Ever felt you were born in the wrong decade? That's exactly what happened to what might have been the best Cadillac that Cadillac never built.
Headlining this year's annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be a pair of lovely Cadillac Fleetwood V-16s.
Back in the 1930's, the model 5802 rumbleseat roadster and model 5859 Phaeton were available as a part of a made-to-order Cadillac Fleetwood collection that was featured in "build books" where customers were provided with a selection of specialty options. Unfortunately, due to an extended Great Depression, the two models never saw the light of day.
Decades have passed but these great Cadillacs were never forgotten. Fran Roxas, a famed restorer and coachbuilder, had gotten his hands on the blueprints of the rumbleseat roadster and the Phaeton. Both original designs of the talented John Hampshire, the vehicles were based on the V16 chassis.
With some assistance from the Art Center College of Design in California, Roxas managed to bring Hampshire's blueprints to reality. True to its original specifications, the two models were finely crafted and fitted with Cadillac's original 16-cylinder engine.
The final pieces of art were eventually sold in an auction to lucky owners for an immense sum. The Phaeton 5859 went for $962,500 while the rumbleseat roadster 5802 was sold for $1,001,000.
According to GM, the new Cadillac Ciel Convertible concept also draws its influences from these very examples. Proudly returning for public display, visit Pebble Beach from August 16 through 19 to experience the pair of Cadilliac of Cadillacs in the flesh.
