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Finned Boat: 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

How could you say no to fins like these? At $61,000 and reserve not met, many of us will have to. I have loved these cars as long as I can remember and they have been valuable just as long. An American icon, the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado is known for its radical styling and most of all its enormous fins. While some folks can’t help but see their grandma when they look at it, others can’t see anything but pulling up to the cabaret in style. The black and white color combination really helps this Cadillac achieve a subtle but luxurious look. Find it here on eBay in New Jersey. 

Interiors of today have lost the flash and style of the past. While some may argue that the market for colorful interiors is gone, others might say that we wouldn’t know because they are so few and far between nowadays. This blue is classy and not too flashy, which goes with the cool and stylish look of this car. The interior is original and based on the condition, the seller thinks that the 35,972 miles on the odometer is original and I am inclined to agree.

The engine is a 390 cubic inch V8, which is what this car would have had from the factory. Unfortunately, this is not the original engine and there is no mention of what happened to the original. The car runs and drives smoothly and properly with this engine after being in storage since 1978. The seller purchased this car from the original owner, so perhaps there is a known story about the disappearance of the original engine?

This Cadillac was repainted in 1967 while in the care of the original owner, and the put away in dry storage in 1978. It has had some work done including new exhaust, but will need some yet. The driver’s door glass is cracked, the A/C does not work, and the radio does not work but there is nothing major that this car needs. The seller thinks it could be a good restoration candidate as the paint is nice but showing its age, I think this car is nice enough as it is. Far from a show car, this Eldorado is in great driver condition and could easily be enjoyed in its present state.

Comments

  1. Avatar Elrod

    Car is priced in range for a #4 according to Hagerty. Looks like there is plenty to do on this fixer upper. Not having the original engine will limit its future value potential, but this would really make sweet cruise night car providing your garage is long enough.. After winning the fin wars in 59, these cars have sky rocketed in value.

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  2. Avatar Elrod

    Car is priced inn range for a #4 vehicle according to Hagerty. After winning the fin wars in 59, these cars have skyrocketed over the years. Not having the original engine will limit its future potential value if that matters to you. It would be a great cruise night car assuming you had a long enough garage!

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  3. Avatar Mark S

    As Jay Leno would put it, very nice very nice. What a fantastic old beast I wouldn’t change a thing. But I would get the a/c working and get the radio repaired or replaced by a vintage looking replica ( if such a thing exists) even though that blue interior is very nice and needs to stay in there can you imagine this same car with a red leather interior, it would be killer.JMHO.

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    • Avatar Nick Sach

      I think you can find OEM radio for Cadillacs and red interior on a black Cadillac is awesome.

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  4. Avatar redwagon

    white on black looks killer on this body style. i have seen plenty of red and i’m getting a little tired of it. white on black is awesome.

    blue interior? you’re kidding me right? was this even an option? no way this looks good – not possible. and then i get to looking at all the photos. yes, this works. a color combo i never would have thought about white/black w a blue interior is a solid choice.

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    • Avatar ACZ

      Nothing beats black with a lot of chrome.

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  5. Avatar Mountainwoodie

    Crazy what this car will bring..not too long ago…….uummmm…….thirty years ago……..picked them up for a song and no one wanted them. I had a ’60 at the time………….

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  6. Avatar Ed P

    If you want to cruise hiways, this is the car for you. Quiet, smooth, and powerful were the point of their existence.

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  7. Avatar Fred W.

    Better have an oversized garage, as this won’t fit in anything but the most modern one. 35K miles and already on the second engine does not add up.

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    • Avatar Doug Potts

      Back then most cars were considered worn out at 60-70,000 miles and usually needed rebuilding by that point.

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  8. Avatar Dolphin Member

    Love the extravagance of these ’59s. The hood and rear deck account for maybe 60% of the length of the vehicle. The emphasis is way more on over-the-top style rather than utility.

    I drove one of these once back in the day. It was the smoothest, quietest, softest car I have ever been in, before or since. It was like riding on a sofa that was drifting along on a cloud. The idea of stiff springs and shocks in this car is totally opposite to its reason for being.

    I would own one just for the style—and those outrageous fins. When you’re in the car they seem to stick out so far that you better not back up or you might impale someone or something.

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  9. Avatar Miguel

    The seller posted this on the Ebay ad

    I HAVE CORRECT TRANSMISSION KICK DOWN ROD AND
    CARBURETOR LINKAGE ROD FOR THE TRI POWER

    I take that to mean at one time the car did have the tri-power set up.

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  10. Avatar RoselandPete

    Seems to have had a rough life for 35k miles. Love those 59’s though.

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  11. Avatar Steve

    All the Eldorado’s came with tri-power in 1959 as standard equipment. You can spot a tri-power engine (especially when optioned in a Deville) by the chrome “V” overlaying the reverse lights in the rear. On this car, it appears the tri-power set-up was not installed on the replacement 390, suggesting that the replacement engine could have been a used one from a Deville – not a tri-power crate replacement. Similarly, all Eldorado’s came with air ride as standard equipment. The air ride compressor and collection tank is no longer under the hood. This means the suspension has been converted to springs, which always compromises the ride. With a top bid of $61,000 and the reserve not met, the owner had a much greater expectation than the market will support with so many questionable conditions. Watch for it to be re-listed…

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    • Avatar Kristian Gustafsson

      That’s not true. My Sedan Deville has a matching number Q-engine (six pack Eldorado engine) with no V on the reverse light. It has the standard look in the back of the car

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  12. Avatar Wayne Thorpe

    In 1966, when I was at the ripe old age of 11 years old, my father taught me how to drive using his 1959 Caddy Model 62 coupe. He traded it in for a 1969 Plymouth Fury 3. Practically had to beg the dealer to give him as much for the Caddy as the sales tax was going to cost. But I will always remember that Caddy. Sunday afternoons, sunglasses, and baseball cap. Off we’d go for an hour or two. Great memories.

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  13. Avatar Tyler

    Auction ended early, he must have gotten an offer he couldn’t refuse…

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  14. Avatar LAB3

    Scrolled past the picture a couple of times and the word “garish” kept popping into my head. That’s not a word I’ve ever recalled using so just to be sure I looked it up. This pretty much has me convinced I’ve climbed the mountain high enough to have slapped the Yak and thereby tapped into the akashic records!

    Like 0

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