1953 Cadillac Le Mans Concept

Created in 1953, the Cadillac Le Mans received its name for the grueling and prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans race in France. The concept never went into production, but the design was an exercise in the use of fiberglass and two-seater design.

Cadillac's involvement at Le Mans was through Briggs Cunningham who had raced Cadillacs (and Cadillac-powered vehicles) at the 24 Hours of LeMans. Four fiberglass-bodied Cadillac LeMans Show Cars were built for various shows and exhibits including the Motorama. The concept never went into production, but the design was an exercise in the use of fiberglass and two-seater design.

The Cadillac Le Mans was the first Cadillac model to wear a wrap-around windshield.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 4

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.

Roadster

This 1953 Cadillac Lemans received its name from the grueling and prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans race in France. Briggs Cunningham, driving Cadillacs, scored many successes in the 1950 race.

GM styling built four of these fiberglass show cars for various shows and exhibits. The LeMans features a 250 horsepower V8 engine coupled to a 4-speed gearbox, making it faster and smoother than any contemporary Cadillacs. The fiberglass body also sported the company's very first wrap-around windshield.

Three of the four cars constructed have survived to this day. The fourth was destroyed by fire.