the treatment extended beyond the interior. A redesigned front end featured hidden headlights behind a full-width horizontal-car grille but unfortunately made the already-considerable front overhang even longer; the rear treatment was similarly modified with the factory vertical taillights replaced with horizontal units.

President Trump's new limo spotted testing at high speed

Thu, May 25 2017

What you're looking at is no ordinary limo. Look past the swirly camouflage and you'll see what appears to be a Cadillac, but don't let those looks fool you. This is the new Beast, otherwise known as Cadillac One, and codenamed by the Secret Service as Stagecoach. This is the car that will shuttle President Trump to and fro. It's hard to get a sense of scale from these images, but this car is huge. It's very likely built atop a heavy-duty truck platform, which is necessary due to the thick armor-like bodywork that's hermetically sealed to keep POTUS safe and sound. It's hard to tell for certain, but it appears this Beastie is riding on Goodyear Regional RHS II tires, which would otherwise be used on trucks and buses. Translation: this thing is heavy. The Beast is ostensibly badged as a Cadillac, and it wears the latest version of Caddy's corporate grille, badge, and upright headlamps at the front. From the rear, there's a hint of Rolls-Royce Phantom, with rear glass that tapers elegantly into the deck lid. In between is a massive slab-sided passenger compartment that's rumored to seat as many as seven passengers. These shots were snapped at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. It seems The Beast is undergoing some high-speed tests, though high-speed here is relative. Those Goodyears are only rated for 70 miles per hour or so, and we doubt the big 8.1-liter gasoline-fueled V8 engine is geared to push the President much faster than that, anyway. Related Video: