By age 85, many celebrities have dropped out of the public eye and lost some of the spark they once brought to the spotlight. However, Frankie Avalon seems to reinvent himself every few years and stay relevant. Whether it was in the recording studios during the fifties, on the beach-movie set in the sixties, or appearing in Grease the next decade, Frankie certainly succeeded in keeping his name out there, and he’s still actively involved in show business. One lesser-known 30-second short in his career dates back to ’88, when he teamed up with Sonic Hamburgers to produce a TV commercial, which brings us to the relevance of this stretched 1958 Cadillac DeVille here on eBay. We’ll delve into the ties below, but if you’re already getting ideas for this very long Caddy, it’s in Edgewood, New Mexico, and priced at $7,500. We’d like to thank reader Russ Glantz for this very fun tip!
TV viewers back in the late eighties got to first see Frankie Avalon sitting in this 1958 Cadillac as he promoted a new meal-deal for Sonic called the “Brown Bag Special”, and while just under four bucks indeed sounded like a great deal for the amount of food and drink that price got you, what’s most memorable is that the star brought his neighborhood with him in the back of the car to get in the savings.
Unfortunately, that commercial was shot decades ago, and there’s no word on where the Caddy has been since then or how long it’s been out of active service. Gone are both the engine and transmission, so sourcing usable components to get this one moving on its own again will be paramount. The rear end still appears intact, so hopefully it’ll be mechanically sound enough to retain. However, there’s one crevice near the back of the tunnel where the ground is visible, so it’s likely that no driveshaft is included, and having one crafted will perhaps be part of the restoration process.
Probably the best news here is that the seller reports the bodywork remains perfect, and I’m not seeing any serious corrosion or anything on the sheet metal that would lead me to believe that the panels shouldn’t be fairly easy to work with. As far as the roof goes, you’re on your own, so this part might be challenging, unless this one just stays inside except on sunny days.
The midsection of the flooring is no longer present, but the inner section of the body includes steel tubing, and the fact that it didn’t buckle under the weight of Frankie’s friends is a good sign that it’s probably still strong enough to withstand whatever the future holds for this one. Though the $7.5k admission price doesn’t necessarily sound unreasonable, the seller also mentions it’s OBO. However, as of this writing, there’s no option listed to submit a number more to your liking, so it might be worth sending him a message to see if this can be added. How do you envision moving forward with this stretched 1958 Cadillac Coupe DeVille?
What was it, back in the 80s Frankie was being interviewed on a talk show. The TV guy asked, “what’s it like, having eight kids?” Frankie just smiled and said “Fun”. As for “his” car here, for me to want this would be a stretch.
Nice one, Mike, and nice find, Russ G!
Frankie Avalon is also legendary for picking up a 5-7 split in the 10th frame of season 1 episode 21 of Celebrity Bowling. I mean, from what I hear… (kidding, I’m a huge fan of the show, and of bowling, in general)
I thought I remembered seeing this Coupe DeStretch before, but maybe not. It’s a heck of an advertising piece for sure.
I wonder if there is room for a driveshaft. Those center beams look like a static support. Those fenders front and rear suggest just enough lift to offset the folks shown in the car. Maybe the car was never intended to be drivable.
I know its the wrong make and model but it reminds me of the song Love shack. I honestly can’t really think of a use for it.
The commercial is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy1pRcpExBo
And the car remains stationary the whole time.
Most likely this thing never ran (or even had a drivetrain) and was just a prop built for the commercial.
Maybe somebody who owns a Sonic would be interested in this, otherwise not sure what the market is for this.
What a travesty to do this to a 58 Caddy.
“Some assembly required @ purchase”.. A fun “Project” at best. Period correct powertrain components are still available, however as noted the driveshaft will be a challenge, manufacturing it in multiple pieces and insuring its balanced. Unique.. and clearly.. “not everyone has one” with provenance.
If a person wanted to make it drivable, you could use a Oldsmobile Toronado front drive from the sixties. I’m way past taking on such a project but, someone else may do it.