Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
What would most automotive enthusiasts immediately respond to if I said “1953” and “General Motors”? The Chevrolet Corvette, of course, but that epochal year is about much more than the American sports car. In fact, just three days after the small two-seater’s debut, on January 17, another GM product was unveiled to the public in a much grander way.
At the General Motors Motorama show, the Corvette was unveiled at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. As was tradition, on January 20 of that year, Dwight Eisenhower was sworn in as President of the United States. The inaugural parade was a spectacle in itself, featuring an automotive superstar. In front of 750,000 spectators lined the route, Ike and Mamie led the parade, riding together in a white Cadillac convertible with the top down.
It was the first time a new President and First Lady had traveled together after being sworn in. It was also the first time America had seen the all-new Cadillac Eldorado, the most expensive car GM had ever built up to that point. At $7,750, it cost more than two houses at the time, and even for Cadillac customers, the roadster-looking convertible was shamefully expensive.
This would be the main reason why only 532 were built (the Eisenhower was chassis number 2, by the way) out of over 109,000 Cadillacs built for the model year. For comparison, Cadillac’s other convertible, the “mundane” Series 62, cost $4,150. Call them rare, call them significant, call them opulent—you’d be right either way, but with about 200 of those 532s confirmed to be on the road today, you’d be hard-pressed to see one in person.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
One way would be to go to a Cadillac owners club meeting or a prestigious car show featuring rare classic cars. Another would be to take a trip across the border to London. That's London, Ontario, Canada, not London, England, UK – they don't make cars as good as Cadillac on that side of the Atlantic.
London, Canada is home to perhaps the world’s largest Cadillac collection outside of General Motors’ own collection, but even the manufacturer doesn’t have the gems found in Steve Plunkett’s garage. At its peak, the collection amassed over ninety cars, more than fifty of them from America’s most prestigious luxury marque.
One such example is a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, recently presented to Lou Costabile, the classic car vlogger who traveled to Canada specifically to showcase this wonderful collection. Steve Plunkett is a prominent figure in Cadillac circles and is well known in the industry for his exquisite cars, all GM.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
To give you an idea of how much he cares about cars, one of the “garages” is a detailed reproduction of the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, where the world's number one automaker displayed its new models every January of the 1930s and well into the 1950s.
Another notable aspect of his passion for luxury cars is that he drives a good portion of them, those that are in road condition and not overly valuable for such adventures. The '53 Eldorado is one of those cases where the owner can fully enjoy his prized possessions.
He bought the car at an auction in 2001 and still enjoys it as if it were the first day. Watch him lower the electric retractable roof, a rather intricate maneuver, all things considered, and hide it neatly under the tonneau cover that gives the Eldorado its unique look.
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
In addition to the power roof, the Caddy also has power windows, power steering, a signal-seeking radio, and a four-speed automatic transmission (dual-range Hydramatic). The transmission is connected to a 331-cubic-inch V8 that supposedly produced 210 horsepower and 330 lb-ft (213 PS, 447 Nm) through a 3.07 rear end.
This example also sports the Continental kit (curiously, it has a spare wheel in the trunk (which appears to have never been used for any real purpose). The odometer reads 2,846 miles (4,580 km) and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the original mileage.
Steve takes great pride in the high level of maintenance his cars receive, whether he drives them or not, and this example is solid proof of that. His collection will be featured on Lou Costabile's YouTube channel; you might want to check it out (and subscribe for more classic treasures).
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The first-year Eldorado was available in just four colors, an oddity for an era when American automakers offered dozens of shades (not to mention two- and three-tone combinations). Fun fact: Black was not among those four (Aztec Red, Alpine White, Azure Blue, and Artisan Ochre, the latter yellow). The top was available in black or white, which raises the question of this example's navy blue top.
Aficionados will note a resemblance to the 1938 Buick Y, Harley Earl's concept car that stands at the forefront of all concept cars today, and they'd be right. GM's chief designer carried over prewar themes into the Cadillac, though he toned them down a bit to allow for a “reasonable” price cap on the already expensive new model.
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