Olav V
[ King of Norway ]

1952 Cadillac Series 75 limousine

The late king retired the car in 1981,   making room for a brand new "Royal Blue" 1981 Series 75 with the traditional "A1" license plates.  That one was later sold to a livery service and later still to a private owner. It was replaced a few years later by a downsized, 1985 DeVille limousine converted by Armbruster Stageway. King Olav V was a keen auto enthusiast with a penchant for American cars.  In addition to the "official fleet" he kept quite a few American "drivers".  On most non-public occasions king Olav drove himself;  his car
of choice for personal use was a 1967 Fleetwood that he kept until his death.   That car currently is in the hands of a private collector.

The information for this entry was supplied by CML member Tore Robert Klerud and supplemented by Fred Nissen, both members of the CML [the Cadillac Mailing List]

 

[ not this car - excerpted from that year's product folder - but one just like it ]

Orbison, Roy
[singer]

1965 Cadillac De Ville convertible

This car was offered for sale on e-Bay in 7/2001;
it was said to have been the property of the singer

Owens, Jesse
[legendary U.S. sports figure]

1929 Cadillac convertible parade car

African-American sports giant, Jesse Owens won four gold
medals for the USA during the 1936 Olympics, held in Berlin,
Germany, just before the outbreak of WW2.  Adolf Hitler,
irascible Chancellor of  the Third Reich stormed out of the
tribune of honor after Owens beat Germany's allegedly
superior Aryan athletes.  Back home, Jesse rode a
Cadillac in this ceremonial ticker tape parade

Paget, Debra
[screen star]

1955  Cadillac

You can't see it on this small, compressed digital image but the front of this car is  decorated (why and with what?)  It could be daisies; you can tell that the hood "V" is too wide.  Also there is an inscription over the crest; it could be "MGM"; it is difficult to say, even using a magnifying glass

 Palance, Jack [1]
[screen star]

1937 Cadillac V12 formal sedan

 Palance, Jack [2]
[screen star]

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

I have an unsubstantiated report that this car,  photographed in the desert near Phoenix, AZ, was also in Jack Palance's collection.  Sold in 1999 by Chris 'Doc' Sabatino to Georg Pfeiffer, an Austrian collector, who had it completely restored [I recommend highly a visit to Georg's Web site].   Chris Sabatino had described thus: This is an extremely rare automobile. Only 1320 produced. This auto was #42 off the assembly line. Only 99 were offered with bucket seats [BTW, that number has never been officially substantiated], this is one of them! Of the 99, only half were produced with air conditioning [again an unsubstantiated statement], this is one of them! Of the approximately 45 cars that came with air conditioning, approximately 5 came with all options [unsubstantiated], yup, this is one of them! This car was originally purchased by actor, Jack Palance. It was sold in 1978, and then stored for 20 years!! This car is the one used by GM for their Eldorado commercials and their print ads [1999]! This is a pedigree car, that could be worth as much as $100,00-120,000, like they were in the late 80s and early 90s. Current market value (if you could find a restored '59 Eldo),  would be in $55,000-85,000 range.

Georg makes no reference to the Palance connection but adds: The car was delivered initially to a dealer in Phoenix, AZ. Originally painted Argent [Code #92] Chris Sabatino had it resprayed in red and did some minor cosmetic work on it.  A ground-up, perfect restoration was subsequently carried out in Austria by Rudi Kerschbaumer and his team from American Special Parts.

The car as portrayed in a GM/Cadillac commercial in 1999

   
The car as beautifully and perfectly restored in Austria for Georg Pfeiffer

 Palmer, Arnold
[renowned professional golfer]

1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible

Mr. Palmer now runs a Cadillac dealership in Charlotte, NC.  There is a HUGE, scintillating "Cadillac" sign, outside visible for miles  on I-77

Parton, Dolly (1)
[country singer, entertainer]

1964 Cadillac Series 62 sedan
[ ideal car, with more than adequate trunk storage space,
for a budding young country singer]

   
Dolly is my favorite country singer of all time

Parton, Dolly (2)
[country singer, entertainer]

1974 Cadillac Talisman by Fleetwood
[the poor image is from a Kruse auction catalog]

 

Pastorelli, Robert
[TV and screen star]

1959 Coupe de Ville

The actor is reported to have committed suicide, with a drug overdose, on  March 8,  2004.   According to police he was found by his personal assistant with a syringe in his right arm.  Friends said he had been off drugs for fifteen years, but had gone back to using heroin, probably after a falling out with his girlfriend, Charemon.

 

   
Photos:  Internet (where the car was offered up for sale on eBay in April, 2005)

Patton, General George S.
[WW2 military leader, U.S.]

1938 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 style #7533 limousine

The General died on December 21, 1945 owing to complications resulting from a collision on December 9, 1945 when he was a passenger in a Cadillac similar to this one.  It  was near Mannheim, in Germany, on the N-38, that it was struck in the right  front end by   a 6x6 army truck that had veered sharply in front of it, following a moment of inattention by its driver (the General's driver was PFC Horace L. Woodring - photo, below).  The General's neck was broken and he died, later, in hospital. 

An article about the tragic accident appeared in Torque (magazine of the Michigan Region CCCA) in the issue for March-April, 1980.  Some mystery surrounds the tragic circumstances in which Patton lost his life; they are under investigation by a writer acquaintance who will be publishing a book on the General.

Cadillac enthusiast, W. Kline, wrote in December 2001 to inform me that a Cadillac reported to be the one in which Patton suffered his fatal injuries was still on display at the Armory Museum in Fort Knox, KY.  However, there is a consensus among the experts that the car shown there is really a 1939 Series 75, similar to the 1938 Patton car, but not THAT car; the genuine "Patton car" is believed to have been scrapped, in Germany, some time after the accident. This has been the conclusion of a number of Cadillac enthusiasts, including  Doug Houston Jr.,  who wrote a long article about the Patton car in Torque (magazine of the Michigan region CCCA) in the spring of 1980 and Matt Larson, acting as Cadillac Archivist for the GM Heritage Center in 2006.  Not everyone agrees with Doug or Matt, especially not Lawrence W. Lee Jr. who wrote (in May, 2006):

You say that the car at the Patton Museum is not the actual car used by Patton at the time of his death, which was scrapped soon after the accident. This is obviously incorrect, as a simple contact to the Patton Museum would have revealed [of course, Lawrence, it is in the interest of the Museum to have their patrons believe they DO have the RIGHT car].  The car has excellent documentation [it would be interesting if  we could see it, Lawrence], and was shipped to the Museum in 1951, after having been used by the Chief of Constabulary Forces in Germany during the U.S. occupation. According to documents I have previously received from the Patton Museum, a 1939 Series 75 car was located to use for spare parts.  The  General's car had all body parts from the firewall forward replaced, using parts from the 1939 donor car.  Two sections of the front grille were missing, and replacements were hand-made by a local craftsman who did not know they should be in the vertical position. In a 1982 examination of the car, two data plates were found - one from 1938 [possibly the ORIGINAL body tag?],  the other from 1939 (the 1939 plate is in French).  According to Col. Thomas Hauss,  who was an Ordnance Officer for General I.D. White (the last Chief of Constabulary to use the car during the occupation), the car's engine and transmission were replaced with units from an M24 tank [Doug interviewed Lt. Col. Hauss in the eighties and believes he has since passed on].

Well, Lawrence, Doug, Matt, in  French we say: de la discussion jaillit la lumière (i.e. discussion will cast light  on the issue).  That's why I asked Doug and Matt for their views on Lawrence's comments.  Doug replied (in May, 2006)  that he was of the opinion that somebody may have made up (new?) "documentation" in an attempt to "authenticate" the car as THE Patton car.  He restated that an army PFC by the name of  Woodring, who was in Germany at the time and was close to the car, had assured him that the Museum car was NOT the one in which the General was injured. Doug had also interviewed Lt. Col. Tom Hauss [mentioned by Lawrence] many years ago, on army business [Doug believes Hauss has since passed on].  According to Doug, Lawrence would have done well to talk to Woody; unfortunately, it was about a year too late, as Woody too had passed on.  Again in Doug's opinion, it is obviously in the interest of the Patton museum to stick to its story, especially now that all the main actors in the drama have passed on. As for Matt, while acting as the Cadillac Archivist at the GM Heritage Center in 2006, he prepared a five-page report from which it transpires that the museum car definitely is NOT the car in which the general suffered that fatal injury. It would not be practical to reproduce Matt's findings here in extenso; however, should any reader wish to read the full the report, I am sure Matt would have no objection to my providing you with a copy as an Email attachment.  You may request such a copy here:

 

I try to publish in the Cadillac Database only verifiable facts; often I must rely on statements like those of the afore-mentioned
three enthusiasts.  So, if anyone else can shed more light on the issue,  please do so.  Let's hear also what the Museum has to say !

Paycheck, Johnny
[ Country music singing legend ]

Slightly customized 1970 Cadillac Series 75 limousine

"Take This Job & Shove It" is the one record that put Johnny Paycheck's name all over the world, and gave him a taste of what life can be, as a celebrity of such magnitude. With 6 gold albums, 2 Platinum, 1 Double-Platinum (almost
unheard of at the time for a Country Music Artist) and 33 hit singles, Johnny Paycheck is a genuine LEGEND!

       
Not easy to make out in the center image, but the faux landau bars
are mounted on the wrong sides of the quarter panels

Paul [King]
[former King of Greece]

The King is reported to have owned an armored Cadillac
built for him by Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincinatti, OH

[ image ??? ]

John-Paul VI (1)
[H.H. The Pope]

1969 Cadillac Series 60 Special

On Tuesday,   June 10, 1969 H.H. Pope John-Paul VI  paid a courtesy visit  to the European office of the United Nations at Geneva, Switzerland.  After celebrating a mass at the city's Parc de la Grange, he had time to meet also with Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie at the Headquarters of the International Labor Organization (ILO)

 

John-Paul VI (2)
[H.H. The Pope]

1999 Ceremonial Cadillac "Throne" car

   
This car was on display at the 2001 Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National meet in Denver, CO

Penniman, Richard
[aka Little Richard - American pop star]

1956 Cadillac Series Sixty Special

He sold more than 32 millions records including titles like Good Golly Miss Molly, Lucille, Long Tall Sally and Tutti Frutti.  The royalties from his first hit song, Tutti Frutti, enabled him to buy his first car ...even though he did not yet have a driver's license. 

He bought it in Hollywood.   It was a mildly customized, white 1956 Cadillac Series Sixty Special with gold trim and matching interior.  Leopard skins were used for the upholstery.  The car is reported to have cost about $8000, at a time when the standard Sixty Special carried a price tag of $4300. The story goes that he hired a white chauffeur to drive him back home to Macon, Georgia. At that time there was only one other Cadillac in town; it belonged to the local undertaker.  Little Richard joked, "Before I got my car, you had to be dead to get to ride in a Cadillac!"  He called his car Miss Ann; it became the title of one of his later hit songs.

The week after Tutti Frutti hit the stands he drove through town, blowing kisses to his female fans ...and became so distracted that he had a front fender-bender.  He recalled being arrested, in El Paso, Texas, while driving home with $50,000 in cash from record sales. The police was convinced he had stolen the cash AND the Cadillac.  He was thrown in jail and refused bail.  He had to wait for his lawyer to fly in from California before he could be released.

He wanted to keep Miss Ann but all his star friends (Fats Domino, Check Berry, etc.) were buying the latest models and so he followed suit.  He bought a '57 model, painted purple.  he said, I used to wear the purple suits before Prince was even born!

 

 

Gen. John Pershing

1919 Cadillac limousine and 1929 La Salle sedan

The 1917 Cadillac touring car was selected by the combined armed forces as the standard officers car
high ranking officers were assigned a more luxurious limousine style.  To thank him for leading the allied
troops to victory in Europe, in WW1, Cadillac employees pooled together to build for him the dark
blue, 1919 Cadillac Suburban (below, left); it was later presented to him as a gift.  Six thousand workers
participated in the project; all the parts were labeled for General Pershing's car and carried a small
American flag; the interior was trimmed in gold plate and the grille carried the General's four stars.
The 1929 La Salle (below, right) was used also by the General; this one carries only two stars

 

   
[General Pershing also used (owned?) the 1929 LaSalle on the right]

 

Petain, Philippe
[Field marshal, Premier of France's Vichy regime during WW2]

1939 Cadillac Series 75 limousine

Accused of collaborating with the German invader, Pétain spent his last two days of freedom in Switzerland,
on April 24 and 25, 1945.  The day after celebrating his 90th birthday (April 24), he drove to the French border
crossing at Vallorbe, where he was arrested at 7 p.m. by the new French authorities and jailed in Paris'  Fresnes
prison. He was court marshaled and sentenced to death but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment

  
(left) A squad of Swiss soldiers stands to attention as the Field Marshal's
Cadillac car leaves the safety of Switzerland's neutrality
(right) this car is claimed by the owner to be the Petain car; it was sent to me by
William Benoit,  a French friend and Cadillac aficionado; the non-original, small, round
parking lights on the lower front fenders certainly don't belie the car's Swiss origin

Philip [H.H. Prince]
[Duke of Edinburgh]

1954 Cadillac

While on a state visit to India in the late fifties, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, rode in this 1954 Cadillac.  Its owner had hoped to have the Prince ride in it again when he visited the country again in the late eighties.  However,  protocol did not allow it.

Pickford, Jack
[Film Director of the Thirties]

Custom 1920-21 Type 59 Cadillac town car. This typical Harley Earl design was created  for Mr. Pickford, who was the older brother of silent-screen star, Mary Pickford.

 

The "spoke wheels" are merely vinyl images to show what the real wheels looked like
[Photo: © 2008, and courtesy of the owner, Steve Martin ]

Pickford, Mary (aka Gladys Smith)
[Star of the silent movies]

Custom speedster designed by Harley Earl for the shops of Don Lee; it belongs currently to aficionado, Steve Martin, who kindly sent the photo. It was built for Gladys Smith [aka Mary Pickford, the silent-screen star and younger sister of film producer Jack Pickford]. Upon close examination of the Earl creation built on a 1918 Cadillac chassis for Billy Burke, Director of the Siegfried Follies [see below] and after discussing the issue at length with Keith Lowden, curator of the Clive Cussler museum in Denver where the Burke car currently resides, Steve and Keith both reached the conclusion - which I support - that Harley Earl built BOTH cars.

Pius XII
[H.H. The Pope]

1938 Cadillac Series 90 V16 town car, style 9053

This 16-cylinder Cadillac town car was NOT one of  His Holiness'
private cars, it simply had its place in the Vatican garage, amid many
other cars of state. This one came from Cardinal Spellman of New York
who got it as a gift from the daughters of the first owner, Countess
Rosario De Larrechea De Schiffner, when she passed away in 1948.

Pius XII
[H.H. The Pope]

1940 Custom-built Series 75 "throne" car

Fleetwood converted this standard Series 75 limousine with a special interior for Pope Pius XII. A New Jersey press cutting of July 14 (1940?) recorded that "a black Cadillac limousine was trucked through this city [in New Jersey] a few days ago, bound for the Vatican for Pope Pius XII; according to General Motors it was a conventional Series 75 priced at $14000". The car was described as having chrome, gold and walnut trim, a single back seat with a radio on one side and a writing shelf on the other.

 

Interior of Papal 1947 Series 75 limousine

Poland [Council of Ministers of]
[Government official car]

1933 Cadillac Series 370 all-weather phaeton;
The photo was sent to me by a Cadillac enthusiast

Polnareff, Michel
[French pop star]

1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

French pop star and composer/singer of the haunting Love me, Please Love me hit song of the sixties is featured here on the trunk of a '59 convertible.  Michel left France after the French government had objected to his naked butt being exposed all over Paris to advertise one of his shows.  Polnareff was not known for  good taste!

Porter, Cole
[Composer and musician ]

Custom 1955 Cadillac Series 60 Special sedan, like the car on the left,
which is a modified image from the 1955 Cadillac product brochure

Power, Tyrone
[Movie star]

1948 Cadillac Series 92 convertible

Presidential Limousines
[various]

2001 armored Cadillac

  
n the topic of presidential parade or security Cadillacs, I understand from Cadillac enthusiast,
Erik Calvino, Tokyo (1998) that the Smithsonian Institute warehouses near Dulles Airport
are home to dozens of rare Cadillacs.  Can anyone confirm this?

The cars that Elvis bought and gave to his family and friends largely outnumber those he bought
for himself. I once heard it said that if all the Elvis Presley cars were put end to end, they would
reach twice around the globe!  For want of space we shall show only a handful of them in these pages.

[to view some Cadillacs with Presley connections, click here and here]

Qatar, Emir of
[Arab potentate]

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

The Emir was an occasional neighbor of mine,
in Versoix, near Geneva, Switzerland.  There, he
kept a garage full of exotic cars, in the mid-seventies.
When he was in Qatar, the Swiss chauffeur would
let me in to look at them.  The most impressive, to me,
were his 1959 and 1960 Eldorado Brougham models

1957 Custom-built Cadillac "Bubble-Top" Eldorado Biarritz

On a state visit to the US in October, 1957,   H.H. Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. and Prince Philip were to use this custom-built "bubble-top" limousine specially designed and built by GM of Oshawa, Canada.  However, Her Majesty appears to have decided that  entering and alighting from the rear seat of a 2-door car would be "ungraceful", so she chose instead to ride in the Government's 1950 Lincoln "bubble top" limousine

   

GM of Canada released this statement to the press about the car:

OSHAWA, CANADA---A Cadillac with a crystal-clear Plexiglas top has been specially outfitted by General Motors of Canada for the use of the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during the royal stay in Canada.

The "bubble" canopy, molded in one piece by A. V. Roe, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer in Toronto, has been fitted to an Eldorado Biarritz convertible to provide an unobstructed view of her Majesty by thousands who will line the streets during her visit to Ottawa.

The windproof and waterproof top is easily removable if true convertible weather prevails.

The car, complete with bubble, will be flown to Washington from Ottawa to be available for the royal party's arrival at the U.S. Capital.

Special interior lighting for night use is provided through the installation of small spotlights on each armrest. Another light will play from the floor between the two specially-installed bucket-type front seats. This illumination will insure the royal couple being visible at all vantage points at dusk and darkness.

The right-hand front seat has been specially designed to fold under the instrument panel to allow for maximum freedom of movement in entering and leaving the automobile. When the seat is folded, the entry space is about 30 inches -- equal to the width of a standard house door [...this still did not allow for a graceful "royal" exit or entry].

The floor is covered from front to rear in deep-pile black carpetry. The upholstery and interior trim in genuine leather. The interior color scheme is black and white.  

           
In this 1957 parade, in NY, the Queen is riding in the Lincoln bubble-top;
immediately behind it is one of the '56 White House security cars and a '58 Edsel;
behind the security cars you can see the '57 bubble-top (far right)
[ cropped photos:  courtesy Charles Barnette, CLC ]

 

H.H. Queen Elizabeth II (2)
[Queen of the U.K.]

1959 Cadillac "Bubble-Top" Limousine-Landaulet

On a state visit to Canada in 1959,   H.H. Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. and Prince Philip
used this custom-built "bubble-top" limousine.  More photos and a detailed description
of the car are to be found in the "Dream Cars" section of the "Cadillac Database".

   
Top: The car was flown from one venue to the next during the royal tour
Above: The royal couple somewhere in the province of Ontario in late June, 1959
[ Thank you, Jean-Michel Roux of Switzerland, for sharing with us many superb photos of this exceptional parade car ]

H.H. Queen Elizabeth II (3)
[Queen of the U.K.]

1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine

During a second state visit to Canada in 1967, on the occasion of the country's "Expo 1967"
this mildly customized Fleetwood limousine was placed at the disposal of the royal couple from England

The Queen of England is reported to have owned also an armored
Cadillac, built by Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincnnati, OH

   
[ Photos:  Internet, May, 2007 - where the car was offered for sale on EBay ]

H.H. Queen Elizabeth II (4)
[Queen of the U.K.]

1976 Cadillac Eldorado

On a state visit to Japan in 1976,   H.H. Queen Elizabeth II
of the U.K. and Prince Philip waved to the crowds
from this Fleetwood series Eldorado convertible

Quezon, Manuel L.
[ 1st President of the Philippines ]

1936 Cadillac Series 90 V16 custom town car

This car  was custom built by General Motors for the first president of the (former) Commonwealth of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon.  Records show that the vehicle arrived in the Philippines on November 4, 1937.

In 1938, the President gave the vehicle to General MacArthur as a gift for helping to train and organize the military of the (former) Commonwealth government.  MacArthur [see above] used the Cadillac throughout his tour of duty in the Philippines, until the outbreak of WWW2.    

After spending decades on display at Corregidor Islands, the car was shipped to Quezon City to form part of the memorabilia collection honoring former president Quezon.

 

   
[ Photos: by Craig Watrous and Robert De Mott, CCCA ]

Rader, William, (Bill)
[GM/Cadillac test driver]

1927 La Salle roadster

Bill Rader was the test driver for
all new Cadillac automobiles
in the late twenties and thirties

Rainier of Monaco, Prince
[Ruler of the Principality of Monaco]

The Prince has an interesting and eclectic collection
of automobiles, including this 1961 Cadillac
Series 75 limousine with coachwork by Fleetwood

  
[ Image (right): Badge of the Prince's collection ]

Reagan, Ronald
[ Former U.S. President ]

1983-84 Cadillac parade limousine
and
1987-88 Cadillac parade limousine

1987-88 model

   
Retired and on show, with updated grille and parking lights

Reynolds, Debbie
[Screen  Star]

1956 Custom Station Wagon

This car is reported to have been built for the star by Hess & Eisenhardt. It is one of a dozen such cars built in the period
1955-56 for commercial use and as luxury transport for guests of the renowned Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado.

   
The car was offered for sale by London's Khachadourian Gallery, at 60 Pall Mall, in 2006;
the gallery has a reputation as being "Europe's leading dealers on automobile art"

Reeves, Jim
[Country-Music Singing Star]

1960 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

James Travis Reeves was born in August, 1923, in Galloway, near Carthage, TX.  His warm, velvety voice labeled him a "crooner".  His Christmas songs are perennial favorites, including Silver Bells, Blue Christmas and An Old Christmas Card.  He died in July, 1964, a few weeks before his 41st birthday, when the small plane he was flying crashed in a severe thunderstorm.

This Web site will interest fans of the singer; it includes also some  information on the restoration of Reeves' Eldorado Seville.

   
I couldn't sing country (or anything else) to save my life,
but I did own one of these myself,  back in the seventies

De RETHY, Princess
[2nd wife of King Leopold III of Belgium]

Born Lilian Baels in Highbury, London,   on November 28, 1916, she secretly and morganatically wed King Leopold III of Belgium on September 11, 1941, just six years after the accidental death, in Switzerland,   of the King's first wife, Astrid of Sweden. The Princess died on June 7, 2002.

Not being of noble birth, the King's new wife could not be known as "Queen" Lilian so she was granted the noble title of   "Princesse de Réthy". None of her children had any claim on the Belgian throne, though they would be Princes or Princesses of Belgium.

Owing to controversy about his conduct during the war, Léopold III and his new wife and children were not allowed to return to Belgium (they had been imprisoned by the Germans, in Germany, during WW2) and they spent the next six years in exile in Switzerland. When he returned to Belgium in 1950, there were strikes,  protests and clashes between the public mnd the police, when several protesters were killed. To avoid tearing his country apart, and to preserve the new monarchy, King Léopold decided to abdicate on July 16, 1951 in favour of his then 20-year-old son Baudouin [see "Baudouin" in these pages also].

Princess de Réthy is reported to have owned this stately 1961, "Series 75" limousine.

Reynolds, Burt and
Anderson, Loni
[screen stars]

Mid-eighties Cadillac

Rivers, Dick
[French Rock 'n Roll artist]

Many French pop stars have been photographed with this red
1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible; I believe it is a studio prop

The baseball hero receiving the keys to a 1967 Cadillac Eldorado coupe
from the management at Chesapeake Cadillac in Baltimore, MD

Robinson, Frank
[baseball star and coach of the Baltimore Orioles]

1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado coupe

Frank Robinson  was an outfielder, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds and the
Baltimore Orioles.  He was a member of two teams that won the  World Series.
He  amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement

The boxing champ in front of his own sports bar,
Sugar Ray enterprises

Robinson, "Sugar" Ray
[champion boxer]

1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Perhaps one of our Database users could add a few words
about Sugar Ray's illustrious boxing career.  All I can say
is that he earned enough prize-money to open his own club
and to buy this gorgeous (but wildly pink !) Cadillac

Robson, May
[screen celebrity]

1937 Cadillac sedan

Rodman, Dennis
[sports celebrity]

1959 Series 62 convertible

Rogers, Roy
[screen and singing star]

1947 Cadillac

The Western film star and singer, was a
regular Cadillac customer.  In this publicity
shot he is seen riding the hood of his latest new car

Photo: Cadillac Motor Car Division

Rolling Stones, The
[British pop group]

1955 Cadillac Eldorado

Mick Jagger, took the wheel of
this car for  publicity tour
in the eighties or nineties

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano [FDR]¹
[32nd U.S. President]

¹   Thanks to Cadillac buff and friend, Jay Friedman, for correcting Teddy to Franklin Delano (my mistake)

Above: early thirties Cadillac (???)

This 1933 Cadillac V-16 limousine is believed to have served
as an official White House car during the FDR administration

   
(Left) Touring in Yellowstone National Park in a 1937 Cadillac convertible sedan
(Right) Participating in a ceremonial parade aboard a 1936 convertible sedan
[FDR is said to have owned also a 1938 Series 90 V16 limousine]

This 1935 Fleetwood style 6275 flat-windshield limousine, with gun ports in the windshield and side glass, is purported to
have belonged also to FDR; it was for some years  part of the Imperial Palace collection, Las Vegas, NV;  anyone who viewed the "History Channel"
episode of "Presidents" on Jan. 22, 2005, may have seen this (or an identical V-16) during FDR's 2nd-term inaugural parade in an. 1936

   
During FDR's third and fourth terms, from 1938 until he died in April, 1945, these two
custom-built, stretched Cadillac V-16 convertible sedans were used as White House
security cars; they remained in service under Harry Truman and Ike Eisenhower;
they were replaced by similar custom convertible sedans on the '56 Cadillac V-8 chassis

Roosevelt, Franklin D.
[former U.S. President]

or

Roosevelt, Theodore "Teddy", Jr.
[Governor of Puerto Rico in 1929]

Comment (from Terry Boyce of the CLC): Although you added a footnote to the photos appearing just above this one, correcting the caption to read Franklin D. Roosevelt, you apparently missed editing the caption for this photo ... Teddy Roosevelt died in 1920, so the Roosevelt in this picture would presumably have to be FDR, who succeeded Al Smith as Governor of New  York State in 1928 when Smith resigned to run for the U.S. Presidency. There is a very slight chance the personage could be Theodore Roosevelt, JR ... who became governor of Puerto Rico in 1929, but more likely it is FDR.

Guys,  I'm sorry for my obvious ignorance of American history!

 

I hope I got this one right!  I believe this is Teddy Roosevelt
riding a '29 La Salle in a Broadway ticker-tape parade.  One
Database user suggests the rider might be Al Smith.  Confirmation?

Roosevelt, Mrs. Eleanor
[former U.S. First Lady]

This 1941 Cadillac coupe, style #6127,  currently in the Peterson collection
in California, originally belonged to former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt

1959 Cadillac custom  Series 75 limousine
This car was offered for sale on the Internet in 2000

   
In the B&W photo (left), the hood "V" is still in place; on the right: it seems to have disappeared

       
This car was featured in an article by freelance journalist Willford Hill in a Grand Junction, CO, newspaper.
It was reported as having had five owners since Ms. Roosevelt bought it new, in 1959.  All windows
are said to be bullet proof, including the glass division. The article mentions the famous Cadillac
hood ornament which, on this car, ...is conveniently attached to a cable to prevent theft (???)

Ross, Diana
[Singer-entertainer]

Whether or not the singer owned it, this is the 1965 Cadillac Series 75 limousine
that was used for a photo shoot in 1966, when her popularity was on the rise.

Roxas, Manuel
[former Premier of the Philippines, 1946-1949]

Another former president of the Philippines, Manuel Roxas (1946-1949) had a 1940 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine. Currently [2001] the car is unrestored and deteriorating in an open lot. This car suffered the same fate as the 1955 limousine of President  Magsaysay (mentioned above), as did other former presidential cars.  It is described as tilted to one side on account of a flat tire; creeping rust has taken over and the body and windows are covered in thick dust.

The preceding facts were supplied kindly by Database user Irwin Kho of the Philippines.   Irwin sent the photo, below.  he says: The 1940 Cadillac was specially imported just for President Roxas' inauguration. I'm not sure if the picture (below)  is really the car, but judging by the light/mascot on the fender and vent beside the hood,  it sure looks like a '40 Cadillac.

It's a '40 all right, Irwin, and I doubt there would be many of them around in Manila. Also there appears to be a hole or anchor point on the fender (below the parking light)  where a flag stanchion might have been mounted

 

   
[Photos: From enthusiast, Irwin Kho]

Rudolph, Wilma Glodean
[ Multiple Olymic medalist in Rome, 1960 ]

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Wilma was the 20th of 22 children born into a poor Tennessean family. Despite a crippling disease in her youth that required her to use a leg brace, Wilma willed herself to walk ... and then run! At the age of 12 she decided to become an athlete. She was a talented basketball player and earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. She earned her first Olympic medal (a bronze) in 1956, in Melbourne, Australia. In Rome, in 1960, she became thge first American woman to win three Olympic gold medals (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter relay).

At a time when segregation was till ampant in the South, Wilma scored another "first" when her victory parade in Clarkville, TN, was declared open to everyone, and not segregated as had been the custon until then.

 

         
Olympic triple-gold medalist, Wilma Rudolph,
parades through the streets of Clarksville, TN,
on the rear seat back of a 1957 convertible Cadillac
[ Photo: (center and detail right)  George Silk, LIFE Magazine]

1954 Cadillac

   
Photo (left): Cadillac Motor Car Division
Photo (right): Period ad showing Jane with car

Rutherford, "Judge" Joe
[one-time President of the Johovah's Witnesses]

1930-31 Cadillac V-16 all-weather phaeton

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (also known as the Jehovah's Witnesses) was founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell. After Russell's death in 1916,  Joseph F. Rutherford replaced him as President. He replaced many of Russell's writings with his own interpretations. Under his theocratic control, he adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses. He died in 1942.

In 1929 Joe Rutherford built for himself a beautiful villa in San Diego, CA, as his winter palace.  He lived like royalty, drank imported liquor, smoked big cigars and drove Cadillac cars, while his followers endured the Great Depression.  He conned them into believing the house was built as a residence for the soon-to-return patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they would use the house as their headquarters to rule the world. Rutherford named the mansion, "Beth-Sarim" ("House of Princes" in Hebrew).  He predicted that at any moment God would murder every man, woman and child on the face of the earth, except faithful Jehovah's Witnesses.

Most Jehovah's Witnesses today know nothing about this scam. The property was quietly sold in the 1940's and Watchtower leaders have gone to great lengths to cover up this hoax.

 

  
"Judge Rutherford" standing next to one of his 16-cylinder Cadillac cars. One was kept for his use in Brooklyn, NY, and the other at Beth Sarim, San Diego, CA
[ Photo: July 25, 1931 "Messenger" ]

(résumé en français)

La Cadillac, symbole de luxe par excellence, a longtemps été la préférée de l'élite mondiale.  Parmi ses illustres propriétaires passés:  la reine Wilhelmine des Pays-Bas, le roi Baudoin de Belgique, le roi Gustaf de Suède de même que les Papes Pie XII et Jean XXIII. Aux Etats-Unis elle fut longtemps la favorite de la Maison Blanche sous Teddy Roosevelt, Ike Eisenhower, Richard Nixon ...et maintenant Bill Clinton. Rois et reines de l'écran les adoraient également (Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire...) comme le faisaient aussi d'autres "vedettes internationales" (Salvador Dali, Elvis Presley...) et même un certain Al Capone, dit "le balafré". 

Les automobiles Cadillac et La Salle jouissent depuis toujours d'une réputation justifiée d'élégance, de fiabilité et de confort.  Dans les années vingt (les "années folles") une campagne publicitaire fut orchestrée autour de la Cadillac, en France, par son importateur parisien, la société commerciale de vente d'automobiles SOCOVA. Dans la "who's who" de la firme furent cités cinq rois, deux reines, une princesse royale, huit princes, sept ducs et pas moins de dix-huit marquis et marquises.