Beschreibung:

The unchallenged icon of its era, the 1959 Cadillac is testament to the mantra of the 1950s: more is better, too much is not enough. The story of the revamped General Motors lineup is well known. A sneak peak at Chrysler's radical 1957 line convinced GM bosses that their planned '59 cars would be left in the dust, so a crash program was instituted for a corporate-wide revamp. All five car lines got new bodies, Cadillac's, with fins more than four feet tall, being the most dramatic. Under the skin, however, changes were much more modest. Cadillac's overhead valve V8, very much the industry trendsetter at its 1949 introduction, had matured very well. A displacement increase to 390 cubic inches and 10.5 to 1 compression resulted in 325 bhp. With three carburetors, the Eldorado engine made 20 more and could be had in other models as an option. As befit a luxury car, Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and power brakes were standard; for convertibles power windows and two-way power seat were included as well. Air suspension, the great hope of 1958, was on the wane and few cars were so-equipped. By the time 1959 was over, however, that unbridled optimism was waning, so for 1960 Cadillac's tall tailfins were trimmed to vestigial little blades. Model year sales for 1959 and 1960 held steady around 142,000, a big increase from the recession year of 1958, but nothing like the levels that the late sixties would bring. But like the 1957 Chevy, whose greater fame came once it entered the collector realm, the 1959 Cadillac is today the much preferred model. Within the 1959 Cadillac population, convertibles are the most sought after. The Oldenburg Family Collection's car has been in the hands of a number of esteemed collectors and collections prior to arriving with them in recent years. For some time it was property of U.S. loan company founder, 'Friendly Bob' Adams, then it became part of the Brumos Collection of Robert F. Snodgrass Jr. An original car that has received light attention to its paintwork in places but never in its entirety, those that have reviewed the car feel that its mid-50,000 miles odometer is likely to be accurate. Understandably, for a 50 year old car that hasn't been re-done, it shows its age, but in our view this doesn't go beyond a 'patina' for the most part. The engine bay is extremely clean, while the interior leather has some creasing as one would expect. As befitting the marque, it was supplied originally and retains a number of factory options including six way power seats and radio with rear speaker, incidentally whitewall tires as it is shod with were also an extra in period. The car is 'on the button' and reported to be driving well, and its top is fully operational and cosmetically is very clean. Indisputably an iconic design, this is an example that has not lost its charm or detail as so easily can happen when a car is restored. Without reserve