Harry Birdsall’s gold-plated Cadillac Elegante comes to auction for the first time
Co-commissioned by Harry Birdsall and Joe Mascari, refined by Albrecht von Goertz and built by Turin coachbuilder Rocco Motto, the unique Cadillac Elegante has spent decades moving between family ownership, restoration and concours success
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1. Unique bodywork is made from hand-beaten aluminium
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Gold plated car becomes a fact. So ran the headline in the April 28, 1955 edition of The New York Times above a story about the jaw-dropping appearance of this coachbuilt, Cadillac-based one-off at the city’s annual auto show.
2. Chassis gives a wheelbase of 10.5ft and is from a Cadillac Series 62, but lowered by 8in
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Never before offered for public sale, the unique convertible was co-commissioned by New York commercial artist, powerboat racer and exotic car fan Harry Birdsall who penned its original lines before handing over his sketch to celebrated designer Albrecht von Goertz of BMW 503 and 507 fame.
3. The windows and retractable hardtop are powered by GM’s state-of-the-art electro-hydraulic system
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After von Goertz had refined Birdsall’s vision, the latter’s commissioning partner Joe Mascari arranged to have the Elegante brought to life by top Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Rocco Motto of Turin.
4. Exterior trim combines bronze castings with gold plating
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After 30 months and £10,000 (around £280,000 in today’s money) the completed car was delivered to Birdsall who enjoyed it for five years before his untimely death in 1960 aged just 49. The car then passed to Mascari who sold it to one of Birdsall’s fellow boat racers, who then moved it on to road construction executive Stan Marks.
5. Wraparound windscreen has exquisite triangular vents built-in
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Following Marks’s death in 1992, the car returned to the Birdsall family with whom it was subjected to a meticulous restoration by Harry’s son, Dicky, a custom car builder.
6. Lavish interior features gold-plated instrument bezels and a ‘ropework’ steering wheel rim made from Lucite acrylic resin
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The Elegante made its first public appearance in decades at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours where it scooped the people’s choice award, since when it has won prizes at several other shows in the US.
Included in the sale will be a custom-built, air-conditioned Pegasus race trailer and a power-lift gate with which to move it about. Just in case some people are too shy to drive a gold-plated Cadillac.
5.4-litre V8; four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission
Kruse Auctions
1953 CADILLAC ELEGANTE
On sale with Kruse Auctions, Indiana, September 5. Estimate: on request. kruseauctions.com