As of April 19, 2025, this is the information we have about this car:
[Feb.01.2017] Car #444 was owned in the late seventies by B. Leland Gunn of Pensacola, FL. In December 2001, I got ane-Mail from enthusiast Chris Hawkins informing me that he was one of the former owners. He had it throughout most of the eighties. He writes: I acquired #444 in the early 80’s. At that time it was owned by a collector in PrincessAnne, Maryland, who had purchased the car a few years earlier from a Mr. Leland Gunn. Mr.Gunn lived in upstate New York, but kept the car as his driver at his winter residence in Ft. Lauderdale. It was in outstanding condition, with only 43K miles on it. It was NairobiPearl (#149) with interior #1212, light bluish-gray Parisienne cloth with matching leather bolsters and mouton carpet. The only disappointing aspect of the car was the upholstery. The cushion inserts had been redone in broadcloth instead of the original Parisienne Cloth. Nice, but not correct. This is the only 1958 Brougham built with this particular interior/exterior combination. A twin was built in 1957 (#223), but it had the Karakulnyl on carpet. The car had what many people regarded as one of the better coil spring conversions done on one of these cars. It rode and handled beautifully. Since all air suspension plumbing and tanks, etc., were still intact on car, I put air shocks on therear to return the self-leveling feature. I drove the car as often as I could for morethan 7 years. Weekend trips of 400 miles or more were common and were made in confidence because the car never let me down, save for an after-market electric fuel pump one hotafternoon. Quite a testament to the quality of these cars, despite their complexity. It was a superb vehicle and the Asian photographer in San Francisco who bought it in 1989 gotan excellent car. I know it survived the big earthquake, because a friend saw it a few years ago when it pulled in front of a theatre for a glamour movie opening gala. The driver matched the description of man I sold it to. He was a knowledgeable owner, having owned a Brougham before, so it appears to have been receiving fine care. Chris Hawkins. I wonder if this is Phil Toy, the same photographer and Cadillac enthusiast I met at the1999 CLC Grand National in San Jose? He showed me some great photographic art of his.
[Feb.01.2017] Car #444 was owned in the late seventies by B. Leland Gunn of Pensacola, FL. In December 2001, I got ane-Mail from enthusiast Chris Hawkins informing me that he was one of the former owners. He had it throughout most of the eighties. He writes: I acquired #444 in the early 80’s. At that time it was owned by a collector in PrincessAnne, Maryland, who had purchased the car a few years earlier from a Mr. Leland Gunn. Mr.Gunn lived in upstate New York, but kept the car as his driver at his winter residence in Ft. Lauderdale. It was in outstanding condition, with only 43K miles on it. It was NairobiPearl (#149) with interior #1212, light bluish-gray Parisienne cloth with matching leather bolsters and mouton carpet. The only disappointing aspect of the car was the upholstery. The cushion inserts had been redone in broadcloth instead of the original Parisienne Cloth. Nice, but not correct. This is the only 1958 Brougham built with this particular interior/exterior combination. A twin was built in 1957 (#223), but it had the Karakulnyl on carpet. The car had what many people regarded as one of the better coil spring conversions done on one of these cars. It rode and handled beautifully. Since all air suspension plumbing and tanks, etc., were still intact on car, I put air shocks on therear to return the self-leveling feature. I drove the car as often as I could for morethan 7 years. Weekend trips of 400 miles or more were common and were made in confidence because the car never let me down, save for an after-market electric fuel pump one hotafternoon. Quite a testament to the quality of these cars, despite their complexity. It was a superb vehicle and the Asian photographer in San Francisco who bought it in 1989 gotan excellent car. I know it survived the big earthquake, because a friend saw it a few years ago when it pulled in front of a theatre for a glamour movie opening gala. The driver matched the description of man I sold it to. He was a knowledgeable owner, having owned a Brougham before, so it appears to have been receiving fine care. Chris Hawkins. I wonder if this is Phil Toy, the same photographer and Cadillac enthusiast I met at the1999 CLC Grand National in San Jose? He showed me some great photographic art of his.