1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Sold for $198,000 at 2009 Pebble Beach Auction : Gooding & Company.
Sold for $176,000 at 2014 RM Auctions - Automobiles of Arizona.
Sold for $229,600 at 2020 RM Sothebys : The Elkhart Collection.
Sold for $224,000 at 2023 RM Sothebys : Arizona.
The 1959 Cadillac represents the peak of American exuberance and the ongoing transition between the retiring Harley Earl and his successor, William Mitchell. Earl favored more chrome and taller tailfins while Mitchell preferred low, ground-hugging torpedoes. The 1959 Cadillac is a combination of both of these design goals, along with David Holls's famous tailfins, the largest ever installed on an American production car.

The top-of-the-line Cadillac Eldorado was given a long list of luxuries including power brakes, power steering, a tri-power 345 horsepower V8, and Hydra-Matic drive as standard equipment. The Biarritz Convertible was Cadillac's most expensive open-air car for 1959, and just 1,320 examples were built.

This particular example was restored several years ago and finished in the Eldorado-only color of Hampton Green, which is original to this car. There is metallic green upholstery and a correct white acrylic convertible top.

The car has an 'Autronic Eye' automatic headlamp dimmer and the E-Z Eye tinted glass.
By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014