Summary

One of 99 built with coachwork by famed Ferrari Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. 52,152 original miles (title reads mileage exempt). From long-term California collection. Powered by a 390ci 8-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission.

Details

This 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham hardtop is one of 99 built. Coachwork was done by famed Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, best known for the styling of Ferrari and Alfa Romeo automobiles. These 1959 Eldorado Broughams are unlike any other 1959 Cadillac model with unique body panels, bumpers and trim. With an original sticker price of nearly $14,000, these were twice the cost of an Eldorado Biarritz convertible and even more expensive than a Rolls-Royce. Car #53 has come from long-term California ownership and is in original condition. One repaint was done in its original black color, but the gray broadcloth interior is all-original. This car has 52,152 original miles (the title reads mileage exempt), and is powered by the original 390ci V8 engine mated to a Hydramatic automatic transmission. Cadillac's 1959 model lineup included an all-new, second-generation Eldorado Brougham. But this Brougham did not come from the Fleetwood plant in Detroit; it was hand-built 4,000 miles away in Turin, Italy, by Pininfarina. Pre-tested Cadillac chassis were crated and shipped to Italy by boat, and the completed cars were shipped back to Detroit for final finishing, testing and shipment to dealers. Cadillac air conditioning, cruise control and automatic headlamp control were included as standard equipment among its many features, and the interiors were styled and fashioned in a great variety of elegant selections of the world's choicest leathers and fabrics. This partnership with the Italian coachbuilder was the first of a number of times that Cadillac would put an Italian body on an American chassis and powertrain.