Custom stretched limousine by Nordberg

1933 Cadillac 370C, V12 phaeton

Custom 1939 town car

Town cars appear to have been
popular with the world's elite

H.H. The Duke of Vallombrosa's
streched Fleetwood, 3-position town car

[the French Cadillac ad from which the illustration is drawn included also a portrait of the Countess herself  by renowned French portraitist, Jean-Gabriel Doumergue]

H.E. Countess du Bourg's Fleetwood town car

Viscountess Curzon's 1928 Fleetwood town car

Typical ads of the late twenties from France's Illustration magazine

   
Left: artist's impression of an afternoon in the gardens of a stately French château;  the car looks like
a custom job by Paris' Letourneur & Marchand on a stretched 1928 Cadillac chassis
Right:  artist's impression of a fashionable wedding ceremony at Paris' La Madeleine
cathedral in Paris; the car is the ever popular 1928 town cabriolet

Aguilar de León, Col. José Luis
[ Guatemalan politician and military figure ]

1931Cadillac V8 Phaeton
[ then in need of restoration ]

"Albert"
[ French DJ ]

1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

[ no image available ]

Anderson, Lynn
[ Country singer ]

1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Bicentennial special convertible
the car was offered for sale ion 2007; allegedly it had only
39 miles on the odometer

Anderson, Pamela
[Screen and TV star]

1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible (below, left)
This one was sent to me by a friend who knows my
penchant for Cadillacs and "C" cups

Pamela owned also a bright-red,
1960 Cadillac convertible (below, right)
that she offered as a birthday gift to then husband, Kid Rock

   
Pamela's red 1960 convertible was offered for sale at auction
at the annual Barrett-Jackson venue in Scottsdale, AZ (Jan. 2006) - it sold for $105K
[ Photo (right): Internet ]

Andretti, Mario
[race car driver]

1975 [???] Cadillac Fleetwood
This car was offered for sale on the Internet in 2001

Arden, Elizabeth
[famed beautician]

1935 Cadillac  style #5725 town car bodied by Fisher (new cost: $6,500)

This car was brought to my attentiomn in June, 2007 by Cadillac enthusiast Howland Blackiston. He saw it at the Stan Hywet car show in Akron,
Ohio, where 400 cars and 14,000 persons were in attendance. The car had been purchased from Ms. Arden by her chauffeur; his son (who lived
in Simsbury, CT ) sold it later to the present owner. It is in unrestored, super-original condition. Thanks, Howland, for the use of your pics (below)
Nota: the full story of Ms. Arden's car, as old by Howland, appeared in the Self Starter for January, 2008

           
Far left:  Cover of Self Starter issue for January, 2008

   
Plush passenger area features vanity compartments (both sides), lull straps and twin
reading lamps (LH image), plus a mirror compartment and an intercom below it (RH image)

               
Far left: one of two storage compartments built into the passenger side of the partition; next,  detail of chromium and gold  door hardware;
next, attaching loop for lap robe cord, also finished in chromium and gold; next and last, the Jaeger 8-day clock mounted in the center of the division.

   
The Fisher body tag has been painted over; barely visible is the body number "35", indicating that
at least 35 bodies like this one were built. Note the plate reads "Body by Fisher" although it is
strictly a Fleetwood design for the V-16 (of which 2 were built). I assume those built on the
V-8 and V-12 chassis were assembled by Fisher at less cost than their Fleetwood equivalent

Arnaz, Lucy
[as in "I love Lucy"]

1940 Limousine

[ permanent exhibit - details anyone ? ]

Assad, Rafat
[Former Syrian Minister of Defense and
brother of Rafez El Assad, the President of Syria]

Armored 1987 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
currently in the possession of a Cadillac enthusiast and  collector in France

Description of the car by Ronald Kimball, founder of Executive Armoring Corporation: This is  one of the seven bullet proof Cadillacs   sold in 1987 to Rafat Assad,  brother of Afez, President of Syria. It has a 110 volt system for electrifying the door handles to electrically shock anyone attempting to enter the vehicle with the intention of kidnapping the passengers.  A black box with the two red covered switches with a small key [in the trunk] is the box for the tear gas deterrent system. That system has four tear gas grenades hidden inside the four fenders, two front and two rear, to fire or disperse tear gas at anyone attempting to stop the vehicle and kidnap the occupants. The buzzer is to warn the occupants that tear gas may enter the vehicle. The protection level is 4, to protect against the M 16, AR 15, AK-47 high powered rifles and automatic weapons. This Cadillac was one of an order of twelve vehicles (7 Cadillacs and 5 Chevrolet Blazers) for Rafat Assad, to be distributed among his family members living in France at the time. The vehicles were identical except for the color. They were all shipped to France, via the port of Marseilles.  The cost of armoring such a vehicle is approximately $65,000 USD. The engine is the standard engine supplied by the General Motors factory. The roof, floor, firewall, gas tank and battery were all protected. The plastic container under the hood, for the Smoke Screen System, has to be filled with anti-freeze (the liquid normally placed in the radiator). This liquid is then pumped to the copper tubing that is connected to the exhaust manifold, and when the exhaust manifold is hot, and the engine is running, the anti-freeze burns and turns into a thick white smoke that emits from the exhaust pipes in the rear of the vehicle.

   
Seen from the exterior,  orifices on front bumper and rear fenders
allow occupants to eject tear-gas shells to disperse potential assailants

Autrey, Gene (1)
[screen and singing star]

1951 Cadillac "woody" station wagon

[ Photo: courtesy CLC and Ed Cholakian]

Autrey, Gene (2)
[screen and singing star]

1952 Cadillac Series Sixty-Special

Autrey, Gene (3)
[screen and singing star]

This car is featured in Roy Schneider's excellent book, Cadillacs of the Forties [photo below, thanks to Roy]; it was acquired last year (2002) by a young enthusiast in Mexico who hopes to restore it back to perfection.

This car has survived and is currently (2003) in Mexico; the
condition is "very poor" but the owner hopes to fully restore it

Autrey, Gene (4)
[screen and singing star]

1974 Cadillac station wagon

This car was reportedly sold at a Kruse auction in Auburn, IN, in August 2000 (lot #1476), with all supporting documentation. It had a leather interior, a sunroof, wire wheels and all possible power options. The car sold for a reported $4,900

Bahawalpur, Maharajah of
[former Ruler of an Indian State during British occupancy of India ]

1939 Cadillac Series 60 Special

Ball, Lucille
[Renowned comedienne]

1955 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
[corrected from 1956 by enthusiast, Terry Wenger]

 

Bananarama
[French British pop group]¹

        1962 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
You can tell the model year from the half-moon light housing at
each end of the front bumper, below the dual headlights.

Bananarama: Formed 1981, London, England. The most successful British girl-group
in pop history. Drawing equal inspiration for their name from the children's television
program The Banana Splits and the Roxy Music song Pyjamarama"
the trio comprised lifelong friends Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin
along with Siobhan Fahey, whom Dallin befriended at the London College of
Fashion (excerpt from AMG Records artist biography)

¹ Correction by Randall J. Knox is hereby  gratefully acknowledged

 

Baudouin, King of Belgium (1)

1946 Series 62 convertible

  
This snapshot was taken just in front of the Belgian Royal Palace,
on the day the King returned from a trip to Switzerland
King Baudouin is riding in the rear [blow-up]
[ Photo from the early fifties ]

Baudouin, King of Belgium (2)

1951 Series 62 convertible

There are conflicting stories as to which of two cars photographed in this section were owned by the Belgian royal family. The top two photos were taken by me at an international Cadillac meet in Volketswil, Switzerland in August 1985; this car was a regular participant in these international meets; it has a tan interior and carries in a frame above the front (Belgian) license tag a photo showing the Belgian King riding in such a car. The last photo in this section shows a 1951 Cadillac convertible licensed in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a neighbor of Belgium; that car was offered for sale on a French auction site in 2000; it was said to have been a gift of the USA to King Baudouin on the occasion of his coronation, in 1951; it has a red interior.  Late Extra [May, 2004]: Enthusiast Jean-Marie Herman from Belgium informed me that the photos I took in Switzerland are of the authentic, Royal car.  The other has been  mis-represented by its owner. The genuine car is licensed "U0024" and belongs to Jean-Marie's brother, Bauduin Herman.  It came from the Belgian Royal Court and was used at the coronation of King Baudouin, in 1951. It was licensed originally to the Belgian Ministry of Defense. There have been several newspaper stories showing the car [some are shown below] and it is featured also in movies about Belgium's Royal Family.  The car is still in Belgium and is used regularly by Jean-Marie's brother.

I wonder if this is the car to which this excerpt from TIME magazine refers: King Baudouin walked out as stiffly as he had come in,
and climbed into a waiting Cadillac. As the royal car rolled through the capital's prosperous streets, cannon boomed and church bells rang out.

 

    


[ Photos (above 2 rows):  © 1985, Yann Saunders ]

   
The B&W photo (left) is mounted in a frame, above the car's official, Belgian license tag;
it shows King Baudouin [inset, right] parading in company with a few other State officials
[ I believe this is the same photo as shown two rows down, right ]

Jean-Marie Herman's sister-in-law enjoys a "royal ride"
[ Photo: © Bauduin Herman ]

   
Above two rows:  Joyeuses entrées (joyful parades) in the Belgian cities of Charleroi,
Liege,  Namur and Ghent, in June 1952,  and an official visit to Hasselt in 1953

   
Above two rows: The Belgian King reviewing the troops in Brussels
in 1951 (top row)  and 1954 (lower row)

Thanks to brothers Jean-Marie and Bauduin Herman of  Charleroi, Belgium,
for sharing with Cadillac Database© users these (and the additional photos, above)
of Cadillacs owned and operated in the fifties by the Belgian Royal household

According to the Herman brothers, this car, licensed in Luxembourg,
is wrongly claimed to be the royal Belgian car
[ Photo :  courtesy V8 Magazine ]

 

Baudouin, King of Belgium (3)

1955 custom Bubble-Top parade car

On the occasion of his wedding to Fabiola Mora y Aragón, on December 15, 1960,
the Royal couple rode through the streets of Brussels in this specially built parade car

This excerpt from TIME magazine mentions the special automobile:  For the Catholic ceremony, King and Queen rode
in a bubbletop Cadillac through the cheering streets to the 13th century Gothic church of St. Gudule.

       
[Left] Still from Belgian TV video clip of royal wedding, December, 1960
[Center] Image © 2003and courtesy Jocelyn Lecocq
[Right] Press photo courtesy Jocelyn Lecocq

Barker, "Ma"
[prohibition era "gangstress"]

Series 370 V12 limousine

[ no image ]

Bean, L.L.
[footwear and sporting
goods manufacturer]

1942 Fleetwood limousine
[seen on History Channel, 10/22/2003]

Bechet, Sidney
[jazz musician -  clarinet and soprano saxophone]

1950s pink Cadillac convertible

I have it from a reliable source (the mother of a friend who actually saw him in the car) that Sidney was in Juan-les-Pins, France, for the Jazz festival around 1947-50, parading around in a pink Cadillac convertible. It is a known fact that Bechet spent much of the latter part of his life in France.  Many of his compositions are inspired by his love for that country, including Petite Fleur, Rue des Champs Elysées, and Si tu vois ma mere.  
Now all I need is confirmation (and a photo) from a jazz enthusiast and car buff !

    [ match the star to the car... image is missing ]

Bennett, Constance
[screen star]

Series 452 V16 roadster,
Fleetwood style #4302
with custom dove [???]
hood ornament

Berry, Chuck
[R 'n B star]

The star is reported to have owned these 1957 and 1964 Eldorado models;
the '64 was offered for sale on the Internet in 2000

BAELS, Lilian
aka Princess de Réthy
[2nd wife of King Leopold III of Belgium]

Just six years after the accidental death, in Switzerland,  of his first wife, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III of Belgium married secretly (and morganatically) his sweetheart, Lilian Baels on September 11, 1941.   She was born in Highbury, London, on November 28, 1916.  She died on June 7, 2002.

Not being of noble birth, the King's new wife could not be known as "Queen" Lilian; nevertheless, 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 Rethy is reported to have owned this stately 1961, "Series 75" limousine.

Blood, Sweat and Tears
[U.S. pop group]

Customized 70's Cadillac

Boston, the Archbishop of
[Religious leader]

Offered for sale at a Kruse auction in Auburn, IN, on August 2000, this Fleetwood style 7519X was reported to have been owned by the reverend Archbishop of Boston [the Kruse catalog suggested the car was owned by a guy called "Arch Bishop", from Boston!].  It was bid up to $20,000 but did not find a buyer at that venue.  A subsequent ad on the Internet read as follows: 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 7519X limo. Black exterior with original unrestored tan fabric upholstery, interior wood is in excellent condition, paint has mirror finish and engine compartment is nicely detailed.  1949 was the first year for Cadillac's all new overhead valve V-8 engine. This engine runs incredibly smooth and quiet. The car features Hydra-Matic transmission, power front seat & windows, original radio, rare factory ordered stainless steel running boards, WWW tires, no divider window, footrests & storage cabinet behind driver seat [like my own 1942 style 7519F].  Odometer shows 57K miles believed to be actual. Formally [presumably the writer meant "formerly"?] owned by the Archbishop of Boston [just so you know the car has been blessed]. Car looks, runs and drives excellent.  All power options work, chrome & stainless trim in excellent condition.  Your chance to own a rare & historically significant [???] 40's era American automobile.  Offered @ $22,500.   Phone: 305-883-7774 Email: sales@bumpertobumperinc.com

 

   
Looking at the plain design of the rear door panel, this car appears to have the  livery trim,
a less luxurious finish than found, for example, on my own 1942 Series 75, style 7519-F formal sedan;
this car, like mine, has the rare, curved division glass and partition between front and rear compartments

Bow, Clara
[screen star]

1927 La Salle roadster (left) and 1928 Cadillac 7-pass. limousine (right)

   
Photos: Al G. Waddell collection (left), John Conde collection (right)

Boyd, William (1)
[aka Hopalong Cassidy,
"Western"screen star]

1930 Cadillac V8 all-weather phaeton. 
He later had a similar car
built on the V-16 chassis.

Boyd, William (2)

1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

This car is featured in the CLC's Self Starter magazine for February 2001.  The car  was apparently sent back to Detroit, to the Cadillac Styling Studio, where they restyled it especially for the singing   cowboy movie star.   It was outfitted with a unique horse and rider hood ornament, had  Hopalong script affixed to the doors and extra chrome rib strips down the trunk lid; the interior was redone in a horse hide motif; it had also a second windshield behind the front seat.

   
[ Photos:  Courtesy Self Starter magazine ]

Brabham, Jack
[British auto racing champion]

This 1982 Fleetwood coupe is attributed to the British champ;
it was advertised
for sale on e-Bay in 2000

 

Brezhnev, Leonid
[former Soviet Supreme leader]

1972 Eldorado [black]

It is reported that he got such a car as a gift from President Richard M. Nixon.   Dave Smith, CLC member from Hartford, CT, reports : The Maurice Hendry book shows a stock B&W photo of a 1972 Eldorado Hardtop that says a similar "all black" car was given to Brezhnev by Nixon as a gift - on the occasion of a summit talk - because he [Brezhnev] was known to be a car enthusiast. Other than that, I have not seen any other documentation on the Eldorado gift ... The Nixon Presidential Library should have info if not photographs of this car. They had info on a 73 Lincoln gift to Brezhnev.

The (true) story goes that during or after the summit Brezhnev took Nixon for a 3-hour ride in the Caddy around Moscow streets and in the surrrounding countryside - minus security guards! Later, unfortunately, it was found that Russia (then the USSR) did not have the kind of high grade gasoline the Eldo used and a regular supply had to be flown in.

[ Not THIS car, but presumably one much like it ]

Bush, Barbara
[former American First Lady]

Whether this Cadillac was her own or just placed at the disposal of the White House residents is anybody's guess. Cadillac aficionado, Paul Freda, got the following information from a reliable White House source and was kind enough to pass it on. His contact there said: The White House never supplied any President or 1st Lady with any kind of  car. As far as her owning a car herself, I seriously doubt it. I recall she and I discussing her having to get a driver's license after her husband was out of office. I suggested she not give it a lot of thought since she would continue to be seated in the back seat of a USSS vehicle as long as she desired.
Should I remove Ms. Bush from the list ? Nah, she's a nice lady.

 

Admiral Byrd (1)
Danish explorer of the South Pole

1926 Series 314 touring car

 

[ Photo:  Self Starter magazine of the CLC ]

Admiral Byrd (2)
Danish explorer of the South Pole

Town car conversion of a 1934 Cadillac V-16 limousine. This car has the same engine number as a V-16 once owned by a Mr. R.E. Byrd of Boston, MA  whom I suspect to be related to Admiral Byrd, the South Pole explorer. The "Danish" car has been for many years in the collection of Count J.O. Raben, in Nysted, Denmark.  In 1977, I got from his secretary the car's engine number (# 5100030), which was reported on another V-16 in 1963.  The absence of a vent pane in the rear door window suggests that the conversion was from a standard Fleetwood style #5875 limousine rather than from the formal style #5875-FL that had a leather roof and blank rear quarters.
[ More on this car is to be found in the roster of survivors of the 1934-37 V-16 production ]

 

[ missing image(s) ]

[Mr. Cage's car was shown in the Autumn 2003 issue of
La Cad, magazine of the Australian CLC]

Cage, Nicholas
[screen star]

1959 Cadillac
Series 62 convertible

Cagney, James
[screen tough guy]

1931 Cadillac
V-12, special phaeton

This car currently is part of the Keyaerts Cadillac Museum collection in Langeais, Touraine, France. It is reported to have been once the property of the American film star

   
[  Photos:  Keyaerts Museum collection ]

[This is not Mr. Campbell's car but one very similar to it]

Campbell, Glen
[singer]

He subsequently lost the car to his wife in a divorce settlement.

Cantor, Eddie
[singer]

He owned this 1940 Series 90 V16 Town Car, Fleetwood style 9053; it is one of only two units built that year
(interestingly, both cars have survived; both  were once owned by singer, Neil Young)

   
The car on the left is the former Cantor car; it is body #1 of only 2 units built that year
the photo on the right could be either the same car, or possibly the second unit (body #2)

Capone, Al   (1)
[gangster]      

The legendary gangster reportedly had this armored 1928 town sedan built as a getaway car.   In 1933 it was acquired by a showman in England and exported to that country.   Later, it returned to the North American continent and in June 1963 [Esquire magazine] was reported on display at the Antique Auto Museum, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  The color PC (below) is from that museum.  Late extra [12/2005]: The Capone car was offered for sale at auction in November, 2005, by RM auctions of Chicago. The catalog description reads: This 1928 Cadillac customized for the Chicago gangster Al Capone is designed to be bullet-proof, with windows more than an inch thick. It includes a smoke-screen device and the back window folds down to facilitate the use of firearms. The car is painted in the same color scheme as Chicago police cars of the time and it's equipped with a siren and flashing police lights. The car was seized by the U.S. Treasury Department and is said to have been used by President Franklin Roosevelt for a short time. It's value is estimated from $250,000 to $500,000. The auction will be held in Phoenix, AZ,  Jan. 2006

 

 

       
Right: Actor Ben Gazarra poses with the Capone car
[ note the absence of sidemounts on the LH image, and probably the center one too ]

       
[ Photo (center and far right): RM Auctions, Chicago ]

Capone, Al  (2)
[gangster]

    1930 Cadillac  Series 452 V16 sedan

Among the many Cadillacs owned by the legendary (notorious?) Chicago mobster was this one, designed to
assist in escaping pursuit and, if caught, to withstand a siege [photos:  Imperial Palace Museum, Las Vegas]

This description of the car is from Chris Carlisle and the Imperial Palace collection (thanks to CLC member, Vince Taliano):

Since a frequent method of settling disputes in the Roaring 1920’s was to blow up a rival’s car or rake it with machine gun fire, Al Capone had a 1930 V-16 Cadillac built for reportedly $30,000 to his specifications with unique “safety features” such as:

* Top speed of 120 MPH [hard to believe] thanks to a 452 cubic inch motor and a 16 cylinder high compression valve in head engine
* Bulletproof glass in the windshield and side windows
* Quarter-inch armor plate lining the driver’s compartment
* Three-inch portholes in the side windows one inch from the bottom of the glass. Occupants could stick their Thompson sub-machine guns
    through the handy holes and spray the area around the car.
* A tube through the floorboard for dropping one-inch roofing nails into the path of lawmen or rival gangsters in hot pursuit.
* A pressure can and tubing to introduce oil to exhaust system to create a smoke screen.

After Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sent to prison, his Cadillac soon fell into disrepair. It was totally forgotten. It was eventually brought back to life in the early sixties by a gentleman by the name of Mr. Paul R. Eakins, who passed away in 1990. He had rebuilt it from top to bottom bringing back its history and original form as the crime czar Al Capone once had it. Morris “Red” Rudensky, Al Capone's cellmate at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1932, authenticated the car in 1975.

Mr. Eakins toured the country in shows with the car and people were awestruck at the bulletproof capabilities of this beautiful machine. Eventually he sold the car in 1982 to the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. The car remained on display until 1998 when Mr. Sid Craig purchased the vehicle. The car remains one of the most famous Cadillacs ever produced.

 

    
Fleetwood style #4375 imperial limousine

Capone, Al (3)
[gangster]

Reported to have been owned originally by Al Capone, this 1929 Cadillac limousine still had visible signs of
2 bullet hole repairs on the passenger side rear door.  Reported to once have had a V-16 engine [although
this is NOT a V-16 body style], today it is powered by a 350 Chevrolet engine, with an automatic transmission.
When the V-16 needed rebuilding the cost proved prohibitive, and it was replaced with the V-8. Paramount
pictures owned this car and it starred in several movies including The Godfather and The Untouchables.
It was sold to the Highland Classic Limousine Service in Raleigh where it still does duty on special occasions

 

Capone, Al  (4)
[gangster]

1932 Cadillac limousine

This poor photo is from an auction catalog
[ caption said the car belonged to Al Capone ! ]

 

Capone, Al  (5)
[gangster]

1942 Cadillac limousine

     [ image missing ? ]

This car was offered for sale at auction by one of the major U.S. automobile auctioneers
in the eighties; it was advertised as a car once owned by the notorious mobster

 

Capone, Al (6)
[gangster]

Scarface also owned this
1940 Series 90 V16, style 9033-F Formal Sedan by Fleetwood;
only five units were built that year

Carrillo, Santiago
[ Spanish communist party leader ]

Armored 1948 Cadillac Series 75 limousine

This car was given to Sr. Carrillo as a gift by Nicolae Ceaucescu,  then leader of the Romanian communist party and later Premier of his country. This is the car used by Carrillo to greet his guests (the Italian, Berlinguer and the Frenchman, Marchais), at the party's summit meeting in Madrid in 1977 - the car was then 30 years old !

Carter, Jimmy
[Former US President]

Stretched limousine

Cartier¹
[renowned watches and jewelry]

This 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, and the Cadillac Jacqueline² "pushmobile"
by Pininfarina are (were?) owned by Alain Perrin, CEO of the renowned French company;
however, I have heard that Mr. Perrin recently (2002?) sold the bulk of his car collection
that included many models other than the Cadillac (including several Ferraris)

¹ The Cartier family had a summer home on Lake Geneva, in Switzerland, adjacent to the private beach reserved for U.N. officials and their families. As teenagers, because Dad worked for the U.N. at the time, my older brother and I used to swim in the Cartier "back yard", so to speak; that's how we got to know the Cartier children who were then just fun-loving teenagers like ourselves.

²    You can read more about Jacqueline on this page; quite a story !

 

Jacqueline, initially an engineless show car or "pushmobile", is reported
to have got  in 1966 the chassis and drive-train of a 1960 Eldorado Biarritz with a 1959 motor,
fitted by Frank Tetro of Harbor Auto Restorations, Pompano Beach, FL

Cash, Johnny [1]
[ Country-western singer ]

1949-73 Cadillac "Coupe Sedan de Ville"

This is a creation by Bill Patch, later gifted to Johnny Cash. One day Bill was in his office, listening to Johnny Cash’s recording of “One Piece At A Time,” that tells the story of a modest GM auto worker who, over many years, stole various Cadillac parts until he had enough   of them to be able to build a complete car.  Trouble is, the result was a mish-mash composite of many models, ranging from 1949 up to 1973.

 

   
Based on the Johnny Cash single, One Piece at a Time, these images
depict the imaginary Cadillac the singer builds from stolen parts

Cash, Johnny [2]
[ Country-western singer ]

1976 Fleetwood Brougham

The car was for sale on e-Bay in February,  2002 together with a title document in the former owner's name; the singer is reported

Castro, Fidel
[ Cuban leader ]

1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

In early summer, 1972, the Cuban premier was a guest of honor of the Nicolae Ceaucescu, Romania's then Communist party leader,  during Castro's grand tour of  nine socialist nations of Eastern Europe and Africa.
Is it not strange to see these two hardened communists parading in the world's best known symbol of capitalism: the Cadillac !  This car may have been a gift from the USA to Romania's then President Chivu Stoica.

Ceausescu, Nicolae
[former Romanian Premier]

1949 (?) Cadillac
Series 75 limousine

Everyone will remember the tragic
end, in the late eighties, to this
Eastern European dictator's iron
rule.  His wife too unfortunately
had to face the firing squad.

Charles, Ezzard Mark
Boxing heavyweight chamnpion
[ 1921-1975 ]

1950s Cadillac
Series 60 Special

Ezzard was known as the "Cincinnati Cobra". Out of 122 fights, and although he lost 22 of them, he won 58 by a knock-out, defeating such boxing  greats as Archie Moore, Charley Burley and Joe Louis.  He narrowly missed beating Rocky Marciano, twice.

Beside the champ is his daughter, Doborah,
"driving" a pint-sized replica of Dad's Caddy
[ Photo:  United Press ]

Chiang Kai Sheik [spelling?] [1]
(General, former military leader of Taiwan)

1955 Series 75  limousine
Photo supplied kindly by Irwin Kho,
a Database visitor from the Philippines.
The car is on display in a Taiwanese museum.

Chiang Kai Sheik [spelling?] [2]
(General, former military leader of Taiwan)

1972 Series 75  limousine
Photo supplied kindly by Irwin Kho,
a Database visitor from the Philippines.
The car is on display in a Taiwanese museum.

Christian X, King of Denmark (1)
Custom 1930 Cadillac,  Series 355

The company F. Bülow & Co, ApS, was founded on 1.30.1880 in Varde, Jutland, Denmark. In 1922 the company delivered the first of many automobiles
to the royal Danish court. Among these was a custom-built Cadillac semi-enclosed car of 1930 vintage  (a sedan or limousine), the roof of which was raised
to enable the then King of Denmark, Christian X, to wear a top hat inside the car. The coach-builder is believed to have been Danske Karrosserie.

[ Photo: Internet, courtesy F. Bülow & Co, ApS]

 

Christian X, King of Denmark (2)
1933 Cadillac V-8,  Series 355-C

The late Roy Warshawsky, CEO of  J.C. Whitney, Inc., once owned this 1933 V-16 tourer with custom body by the danish Coach-Builder
Dansk Karrosserifabrik; it had  belonged previously to the King of Denmark.  The car was sold at auction by Christies in August 2001.

[ Photo: © Simon Clay, courtesy Christie's auction house catalog ]

 

Christophe [1]
[French pop star]

1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Daniel Bevilacqua,  better known as French pop star "Christophe" made only one hit record in the early sixties called Aline, yet he has retained his popularity in France and appears occasionally on TV.  He owns also a 1958 Cadillac convertible and is sometimes seen  with his cars at meets of the American Car Club de France.

 

Christophe [2]
[French pop star]

1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Clay, Cassius
[ aka Mohammed Ali ]
[World heavyweight boxing champion]

1965 De Ville convertible

On August 13, 1967, while serving as Grand Marshal of the Summer Festival parade in LA, the famous boxer (arm raised) rode on the parade boot of  this car

Clinton, William Jefferson
[former U.S. President]

1999 White House limousine

   
The presidential limousine of the Clinton administration

Clinton, Hillary Rodham
[former U.S. First Lady]

This 1995 Fleetwood limousine was reportedly used by the wife of the former U.S. President

Cohen, Mickey
[ mobster  ]

This heavy, armored 1950 Cadillac was commissioned from Coachcraft of Hollywood;
the car was confiscated by the police before Mickey ever got to use it. Based on a 1950 Series
60S V8 Cadillac, this exhibit has special body treatment by Rudy Stoessel of Coachcraft, Los Angeles,
providing a bomb-proof floor, armour-plated doors, 40 mm thick bullet-proof windows and a special
hinged windscreen designed for inside firing. It was owned by Mickey Cohen, a gangster who worked for
Al Capone and Lucky Luciano. The car was confiscated by the Los Angeles police, and in 1961 Cohen
was sentenced to 15 years for the largest tax evasion in American history. The car has survived and is
currently [2007] on dispaly at Southward Car Museum, in Wellington, New Zealand
[this info from Cadillac enthusiast, Michael Riley]

   
The 1950 armored 60 Special by Coachcraft

    
I caught a glimpse of this 1953 Cadillac grille while zapping around the TV channels; I believe the are from a movie
about Mickey Cohen, starring Russel Crowe and Danny DeVito [somebody correct me if I am wrong]; I seem to recall
that these two movie stills were sent to me in 2000 or 2001 by Database user Irwin Kho of the Philippines.

Cooley, "Spade"
[Western "Swing" bandleader]

1954 Cadillac Eldorado

   
Images:  http://www.allcads.com/cars.html

Coltrane, Robbie
[Scots comedian and movie star]

1951 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Comedian Coltrane, like the compiler of this Database, is a
Scots member of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.  Among the fine Cadillac cars in his collection is this 1951 convertible in which he toured the USA in the late eighties.  A British TV crew followed him.  The result was