There aren’t many Cadillacs as extravagant as the 1953 Elegante, and its latest chapter has placed it among the most expensive examples of the marque ever sold at auction. Conceived during America’s post-war fascination with dream cars, the one-off combined Cadillac engineering, European coachbuilding, and enough gold-plated detailing to make even a contemporary Eldorado appear restrained.
The project began with commercial artist Harry Birdsall and his friend Joe Mascari, who chose a 1953 Cadillac Series 62 chassis as the foundation. Birdsall sketched the initial shape before Albrecht von Goertz, later responsible for the BMW 503 and 507, refined the design. Construction was entrusted to Carrozzeria Rocco Motto in Turin, where the hand-formed aluminium body took a reported 30 months to complete.
Its proportions were radically different from those of a standard Cadillac. The chassis was lightened and lowered by eight inches, while the body gained a wraparound windscreen, pronounced tailfins, and a hydraulically operated retractable hardtop. Custom bronze castings were gold-plated, and the lavish treatment continued inside with red leather, gold-trimmed instruments, and a Lucite steering wheel. Beneath it all remained Cadillac’s 5.4-litre V8, paired with a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
The Elegante made its public debut at the 1955 New York International Auto Show, where its reported US$30,000 construction cost attracted almost as much attention as the car itself. For comparison, a new Cadillac Eldorado convertible cost US$6,286 at the time.
After Birdsall’s death in 1960, the car passed through several private owners before his son Richard reacquired it in 1992. Richard’s 16-year restoration eventually led to a People’s Choice award at Amelia Island in 2014.
Its latest appearance marked another milestone: the Elegante’s first public auction. Offered by Kruse Auctions in Auburn last weekend, it achieved a hammer price of US$1.275 million, or roughly US$1.4 million including the buyer’s premium.
