A mere 532 Eldorados were built in 1953, marking them as one of the rarest cars from Cadillac. This one benefits from a body-off restoration and is a Cadillac LaSalle Grand National Best of Show award winner, largely attesting to the quality of the restoration. Finished in red with a black interior, the car is powered by a 331 CI V-8 engine and an automatic transmission. It features power steering, power windows, an in-dash clock, a tinted windshield, rear fender skirts and a hard parade boot. Chrome wire wheels and wide whitewall tires round out the scrumptious outward appearance. The 1950s were a remarkable era in automotive production. One facet car makers embarked on was a kind of return to the heyday of tailored, coach-built cars with the advent of vehicles like the Continental Mark II, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and, more exclusively still, the Facel Vega and Dual Ghia. Arguably, the movement of these hyper-limited and expensive factory bespoke cars can be laid at General Motors front door. Promoting design leadership as a cornerstone of GM car building, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Buick each introduced exclusive convertibles for 1953: the Eldorado, the 98 Fiesta and the Roadmaster Skylark. Each was a kind of factory custom car with specialty bodies, windscreens, convertible tops and interiors. Reflecting their exclusivity, they had very steep price tags, the most expensive being the Cadillac, stickering at nearly $8,000. Customers could order one in any standard Cadillac color, but Aztec Red, Artisan Ochre, Azure Blue and Alpine White were unique to the Eldorado. While the Eldorado was very well equipped, customers could opt for air conditioning, costing $620, and wire wheels, priced at $325. Interestingly, it’s been said that no Eldorado left the showroom in 1953 without the wire wheels. For 1954, Cadillac looked to broaden the Eldorado’s availability by using a standardized body shell with more common Wreath and Crest cars. This helped lower the price to nearly $6,000, which just about tripled sales; however, it also assured that the 1953 Eldorado would remain one of Cadillac’s most special cars, thanks to its unique body and absolute rarity.
