1953 Cadillac Eldorado

Lot : 447

1953 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

Auctioned on SAT, 2021-06-11

Auctioned at The Toronto Spring Classic Car ONLINE Auction 2021

Sold at $ 190,400

Transmission: Automatic

Exterior Color: White

Interior Color:Black/White

Location – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Photos and condition report prepared by CCP Auctions

1953 was a big year for General Motors as they celebrated the 50th Anniversary of two of their iconic brands, Cadillac and Buick. It seems fitting that the Detroit Lions and Detroit Red Wings were also champions that year. The anniversary celebration began with the introduction of three convertibles: the Cadillac Eldorado, the Oldsmobile Fiesta and the Buick Skylark. Despite the fact that all three cars sold for staggering prices at the time, it is said that GM lost money on each car sold as they were essentially built by hand with the utmost attention to detail. All three additions were considered the best of the best including virtually every option that was available on lesser models. Each car was built to reflect prestige on their owner and were built in very limited quantities to maintain exclusivity.

Hard core collectors have made it a pursuit to track down one of each of GM’s limited production 1953 show cars. Seldom are they offered at the same auction. These automobiles reflect wealth and abundance representing models that are rare and extremely collectable.
The 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low production convertible; 532 units in total. This car evolved from a 1952 GM concept car called El Dorado “Golden Anniversary”. The first Eldorado had a wraparound windshield and a cut-down beltline (a dip in the sheet metal at the bottom of the side windows). These two touches were especially loved by General Motors styling chief Harley Earl and subsequently were widely copied by other marques. In fact, throughout the 1950s, Eldorado was GM’s styling leader, and since GM led the industry, where the Eldorado went, everyone else would tend to follow. It came with standard features that included a windshield washer, signal seeking radio, power windows and a heater. The original sticker price was a whopping $7,750 US ) over $80,000 in todays money).

This 1953 Cadillac Eldorado is in good to excellent overall condition with excellent paint, and for the most part, excellent chrome, with the exception of some slight pitting of the ¼ window frames and small pits in the fingernail guards behind the exterior door handles. Grille chrome and bumpers were beautifully re-plated and the hood mascot and wire wheels are excellent as well. We found a small crack in the upper right corner of the driver’s side door glass and some slight wear on the leather seat. As good as the paint is overall, there is evidence of some minor paint chips in remote areas such as the step plate area below the door and in the door jamb areas as well. Mechanically, we found the car to be generally sound. The undercarriage was clean, but not particularly detailed and would be described as in “driver quality” condition. This Eldorado is equipped with long list of options and accessories including p/steering, p/brakes, p/windows, p/top, signal seeking radio, windshield washers, backup lamps, fender skirts, continental kit, wire wheels, www tires and hard cover parade boot. A great opportunity to own one of the most important cars ever built by Cadillac!