Aug 15, 2012 08:26 AM EDT
Million-dollar Cadillacs on Display at Pebble Beach’s Concours d’Elegance

A pair of unique Cadillacs will be displayed at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Carmel, California taking place from August 16-19.

The cars - 1934 rumbleseat roadster model 5802 and a 1937 Phaeton model 5859 - were available to order in their model years as part of Cadillac's Fleetwood collection. Fleetwood at the time was an independent coachbuilder used by Cadillac.

As it happened - no one ever did order the models.

According to a recent Hemmings article, "It's unlikely [Fleetwood designer John] Hampshire drew them for any customer in particular; they were intended as semi-fanciful illustrations to remind you that, should the occasion present itself, Fleetwood still had true custom capabilities."

In the mid-1980s, however, restorer Fran Roxas happened upon Hampshire's designs in contemporary design books and decided to make them a reality.

The cars each won first prize in Pebble Beach's New Coachwork Class later in the decade.

Both cars were also sold at auction in February; the Phaeton 5859 for $962,500 and the Roadster 5802 for $1,001,000.

Roxas told Hemmings that there are two probable reasons why 1930s gave the models a miss. The first: "No one would step up in that day for a phaeton--you wanted roll-up windows and comfort." The second: "It would have been astronomically expensive."

Cadillac couldn't price the cars until they were finished, which would have been after 15- or 16- months. And by then, Hemmings points out, they would have been last year's car.

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST 

EDITOR'S PICK    

Hyundai to Invest $16.1 Billion for EV Business; Sets Annual Sales Goal of 1.87M Electric Cars by 2030

World's Most Expensive and Most Heavily-optioned Porsche 928 GTS is Coming Home to the U.S.

Major Boost as Tesla Giga Berlin Facility in Final Phase of Approval Process; Delivery Event Set This Month

Audi Looking for e-tron Electric Vehicles to Spur Car Brand's Growth in India in 2022

Toyota Offers Free EV Charging to Owners of 2023 bZ4X After Partnership Agreement with EVgo

2022 Suzuki Baleno Finally Unveiled in India: What are the Specs and Features of this City Car?