1953 Cadillac Le Mans Concept Roadster

Built by GM Styling for the 1953 GM Motorama. Named after recent Cadillac racing successes by Briggs Cunningham at the 1950 LeMans 24-Hour race. GM also introduced the Eldorado the same year. Motorama visitors who were taken by the LeMans stunning styling could visit their local Cadillac dealer and buy a Cadillac similarly styled as the 1953 Eldorado. The concept never went into production, but the design was an exercise in the use of fiberglass and a 3-seat design. The Cadillac Eldorado was also introduced in 1953.

GM Styling built four of these gorgeous fiberglass show cars for various shows and exhibits. LeMans #4 was brought back to GM styling and given a styling redux under the watchful eye of Harley Earl head of GM Styling. Front-end styling changed dramatically with the edition of quad headlamps which made their production debut on the 1957 Eldorado Brougham. Rear-end styling was also changed and a more modern Tailfin was added. The complete drivetrain was updated to 1960 Eldorado specifications.

The Restyled Lemans ended up in the hands of James (Bud) Goodman who was head of the GM Fisher Body division.
The LeMans were on display for many years in a Cadillac dealership in Hollywood, California. Ownership later passed to Mr. Goodman's son, Jack.

The LeMans is currently owned by Cadillac Motor Car Division - General Motors Corporation and is currently displayed in the Cadillac Historic Collection.