The ’59 Cadillacs are best remembered for their huge (and sharp!) tailfins with dual bullet taillights and their “bubble top” rooflines with thin pillars. Love them or not, this was American automobile styling cues taken to extremes. This beauty, a Coupe deVille, looks to be finished in white over Vegas Turquoise (aka teal) with a matching green interior. It can be found in Whittier, California, and is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $36,000 with no reserve in sight. Thanks for the tip, Larry D!
If you had $5,252 in 1959 (equal to $48,585 today), you could have strolled into your Cadillac dealer and bought a new Coupe deVille, options, tax, and tag excluded. It was the most popular body style in the deVille series and Cadillac built nearly 22,000 of these land yachts that year. The deVille was powered by a beefy 390 cubic inch V8 that put out 325 hp. For $135 extra, you could get the Eldorado’s 390 engine using a 3×2-barrel set-up that added 20 hp. There is no indication if that’s how the seller’s car came from the factory. But with its distinctive styling, you’d almost expect the car to take flight out on the interstate.
The seller provides minimal information about this car other than to say it’s all original, runs and drives, and “this is what you want.” It presents well with no obvious flaws in the body, paint, chrome, glass, or interior. It does have factory air conditioning, which was coming into its own in automobiles in the 1960s. But we don’t know if it blows cold enough to run you out of there. The engine compartment is spotless. The indicated mileage is just 500 and the VIN is 123…. (in other words a plug). So, you’re going to have to go by the photos to see if this is a car you just gotta have.
Coupe deVille’s came with the usual Cadillac goodies, such as power windows and two-way power seats, and power steering and brakes. You could also pick things from the options list, including cruise control, air-adjustable suspension, power door locks, automatic headlight dimmer, tinted glass, white walls, radio, and even a power trunk lid. Hagerty says a Coupe deVille in Concours condition can be a $60,000 car. This one might be close.
I love it Russ, keep ’em coming!
It’s a bubble top, it has a lot of character and it’s good looking! It’s a winner IMO.
No belt at the a/c compressor…..bad sign for such a nice unit
AC repair is one of the easiest things to repair, far better than rust or missing body parts!
ONLY if you can get parts and information regarding the system’s operation. Plus, they will be expensive. A failed compressor will require a lot of other parts and can run will over $2000, plus it will have to be R-134a compatible (NOT all systems can be retrofitted) so you will certainly lose some authenticity there. But you are correct, it’s a lot better than rust or missing body parts.
Comfortron can be a nightmare to get straightened out. $5K is not uncommon on a unit that seems to “just need a charge”. No such animal.
king of the road
Awesome car! But his write up in the ad needs a lot of work, or any work! Can any of you Caddy guys tell me what that glass jar looking like thing by the master cylinder is?
Glass jar is for the window washers..had one in my 56. Another lovely Caddy..not as rare as the Eldo but really not that different..
That is where the washer fluid goes.
There is no drive belt on the a/c compressor. That should tell you that it does not work.
No belt only indicates that it is not currently operable.
No indication as to how far repairs may reach.
Daddy Warbucks rides again!
Glass jars are the way GM cars of the 50s carried the washer fluid. While Chevy and Buick switched to plastic bottles in 59 (not sure of the others), Cad continued with the glass jars at least through 61. If you didn’t know what it was, it means you’re still a “kid” (too young to remember!).
No CDV scripts on the 1/4s, no Ser. 62 emblem on front fender. From outside, impossible to tell which model it is. The fold-down armrest on the front seat is the only way to tell, so, while it is a CDV, a future owner should invest in new 1/4 scripts for it.
Now, this is what I’m talking about. This is realistic. This ’59 Caddy is in much better shape than the red one, and selling at a reasonable price, WITH NO (F’N) RESERVE!!!!
Granted, it’s not a rare Eldorado, but rare doesn’t always equate into ridiculous prices.
I’m not positive this is a Coupe de Ville. It could possibly be a Series 62. Coupe de Villes and Sedan de Villes had script at the rear of the quarter panel telling you it’s a de Ville. This car does not have that.
More research is needed, but, all in all, I’d go to the bank and get a $36,000 loan for this car.
As mentioned in my previous comment, this car has the fold-down center armrest in the FRONT seat which makes it a CDV. Interior-wise, other than the cloth and the vinyl (Ser 62) vs leather (DV), the simplest check is the front seat armrest. ONLY DV and FW had those. Ser 62 only the rear one.
I wonder if my Midget would fit in the trunk?
angliagt, he would fit in the trunk, but I think they prefer to be called little people.
Angliagt….. probably.
There was a TV show years ago about a modern day vampire who drove a ’59 Cadillac. The reason? It had the largest trunk space for him to sleep in.
Rex…….
Very funny. 🤣
Love these old Caddys. Dad had a ’59 Canary yellow coupe de’ville. Someone stole the tail light lens right in front of the house. Back then guys would get them because they would fit on their Cushman Eagles and look cool.
A previous comment mentioned Comfortron. He’s almost a decade off. Automatic Climate Control (Comfortron on Chevys) didn’t come along until 1966. These older systems aren’t that bad if everything’s still there and the evaporator is still good. (His comment didn’t have a ‘reply’ on it).