Dream Cars – Cadillac Concept Cars Mild, Medium, Hot & Wild

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance displays a variety of themes each year. The themes this past year included GT40s, the racecars of Sam Posey, Miller racecars and Cadillac concept or “dream cars.”  Cadillac takes Amelia Island seriously. The concept cars were arrayed in front of the permanent-looking, enclosed, air-conditioned Cadillac corporate facility.  The array included two of Cadillac’s most recent concepts and two of its older Motorama cars from the General Motors Heritage Collection; several more privately owned Motorama cars; two cars on which Cadillac had done some fiddling; and a 1949 prototype, perhaps the most significant of the concepts because of its impact on production. Unveiling concept cars to the public started long before shows like those in Detroit, Los Angeles and Geneva became de rigueur for automakers. The ’49 prototype was first shown at the General Motors Transportation Unlimited Exhibition at the Waldorf Astoria, and had such an impact that it helped sow the value of the shows—the Motoramas—around the country.

In 1623, Ben Jonson wrote in his eulogy of William Shakespeare that he was “not of an age, but for all time.” Each of these concept cars represents its age, but each is also unique, which makes it timeless and important. Starting with the most recent of the cars and working back, each of the concepts will be considered for the impact it has had or has not had on Cadillac production. A subjective view of the appearance of these cars could result in their being first classified as mild, medium, hot or wild.

Sixteen and Cien – Hot

The most recent cars were the Cadillac Sixteen and Cien, provided by the GM Heritage Collection. The Sixteen sedan was first shown by Cadillac in 2003. Its 830 cid (13.6-liter) V16 engine produces a minimum of 1000 hp and a similar amount of torque. It is a modern interpretation of the 16-cylinder Cadillacs produced during the 1930s—beautiful Art Deco designs that are honored by this concept. The engine featured what Cadillac called “Active Fuel Management,” in which the car ran on four cylinders under light driving conditions, eight cylinders when being driven enthusiastically, and all sixteen cylinders under full acceleration. Cadillac claims the car was capable of 20 mpg under normal driving conditions. There have been rumors that the car came very close to being adopted for production, but a scaled-down version, called the ULS (Ultra Luxury Sedan) was shelved in favor of developing the XTS full-size sedan. As with other concepts, their design ideas continue to be considered during product planning.

Cadillac debuted the Cien concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2002.  Spanish for “100,” Cien was built to represent Cadillac‘s design philosophy to produce sleek, angular cars as it entered its 100th year. The car had a 7.5-liter, mid-engined V12 producing 750 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. Like the Sixteen, the engine management system was able to halve the number of cylinders operating during routine driving conditions. The system was called “Displacement on Demand” in 2002. Like the Sixteen, the Cien provides design references for both the stylists and engineers.

1961 Cadillac Eldorado – Mild

This is a car that just looks like any Eldorado from a distance, or even up close, if you’re not a Cadillac aficionado. However, its history is much more interesting. The car was found on the Orlando, Florida, Craigslist.  The owner was going to be in town only one weekend, so Nadeem Khan had to act quickly. He was the first caller, saw the car, recognized that it was an unusual car, and bought it before anyone else could even see it.  According to the owner, this car was originally built to be a Lemans but was pulled from the production line and had its body rebuilt to become an Eldorado. It is believed that Bill Mitchell designed the modifications to the car, which included opening up the rear wheel wells and installing ribbed aluminum rocker panel moldings, front bucket seats and a floor shifter in a center console. Mitchell’s design had a fiberglass hood and lower front bumper and unique hubcaps, grille, taillight lenses and badging, including the first use of the wreath.

Khan contacted GM and got all the specs for the car—Special Order 50110—and proceeded to put it back in its 1961 form. Recapturing Mitchell’s design took some time. The hubcaps were missing, for example, so Khan made new ones to match the originals shown in the GM documents. It was rumored to have belonged to golfer Walter Hagan, and Khan found golf balls and tees in the trunk. Another rumor said it was the personal car of Bill Mitchell. Whether the ownership rumors are true or not, this is a very unique car and one from which design details made their way onto production cars, such as the wreath.

1959 XP-74 Cyclone – Wild

The wildest Cadillac at Amelia Island was the 1959 XP-74 Cyclone provided by the GM Heritage Collection. After the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, space exploration became a fascination for people around the world. That fascination can be seen in the Cyclone, which looks like a space craft or, at a minimum, a jet plane with its rocket-pod fenders, tail fins, and nose cones. Designed by Harley Earl, it was an exercise in styling and engineering concepts that were to be considered for future GM automobiles. The powered, clear plastic canopy and panoramic windshield offered 360-degree vision. The car was equipped with a sensor that would raise the canopy if it detected rain—a very early version of wiper systems that automatically start or adjust their speed when it rains. This wasn’t the only futuristic design concept that eventually reached production. Inside the two nose cones were radar devices designed to alert the driver to objects in the car’s path. While today’s proximity warning systems don’t use radar, the system on the Cyclone shows that GM’s designers were thinking well ahead. Other innovations include doors that move outward, then slide back along the body to allow easy entry, anticipating today’s minivans; small panels in the doors to provide a means for paying tolls when the canopy is up; and a communication system that allows the driver and passenger to talk to people outside the car when the canopy is up. The car was powered by a 390-cubic-inch engine producing 325 bhp through a three-speed Hydra-Matic transmission and two-speed differential, effectively providing six forward speeds. This roadster was the last of Harley Earl’s dream car designs prior to his retirement.

1956 Eldorado Brougham Town Car – Mild

The Eldorado Brougham Town Car vied for the informal title of most stately car at Amelia Island. This fiberglass concept car was first shown at the GM Motorama at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Called the “Highway to Tomorrow,” the Motorama went from New York to Miami, San Francisco and Boston. The car was also shown at the Paris Salon, where it was very well received. After the show circuit and the debut of the new production Eldorado Brougham, it was sent to the Warhoops salvage yard for destruction—a policy established by company lawyers and bean counters to avoid potential liability and storage costs. Thankfully, the Warhoops staff felt it was too nice to destroy, and it was stored under a tarp for 30 years until rescued by Joe Bortz, who was known for saving and restoring concept cars and prototypes. Before Bortz started the restoration, he sold it to Roy Warshawsky of JC Whitney, who died before the restoration could be finished. Eventually, the car was completed by RM Auto Restoration and finally came into the possession of Len Worden, who brought it to Amelia for the concours.

The Town Car is much more a concept car than a prototype, since GM apparently did not provide it with an engine. Only 55½ inches high, it had a black leather-covered half roof over the passenger compartment and a separate compartment for the chauffeur, covered only occasionally with a soft top. While the exterior was more understated than the 1957 production Town Car, the interior was anything but understated. The passenger compartment was finished in beige leather and included considerable gold trim, while the chauffeur had to make do with black Moroccan leather and chrome trim. The passengers were treated to twin compartments furnished with gold-plated decanter, cups, vanity case and tissue dispenser. While the window between the passengers and the chauffeur could be slid open, there was also a gold telephone mounted on the bulkhead so that outside air might be avoided if the window were opened during adverse weather.

During the restoration, RM fitted an engine from a 1956 Cadillac donor sedan. Like the interior, it was considerably dressed up—the engine compartment included gold-plated valve covers, dual four-barrel carburetors, and unique air cleaners. While it was never intended to be driven on the street, at least the owner can now drive it onto a show field and watch the heads turn as it passes by.

1955 Cadillac LaSalle II Series Concept Cars – Medium

Cadillac introduced the LaSalle in 1927. The company wanted a more youthful car for its line of fairly stodgy and expensive cars. Harley Earl was invited to submit a design for the new line of cars. GM executives had seen his custom designs at shows in New York and Chicago and liked them. Earl’s design was accepted, and it would lead not only to establishing the LaSalle marque, but to Earl’s employment by GM and the subsequent creation of the “Art and Colour Section” that he led from its inception to his retirement. The name “LaSalle” was chosen as the new Cadillac brand because both Antione Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle were French explorers. Cadillac established Detroit, and La Salle claimed the territory of Louisiana for France. LaSalle production ceased in 1940, but it was hardly forgotten by Earl. He became the force behind the II Series concept cars, which were built for the 1955 Motorama.

Two very dissimilar cars were built—a two-seater roadster that foretold some of the design cues used on the 1956 Corvette and a hardtop sedan with suicide rear doors and seating for six. The cars were only 50 inches tall, partially attributable to the use of 13-inch wheels and tires. The cars were of unit construction and designed to use an experimental aluminum double-overhead cam, fuel-injected V6 that GM was developing. Their grilles had vertical slots, similar to those of the aborted 1941 LaSalle, flanked by vertical bumpers with big bullet gaurds, or as they had become known, “Dagmars,” a reference to a busty blonde star of the era.

The cars were not well received by the public, and the experimental engine was dropped. The cars were then shipped off to Warhoops to be destroyed. The roadster was cut into pieces, but neither car was crushed.  It was Bortz to the rescue years later, and he first undertook the restoration of the roadster. With many pieces missing, there was as much fabrication as restoration, but the car was finished in time for this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The sedan will also be restored and will be shown at Amelia in 2015. Bortz learned a lot about the cars from Dave Holls, retired GM Vice President of Styling. Because the V6 engines installed in the cars were not intended to run, GM had planned to install electric motors in the rear of the cars so they could be driven for show purposes. When Bortz learned that, he proceeded to electrify the roadster during its restoration. Thank goodness for collectors like Bortz who won’t let significant cars disappear and to GM for eventually reversing the old policy that led to many cars being destroyed.

1953 Cadillac Supercharged Eldorado – Hot

At the request of Harley Earl, Cadillac test engineer Frank Burrell built this Eldorado for Earl’s friend, John Alexander. Alexander was a Wisconsin industrialist and had been a Navy pilot in WWI. Cadillacs with V8 engines were normally aspirated 331-cid with overhead valves. This one had a Roots-type supercharger and twin four-barrel carburetors added to produce 300 hp. To ensure it was identified as unique, unmuffled side pipes were added to provide a spectacular exhaust note. The pipes could be opened or closed for quieter running, via a cut-out lever inside the car. To ensure the car would stop, 12-inch ribbed brake drums were installed behind the Borrani wire wheels. While the car might have been used as a test bed, it is more likely that it was simply a special car that Earl had built for his friend. It is now housed in the Playtime Auto Collection in Maryland.

1953 Cadillac Lemans Concept Convertible – Medium

Cadillac built four Lemans concepts in 1953. Two survive, and they are somewhat different—one is unmodified from its original form, and the other was brought back to GM and restyled under Harley Earl’s supervision.

Three of the cars were produced together and are known as the “triplets.” The fourth car, the one redesigned, was built separately. The third of the “triplets” and the redesigned car are the two that survived. The name, “Lemans” was used to commemorate the Le Mans 24-hour race and the success that Briggs Cunningham had at that race in 1950 with a Cadillac coupe and a Cadillac special nicknamed “Le Monstre” by the French. The four Lemans convertibles had fiberglass bodies. They were built on a shortened wheelbase and were nearly eight inches lower than the production convertibles, making them 400 pounds lighter than the production cars. Unlike concept cars from many other manufacturers, the GM “dream cars” were most often used to test new styling cues and features with the public through the Motorama exhibits. With no car shows at the time, The Motoramas were a way for GM to get its products in front of the press and public. All four cars had modified 331-cubic-inch V8s that GM claimed had 250 hp at 4500 rpm—40 more than the stock engines. Styling touches included hooded headlights, “Dagmar” bumper guards and a grille and parking light arrangement that was similar to that planned for the 1954 production cars. Inside, the car had a hidden glove box that could be dropped down and pulled toward the passenger for access. The seat was powered and had a “memory,” meaning it would move back when the door was opened and return to its “memory” position when the door was closed.

The four cars were known as Lemans #1 through #4, although, for a reason thought to be associated with VINs, their serial numbers were 2 through 5.  Lemans #1 (SN2) was built for Mr. John Crowell, of the Cadillac engineering department, and is the car believed to have been the Motorama car. He owned it for only a short time before it was sold to Harry Karl in California. Karl had the car modified by George Barris as a present to his wife, actress Marie McDonald. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in a warehouse where Karl had it stored. Lemans #2 (SN 3) was owned initially by Earl, sold back to GM for $1, and subsequently became the property of Robert Moore, a GM dealer in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, Mr. Moore died from either an accidental or self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the car disappeared after his death. The last of the “triplets” was sold to Floyd Akers, a Washington, D.C., area Cadillac dealer and distributor, in June 1955. Akers painted the car white to replace the earlier Apollo gold-and-yellow color combination. The car, the only original Lemans, eventually became a part of the Playtime Auto Collection.

The last of the Lemans Cadillacs, Lemans #4 (SN 5), returned to GM and, in 1959, was restyled. Both ends of the car were dramatically changed. The front received quad headlights, a first for Cadillac, and a feature that first appeared on a production Cadillac in 1957. The modest fins at the rear were increased in size “invoking a more modern set of tailfins,” to use Cadillac’s words. A few years later, the car’s driveline was updated to bring it to 1960 Eldorado specifications. It is now part of the GM Heritage Collection.

1952 Cadillac Convertible Coupe – Mild

Another one-off production car came to Amelia from the John and Heather Mozart collection in California. It was built for Cadillac’s Executive Vice President for Military Manufacturing, Bill Boyer.  Shorter by ten inches and lower by six inches, this unique car was equipped with a convertible top that folded into a metal boot—a feature that became the prototype for later Corvettes.

1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville Prototype – Mild and Significant

The Cadillac shown at Amelia Island that had the most significant impact on Cadillac production was the 1949 Coupe de Ville prototype. Four of these prototypes were built, and this car was exhibited in the first shows after WWII: the General Motors Transportation Unlimited Exhibition at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City in January 1949, and again at the convention center in Detroit in April of the same year. It is estimated that 300,000 people saw the car at each of the shows. The reaction was so positive that GM rushed the Coupe de Ville into production so late in the year, that there are few ’49 Coupe de Villes. This car, Model 49-60S, was the superstar of the shows. Built by Fleetwood on a Sixty Special chassis for $30,000 (probably $300,000 today), the prototypes took two months to build. Its 133-inch wheelbase was seven inches longer than the production coupes. It used the first of the overhead valve 331-cubic-inch V8 engines;  had a 4-speed automatic transmission; and was the first to have one-piece curved windshield and rear glass, chrome wheel arch trim, power seats, power windows, to include vent windows, 15-inch rims and a shortwave, portable telephone. The rear armrest contained vanity items for the women passengers, including lipstick holder, perfume atomizer and secretarial pad. These features were quite fanciful in 1949.

One of the design features on this car, its tail fins, was in response to the public reaction to their first use on a Cadillac in 1948, but the story of fins starts much earlier. Because of the involvement of GM in war production, Earl and a group of stylists were invited to the Army Air Corps base at Selfridge Field in Michigan. There, they were allowed to see an experimental airplane from a distance. While they weren’t able to inspect the plane closely, the unique shape of the Lockheed 22—later known as the P-38 Lightning— so impressed Earl and his stylists that its dual booms and twin tails found their way into the cars designed after the war. At first, Earl wasn’t entirely happy with the fins, but senior management liked them, and Earl’s opinion changed. The public liked the fins too, and sales of the ’48 cars were good.

The fins continued on the ’49 Coupe de Ville prototype, along with the many new design features. After the show circuit, the car was given to Charles E. “Engine Charlie” Wilson when he left as GM’s President in 1953 to become Secretary of Defense under President Eisenhower. In 1957, he presented it to his secretary when she retired and moved to California. Since the original engine was tired, GM provided a 1957 Eldorado engine with two four-barrel carburetors stamped with the original VIN, and a new transmission. Power brakes and steering were installed at the same time as the new engine and transmission. The car was still in use in 1976, disappeared for a few years, and was subsequently found in a Connecticut barn.

When Canadian Steve Plunkett first saw the car, it was 95 percent complete, but in need of a lot of tender loving care. Plunkett has a collection of 72 automobiles, including 49 significant Cadillacs. When asked about his collection, Plunkett says: “I love land yachts.”  He particularly loves Cadillacs because of the history of GM innovation that often shows first in Cadillacs. When restoration began on the car, Plunkett was able to take advantage of three files found by GM Heritage, including pages of instructions from the styling department on how to build the car, blueprints for it and the names of the employees who worked on it. One of the observations Plunkett makes about the car is that two teams built the car—one for each side—and the techniques used by each team “were clearly different.” A pleasant discovery was that Eagle Ottawa, in Ottawa, Michigan, supplied the original leather interior for the car. Still in business, Eagle Ottawa provided a new interior for the restoration, exactly recreating the one designed by GM’s styling section.

This Coupe deVille prototype is the only survivor of the four that were built, making it the oldest surviving Motorama “dream car.” It is also the only one of four prototype Cadillacs in private hands. It is an important part of Plunkett’s collection, since monies raised through the collection support the Plunkett Foundation, which provides funds for medical research and to provide state-of-the-art medical equipment to Canadian hospitals.

The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is a very special show. The  quality and variety of cars invited make every year’s show different. It is definitely a “bucket list” event to be enjoyed for a second, third or 20th time.