I don’t think that there is a much sadder sight than to see a once elegant and luxurious car being left to languish in the great outdoors. Unfortunately, that is the fate that has befallen this 1957 Eldorado. Listed for sale here on eBay, it is located in Houstonia, Missouri. The car comes with a salvage title and while the seller has set the starting bid at $1,250 there have been no bids as yet.
The one thing that I will say is that the seller seems to be something of a fan of Cadillacs of this era as I’ve been able to spot at least another two hiding in the undergrowth. When I look at this car the first thought that pops into my head is that this is destined to be a parts car. If it does finish up being a donor then there are certainly some pretty decent parts on it, but let’s not think of it that way just yet, and see if it really could be a viable project.
By and large, the body appears to be quite straight. There is a pretty sizeable dent in the trunk lid, but the seller has another one to go with the car. Quite a bit of the original trim and badges appear to be intact although the rear bumper is probably beyond saving. The front bumper and grille look like they would restore quite nicely. Most of the original and quite expensive tinted glass is intact and seems to be in good condition, although the front window on the passenger side is broken.
This is where the rot sets in, both figuratively and literally. The floors look pretty bad, and given the fact that the car doesn’t have any rear wheels then I think that it would be safe to assume that the rear frame has either been sitting on the ground (or close to it) for quite a while now. That probably puts paid to any structural integrity back there.
The interior of this Cadillac is pretty trashed. The headliner is shredded and the door trims are pretty well toasted. The wheel is badly cracked, as is the dash pad. The actual dash hardware such as trim, instruments, switches, and radio all look to be intact so maybe there’s something to be salvaged after all.
Under the hood is the 365ci V8 backed by the 4-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. The seller seems to think that this engine may be able to be revived, and I’ve honestly heard of sillier things happening. If the engine and transmission can be revived without too much work then that has to be a real plus. Judging by the state of the car and the environment that it’s sitting in, you can guarantee that every rubber component in the car from hoses to suspension bushes will have severely perished, so the wallet cops still more abuse.
I try to be an optimist but with this Cadillac, I just have to be a realist. When you start adding up the money that will need to be spent on the body, the interior and the mechanical components the ledger is stuck firmly in the red. There are enough viable trim, glass and minor components to justify the opening bid for someone considering parting it out. If the engine and transmission can be revived then you might even make a few dollars. Unfortunately, I think that this will be the fate of this old Cadillac.
Resto-rod this grand coupe.
I don’t care how much of your money it takes!!!
key words “your money” 😉
I’m not sure it’s an Eldorado. I think the rear end treatment would have been different. Looks like a standard Coupe DeVille to me.
I totally agree w you……its not an eldorado as the fins are reverse of the coupe de ville…..yu r right…i spotted that right away….
Additionally, both the Eldorado and the Seville have name call outs on the rear deck lid, above the “V”, where this one simply says “Cadillac”
Man, look at the size of that A/C compressor! I thought it was a Paxton supercharger at first glance.
We had a friend of the family ( an old retired truck driver) that had a ’57 Caddy 4 door. When they sold their home in the Roseland area of Chicago and decided to move north. They sold off most of their possessions, loaded up a trailer and hitched it to the back of the Caddy. ( this was 1973) “Where we going Pa? Don’t know Ma. We will just drive until the Caddy breaks. And that’s where we are going to live” The left front wheel bearing gave out in Winter Wisconsin. They found a furnished house for sale. And that is where they spent the rest of their days. Once repaired the Caddy outlasted both of them. However the steering had TONs of play.
It’s a 57 Deville it’s not an Eldorado For that year it was a brome 4door And a stainless steel top A vanity for women in the rear and a lipstick holder Mink rugs factory Eldorado for 1957 1958 PS sorry to be a know-it-all
Not an Eldorado!!! Its a coupe de ville w forward facing fins unlike the rear facing fins of the Eldorado…..
All Eldorado’s of this year had the low rounded rear end.
This is a 62 series coupe or a De Ville.
It hurts my heart to see such an elegant car in this condition.
Definitely not an Eldorado.
Not an Eldorado, either a Coupe DeVille or a Series 62. The Eldorado has different fins.
Coupe de Ville. I drove my ‘57 to college and back for four years. Bought it for $125 and sold it four years later for $285. It had five cigarette lighters and you could fly paper airplanes in the defroster air stream. The front bumper was like a locomotive cow catcher and the bottom had 1/4” armor plate. What a quality ride. I miss it.
Move the decimal point over two numbers to the left, and start bargaining from there.
Sadillac
How much would the costumer pay me to haul it away?
Its a 57 Deville and the rear facing fins were the 58 models guys and gals.
There was a 57 Seville for quite a few years behind a business near my job here in Jersey. Rotting away, but not as far gone as this DEVEILLE is. Many people inquired about it, all to be run off. Eventually I heard the guy who owned it went through a divorce and had to get rid of the car. It popped up a couple months later up the street in the back lot of a gas station/repair shop. Apparently a title could not be found for the car. Eventually the Seville disappeared from the repair shop’s lot. I asked about it one day and was told it was scrapped.
not a eld