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The white-and-gold Elegante debuted at the 1955 New York Auto Show.
A 331 cubic-inch V8 sends power through a four-speed automatic gearbox.
The odometer stopped somewhere north of four thousand miles.
Cadillac has built some remarkable concept cars over the years, from the Cien supercar to the Ciel, the 1988 Voyage, and the Sixteen from 2003. One of the wildest of them arrived back in 1955, decades before any of those, and it is currently sitting on an auction listing waiting for someone with the money to take it home.
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The concept car is called the Elegante, and it started life as a 1953 Series 62 convertible before Harry Birdsall and Joe Mascari of New York got involved, sending it to Carrozzeria Rocco Motto for coachwork you won’t confuse with anything else from the era. The finished car appeared at the 1955 New York International Auto Show and earned a write-up in The New York Times.
Kruse Auctions
Kruse Auctions is handling the sale of the car. The listing provides very few details about the car’s ownership history and what happened to it in the decades after its unveiling. As evidenced by the photos, however, it looks to be in incredible condition given its age and would be the perfect addition to even the priciest and most flamboyant of private car collections.
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Gold Here, There And Everywhere
Kruse Auctions
The sultry bodywork is painted in white and contrasted with several golden accents, including the headlight clusters, windshield surround, strakes running along the front flanks, the door handles, and the wheels. It also has a removable roof with a gold finish. Despite being more than 70 years old, it looks better than many current production cars, including several from Cadillac itself.
The cabin is just as dazzling as the exterior. The seats and dashboard are trimmed in red leather and contrasted with gold elements around the instruments and on the door panels and scuff plates. There’s an equally dramatic three-spoke steering wheel, and a look at the odometer reveals the car has been driven 4,329 miles (6,966 km).
Kruse Auctions
As for power, the Elegante uses a 331 cubic-inch Cadillac V8 coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word on whether or not the car still runs, but in all likelihood, it’ll only be used as a display piece by the next owner.
A white-and-gold Cadillac with red leather inside was never going to be a car anyone used, and 4,329 miles in seventy years settles the argument. Someone bought it to look at. Now someone else can, and the listing is live at Kruse Auctions here .
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Kruse Auctions
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