If you departed a Cadillac dealer with a new Eldorado Biarritz convertible in 1957, you left more than $7,500 behind. That’s the equivalent of $85,000 today. It was a special car built in small numbers along with a hardtop counterpart branded as the Eldorado Seville. The seller has a ’57 drop-top that once wore a desirable shade of Glade Green. It will need a complete restoration but will be worth big bucks in the end. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this rare classic is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $30,000 (down from $35,000). Thanks, Moparman, for the tip!
The tail-end of the redesigned 1957-58 Eldorados was unique to the models and resulted in inboard fins with points. The lower portions of the rear quarter panels were applied with stainless steel panels. 1,800 copies of the convertible were built in 1957, with another 815 in 1958 (an economic recession year may have affected demand).
Under the hood of these beasts resided a 365 cubic inch V8, and all of them came with dual 4-barrel carburetors. That kind of power was needed to enable the 5,000-lb. machines to get out of their own way. Sadly, the setup in the seller’s ’57 Caddy is not numbers-matching and is down to one carburetor. The seller doesn’t say a lot about the car, choosing to let a broad selection of photos do the job.
This once-stately car is going to need a $100k restoration, so buying it as-is will not be for the faint-hearted. The seller is a collector of these machines, and he says he has several others from 1957-58, with this one being the least costly to acquire. Are you up for the challenge?
Had a customer with one of these. Huge car. I’m 5.6 and when I got into the trunk to do some work I laid front to back and neither head nor feet touched anything.
It aint nothing but a hound dog.
Those pictures are so sad that I didn’t even want to look at them or read the comments.To allow a Cadillac, especially a rag top, to sink into near oblivion should be a prison term offence!! Back in about 1977 I bought a 1946 Caddy Series 62 from an auction house, drove it home, replaced the right rear spring shackle bushes, and loved every minute of ownership until I swapped it for a 1953 Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc single with a sidecar, worst deal I ever made! The only American car that I subsequently owned that was even better than the Caddy was a 1951 Buick Super, and that was in about 1999/2001.
This is the Royal Enfield combination.
@Solo
I knew I liked you!
XXX Birds of a feather!
30k to play. 130k at least to finish. that chrome bill is going to hurt.
What an amazing car, rolling artwork. Sad to see it in this condition. Probably take up upwards of $150k to make it what it should be, $30k to start is a bit heavy with the rot, missing parts and not numbers matching
@Solo
I knew I liked you!
That is not a 365 in the engine bay now. Looks like a 390.
Have the “bots” made their way into the Barn Finds comment section? Nowhere is safe anymore.
I remember coming across one of these years ago in a junkyard on the banks of the Wabash River. I recall marveling at the die casting around the taillights/
bumperettes. I would imagine those two pieces (l & r) would easily add 500 pounds to your 5,000 total.
Love the Sabre wheels! Were those stock or an option?
I have a video of my then 18yo father leaving from RI to drive to Miami in a brand new one of these my granddad had just bought. He let my dad take it as a hs graduation gift. Great car.
Some context for what it would look like restored and what it might sell for:
https://www.motorcarclassics.com/1957-cadillac-eldorado-biarritz-c-1492.htm
Beautiful car but this one won’t ever be that. I’m not a stickler for all original matching numbers but for a classic selling for almost 200 large? The non-OEM motor stands out.
Resto-mod could be a viable approach but the buy in is really high.
In the right hands this could be a diamond!
This is a rare car but, It’s a pile of parts. 30K? Good luck!
Where can I get what this guy is smoking?
Dunno ACZ, but I want some too!
Pile of parts? Definitely. But it all
depends on what you see when
you look at it. Most car folks often see these cars as very high
end restorations. And that’s okay.
But a guy like me, I see it as one hell of a restomod. Now before
you break out the torches and
pitchforks, or burn me at the stake as a wide eyed heretic, hear
me out. When I got into the hobby in the late 1960s, there were already guys and gals putting big American V-8s into
Packards, Cadillacs, LaSalle’s and
Pierce Arrows and Lincolns with
some very astounding results. I
met a guy once who swapped an
Olds Toronado drive train into a
’37 Cord 812 sedan! And lemme
tell Ya’, that thing was slick and
sinister with its black lacquer
paint, dark tinted glass, and wide
oval tires on stock Toronado rims. Even the headlights opened
and closed just like E L Cord intended. (I’m still blushing from
the other day). Albeit with electric
relays as vacuum really sucks. So even if this car gets restomoded, at least it will be enjoyed by the person who builds it. And with all that said, I throw
myself on Her Majesty’s mercy.
@Ken
Speaking of my mercy……… 😅
I have nothing against restomods. In fact I would love to have a 50s or 60s Cadillac with all the 2025 amenities. JUST NO COMPUTERS OR SCREENS!
500 hp engine, updated trans, 4 wheel disc’s, updated headlight dimmer and delay, cruise control, auto climate control, power everything… steering, brakes, top, windows, door locks, 26 way power seat, trunk release, antenna. Maybe even power opening and closing doors. Stereo system of course. Radials. Maybe just maybe a backup camera (1 screen) but that’s it’s. None of this computers and screens everywhere and sensors and cameras watching my every move.
I have no objections to restomods as long as they look like the original car. I know someone is going to say the backup camera screen will not look original. There are ways to intergrate it into the dash so it’s not obvious.
My ’57 Dodge wagon has a backup camera screen that is the entire rear view mirror. Very slick and unobtrusive.
@Darryl T
THAT’S what I’m talking about! 👌
As an aside folks should read the FB reviews on the seller and proceed accordingly.
Thank you your highness. With
this one, I see a tricked out 472 and T 400 auto tranny for power,
4 wheel disc brakes, and the rest
of the car put back to factory condition where possible. With
both parts and good restorable
Cars fading fast, these basket cases are about all that’s left. And while I suspect that there are
worse ones out there, but I haven’t seen one yet. The best
restomod I’ve ever seen was the
’39 Cadillac Town Car that Avon
built to promote it’s line of car shaped after shave decanters when they came out with in ’69.
The driver/exhibitor told me that
the car was built around an old
V-16 Town Car body they found
behind an old gas station. And then they loaded it up with all the
latest and greatest stuff Cadillac
was running at that time. It ran a
472 V-8 mated to a beefed up T
400 tranny with a 12 bolt GM posi
rear out back. The interior was done with the finest in cloth, wood, and leather materials available back then. And man, was it comfy! And how would I know? The driver was charging $5 a person to take a ride in it so
I plunked the money down and did it. Now if you want something with a lot more ponies, they just posted a 400 HP
Checker Marathon just awhile ago. And yes dear, it has those
dippy chrome bumpers you like so much but it doesn’t have the jump seats in the rear compartment though. And all you have to do is make him an offer he can’t refuse. Well Angel,
it’s time for this old man to toddle
off to bed. I gotta be at my store
bright and early. Night Angel 😇
💋. Good night folks.!