Cars with personalities

[ last update: 01.18.2015 ]

The (new) Cadillac Database^©

Cadillacs of the Rich and Famous
(stars, presidents, kings ...and a few crooks too)

Part 1

Go to Part 2
or return to the "Miscellaneous Cadillac Stuff" index page
or return to The (New) Cadillac Database© Index Page

(le résumé en français se trouve en bas de page)

Cadillac has long symbolized luxury and exclusiveness. It has been the favorite personal transportation of the world’s elite, kings, queens, presidents, Popes and pop-stars. Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Baudouin of Belgium, Gustaf V of Sweden, Popes Pius XII and John XXIII all had one or were paraded in one. Teddy Roosevelt, Ike Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush all loved them. Marlene Dietrich, Fred Astaire, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Salvador Dali - even Al Capone - all owned one or more of them.

Cadillac and La Salle automobiles had a well-deserved reputation for reliability and elegance as well as unparalleled comfort. In the late twenties, for example, at the height of les années folles [the "crazy" years, or the golden age of the luxury car], Cadillac's French importers in Paris (the Etablissements Loiseau, which later became Société commerciale de vente d'automobiles - S.O.C.O.V.A.) ran a classy advertising campaign which underscored the fact that the aristocracy [yes, there were still a few members of that elite left in the late twenties and early thirties!] as well as many of the world's Rich and Famous preferred those marques over any others. The long list of names included five kings, two queens, one princess-royal, eight princes, seven dukes and no fewer than eighteen marquesses. In the initial table below are some of those famous names. It reads like a contemporary Who's Who? :

Being unfamiliar with the order of precedence that applies among royalty, potentates of all kinds and high-ranking officers, be they in the church or in the military, I have listed these noble owners haphazardly. I will leave it to some more astute user of The (new) Cadillac Database © to put them in the correct order. I believe that a German baron and a Spanish marquesa don't "weigh" as much as a British baronet or marquess. So, my guestimate of precedence would be: kings, queens, princes, princesses first, followed by emperors, shahs and other emirs, then dukes, duchesses, marquesses and marchionesses, earls, counts and countesses, then presidents, regents, prime ministers, military generals followed by viscounts, barons and baronesses, baronets, knights, ministers, chief justices, military officers by rank and on down to board chairmen and assorted millionaires.

I'd like to pause here to thank Cadillac enthusiast Santiago Gómez-Spiteri-Acebo for the interesting facts and information he supplied kindly, in February, 2002, about a number of Spanish nobles and aristocrats listed in the table below.

H.H. King Gustaf of Sweden [the King had this 1929 Cadillac custom built by the Swedish coach builder, Gustaf Nordberg. You can see from the image that the chassis was stretched	The Polish Council of Ministers [Poland]
Custom stretched limousine by Nordberg	*1933 Cadillac 370C, V12* phaeton**
H.H. The King of the Hedjaz [the former Saudi-Arabia]	Mr. Nicolaescu, Chairman of the Romanian Senate [Romania]
H.H. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands	Emperor Hiro-Hito of Japan [the French Cadillac ad from which the illustration is drawn showed also an artist's view of the Imperial Palace at Tokyo]
Custom 1939 town car	Town cars appear to have been popular with the world's elite
H.H. Prince Hans zu Hoehenlohe-Oehringen [Austro-Hungarian Empire]	H.E. The Minister of Defense [Poland]
H.H. Prince Ladislas Odeschalchi	Lt.-Col. Archibald Weigall, K.C.M.G. [U.K.]
H.H. Princess [formerly Countess] Maria Esterhazy [Austro-Hungarian Empire]	1st Lieutenant Pabst Von Ohain [Austro-Hungarian Empire]
The Shah of Persia	The Hon. Frederick H. Gillett [USA] (of razor blade fame...???)
H.H. The Duke of Bedford [U.K.]	The Hon. Edward W. Pou [USA]
H.H. The Duke of Sotomayor [Spain]: This noble title was given for the first time, in 1703, by King Philip V of Spain to the family of Martínez de Irujo. Don Pedro Martínez de Irujo y Caro, 9th Duke of Sotomayor (born October 3, 1882, died September 5, 1957) was registered as a Cadillac owner in France. He owned properties in Madrid, several other Spanish cities and Biarritz, in SW France, where most of the Spanish nobility from northern Spain used to spend the summer	*H.H. The Duke of Vallombrosa [France] - the picture is from the French weekly Illustration; the car appears to be a custom job on the 1928 chassis by the Paris coach builder, Duvivier]* H.H. The Duke of Vallombrosa's stretched Fleetwood, 3-position town car
The Hon. Mrs. R.C. Devereux [U.K.]	Sir Charles Allom
H.E. The Marquess of Argüeso [Spain]	Sir Adam Beattie-Ritchie [U.K.]
H.E. The Marquess of Arriluce De Ibarra [Spain]	Sir Clifford Cory, Baronet [U.K.]
H.E. The Marquess of Coltina [the name should perhaps read "Marquess of Cortina" (with an "r" in lieu of an "l")	Sir George Thursby, Baronet [U.K.]
H.E. The Marquess of Llanzol	Lady Kemnal [U.K.]
H.E. The Marquess De Pons	Lady Ribblesdale [U.K.]
H.E. The Marquess De Valterra	Senator Barnich
H.E. The Earl of Shaftesbury [U.K.]	Mr. Lester Armour [USA]
H.E. Count Axel Cronstedt [Sweden]	Mr. Luis Maria de Aznar [Spain]
H.E. Count Carl Bonde [Sweden]	Mr. George F. Baker, Jr. [USA]
H.E. Count of Castries	H.H. The Duke of San Pedro De Galatino [Spain]
H.E. Count of Los Andes [this is a Spanish noble title (not French). The owner probably was Don Francisco Moreno Zulueta (1881-1966), a professional Army officer who reached the rank of General. He was from Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Spain, where Xeres ("Sherry", the dry Spanish brandy) is traditionally produced. He owned vast properties there. But he was also a "Grandee" of Spain (twice, in fact). "Grandees" are Spanish noblemen of the highest rank). He was also a conservative politician, M.P. for the Partido Conservador during the 1920s, and a close friend of General Primo de Rivera who held power after a coup d´etat in Spain from 1923-28. He was Minister of Finance in 1930 and, finally, aided Franco in the uprising in 1936.	H.E. Countess du Bourg de Bozas [France] - [the French Cadillac ad from which the illustration is drawn included also a portrait of the Countess herself by renowned French portraitist, Jean-Gabriel Doumergue] H.E. Countess du Bourg's Fleetwood town car
H.E. Count De Failly [France]	Mr. Axel Robert Bildt [Sweden]
H.E. Count Carl Axel Trolle Wachtmeister	Mr. Henry A. Colgate [USA] (of toothpaste fame...?)
H.E. Count of Ibarra [Spain]	Mr. H.N. Son Dag [Sweden]
H.E. Count De Sassevalle	Mr. Horacio Echevarrieta [Spain]
H.E. Countess Howe	Mr. N. Ehrenstein, CEO, Romanian Credit Union [Romania]
H.E. Countess of Lindsay	Mr. Carl Frisk [Sweden]
Mrs. A.E. Burnaby [U.K.]	Mr. Helmut Gilka
President Herbert Hoover [USA]	Mr. José Gari Gimeno [Spain]
Mr. George Buzdugan, Romanian Regent [Romania]	Mme. Mary Glaesel [Denmark]
General John D. Pershing	Mr. Paul Chassaigne Goyon [France]
H.E. The Viscount Sigfrid Ralamb	Mr. Christian G. Hansen [Denmark]
H.E. The Viscountess Elise Ackerhielm [Sweden]	Mr. S. Bogelund-Jensen
Baron Van de Put	Mr. Cyrus H. McCormick [USA] (of agricultural machinery fame...?)
H.E. The Viscountess De Roda	Mr. Herbert Metcalfe [Sweden]
Baron Max Von Guilleaume	Mr. Stuyvesant Peabody [USA]
Baron De La Lande	Mrs. Jules Perquel [France]
Baron Madarassy Beck	Mr. Herman Rasch [Sweden]
Baron E.O. Schaffalittzky de Muckadell [Denmark]	Mr. Torcuato Luca de Tena [Spain]
Count Olivier de Rivaud	Count of Finat
*H.E. The Viscountess Curzon [in the twenties, the town car was a favorite of the world's elite, as is reflected in this image of the Countess' car drawn from the French weekly Illustration]* Viscountess Curzon's 1928 Fleetwood town car	Mr. Luis Plandiura [Spain] [Mr. Plandiura was a very wealthy businessman from Barcelona. He owned a great collection of paintings, including several by El Greco and Picasso]
Baron of Trannoy	Mrs. Joseph Henri Thors [France]
Baroness Carl Von Weinberg	Mr. Joseph Ullman [France]
Sir Harry Duncan McGowan, K.B.E. [U.K.] (CEO of ICI)	Mr. Nils Westerdahl [Sweden]

Typical ads of the late twenties from France's Illustration magazine

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Left: artist's impression of an afternoon in the gardens of a stately French château; the car looks like
a custom job by Paris' Letourneur & Marchand on a stretched 1928 Cadillac chassis
Right: artist's impression of a fashionable wedding ceremony at Paris' La Madeleine
cathedral in Paris; the car is the ever popular 1928 town cabriolet

"The Stars"

Below (in alphabetical order) are some famous, less famous and sometimes even infamous people, all somehow in the public eye, who either owned or liked to ride in a Cadillac. More photos of these cars and their owners or famous passengers are available; they will be added gradually to this page; captions also will be added in due course, so do come back often. If any visitors to this site can supply additional material in the same vein, it will be appreciated and you will be given due credit.

Aguilar de León, Col. José Luis
[ Guatemalan politician and military figure ]

1931Cadillac V8 Phaeton
[ then in need of restoration ]

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ALBERS, Hans
[ German actor and movie star ]

1951 Cadillac Series 62 sedan

Information received from German enthusiast and Database user, Klaus Koppenhagen [Dec. 2009]: Greetings from Germany. If not already done I'd like to hint at one unrestored low mileage 1953 [actually 1951] Cadillac series 62 four door sedan of well known actor (in German-speaking countries), Hans Albers. The car was only chauffeur driven due to the fact he never had a driver's license. The car was bought after Albers' death in the early 60s by also well know German car journalist and author Fritz B. Busch; it currently resides in his museum.

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"Albert"
[ French DJ ]

1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Ali, Mohamed [aka "Cassius Clay"]
[renowned boxing champ]

and

James Brown
[The King of Soul]

1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado convertible

Allied High Commission for Germany
[ Allied Military Body ]

1951 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine

This body was set up at the end of WW2, following the surrender of Germany,to determine the fate of the German nation. The first session of the conference was held in Paris on 15 February, 1951. With the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the institution of the High Commission, the position of the Military Governors was abolished. Instead each of the three Western allies (USA, UK and France) named a high commissioner.

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The limousine of the U.S. High Commissioner,
John J. McCloy

Anderson, Lynn
[ Country singer ]

1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Bicentennial special convertible
the car was offered for sale in 2007; allegedly it had only
39 miles on the odometer.

The car illustrated is NOT Lynn's personal car, but just one like it

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These are the "bicentennial" Eldorado models, the "last" Cadillac convertibles to be built
...that is, until another one was added to the standard line for 1984-85

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The so-called "bicentennial" edition had white leather upholstery
trimmed with burgundy-red piping, as seen here

Anderson, Pamela
[Screen and TV star]

1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible (below, left)
This one was sent to me by a friend who knows my
penchant for Cadillacs and "C" cups

Pamela owned also a bright-red,
1960 Cadillac convertible (below, right)
that she offered as a birthday gift to then husband, Kid Rock

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Pamela's red 1960 convertible was offered for sale at auction
at the annual Barrett-Jackson venue in Scottsdale, AZ (Jan. 2006) - it sold for $105K
[ Photo (right): Internet ]

Andretti, Mario
[race car driver]

1975 [???] Cadillac Fleetwood
This car was offered for sale on the Internet in 2001

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Arden, Elizabeth
[famed beautician]

1935 Cadillac style #5725 town car bodied by Fisher (new cost: $6,500)

This car was brought to my attention in June, 2007 by Cadillac enthusiast Howland Blackiston. He saw it at the Stan Hywet car show in Akron, Ohio, where 400 cars and 14,000 persons were in attendance. The car had been purchased from Ms. Arden by her chauffeur; his son (who lived in Simsbury, CT) sold it later to the present owner. It is in unrestored, super-original condition. Thanks, Howland, for the use of your pics (below). Nota: the full story of Ms. Arden's car, as old by Howland, appeared in the Self Starter for January, 2008

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Far left: Cover of Self Starter issue for January, 2008

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Plush passenger area features vanity compartments (both sides), lull straps and twin
reading lamps (LH image), plus a mirror compartment and an intercom below it (RH image)

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Far left: one of two storage compartments built into the passenger side of the partition; next, detail of chromium and gold door hardware;
next, attaching loop for lap robe cord, also finished in chromium and gold; next and last, the Jaeger 8-day clock mounted in the center of the division.

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The Fisher body tag has been painted over; barely visible is the body number "35", indicating that
at least 35 bodies like this one were built. Note the plate reads "Body by Fisher" although it is
strictly a Fleetwood design for the V-16 (of which 2 were built). I assume those built on the
V-8 and V-12 chassis were assembled by Fisher at less cost than their Fleetwood equivalent

Argentinean Ambassador in Paris

1955 Fleetwood Seroes 75 limousine





Ash, Mary Kay
[millionaire beauty products queen]

1975 "Pink" Coupe de Ville

Mary Kay Ash, born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Hot Wells, Texas, in 1918, was an American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. She was married at age 17 and had three children. At the age of 45, with a $5,000 investment from her oldest son, Ash started Mary Kay Cosmetics as a storefront operation in Dallas. She was widely respected; her marketing plan was designed to allow women to advance by helping others to succeed (I call it pyramid selling). She died in her native Dallas in November 2001.

Her world-wide marketing team drew incentive from the Mary Kay’s reward and recognition programs. Vendors are limited only by their ability to believe and to achieve the goals they set for themselves. The highest reward for achievement in sales was a pink Cadillac. I have no idea how many were awarded each year but I'm guessing it is in the thousands. Starting in 1969, pink Cadillacs were given to the top five independent sales directors. These days, they can choose from a number of sedan models, an SUV or other types of cars.


Left: one of the award cars for 1975: that year's Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Center: Mary, with the 1977 award Cadillac
Right: a parade of recent pink "Mary Kay" Cadillacs in downtown Dallas
[ Photo: Internet, 2014 ]

Assad, Rafat
[Former Syrian Minister of Defense and
brother of Rafez El Assad, the President of Syria]

Armored 1987 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
currently in the possession of a Cadillac enthusiast and collector in France

Description of the car by Ronald Kimball, founder of Executive Armoring Corporation: This is one of the seven bullet proof Cadillacs sold in 1987 to Rafat Assad, brother of Afez, President of Syria. It has a 110 volt system for electrifying the door handles to electrically shock anyone attempting to enter the vehicle with the intention of kidnapping the passengers. A black box with the two red covered switches with a small key [in the trunk] is the box for the tear gas deterrent system. That system has four tear gas grenades hidden inside the four fenders, two front and two rear, to fire or disperse tear gas at anyone attempting to stop the vehicle and kidnap the occupants. The buzzer is to warn the occupants that tear gas may enter the vehicle. The protection level is 4, to protect against the M 16, AR 15, AK-47 high powered rifles and automatic weapons. This Cadillac was one of an order of twelve vehicles (7 Cadillacs and 5 Chevrolet Blazers) for Rafat Assad, to be distributed among his family members living in France at the time. The vehicles were identical except for the color. They were all shipped to France, via the port of Marseilles. The cost of armoring such a vehicle is approximately $65,000 USD. The engine is the standard engine supplied by the General Motors factory. The roof, floor, firewall, gas tank and battery were all protected. The plastic container under the hood, for the Smoke Screen System, has to be filled with anti-freeze (the liquid normally placed in the radiator). This liquid is then pumped to the copper tubing that is connected to the exhaust manifold, and when the exhaust manifold is hot, and the engine is running, the anti-freeze burns and turns into a thick white smoke that emits from the exhaust pipes in the rear of the vehicle.

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Seen from the exterior, orifices on front bumper and rear fenders
allow occupants to eject tear-gas shells to disperse potential assailants

Ataturk, Mustafa Kemal
[1st President of tghe Republic of Turkey]

1935 Cadillac V12 (?) Series 40 Fleetwood, flat windshield limousine

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in 1881 in the former Ottoman Empire. As a young man he was involved with the Young Turks, a revolutionary group that deposed the sultan in 1909. Ataturk led the Turkish War of Independence and signed the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which made Turkey a republic. He was elected its first president and ushered in reforms that modernized Turkey. He died in 1938 (source: Wikipedia).

Autrey, Gene (1)
[screen and singing star]

1951 Cadillac Series 75 with "woody" finish;
Thanks to CLC member, Ralph Messina, for
correctly identifying the model

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[ Photo: courtesy CLC and Ed Cholakian]

Autrey, Gene (2)
[screen and singing star]

1952 Cadillac Series Sixty-Special

Autrey, Gene (3)
[screen and singing star]

This car is featured in Roy Schneider's excellent book, Cadillacs of the Forties [photo below, thanks to Roy];
it was acquired last year (2002) by a young enthusiast in Mexico who hopes to restore it back to perfection.

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This car has survived and is currently (2003) in Mexico; the
condition is "very poor" but the owner hopes to fully restore it

Autrey, Gene (4)
[screen and singing star]

1974 Cadillac station wagon

This car was reportedly sold at a Kruse auction in Auburn, IN, in August 2000 (lot #1476), with all supporting documentation.
It had a leather interior, a sunroof, wire wheels and all possible power options. The car sold for a reported $4,900.

[ image missing ]

BAELS, Lilian
aka Princess de Réthy
[2nd wife of King Leopold III of Belgium]

Just six years after the accidental death, in Switzerland, of his first wife, Astrid of Sweden, King Leopold III of Belgium married secretly (and morganatically) his sweetheart, Lilian Baels on September 11, 1941. She was born in Highbury, London, on November 28, 1916. She died on June 7, 2002.

Not being of noble birth, the King's new wife could not be known as "Queen" Lilian; nevertheless, she was granted the noble title of "Princesse de Réthy". None of her children had any claim on the Belgian throne, though they would be Princes or Princesses of Belgium.

Owing to controversy about his conduct during the war, Léopold III and his new wife and children were not allowed to return to Belgium (they had been imprisoned by the Germans, in Germany, during WW2) and they spent the next six years in exile in Switzerland. When he returned to Belgium in 1950, there were strikes, protests and clashes between the public and the police, when several protesters were killed. To avoid tearing his country apart, and to preserve the new monarchy, King Léopold decided to abdicate on July 16, 1951 in favor of his then 20-year-old son Baudouin [see "Baudouin" in these pages also].

Princess de Réthy is reported to have owned this stately 1961, "Series 75" limousine.

Bahawalpur, Maharajah of
[former Ruler of an Indian State during the British occupation of India ]

1939 Cadillac Series 60 Special

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Ball, Lucille (Ms. Lucy Arnaz)
[Renowned comedienne]

1940 Cadllac Series 75 limousine
1955 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
[corrected from 1956 by enthusiast, Terry Wenger]

Bananarama
[~~French~~ British pop group]¹

1962 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
You can tell the model year from the half-moon light housing at
each end of the front bumper, below the dual headlights.

Bananarama: Formed 1981, London, England. The most successful British girl-group in pop history. Drawing equal inspiration for their name from the children's television program The Banana Splits and the Roxy Music song Pyjamarama" the trio comprised lifelong friends Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin along with Siobhan Fahey, whom Dallin befriended at the London College of Fashion (excerpt from AMG Records artist biography)

¹ Correction by Randall J. Knox is hereby gratefully acknowledged

Barker, "Ma"
[prohibition era "gangstress"]

Series 370 V12 limousine

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Barrymore, Ethel
[ star of the silver screen ]

1924-25 Cadillac Type V-63

I have in my collection of Cadillac sales and merchandising literature, a small booklet of testimonials, entitled The Revelation of a Ride. Among those testimonials is one from famed actress, Miss Ethel Barrymore [born Ethel Mae Blythe], sister of actors John and Lionel Barrymore. She writes: I am very glad to be able to say that the Cadillac car has proved most satisfactory and it has been a real pleasure to own one. The dignity of its design, its easy riding quality and its roomy, comfortable interior are all qualities which should attract considerable attention." Unfortunately, we do not know which Cadillac model had Miss Barrymore's preference [we do not have a photo of the car]; I would surmise that it was a chauffeur-driven car (a limousine or imperial limousine).

NOT this car but one much like it

Batista, Fulgencio
[ former Dictator of Cuba ]

1938 Cadillac "Series 75" convertible sedan

The former Cuban Army Sergeant rose to Dictatorship following a military coup in 1933. Opposition to him was strong and in 1944 he we went into voluntary exile in the Dominican republic. He staged a successful second coup in 1952, appointed himself General and established a one-party dictatorship under his own leadership. His rule was oppressive. He turned the country into a playground for rich Americans, reaping much of the profits from the casinos. Despite support from the USA, he was finally overthrown by the Communists, led by the equally infamous Fidel Castro who had staged an initial (unsuccessful) coup in July, 1953. In a magnanimous gesture, Batista had released Castro from prison later that year. The latter went into hiding and gradually gained much support from the Communists. Batista finally lost the support of the army and on December 31, 1958 he fled again to the Dominican Republic.

His visit to Washington D.C. in November, 1938, was the Dictator's first trip outside his native land in thirty seven years. Batista is in the RH rear passenger seat wearing the familiar Soviet army style peaked cap. Beside him in the LH ear seat is Gen. Malin Craig, US Chief of Staff.

LH photo: © 1938, US Library of Congress

The car was previously identified in error on Wikipedia as this stretched V-16 parade car, of which
only two were built and dubbed Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, respectively; you can see there is no panel
inserted between the doors on the V-8 model; it is a regular "Series 75" convertible sedan, Style #7529

Baudouin, King of Belgium (1)

1947 Series 62 convertible

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This snapshot was taken just in front of the Belgian Royal Palace,
on the day the King returned from a trip to Switzerland
King Baudouin is riding in the rear [blow-up]
[ Photo from the early fifties ]

Baudouin, King of Belgium (2)

1951 Series 62 convertible

There are conflicting stories as to which of two cars photographed in this section were owned by the Belgian royal family. The top two photos were taken by me at an international Cadillac meet in Volketswil, Switzerland in August 1985; this car was a regular participant in these international meets; it has a tan interior and carries in a frame above the front (Belgian) license tag a photo showing the Belgian King riding in such a car. The last photo in this section shows a 1951 Cadillac convertible licensed in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a neighbor of Belgium; that car was offered for sale on a French auction site in 2000; it was said to have been a gift of the USA to King Baudouin on the occasion of his coronation, in 1951; it has a red interior. Late Extra [May, 2004]: Enthusiast Jean-Marie Herman from Belgium informed me that the photos I took in Switzerland are of the authentic, Royal car. The other has been mis-represented by its owner. The genuine car is licensed "U0024" and belongs to Jean-Marie's brother, Bauduin Herman. It came from the Belgian Royal Court and was used at the coronation of King Baudouin, in 1951. It was licensed originally to the Belgian Ministry of Defense. There have been several newspaper stories showing the car [some are shown below] and it is featured also in movies about Belgium's Royal Family. The car is still in Belgium and is used regularly by Jean-Marie's brother.

I wonder if this is the car to which this excerpt from TIME magazine refers: King Baudouin walked out as stiffly as he had come in,
and climbed into a waiting Cadillac. As the royal car rolled through the capital's prosperous streets, cannon boomed and church bells rang out.

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[ Photos (above 2 rows): © 1985, Yann Saunders ]

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The B&W photo (left) is mounted in a frame, above the car's official, Belgian license tag;
it shows King Baudouin [inset, right] parading in company with a few other State officials
[ I believe this is the same photo as shown two rows down, right ]

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Jean-Marie Herman's sister-in-law enjoys a "royal ride"
[ Photo: © Bauduin Herman ]

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Above two rows: Joyeuses entrées (joyful parades) in the Belgian cities of Charleroi,
Liege, Namur and Ghent, in June 1952, and an official visit to Hasselt in 1953

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Above two rows: The Belgian King reviewing the troops in Brussels
in 1951 (top row) and 1954 (lower row)

Thanks to brothers Jean-Marie and Bauduin Herman of Charleroi, Belgium, for sharing with Cadillac Database© users these (and the additional photos, above) of Cadillacs owned and operated in the fifties by the Belgian Royal household

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According to the Herman brothers, this car, licensed in Luxembourg,
is wrongly claimed to be the royal Belgian car
[ Photo : courtesy V8 Magazine ]

Baudouin, King of Belgium (3)

1955 custom Bubble-Top parade car

This custom Series 62 convertible conversion was ordered new for the Royal House of Belgium. King Baudouin owned three Cadillacs at the time; this is the one he preferred for state functions. The fully removable Plexiglas roof allowed the royals to be both covered yet in full view of the public while on parade; the center section was removable so the car could be used as a 3-position Landaulet. The car was first used on July 2, 1959, in Brussels, for the wedding of Prince Albert II and Princess Paola. It was used subsequently for various important parades including the visits of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower of the USA. It was used again in December, 1960, the King’s wedding to Queen Fabiola. King Baudouin ascended the throne in 1951, following his father’s abdication.

This car found a buyer in Paris, France, in early 2003. It has been mechanically restored but retains the patina of age. Offered for sale at auction in 2008, at no reserve, the vendor expected it would sell between £90,000 and £100,000. He had to let it go for "only" £19,800 !

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On the occasion of his wedding to Fabiola Mora y Aragón, on December 15, 1960,
the Royal couple rode through the streets of Brussels in this converted Series 62 coupe, parade car
[ These 4 photos are from the RM auction catalog ]

This excerpt from TIME magazine mentions the special automobile: For the Catholic ceremony, King and Queen rode
in a bubbletop Cadillac through the cheering streets to the 13th century Gothic church of St. Gudule.

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[Left] Still from Belgian TV video clip of the royal wedding, in December, 1960
[Right] Press photo courtesy Jocelyn Lecoq

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Jocelyn Lecoq, a friend from France, pointed
me to these pictures of the car, on sale in 2003 (left) and 2008 (right)

[ NOT this car, but one much like it ]

Bean, L.L.
[footwear and sporting
goods manufacturer]

1942 Fleetwood limousine
[seen on History Channel, 10/22/2003]

Bechet, Sidney
[jazz musician - clarinet and soprano saxophone]

1950s pink Cadillac convertible

I have it from a reliable source (the mother of a friend who actually saw him in the car) that Sidney was in Juan-les-Pins, France, for the Jazz festival around 1947-50, parading around in a pink Cadillac convertible. It is a known fact that Bechet spent much of the latter part of his life in France. Many of his compositions are inspired by his love for that country, including Petite Fleur, Rue des Champs Elysées, and Si tu vois ma mère.

Now all I need is confirmation (and a photo) from a jazz enthusiast and car buff !

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[ match the star to the car... image is missing ]

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Bennett, Constance
[screen star]

Series 452 V16 roadster,
Fleetwood style #4302
with custom dove [???]
hood ornament

(Count) Bernadotte of Sweden

1929 La Salle sedan

The Count and Countess Folke Bernadotte (formerly Miss Estelle Manville of New York)
entering their new La Salle sedan in front of their home in Stockholm, Sweden
[ (cropped) photo, © and courtesy Jan Strömann, Sweden ]

Berry, Chuck
[R 'n B star]

The star is reported to have owned these 1957 and 1964 Eldorado models;
the '64 was offered for sale on the Internet in 2000

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The car on the right was correctly identified by CLC member, Ralph Messina,
as a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series Sixty Special

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[ Photo: Walter Miller collection ]

Blue, Monte
[Star of the silent screen]

1932 formal lmousine (V8, V12, V16 ?)

Monte Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles. Born Gerard Montgomery Bluefeather in Indianapolis, Indiana, his father was half French, half Cherokee Indian. Blue built up his physique to become a football player; he not only played football, but he was also a fireman, railroad worker, coal miner, cowpuncher, ranch hand, circus rider, lumberjack, and finally, a day laborer at the studios of D. W. Griffith.

Then he rose to stardom as a rugged romantic lead along with top leading actresses such as Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, and Norma Shearer. Blue's finest silent screen performance was as the alcoholic doctor who finds paradise in MGM's White Shadows in the South Seas (1928). Blue became one of the few silent stars to survive the talkie revolution.

Borzage, Frank
[American Movie Director]

1930 V-16 Town Car

Frank Borzage - 1894 to 1962 - was a successful movie director throughout the 20s but reached his peak in the late silent and early sound era. Absorbing visual influences from the German director F.W. Murnau, who was also resident at Fox at this time, he developed his own style of lushly visual romanticism in a hugely successful series of films starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, including Seventh Heaven (1927). Borzage's trademark was intense identification with the feelings of young lovers in the face of adversity, love in his films triumphing over such trials as World War I (Seventh Heaven and A Farewell to Arms (1932),

His work took a turn to religiosity in such films as Green Light (1937), Strange Cargo (1940) and The Big Fisherman (1959). After 1948, his output was sporadic. He was the original director of L'Atlantide (Journey Beneath The Desert, 1961), but was too sick to continue. He was not credited for the sequences he did direct.

[ Photo: Walter Miller collection ]

Boston, the Archbishop of
[Religious leader]

Offered for sale at a Kruse auction in Auburn, IN, on August 2000, this Fleetwood style 7519X was reported to have been owned by the reverend Archbishop of Boston [the Kruse catalog suggested the car was owned by a guy called "Arch Bishop", from Boston!]. It was bid up to $20,000 but did not find a buyer at that venue. A subsequent ad on the Internet read as follows: 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 7519X limo. Black exterior with original unrestored tan fabric upholstery, interior wood is in excellent condition, paint has mirror finish and engine compartment is nicely detailed. 1949 was the first year for Cadillac's all new overhead valve V-8 engine. This engine runs incredibly smooth and quiet. The car features Hydra-Matic transmission, power front seat & windows, original radio, rare factory ordered stainless steel running boards, WWW tires, no divider window, footrests & storage cabinet behind driver seat [like my own 1942 style 7519F]. Odometer shows 57K miles believed to be actual. Formally [presumably the writer meant "formerly"?] owned by the Archbishop of Boston [just so you know the car has been blessed]. Car looks, runs and drives excellent. All power options work, chrome & stainless trim in excellent condition. Your chance to own a rare & historically significant [???] 40's era American automobile. Offered @ $22,500. Phone: 305-883-7774 Email: sales@bumpertobumperinc.com

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Looking at the plain design of the rear door panel, this car appears to have the livery trim,
a less luxurious finish than found, for example, on my own 1942 Series 75, style 7519-F formal sedan;
this car, like mine, has the rare, curved division glass and partition between front and rear compartments

Bourvil, André
[French screen star and comic]

1964 Cadillac "De Ville" convertible

Bourvil, as he was known to his fans, may not have owned this particular Cadillac, nor any others (although he had the means to do so). I just felt the need to include it here because it's the car he drove in a hilarious French movie, entitled "Le Corniaud", with that other French comic, Louis de Funès

The car actually survived the movie and was given away as a prize in a drawing of the American Car Club de France
(ACCF) some years ago; I guess this is the lucky new owner with some friends

Bow, Clara
[screen star]

1927 La Salle roadster (left), 1928 Cadillac 7-pass. limousine (center) and 1927 sport phaeton (right)

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Photos (top): Al G. Waddell collection), Walter Miller collection (lower right), unidentified (lower left)

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Boyd, William (1)
[aka Hopalong Cassidy,
"Western"screen star]

1930 Cadillac V8 all-weather phaeton.
He later had a similar car
built on the V-16 chassis.

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Boyd, William (2)
[aka Hopalong Cassidy,
"Western"screen star]

1930 V-16 all-weather phaeton
Fleetwood syle #4380

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Hopalong's Cadillac is reported to have survived;
it is apparently one or other of the two V-16's shown below, that have a very similar color scheme

Boyd, William (3)

1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

This car is featured in the CLC's Self Starter magazine for February 2001. The car was apparently sent back to Detroit, to the Cadillac Styling Studio, where they restyled it especially for the singing cowboy movie star. It was outfitted with a unique horse and rider hood ornament, had Hopalong script affixed to the doors and extra chrome rib strips down the trunk lid; the interior was redone in a horse hide motif; it had also a second windshield behind the front seat.

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[ Photos: Courtesy Self Starter magazine ]

[ Photos: Internet ]

Boyer, Charles
[French movie actor]

1941 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Charles Boyer, 1899 – 1978) appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage but found success in American movies in the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised, in romantic dramas such as The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939). Another famous role was in the 1944 mystery-thriller Gaslight. He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor [source: Wikipedia ]

[ Photo: 2014, Internet ]

Brabham, Jack
[British auto racing champion]

This 1982 Fleetwood coupe is attributed to the British champ;
it was advertised for sale on e-Bay in 2000

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Brando, Marlon
[ Movie Star]

1956 Series 75 limousine conversion by Derham
[ movie car only ]

This car was featured prominently in the sequel to the popular Godfather movie. It is owned by a collector in California who bought it in Canada

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Brezhnev, Leonid
[former Soviet Supreme leader]

1956 Series 62 convertible

Future Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and Bulgarian president Todor Zhivkov out for a ride in Varna, Bulgaria.
Brezhnev was a huge car fan. President Nixon would send him a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado (below), two 2 Lincoln Continental limos
(by Lehman-Peterson and Hess & Eisenhardt), as well as a Chevy Monte Carlo.

Brezhnev, Leonid
[former Soviet Supreme leader]

1972 Eldorado [black]

It is reported that he got such a car as a gift from President Richard M. Nixon. Dave Smith, CLC member from Hartford, CT, reports : The Maurice Hendry book shows a stock B&W photo of a 1972 Eldorado Hardtop that says a similar "all black" car was given to Brezhnev by Nixon as a gift - on the occasion of a summit talk - because he [Brezhnev] was known to be a car enthusiast. Other than that, I have not seen any other documentation on the Eldorado gift ... The Nixon Presidential Library should have info if not photographs of this car. They had info on a 73 Lincoln gift to Brezhnev.

The (true) story goes that during or after the summit Brezhnev took Nixon for a 3-hour ride in the Caddy around Moscow streets and in the surrounding countryside - minus security guards! Later, unfortunately, it was found that Russia (then the USSR) did not have the kind of high grade gasoline the Eldo used and a regular supply had to be flown in.

[ Not THIS car, but an identical model ]

Burke, Billy
[Director of the Siegfried Follies]

1918 custom open touring car designed by Harley For the Don Lee shops in Hollywood; once owned by
Mr. Burke. Currently (2001) it resides in the collection of author Clive Cussler, in Denver. CO.

18cusearl.jpg (8185 bytes)
[Photo: © 2001, Yann Saunders]

Burton, Richard
and
Taylor Elizabeth
[Hollywood's "wildest" acting couple

1956 Cadillac convertible

The Burtons married twice and divorced twice. One fan recalls: The last time [I saw the pair] was backstage at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York in May 1983, when the world’s most famous ex-lovers, who’d by then been apart for seven years, following their second divorce, forged a disastrously ill-judged reunion in Noël Coward’s comedy Private Lives, the story of an ex-husband and wife who encounter each other on their second honeymoons, staying in adjoining rooms at a hotel in the South of France.

Bush, Barbara
[former American First Lady]

Whether this Cadillac was her own or just placed at the disposal of the White House residents is anybody's guess. Cadillac aficionado, Paul Freda, got the following information from a reliable White House source and was kind enough to pass it on. His contact there said: The White House never supplied any President or 1st Lady with any kind of car. As far as her owning a car herself, I seriously doubt it. I recall she and I discussing her having to get a driver's license after her husband was out of office. I suggested she not give it a lot of thought since she would continue to be seated in the back seat of a USSS vehicle as long as she desired.

Should I remove Ms. Bush from the list ? Nah, she's a nice lady.

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Bush, George H.W.
[41st US President]

Mr. Bush got the 1988-89 Cadillac limousine that replaced the 1983
model used throughout the Reagan administration

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Bush, George W.
[43rd US President]

Mr. Bush "Junior" was issued a brand new limousine in 2001 and again in 2006

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2001

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2006

Admiral Byrd (2)
American explorer of the South Pole

1934 Cadillac V-16 Town Car (conversion)

This car has the same engine number as a V-16 once owned by a Mr. R.E. Byrd of Boston, MA whom I suspect to be related to Admiral Byrd, the South Pole explorer. The "Danish" car has been for many years in the collection of Count J.O. Raben, in Nysted, Denmark. In 1977, I got from his secretary the car's engine number (#5100030), which was reported on another V-16 in 1963. The absence of a vent pane in the rear door window suggests that the conversion was from a standard Fleetwood style #5875 limousine rather than from the formal style #5875-FL that had a leather roof and blank rear quarters.

[ More on this car may be found in the roster of survivors of the 1934-37 V-16 production ]

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Cadle, Wilson C.
[Free Will Baptist Minister of West Virginia]

1939 Cadillac 2-pass Coupe

Cadle was married 3 times and had 14 children. The son of Richard Cadle and Sarah Casto, Wilson died on September 10, 1945 and is buried in the Harper cemetery near Walton.

[ missing image(s) ]

[Mr. Cage's car was shown in the Autumn 2003 issue of
La Cad, magazine of the Australian CLC]

Cage, Nicholas
[screen star]

1959 Cadillac
Series 62 convertible

Cagney, James
[screen tough guy]

1931 Cadillac
V-12, special phaeton

This car currently is part of the Keyaerts Cadillac Museum collection in Langeais, Touraine, France.
It is reported to have been once the property of the American film star

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[ Photos: Keyaerts Museum collection ]

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This is believed to be Mr. Campbell's car
[ it was for sale on Ebay in 2008 ]

Campbell, Glen
[singer]

1974 Custom Eldorado wagon

He subsequently lost the car to his wife in a divorce settlement.

Cantor, Eddie
[singer]

1940 Cadillac V-16

He owned this 1940 Series 90 V16 Town Car, Fleetwood style 9053; it is one of only two units built that year (interestingly, both cars have survived; both were once owned by singer, Neil Young)

9053_40a.jpg (8658 bytes)
The car on the left is the former Cantor car; it is body #1 of only 2 units built that year
the photo on the right could be either the same car, or possibly the second unit (body #2)

Capone, Al
[Gangster]

1928 Armored limousine

This one was brought to my attention after I saw a video presentation on YouTube, in Feb. 2012, about
a restoration project in progress by the (then) owner of this "odd" vehicle from Chicago.

If anyone has photos or other interesting information about the car and its history, I shall gladly add it here.




Right: Actor Ben Gazarra poses with the Capone car
[ note the absence of sidemounts on the LH image, and probably the center one too ]


[ Photo (center and far right): RM Auctions, Chicago ]


The Capone car has an unusual hood emblem; it appears to be a motometer supporting an eagle atop a globe

Capone, Al (2)
[gangster]

1929 Cadillac limousine

Reported to have been owned originally by Al Capone, this 1929 Cadillac limousine still had visible signs of 2 bullet hole repairs on the passenger side rear door. Reported to once have had a V-16 engine [although this is NOT a V-16 body style], today it is powered by a 350 Chevrolet engine, with an automatic transmission. When the V-16 needed rebuilding the cost proved prohibitive, and it was replaced with the V-8. Paramount pictures owned this car and it starred in several movies including The Godfather and The Untouchables. It was sold to the Highland Classic Limousine Service in Raleigh where it still does duty on special occasions

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Capone, Al (3)
[gangster]

    1930 Cadillac Series 452 V16 sedan

Among the many Cadillacs owned by the legendary (notorious?) Chicago mobster was this one, designed to
assist in escaping pursuit and, if caught, to withstand a siege [photos: Imperial Palace Museum, Las Vegas]

This description of the car is from Chris Carlisle and the Imperial Palace collection (thanks to CLC member, Vince Taliano):

Since a frequent method of settling disputes in the Roaring 1920’s was to blow up a rival’s car or rake it with machine gun fire, Al Capone had a 1930 V-16 Cadillac built for reportedly $30,000 to his specifications with unique “safety features” such as:

* Top speed of 120 MPH [hard to believe] thanks to a 452 cubic inch motor and a 16 cylinder high compression valve in head engine
* Bulletproof glass in the windshield and side windows
* Quarter-inch armor plate lining the driver’s compartment
* Three-inch portholes in the side windows one inch from the bottom of the glass. Occupants could stick their Thompson sub-machine guns
    through the handy holes and spray the area around the car.
* A tube through the floorboard for dropping one-inch roofing nails into the path of lawmen or rival gangsters in hot pursuit.
* A pressure can and tubing to introduce oil to exhaust system to create a smoke screen.

After Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sent to prison, his Cadillac soon fell into disrepair. It was totally forgotten. It was eventually brought back to life in the early sixties by a gentleman by the name of Mr. Paul R. Eakins, who passed away in 1990. He had rebuilt it from top to bottom bringing back its history and original form as the crime czar Al Capone once had it. Morris “Red” Rudensky, Al Capone's cellmate at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1932, authenticated the car in 1975.

Mr. Eakins toured the country in shows with the car and people were awestruck at the bulletproof capabilities of this beautiful machine. Eventually he sold the car in 1982 to the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. The car remained on display until 1998 when Mr. Sid Craig purchased the vehicle. The car remains one of the most famous Cadillacs ever produced.


Fleetwood style #4375 imperial limousine

Note the armored glass, with "porthole" in rear door glass for shooting Tommy Gun at rivals

Capone, Al (4)
[gangster]

1932 Cadillac limousine

Enthusiast Josh Eager pointed out correctly, in September 2008, that Mr. Capone was convicted and sentenced, in late 1931 to 11 years in federal prison for tax evasion; his sentencing occurred on November 24, 1931; It is doubtful, therefore, that he could have owned a 1932 Cadillac. Nevertheless, he could well have purchased the car (himself or through his Mob connections) prior to his incarceration. From what I've read about the man, he was released after 8 years, on November 16, 1939 and spent his last years a sick man and a recluse at his Florida mansion, where he died on January 25, 1947.

Capone, Al (5)
[gangster]

1942 Cadillac limousine

[ image missing ? ]

This car was offered for sale at auction by one of the major U.S. automobile auctioneers in the eighties; it was advertised as a car once owned by the notorious mobster

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Capone, Al (6)
[gangster]

1940 Cadillac V-16

Scarface also owned this 1940 Series 90 V16, style 9033-F Formal Sedan by Fleetwood; only five units were built that year

Carrillo, Santiago
[ Spanish communist party leader ]

Armored 1948 Cadillac Series 75 limousine

This car was given to Sr. Carrillo as a gift by Nicolae Ceaucescu, then leader of the Romanian communist party and later Premier of his country. This is the car used by Carrillo to greet his guests (the Italian, Berlinguer and the Frenchman, Marchais), at the party's summit meeting in Madrid in 1977 - the car was then 30 years old !

48carril.jpg (8821 bytes)

Carter, Jimmy
[39th US President]

Misc. Cadillac (and other) Parade Cars

Jimmy and Rosalynn take a stroll down Pennsylvania avenue on a chilly inauguration day

Carter, Jimmy
[39th US President]

1975 Cadillac limousine

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This car had been previously used during the Ford administration

Carter, Jimmy
[39th US President]

78-79 Stretched Cadillac limousine

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Carter, June (1)
[Wife of singer-entertainer, Johnny Cash (below)]

1964 Cadillac, that husband Johnny Cash totaled
around a utility pole in Nashville, TN, in March 1965

[info: Josh Eager, 9/2008 ]

[ image ? ]

Carter, June (2)
[Wife of singer-entertainer, Johnny Cash (below)]

1965 Cadillac "Calais"; this is the car June bought
to replace the '64 model totaled by her husband

[info: Josh Eager, the current owner, 9/2008 ]

[ image to come ]

Cash, Johnny [1]
[ Country-western singer ]

1949-73 Cadillac "Coupe Sedan de Ville"

This is a creation by Bill Patch, later gifted to Johnny Cash. One day Bill was in his office, listening to Johnny Cash’s recording of “One Piece At A Time,” that tells the story of a modest GM auto worker who, over many years, stole various Cadillac parts until he had enough of them to be able to build a complete car. Trouble is, the result was a mish-mash composite of many models, ranging from 1949 up to 1973.

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Based on the Johnny Cash single, One Piece at a Time, these images
depict the imaginary Cadillac the singer builds from stolen parts

Here's an earlier Cadillac "creation" based on the hit song

Cash, Johnny [2]
[ Country-western singer ]

1976 Fleetwood Brougham

The car was for sale on e-Bay in February, 2002 together with a title document in the former owner's name; the singer is reported

Castro, Fidel [1]
[ Cuban leader ]

1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

In early summer, 1972, the Cuban premier was a guest of honor of the Nicolae Ceaucescu, Romania's then Communist party leader, during Castro's grand tour of nine socialist nations of Eastern Europe and Africa. Is it not strange to see these two hardened communists parading in the world's best known symbol of capitalism: the Cadillac ! This car may have been a gift from the USA to Romania's then President Chivu Stoica.

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Castro, Fidel [2]
[ Cuban leader ]

1957 Cadillac Series 70 Eldorado Brougham

Eldorado Brougham #251 is believed to have been owned first by Fidel Castro, Cuba's premier. It is alleged to have been a gift to him by the U.S. government ...that was before the Bay of Pigs incident! It was acquired soon after that, in Havana, in almost new condition, by His Excellency Giacomo Menasce, then Swiss Ambassador to the Caribbean island nation. But for the alleged Castro connection, this car’s history is fully documented.

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NOT this car but one like it

Ceausescu, Nicolae
[former Romanian Premier]

1949 (?) Cadillac
Series 75 limousine

Everyone will remember the tragic end, in the late eighties, to this Eastern European dictator's iron rule. His wife too unfortunately had to face the firing squad.

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Charles, Ezzard Mark
Boxing heavyweight champion
[ 1921-1975 ]

1950s Cadillac
Series 60 Special

Ezzard was known as the "Cincinnati Cobra". Out of 122 fights, and although he lost 22 of them, he won 58 by a knock-out, defeating such boxing greats as Archie Moore, Charley Burley and Joe Louis. He narrowly missed beating Rocky Marciano, twice.

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Beside the champ is his daughter, Deborah,
"driving" a pint-sized replica of Dad's Caddy
[ Photo: United Press ]

Chiang Kai Sheik [spelling?] [1]
(General, former military leader of Taiwan)

1955 Series 75 limousine

Photo supplied kindly by Irwin Kho, a Database visitor from the Philippines. The car is on display in a Taiwanese museum.

Chiang Kai Sheik [spelling?] [2]
(General, former military leader of Taiwan)

1972 Series 75 limousine

Photo supplied kindly by Irwin Kho, a Database visitor from the Philippines. The car is on display in a Taiwanese museum.

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Chiang Kai Sheik [spelling?] [3]
(General, former military leader of Taiwan)

1983 armored and stretched parade limousine

Photo found on Internet

Christian X, King of Denmark (1)
Custom 1930 Cadillac, Series 355

The company F. Bülow & Co, ApS, was founded on 1.30.1880 in Varde, Jutland, Denmark. In 1922 the company delivered the first of many automobiles
to the royal Danish court. Among these was a custom-built Cadillac semi-enclosed car of 1930 vintage (a sedan or limousine), the roof of which was raised
to enable the then King of Denmark, Christian X, to wear a top hat inside the car. The coach-builder is believed to have been Danske Karrosserie.

[ Photo: Internet, courtesy F. Bülow & Co, ApS]

Christian X, King of Denmark (2)
1933 Cadillac V-8, Series 355-C

The late Roy Warshawsky, CEO of J.C. Whitney, Inc., once owned this 1933 V-16 tourer with custom body by the Danish Coach-Builder
Dansk Karrosserifabrik; it had belonged previously to the King of Denmark. The car was sold at auction by Christies in August 2001.

[ Photo: © Simon Clay, courtesy Christie's auction house catalog ]

The ex-King Christian X of Denmark
1933 CADILLAC V8 SEVEN PASSENGER TOURING CONVERTIBLE
COACHWORK BY DANSK KARROSSERIFABRIK

Chassis No. 3000786
Engine No. 302128

Royal blue with black wings and blue leather interior and tan top
Engine: V8, L-Head, 353ci., 115bhp at 3000rpm; Gearbox: three forward speed and reverse; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf spring with hydraulic dampers front and rear; Brakes: four wheel drum with vacuum assist. Right hand drive.
In 1933 Cadillac introduced a stylish aspect to their normal, functional bodywork design which both improved and transformed the aesthetic appearance of their cars. They covered the upright Cadillac radiator with a V-shaped grille that was blended into the bodywork and painted bodywork color. A chrome radiator was now optional while the water filler cap was placed inside the engine compartment. The bumpers were now sectioned with plain ends and a three-bar center piece. This face lift instantly modernized the range of cars while the engine choices remained either V8, V12 or V16.
This fabulous Seven Passenger Touring car was formerly part of King Christian X of Denmark's collection of motor cars and carries attractive and well proportioned coachwork by Dansk Karrosserifabrik which may be unique to a Cadillac chassis. On file is a letter dated June 1974 from F. Bülow & Co. of Copenhagen to the current owner's late husband confirming that this car was designed and built for the Royal Stables by Dansk and that it was the only body of that type ever built. We believe that King Christian X also had a V12 Cadillac in his motor house along with Adlers and a Mercedes of some type. The Queen had a Fiat and a Nash. Photographs supplied with the car show the Cadillac on various ceremonial duties in Denmark, particularly at the end of the war or with the King, and sometimes both the King and Queen of Denmark, taking the royal salute. Some further photographs show General Montgomery in the Cadillac also taking the salute amidst a rapturous reception in the streets of Copenhagen and at the docks clearly as peace had just been declared.

After its Royal use it appears the car was sold and used on a farm before it ended up with a Cadillac collector named Palle S. Jensen of Ringe, Denmark who subsequently advertised it in Self-Starter, the Cadillac-LaSalle Owners' bulletin in February 1974. The purchaser, the late Mr. Roy Warshawsky of Chicago and from whose lady widow we are offering the car, had reason to be travelling to Europe on business and it was then that he concluded a deal to buy the car. Typed transcripts of the events are offered with the car from which it is evident that Mr. Warshawsky was even able to meet the King's chauffeur. The chauffeur had joined the Royal household in August 1919 and confirmed that the Cadillac was only ever used on state occasions as a parade car, excepting one trip to Jutland. The transcripts provide a fascinating insight to a bygone age. The Cadillac has thus been in its present family since 1974.

The car was fully restored in the mid 1970s by a company in Beaver, Wisconsin and it is a testament to their efforts that the car is still in fine condition today. During its current ownership it has always been carefully stored and exercised on a regular basis. The Royal blue paintwork is complemented by black wings and a black swage line with yellow pinstripe. Blue leather seats are fitted to the front and rear with matching leather door panels and blue carpeting. The instruments include a speedometer calibrated in kilometers (presently showing 24,960 on the odometer) and a Jaeger 8 day clock. Other features include Bosch trafficators fitted to the front windscreen, sidemounted dual spare wheels, an Auster-style rear screen for the rear passengers, twin occasional jump seats, twin front flag pennants, a folding luggage rack and two radiator badges for the KGL Dansk Automobil Klub with a Royal coat of arms and Danish flag. There are no side screens. To aid modern driving, an electric fuel pump has also been fitted.

The car also has a bronze lion hood ornament fitted, which was recast in the US after Mr. Warshawsky obtained special permission from Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark to borrow the original Nam Greb signed bronze lion.

This Cadillac would be, in our opinion, a fine addition to any motor car collection. It has the combined attraction of European royal history matched to a true American classic from the thirties.

The car was borrowed be the French pop
group, Telephone, for this 80's publicity photo

Christophe [1]
[French pop star]

1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Daniel Bevilacqua, better known as French pop star "Christophe" made only one hit record in the early sixties called Aline, yet he has retained his popularity in France and appears occasionally on TV. He owns also a 1958 Cadillac convertible and is sometimes seen with his cars at meets of the American Car Club de France.

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Christophe [2]
[French pop star]

1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Christophe's car was offered at auction in Fontainebleau, France, in May 1988 (it was the last lot in the sale); bids peaked at FF230,000 but the high bidder failed to honor his bid and the car was a "no sale"
(source: LVA 88/22 - 06.02.88)

Clark, Huguette Marcelle
[American Heiress]

1933 Cadillac V-16 limousine

Huguette Marcelle Clark was the youngest child of Sen. William Andrews Clark (1839-1925), one of the copper kings of Montana, a railroad builder, founder of Las Vegas, and one of the richest men of the Gilded Age. His daughter, born in Paris in 1906 inherited one-fifth of his fortune. A shy artist, she rarely left her New York apartments but had a circle of friends whom she kept in touch with mostly on the telephone. She died in 2011, two weeks before her 105th birthday.

She lived first in the home that her father bought for cash in 1923 for about $300,000 ($4 million in today's dollars). The Italian villa here was damaged in the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake. Huguette's mother built Bellosguardo (the current home) in 1933. There are 27 rooms in the main house, including six bedrooms for the family and three small bedrooms for servants. The house has been appraised, perhaps conservatively, at $85 million.

[source: NBC News - 2014]

Left: What Huguette's new car would have looked like in 1933
Right: how it looks today (2011) on the family estate

Clay, Cassius (1)
[ aka Mohammed Ali ]
[World heavyweight boxing champion]

1959 Cadillac

The champ is seen here with his mother. Was the car perhaps a gift to her?

Clay, Cassius (2)
[ aka Mohammed Ali ]
[World heavyweight boxing champion]

1965 De Ville convertible

On August 13, 1967, while serving as Grand Marshal of the Summer Festival parade in LA, the famous boxer (arm raised) rode on the parade boot of this car

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Clinton, William Jefferson
[42nd U.S. President]

1993 White House limousine

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The presidential limousine of the Clinton administration

Clinton, Hillary Rodham
[former U.S. First Lady]

This 1995 Fleetwood limousine was reportedly used by the wife of the former U.S. President

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Cohen, Mickey
[ mobster ]

This heavy, armored 1950 Cadillac was commissioned from Coachcraft of Hollywood; the car was confiscated by the police before Mickey ever got to use it. Based on a 1950 Series 60S V8 Cadillac, this exhibit has special body treatment by Rudy Stoessel of Coachcraft, Los Angeles, providing a bomb-proof floor, armor-plated doors, 40 mm thick bullet-proof windows and a special hinged windscreen designed for inside firing. It was owned by Mickey Cohen, a gangster who worked for Al Capone and Lucky Luciano. The car was confiscated by the Los Angeles police, and in 1961 Cohen was sentenced to 15 years for the largest tax evasion in American history. The car has survived and is currently [2007] on display at Southward Car Museum, in Wellington, New Zealand [this info from Cadillac enthusiast, Michael Riley]

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The 1950 armored 60 Special by Coachcraft

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I caught a glimpse of this 1953 Cadillac grille while zapping around the TV channels; I believe the are from a movie
about Mickey Cohen, starring Russel Crowe and Danny DeVito [somebody correct me if I am wrong]; I seem to recall
that these two movie stills were sent to me in 2000 or 2001 by Database user Irwin Kho of the Philippines.

Cooley (aka "Spade")
Western Swing Bandleader

1954 Cadillac Eldorado

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Images: http://www.allcads.com/cars.html

Coltrane, Robbie
[Scots comedian and movie star]

1951 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

Comedian Coltrane, like the compiler of this Database, is a Scots member of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc. Among the fine Cadillac cars in his collection is this 1951 convertible in which he toured the USA in the late eighties. A British TV crew followed him. The result was an amusing series entitled: Coltrane in a Cadillac

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According to an article by Vince Bodiford in the Web page The Weekend Drive,
a lavish 1928 Cadillac town car also was used extensively throughout the Coolidge administration

Coolidge, Calvin
[ 30th U.S. President ]

This 1928 Cadillac sport phaeton was used by Pres. and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge when they attended the sesquicentennial celebrations at Philips-Andover on May 19, 1928 [which happens to be also the date of my Dad's 22nd and my Mom's 14th birthday!] The car was loaned by S. Warren Sturgis, Groton, MA

Cooper, Gary [1]
[screen star]

Cary The Coop Cooper owned many fabulous cars, including a huge and powerful doodlebug [did I hear someone say the name is Duesenberg?]; but he was also a man of taste, for he had also a 1938 Series 90 V-16 Cadillac convertible coupe.

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Cooper, Gary [1]
[screen star]

The Coop was the star of this 1930s movie entitled If I had a Million. It is doubtful he actually owned the car ... but who knows, right? the car is a 1930-31 Cadillac V-16, Fleetwood style #4391, 7-pass. town brougham; it is one of only 30 units built. Cadillac aficionado, Ross Morgan from Australia, has done an excellent job capturing the stills for our enjoyment.

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The gentleman at the wheel, in this screen shot, is NOT Gary Cooper but "bad boy" George Raft;
thank you CLC member, Ralph Messina, for correctly identifying the driver

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Movie stills provided kindly by Ross Morgan, a Cadillac enthusiast from Australia

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Crawford, Cindy
[fashion model]

Whether or not the lovely model ever owned a Cadillac (especially a model older than herself) is a moot point. But she certainly blends in admirably with this shocking pink 1956 Series Sixty Special sedan

Crawford, Joan
[legendary Hollywood screen star]

Left: the star is seen alighting from an early sixteen-cylinder model, in this case a 1930-31 Series 452-452A.
The car is a Fleetwood style #4260 special phaeton with crank-operated secondary windshield.
Right: this car has quarter windows, so it is NOT the town car shown below; the design of the arm-rest smoking set
suggests a Cadillac of later vintage, however, the door window winder then would be incorrect; perhaps it is not even a Cadillac!

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Ms. Crawford acquired also this very rare 1933 V-16 town car, Series 452, Fleetwood style #5525;
It was for many years owned by Hillcrest Cadillac of Hollywood, CA, who had sold it to Ms. Crawford in1933
and were able to get it back from her estate; Right: the town car in2002 [Photos: CLC Self-Starter]

This 1967 Brougham is reported to have been owned also by the star
[ Photo: Internet, 2013 ]

Crosby, Bing
[singer and comedian]

In the upper photos, we see the showman taking delivery of a new 1947 Model;
lower photo shows Bing parading aboard a 1959 convertible

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation. A multimedia star, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses.^[is early career coincided with technical recording innovations; this allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style that influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine recognized Crosby as the person who had done the most for American G.I. morale during World War II and, during his peak years, around 1948, polls declared him the "most admired man alive," ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.Also in 1948, the Music Digest estimated that Crosby recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music.Crosby exerted an important influence on the development of the postwar recording industry. He worked for NBC at the time and wanted to record his shows; however, most broadcast networks did not allow recording. This was mainly because of the quality of recording at the time. While in Europe performing during the war, Crosby had witnessed tape recording, on which The Crosby Research Foundation would come to have many patents. The company also developed equipment and recording techniques such as the Laugh Track which are still in use today.In 1947, he invested $50,000 in the Ampex company, which built North America's first commercial reel-to-reel tape recorder. He left NBC to work for ABC because NBC was not interested in recording at the time. This proved beneficial because ABC accepted him and his new ideas.Crosby then became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. He gave one of the first Ampex Model 200 recorders to his friend, musician Les Paul, which led directly to Paul's invention of multitrack recording. Along with Frank Sinatra, Crosby was one of the principal backers behind the famous United Western Recorders recording studio complex in Los Angeles.

^{[source: Wikipedia]}

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Photos: Cadillac Motor Car Division

Same hat, same outfit, same car, different license tag?

Different year, different venue, different car ... same star

Daley, Richard G.
[former Mayor of Chicago]

1961 Cadillac convertible

Dali, Salvador
[artist]

1941 Cadillac convertible sedan

This car may have ended its life as a tow truck; I remember photographing such a vehicle around Gerona, near Figueras, Spain, in the mid-seventies; there could not have been that many 1941 Cadillacs in a poor country like Spain after the civil war, that was followed closely by WW2

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Left: Dali's 1941 convertible sedan being delivered to Figueras
Right: Later, the car becomes a show piece of the Dali museum in that city

Dali, Salvador
[artist]

1961 Cadillac Series 62 convertible

The artist is seen here attending a bullfight in his home country of Spain where he paraded in the arena aboard one of his (?) later Cadillacs

Dali, Salvador
[artist]

Late 70's Sedan de Ville (?)

Out and about ... in a very dirty car !

Davis, Bette
["Colossal" star of the screen from the 30s through the 80s]

1941 custom Cadillac town car by Derham of Rosemont

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies. Until the late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies, known for her forceful and intense style. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated and satirized.

More of her biography here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis

Davis, Sammy, Jr. (1)
[Showbiz personality]

1956 Eldorado Biarritz

In a revealing interview by Playboy, you may get an inkling that this car was not the first nor the last in Sammy's auto stables. He writes, for example: "I was driving from Vegas to Los Angeles to do the sound track for Six Bridges to Cross. In Vegas, our act was playing the New Frontier — $7500 a week, the most we’d ever made — and to celebrate, my dad and Will had just given me my first Cadillac convertible."

In another part of the interview we tread: "Each evening at eight, Sammy left for the theater in his $25,000 limousine [I'm guessing it was a Cadillac], custom-fitted with intercom, bar, stereo, television and telephone. His stocky chauffeur, an ex-Marine named Joe Grant, denied that he functioned as a bodyguard: ’Just call me Sammy’s right-hand man."

The singer-entertainer himself added: "I’ve got a limousine that costs $25,000 with all the fixtures. I sit there, I press that button, a television comes up. Ain’t no other pleasure in the world like that for me. Press another button: The tape recorder plays. The bar —f ix me a drink. It’s right there! That’s my pleasure, man! Do you understand what I mean?

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Davis, Sammy, Jr. (2)
[Showbiz personality]

1976 Castilian estate wagon

This car was offered for sale on e-Bay, in April 2002. It was said to have been purchased at auction from Mr. Davis' estate in 1991, the car has "Mr. D" painted on the doors; it came with the license tags: "Mr. D 5"

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Davis, Steve
[British snooker (pool) champion]

1983 (?) Cadillac

This photo appeared in the British press under the headline : Snookered. It looks as though Steve may have parked his car in a No Parking zone, catching the attention of the local constabulary who put this ingenious wheel clamp on the car to prevent him from driving it away!

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Dean, James
[sceen actor]

1953 Cadillac sedan

With all due respect to the late James Dean, I could not resist including this one in the selection, if only because the larger car (not necessarily the better or
most interesting one here) is a full-sized Cadillac sedan whose driver is unknown and may not even have realised that the youthful Porsche driver on his right,
at that gas station, was an up-and-coming screen star named James Dean. Nor was that driver to know that the Porsche driver would lose his life at the wheel
of his fast sports car only hours after this chance "non-meeting" on September 30, 1955.

Behind the Porsche, in the photo, is Dean's 1955 Ford Country Squire station wagon and trailer; Dean had planned to tow the Porsche to a race meet in Salinas
but changed his mind at the last minute and had his photographer and another friend drive the wagon whiled he drove the Porsche in company with his mechanic.
En route to Salinas, the too eager driver was even pulled over for speeding ... and two yours later, the Porsche collided almost head on with a 1950 Ford Tudor ("2-door")
sedan that had attempted to make a left turn across Dean's path, misjudging the actual speed of the Porsche .

An anecdoote has it that Dean had introduced himself one week earlier to the British actor, Alec Guiness, outside a Hollywood restaurant. When Dean had showed
Guiness the Porsche, the British actor found that it "looked sinister"; he told Dean, "If you get in that car, you will be found deadf in it by this time next week."

That encounter is reported to have taken place on September 23, 1955 ... just seven days before Dean died.

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De Gaulle, Charles
[former President of the French Republic]

On 27 October 1968, while on a 5-day state visit to Turkey, France's former Premier, the late Charles De Gaulle, paid a visit to the French Lycée [college] at Galatasarayon the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its founding. He was driven in a 1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible.

De la Fressange, Inés
[fashion model]

Many fashion photographers have used the Cadillac as a prop for photo shoots. In this photo, the Paris top model leans on the hood of a fine looking 1941 Cadillac

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De Mille, Cecil B.
[Film Producer-Director]

1930-31 Cadillac Series 452/452A V16 town car
Fleetwood style #4225

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Photos: (top and below, left) Self Starter magazine, 2/2005; (right) © Dennis Adler

Del Rio, Dolores
[Hollywood screen star]

1927 town car, and
1928 Cadillac 7-pass. limousine
1930 Fleetwood town car

Photo: Walter Miller collection

De Vaux, Norman
[Former GM Executive]

Custom Touring sedan by Harley Earl for Don Lee of Hollywood

Norm De Vaux loved fast cars and speedboats. He arrived in San Francisco on July 8, 1896, proclaiming he had cycled there from Manhattan (3,786-mi) in a little over 37 days (an average of more than 100 miles per day). While working for GM, he built the Pacific Coast Chevrolet plant at Oakland. Later he became associated with another ex-GM man, William Crapo Durant and built the Durant plant in Oakland, CA. Starting in 1929 he headed Durant Motor Co. of California and made a fortune selling those cars. He made his home in Piedmont, across the Bay from San Francisco, on an estate previously belonging to R. C. Durant, son of William Crapo.

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Dickinson, Angie
[Movie Star and Dancer]

1962 "Series 62" convertible

Dickinson, the second of four daughters, was born Angeline Brown but was called "Angie" by family and friends) in Kulm, North Dakota. Her family is of German descent. In 1942, they moved to Burbank, California, where she attended Bellarmine-Jefferson High School. She studied at Glendale Community College and in 1954 graduated from Immaculate Heart College with a degree in business.

She was first marrried to Gene Dickinson, a former football player, from 1952 to 1960. She married Burt Bacharach in 1965 and remained a couple for 15 years, though late in the marriage they had a period of separation. Following the birth of their daughter in 1966, Dickinson temporarily put her career on hold, although she did appear in the occasional picture, such as the western The Last Challenge (1967) with Glenn Ford and the comedy Some Kind of Nut (1969)

Thanks to CLC member, Ralph Messina, for correctly
identifying the car as a Series 62 and not an Eldorado

Dietrich, Marlene (1)
[screen star]

On display at the Robert Keyaerts Cadillac Museum in Langeais, near Tours, France, is this Series 452C V-16 town car model from 1933 (Fleetwood style #5525), reported to have been owned by Ms. Dietrich.

Only three such cars were built that year; one of them is known to have been acquired by actress Joan Crawford [see above]; the second could be this car, although I have never seen a photo of the star with it. The third car has not been found.

In the book Marlene Dietrich, by her daughter, Maria Riva, she writes: ...for her thirty-first birthday, my mother bought herself [a very long Cadillac as] a present [this would situate the action in late 1932, at the time Cadillac would be introducing its 1933 models]. ... With her usual perfectionism and inspired help from the famous body designer, Fisher, the Dietrich Cadillac was custom designed and built, then delivered to our door [note that the 1933 and 1934 town cars both were custom designs by Fleetwood, not Fisher]. Long before stretch limousines existed, our new car was so long that no garage, either in America or later in Europe, was deep enough to house it. It's exceptional length was due to the specially constructed trunk, a sort of metal-encased chest of drawers that hung on the back... [the 1933 sixteens rode on a chassis with 149" wheel base; on the other hand, the 1934 models are the longest production cars ever built; their wheel base was 5" longer and their overall length was 20 feet ...without any custom luggage trunk!] ...The floor was carpeted in Tibetan goat [more likely sheepskin]. It looked so glamorous that my mother never had it changed, even though she came to hate it, for it constantly tangled its long hairs around her high heels, making her trip, catapult into the back seat whenever she entered.

While the date mentioned in Maria's book does suggest the car could have been a 1933 model, the photo of her mother's car, on p.145, is definitely a 1934-35 car. So, unless Marlene owned TWO 16-cylinder Cadillac town cars in quick succession, it is quite possible that Maria got the birthday wrong; more likely it was Marlene's 33rd; indeed, the star is reported to have taken delivery of a 1934 V-16 in early 1935, before her trip to Europe. The body styles are obviously very similar, although the 1935 car had no sidemounted spare wheels and the 1933 does not have the travel trunk described in Maria's book.

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The car at auction in Las Vegas (left) and now in France (right)

Dietrich, Marlene (2)

1935 Cadillac Series 90. V-16 town car

Marlene toured Europe in 1935 in a 1934 V-16 town car with updated 1935 bumpers and no sidemounted spare wheels (Fleetwood style #5825). Presumably she left it there [in Europe] when she returned to the USA at the outbreak of WW2. The photo (top row below, right) is from the book by the late David Niven entitled The Moon's a balloon. In his other book, Bring on the Empty Horses, Niven recalled that Marlene's Cadillac was as long as a railway carriage. Ms. Dietrich's car appeared also in a news documentary filmed in 1935, when she was in London, where she spent a weekend with Mr. Niven.

In 1963, this car was reported to be owned by Mrs. William Ott of St. Petersburg, FL [Self Starter, Nov.-Dec. 1963, p.13]. Mrs. Ott reportedly bought the car in 1960 from a Mr. George Hormel of Austin, MN who had got it in 1955 from the original owner [Marlene?]. It was owned also at one time by Leonard Poole of Allentown, PA. The British magazine Motor Sport for 11/1962 (p.894) reported that the car was sold at auction, as part of the Sword collection in the UK, for £375 [!!!] to a collector in Australia? In a later ad in Motor Sport, December 1973 [p.1459], the car is mentioned once again. Did Sword buy it from Mrs. Ott or from Len Poole?

It was last reported in a Museum collection in New Zealand [6/1999]. Another fan of Cadillac (David Ireland) kindly supplied the name and address of the NZ Museum - thanks! It is Sir Len Southward's Southward Museum at Paraparaumu. I have been in contact with Stan Bellamore, the museum manager; he supplied the engine and body numbers. The body #11 appears at odds with production records which show that only 4 units of this style were built in 1934; I am assuming, therefore, that the factory grouped this body with others mounted on the V-8 and V-12 chassis that year.

Indefatigable V16 researcher, Terry Wenger, passed on some interesting information about the Dietrich car. He writes: Concerning the Marlene Dietrich car. I thought I read somewhere that the car she posed with was a stand-in; her car has the small hubcaps and exposed wire wheels as shown [as seen in the NZ museum photo, below] when Mrs.Ott owned it. Since Marlene took delivery of the car in early '35, the new bumpers must have been installed. If you look closely at the RH picture, below, the right license bracket is still there, only it has a sign that says that the car was owned originally by Miss Dietrich. The picture you have of a town car owned by James Gaskin Sr. also is Marlene's car, taken in the '70's at Hershey [I have now moved that picture to this entry]. I took several pictures of it at Hershey that year, myself, and it still had the same sign on the RH front license bracket that it did when Mrs. Ott owned it. Thanks for the update, Terry.

Richard Goulden, another Cadillac aficionado, said in September 2000 that there is a photo of Marlene with her car on p.145 of the book Marlene Dietrich by her daughter Maria Riva. In 2007, enthusiast Dirk Van Dorst of Belgium got a hold of the book on my behalf and confirmed that the car shown on p.145 is this car, not the 1933 model shown above.

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Left and center: Marlene poses with her new V-16 town car; note the custom trunk is not visible in the center photo
Photo [left]: Kobal Collection, © 1988, Black & White Pictures Ltd., 50-52 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DG
Right: the star's chauffeur, Briggs, who used to wear two Colt 45's on his belt ! [Photo: D. Niven]

I'm quite sure the formal car in the background is Marlene's
1934 Cadillac V-16 Town Car (note the "spinner" hub caps)

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The car when it was in Mrs. Ott's possession
[the RH license bracket attests to Ms. Dietrich being the first owner]

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(Left) The car was owned in the seventies by James E. Gaskin, Sr., of Norfolk, VA; (right) the same car, 70 years later, in a New Zealand museum

Currently on exhibit in Paraparaumu, New Zealand (2011)

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Dietrich, Marlene (3)

1950s Cadillac Series 75 limousine

Whether or not the star owned the car is a moot point. Certainly, her status at the time entitled her to expect to be driven around in only the best...

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Domingo, Placido
[famous opera singer]

1984 stretched limousine

Domino, Antoine Dominique ("Fats")
[R&B singer]

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. was born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was also raised. An early virtuoso on R&B piano, his 1956 up-tempo version of the 1940 Vincent Rose, Al Lewis & Larry Stock song, Blueberry Hill was #1 on the R&B charts for 11 weeks, and reached #2 in the Top 40; it was his biggest hit, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide in 1956-57 alone. The song had earlier been recorded by Gene Autry, and Louis Armstrong among many others.
In 1956, the artiste appeared also in two musical movies: Shake, Rattle & Rock!and The Girl Can't Help It.

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Fats had this photo taken in front of his new house. The color image is from "Ebony", for July 1960;
(at the left of the smaller image you can see the tail end of a 1960 Cadillac model)

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Note the interesting color scheme on his 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. It is done in what appeasr to be a mix of Persian Sand and Vegas Turquoise

Dors, Diana
[platinum blonde UK film star]

1954 and 1959 Series 62 convertibles

Diana Fluck was born on 23rd October 1931 at the Haven Nursing Home, Swindon, Wiltshire. From a very early age she wanted to be a film star, go to Hollywood and have a cream telephone and a swimming pool. Encouraged by her family in September 1945 she started attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. At this time she also changed her surname to that of her grandmother, and became Diana Dors. After completing 18 months at LAMDA Diana Dors attended the J Arthur Rank school for young actors which groomed its students Diana's "star image", deportment, grace, charm, manners and decorum being the order of the day. Her training at J Arthur Rank was worlds away from Diana's publicity seeking exploits and extravagant and glamorous lifestyle, which did much to brighten a rather austere and repressive Britain in the late 50’s and early 60’s. In the era of the sex symbol she was hailed as Britain’s answer to Marilyn Monroe and her association with famous men did much to enliven the popular press who followed here every move. When age began to bury her famous figure under more matronly proportions the Diana behind the image the Diana behind the image came to the fore, and what was revealed was, to most peoples surprise, far more endearing. She came a character actress of considerable talent and a personality seen regularly on television and heard on radio. She possessed an unforgettable warmth and sincerity and nobody was surprised when she was voted Television Personality of the Year in 1983. She died on 4th May 1984, aged only 52, from a recurrence of ovarian cancer.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]

Diana is said to have owned also a 1948 Delahaye with a custom convertible body by Paris' Jacques Saoutchik; I mention it because, the following year, Mr. Saoutchik built a custom body very similar to it on the chassis of a 1948 Cadillac(photo below)






Diana is said to have owned also a 1948 Delahaye with a custom convertible body by Paris' Jacques Saoutchik;
I mention it because the following year, Mr. Saoutchik built a custom body very similar to it, on a 1948 Cadillac chassis


1959 Series 62 convertible (her "rival", Jane Mansfield, bought the more expensive Biarritz model)

Douglas, Paul and Holliday, Judy
[screen stars]

These are stills from from the 1955 hit movie The Solid Gold Cadillac.
The star of the show is this gold-plated 1956 Cadillac Eldorado

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Photos: Tony Mitchell collection (left), Yann Saunders collection (right)

Dressler, Marie
[Canadian Screen star]

1915 Cadillac sedan

Marie was born November 9, 1868 and died July 28, 1934. Nee Leila Marie Koerber in Cobourg, Ontario, she became a leading comedienne during the silent film era. At the age of 14, she began her acting career in theatre, and in 1892 she made her debut on Broadway. At first she hoped to make a career of singing light opera but then gravitated to Vaudeville. She was friends with Mack Sennett and Charlie Chaplin.

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Far right, the Hollywood actress in 1909

Dubai, Emir of
[Arab potentate from the Gulf States]

Custom, armor-plated and bullet-proof 1957 Cadillac Series 75 limousine
(this conversion is believed to be the work of the Hess & Eisenhardt Company)

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The car is finished with ungraceful (painted?), mat black bumpers and trim, as well as
armor plating and a bullet-proof windshield (right) and windows; it is currently
(2001) owned by Olivier Delafon, a collector in France who has a passion for cars of state

Dulles, John Foster
[American statesman]

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

This car (#651 of the 1958 production) was offered for sale by Brougham Owners' Association (BOA) member Ken Ward, in late 1999, for $35,000. It had 34K miles on the odometer, coil springs, perfect glass and roof as well as black mouton carpeting. Ken still had the car for sale in November, 2001; the price was down to $30,000. The car is called "the John Foster Dulles car"

Br58cine.jpg (8339 bytes)
NOT this car but one like it

DuPont, Henry Francis (1)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1917 Cadillac Type 57 Club Roadster (Mrs. Du Pont's favorite car)
The car was such a favporite with Mrs. DuPont that the body was mounted, later,
on a 1924 Cadillac "V-63" chassis by the Brewster Co. of Long Island; it remained in service until the 50s

str17DuP3.JPG (22222 bytes) str17DuPont.jpg (36001 bytes) str17DuPont1a.jpg (19880 bytes)
The car at left is NOT the DuPont car but a restored one just like it; photos at center and right are of the DuPont car

DuPont, Henry Francis (2)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

H.F. Du Pont had the Brewster Co. of Long Island build or modify a number of his cars on Cadillac chassis between 1918 and 1928.
he had, inter alia, a touring landaulet on the 1918 Cadillac chasssis (an open, chauffeur driven town car) with fiull leather rear

( no photos )

DuPont, Henry Francis (3)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

A 1922 Cadillac Type 61 chassis and motor were used by Brewster for this enclosed drive car; the chassis was lenthened from 132" to 145"

( no photos )

Regular Type 61 Cadillac chassis for 1922-23

DuPont, Henry Francis (4)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1927 LaSalle roadster

ls27rds.jpg (12418 bytes)
Henry DuPont bought one of these smart LaSalle roadsters for his wife; about it, he wrote to Cadillac president Larry Fisher:
" I do not think I have ever seen a nicer looking car or one that was so practical"

DuPont, Henry Francis (5)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1928 Brwester took the enclosed drive car from the stretched 1922 Cadillac Type 61 chassis (car #3, above) and transferred it to a 1928 chassis,
stretched from 140" to a whopping 152" wb, with the new Series 314A motor

( no photos )

DuPont, Henry Francis (6)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

The Brewster Co. also adapted a 1928 Stationary Landaulet de Ville body to a Cadillac chassis;
again, the car was painted black with white pinstriping ( DuPont's favorite "color" scheme)

Str28DuPont.jpg (48063 bytes)

DuPont, Henry Francis (7)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1930-31 Cadillac V-16, Fleetwood style # 4355-S stationary cabriolet sedan,
again the paint scheme was black with old ivory pinstripes and wood artillery wheels

StrDupont4355S.JPG (44946 bytes) strDuP4355s.jpg (27971 bytes) StrDuPontWoodWhls.jpg (6762 bytes)
The car in the center is NOT the DuPont car but a restored Fleetwood #4355-S, with wire wheels;
try to imagine this car in black with the kind of wood artillery wheels seen in the RH image

DuPont, Henry Francis (8)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1930 Cadillac V-16 town car
4225 Town Car - 6 built (one was for C.B. deMille - now Nethercutt museum, see color pics).
Mr Du Pont got his V-16 town car from Cadillac's NY branch; it cost $10,200. If was used mainly in NY.

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Artist's view of Fleetwood's style #4225 town car; again none of these images show the actual DuPont car;
the color snaps show an identical model in the J.B. Nethercutt collection, CA; again, try to imagine the car with the wood artillery wheels

DuPont, Henry Francis (9)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

Custom town car design by Brewster, with coachwork to be built by Mazzara on the 1931 Cadillac V-12 chassis.
The whole design appears much more formal than equivalent catalog proposals from Fleetwood;
it is not known whether this one ever went into production; one thing for sure, DuPont loved his Cadillacs

STDuPnt31Brewster.jpg (70754 bytes)
Note the limited expanse of glass in the passenger compartment
[ image: Self Starter ]

DuPont, Henry Francis (10)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1937 Cadillac Series 75, style 7509F formal limousine

The information and photos in this entry are from the Self Starter for June 2005, featuring an article by CLC member, Gregory J. Landrey, director of the Conservation Department at Winterthur, the Du Pont family estate in Wilmington, DE. The 1937 Cadillac is only one of many Cadillac products owned by the extremely wealthy Du Pont family over the years. Others included a 1927 LaSalle, a 1930 V-16 sedan for 5 passengers, a 1931 V-16 town car (with which Mr. DuPont was not entirely satisfied), some Brewster-bodied Cadillacs, a 1938 Series 65, a 1939 Series 7519F formal sedan for 5 passengers [I had the same model from the year 1942], two 1949 Series 75, style7533X (one of them modified by Derham of Rosemont, PA), a 1950 style 7533X limousine, again with Derham modifications, a 1955 Series Sixty-Special, a 1955 style 7533X limousine modified by Derham, a similar 1957 limousine again with the Derham touches. Du Pont bought twelve Series 75 models between 1939 and 1959. About half of the Du Pont Cadillacs were purchased from Delaware Motor Sales Co. in Wilmington, the remainder from Halsey-Van Scoy Auto Co. in Southampton LI.

stdupont.jpg (7119 bytes)
Ms. Ruth Wales DuPont (far right) with daughter, Pauline Louise (center)
grand-daughter Alison (in mother's arms) and chauffeur Richard S. Upright
[ Photo: Self Starter, June, 2005 ]

DuPont, Henry Francis (11)
[Founder, DuPont de Nemours chemical consortium]

1955 Cadillac Series 75, style 7533X limousine

5575.JPG (12578 bytes) stduPon2.jpg (2966 bytes)
(Left) A magazine ad of the period, depicting the 1955 Series 75 sedan/limousine by Fleetwood
(Right) Ms. Ruth Wales DuPont by the side of her 1955 Fleetwood limousine
[ Photo: Self Starter, June, 2005 ]

Dylan, Bob
[American folk singer]

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

CML member [Cadillac Mailing List] Dean Hughson reports that singer Bob Dylan apparently has a '60 convertible in his collection, that he sometimes uses to pick up people who come to visit him in LA (this is according to musician Kinky Friedman).

Another enthusiast read somewhere that Dylan once had several 65 & 66 Cadillacs

NOT this car but one like it

(résumé en français)

La Cadillac, symbole de luxe par excellence, a longtemps été la préférée de l'élite mondiale. Parmi ses illustres propriétaires passés: la reine Wilhelmine des Pays-Bas, le roi Baudoin de Belgique, le roi Gustaf de Suède de même que les Papes Pie XII et Jean XXIII. Aux Etats-Unis elle fut longtemps la favorite de la Maison Blanche sous Teddy Roosevelt, Ike Eisenhower, Richard Nixon ...et maintenant Bill Clinton. Rois et reines de l'écran les adoraient également (Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire...) comme le faisaient aussi d'autres "vedettes internationales" (Salvador Dali, Elvis Presley...) et même un certain Al Capone, dit "le balafré".

Les automobiles Cadillac et La Salle jouissent depuis toujours d'une réputation justifiée d'élégance, de fiabilité et de confort. Dans les années vingt (les "années folles") une campagne publicitaire fut orchestrée autour de la Cadillac, en France, par son importateur parisien, la société commerciale de vente d'automobiles SOCOVA. Dans la "who's who" de la firme furent cités cinq rois, deux reines, une princesse royale, huit princes, sept ducs et pas moins de dix-huit marquis et marquises.

Go to Part 1a
or return to the "Miscellaneous Cadillac Stuff" index page
or return to The (New) Cadillac Database© Index Page

© 1996, Yann Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.
[ Background image: Screen star Louise Fazenda and '27 LaSalle - Tony Mitchell collection ]