Whaddyacallit #517 - 1955 restyling of the 1953 Cadillac Le Mans #4

[Ray B.]

Ever seen this ?

If you did, please respond below and let us know the make, model and year of the car posted here. Only a complete answer will be accepted. One point.
Another point for a full story of the car.

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Also, please be sure to check out our other puzzles, and, please post a puzzle of your own if you'd like - the more, the merrier.

Thanks!

[DeAutogids]

I've never seen a puzzle without a picture. Well, except for one deliberate one.

[Ray B.]

The reason for this lies somewhere in the  News, informations and feedback  section, if you're patient enough to go through those topics.

[Allemano]

He can't help doing it ...

[knightfan26917]

Perhaps a concept for a 1958 Cadillac El Dorado?



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"Some things just glitter and shine" __ Confederate Railroad __ 'Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind'

[Pelland]

Bit earlier than 58 but the similarities are uncanny....surprised it took GM 5 years to bring it to the road.

The car pictured is a 1953 Cadillac Le Mans concept car.   One of two exhibited at the 53 Motorama show...the other had more pronounced fins at the rear, "gill" type intakes in front of the rear wheelarches and single headlamps....both had luvley "Dagmars" up the front though!!

[Ray B.]

Cadillac is correct. Le Mans too. The year and true story (not the one you mention, AFAIK) remain to be precised.

Locked for Pelland 48 hours.

[Pelland]

Cadillac is correct. Le Mans too. The year and true story (not the one you mention, AFAIK) remain to be precised.

Locked for Pelland 48 hours.

The very same picture is featured in one of my books "The Cadillac Story" and is also shown on the following link:

>>> link deleted <<<


Reading the book there does seem some confusion between this car and one noted as a 1954 Cadillac Le Mans.....outwardly the cars look identical.  Me I'm going to stick with the information I have sourced and posted in my initial post as being reliable....if its wrong then so be it and I'll leave the thread open to others

[Allemano]

Cadillac is correct. Le Mans too. The year and true story (not the one you mention, AFAIK) remain to be precised.

Locked for Pelland 48 hours.

The very same picture is featured in one of my books "The Cadillac Story" and is also shown on the following link:

>>> link deleted <<<


Reading the book there does seem some confusion between this car and one noted as a 1954 Cadillac Le Mans.....outwardly the cars look identical.  Me I'm going to stick with the information I have sourced and posted in my initial post as being reliable....if its wrong then so be it and I'll leave the thread open to others

Sorry Pelland, but linking to other sources is prohibited in the puzzle area of autopuzzles.com
This is your first warning. Please read the following topic: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=6857.0

[Pelland]

Sorry Pelland, but linking to other sources is prohibited in the puzzle area of autopuzzles.com
This is your first warning. Please read the following topic: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=6857.0

Apologies.............a newbie mistake

[Ray B.]

Pelland, you're right about 1953 (and not 1954) for the Le Mans, and its appearance at the Motorama.
Yet the Motorama cars were quite different of this one. What happened then? Tell us and get the point.
Still locked for you 24 hours.
Then opened to all rookies.

[Pelland]

Pelland, you're right about 1953 (and not 1954) for the Le Mans, and its appearance at the Motorama.
Yet the Motorama cars were quite different of this one. What happened then? Tell us and get the point.
Still locked for you 24 hours.
Then opened to all rookies.

There were four Le Mans cars built but only two exhibited at the 1953 Motorama event.  According to The Cadillac Story this car was one of the two exhibited.....the other one was different as noted in my initial post.  After the touring the show circuit it ended up in the hands of James (Bud) Goodman who was head of GM Fisher Body division. The LeMans was on display for many years in a Cadillac dealership in Hollywood, California. Ownership later passed to Mr. Goodman's son, Jack.  The LeMans is currently owned by Cadillac Motor Car Division - General Motors Corporation, and is currently displayed at the Cadillac Historic Collection.

Your source is obviously contrary to my info so I'll leave it to someone else. 

[Ray B.]

My source ( a well-known authority on everything Cadillac) is not contrary to Pelland's source. Let's say complementary.
But since he doen't explain an important point ( see my last reply), I have to open this for any rookie who can fill the story.

Here is a 1953 Cadillac Le Mans...

[Pelland]

My source ( a well-known authority on everything Cadillac) is not contrary to Pelland's source. Let's say complementary.
But since he doen't explain an important point ( see my last reply), I have to open this for any rookie who can fill the story.

Here is a 1953 Cadillac Le Mans...

See my original post....there were four cars produced for the 53 Motorama event but only two exhibited.  The car shown here is the sister exhibit featuring single headlamps, gill vents and more pronounced rear fins.......both cars were given the Le Mans name and both exhibited alongside each other.  It was a wonder that Cadillac produced four different body styles....but this was easier than most people realised as much of the styling was in grp.

I'll be interested to read the "Right" answer when somebody comes up with it

[Ray B.]

Alright. I'll be happy to tell it to you if no one else does, or if you don't find it yourself before (it shouldn't be very hard).
I move this one up in the meantime.

[fyreline]

This 1953 Cadillac Le Mans roadster is #4 of four built to special order. It was returned to the Cadillac styling studios in 1959, for major restyling, by its owner, J.E. "Bud" Goodman, CEO of Fisher Body. Besides receiving new front and rear clips, including quad headlights, at that time, this car was fitted out with the new Tri-Power engine featuring three double-barreled carburetors. It received lower fender air intakes, a lower, flatter hood on which the former, ornamental "fins" were removed and replaced with a "V" emblem and crest. The imitation trunk "straps" also were removed. There were rumors that the car was once offered for sale at $1,000,000, but I don't know if that's ever been substantiated.  It appeared at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. At that show, the ID tag said it was being shown by GM in Detroit, MI. However, it still carries a 1963 California plate on it (presumably the one issued in the name of Jack Goodman). In the movie, The Buddy Holly Story, the car appears in one of the scenes about half-way through the movie; it was filmed inside the Cadillac dealership of Jack Goodman, in Texas; the actors playing Buddy Holly and the Crickets are seated in car.


I don't really know what else you might be looking for . . . is there still something missing?

[Ray B.]

Of course not. Too bad for Pelland, who kept telling that the puzzle car appeared as it is seen here in 1953, and never mentioned the 1959 restyling. You get the point.

[fyreline]

Ah, so it was the 1959 reference that was missing. Certainly a legitimate part of the story, a lot of folks think this LeMans was originally built as shown, which it was not. I actually missed the fact that no one so far had mentioned the 1959 rebuild.

[Carnut]

Aaagh..  I was waiting so long for this to move up so I could complete it but just couldn't get on to the computer last night for fear of waking my grandson!  And that's when you moved it..!

As well as the above info I was also going to add that between 2008/10 someone has built a replica of this No. 4 in its 1959 guise using a Fleetwood as a base, and I was going to say it's just possible that this photo is of the replica.  It's apparently very accurate and looks just like that...

[Ray B.]

And I have other informations:
While the whole story comes from Mr. Cadillac's website, and so I had no reason to doubt it, I opened my Crestline book "80 years of Cadillaca and LaSalle".
For 1953, they do show the Le Mans in its original guise, and for 1955 they show THIS (see below and read well).

So, while the rest of the story may be the same, that restyling could very well have taken place in 1955. Which is more consistent with the styling of this car than 1959, don't you think?
The license plate would be easier to read if we had a better scan of the picture, but I am convinced.

As for Carnut's story, why not? But there's no evidence supporting it for the moment.

[Carnut]

Yes, it certainly doesn't look like 1959 styling and I always assumed that someone had bought the car and decided to upgrade it so it looked more current (like I used to draw twin-headlights on pictures of cars which didn't have them in books as a small boy, much to my regret now!), sacrilegeous though that might have been.

But it makes more sense if it was an official upgrade for 1955 as twin-headlights really were all the rage on show cars by then and were about to hit productions cars in 1957, which would of course have been designed in 1955.

[Ray B.]

While we are at quad headlights Cadillacs, what about this quad headlights 1954 Eldorado in Norway, apparently factory built? You can read the story on the Hemmings blog.

[Carnut]

Lots more info:

QUOTE
The modified 1953 Cadillac Le Mans

   


Le Mans #4 was built to order for J.E. "Bud" Goodman, a personal friend of Harley Earl's and Fisher Body CEO in the fifties.It was updated (remodeled) in 1959 with the addition of quad headlights, tri-power motor, custom tail-fins, etc. [read more about it in the Dream Cars for 1959].  His son Jack still owned the car in the nineties; Jack has the Dixon Cadillac dealership of Hollywood, CA.

In 1997, this car was offered for sale by Frank Corrente, a California used car dealer, for $375,000! It had a reported 18,434 miles. In February, 1999, the mileage was reported as 18,635 and the car was offered again for sale, this time for ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!  

It is believed that Le Mans  #4 is currently [1999/2000] in the Cadillac Historical Collection [6/2000]; Todd Fitzgerald, a member of the CML (Cadillac Mailing List) saw it in the "back room" to the collection, in 1999, where it was being restored! He said she was a beauty to see up close!

About the Le Mans show car the company had this to say in a 1953 press release:

"Le Mans - Cadillac Luxury Sports Car in GM Motorama of 1953. Cadillac's newest American-styled luxury sports car - the Le mans - is fascinating spectators at General Motors' Motorama of 1953.

A single seat convertible type, the Le Mans represents an ideal of motor car enthusiasts - combining elegance with power. Its silver-blue body is constructed of plastic fiberglass. The car is low - only 51 inches in height to the top of the deep-angle panoramic windshield.

Le Mans is powered by a stepped-up Cadillac V-8 engine which delivers 250 h.p. at a 9 to 1 compression ratio. This three-passenger sports convertible has speed, power and roadability. The Hydra-Matic transmission has been adapted to the increased engine output. The engine is painted in a silver-blue with chrome trim to match the elegance of the car.

The Le Mans has an overall length of 196 inches, shorter than the standard Cadillac. Part of the reduced length is accounted for by reduced bumpers which in the rear are vertical strips of steel. They appear to be part of the body design but are internally braced and capable of withstanding shock the same as the more familiar bumper.

A view of the interior from the driver's seat provides a thrilling taste of sports car emphasis in a setting of sheer luxury. The instrument panel presents a matching series of chrome housed dials extending the width of the front compartment.

Instruments include a tachometer to show engine revolutions [no kidding!], a speedometer, fuel gauge, radio dial, ammeter and oil pressure gauge and clock. An engineering advance is represented in the radio by single pushbutton tuning. Twin speakers are recessed behind the panel.

The Hydra-Matic indicator has been moved from the customary place on the steering post and customized into the instrument panel between the tachometer and speedometer. The entire instrument panel is topped with a crash pad insulated with a special, slow recovery plastic which eliminates the rebound found in rubber.

As a special complement to the exclusive workmanship in the car, the creation of many details were entrusted only to specially skilled craftsmen.

Leather workers from England were assigned the task of embossing the Cadillac "V" and Crest into the fine leather of the seat back. Jewelers fashioned the hand engraved surfaces of the hood emblem, the Le Mans script on the wheel discs and the lettering on the instrument panel. As an extension of this artistic refinement, the carpeting is specially created nylon needlepoint.

A special feature of the Le Mans is the "memory" seat. Electrically controlled, it automatically slides back as the door is opened to provide easier access and egress. When the door is closed it "remembers" its former position and returns to it. The seat is, of course, also adjustable to the comfort of the driver. [this feature was later incorporated in the exclusive Eldorado Brougham 4-door sedans of 1957-58].

Upholstery of the Le Mans is of finest hand-buffed leather of a matching silver-blue and embossed with the Cadillac "V" and Crest in the leather at the center of the seat back. The bolster at the forward edge of the seat contains a tube for umbrella storage. The tube has a chromed cap carrying the Le Mans insignia and when the cap is removed the umbrella is pushed out by an ejector spring for easy grasping.

The top of the Le Mans is silver-blue Orlon and, when lowered, is recessed in the rear deck. In addition to the manually operated control, the top is also automatically actuated by a rain switch to provide automatic raising if the car is left out and a shower comes up.

For this special convertible the wheels are distinguished by chromed blades radiating from the hub - a design inspired by the flashing appearance of an aircraft turbine."

   

   
After the design and mechanical upgrade in 1959, the car remained the early metallic blue
seen on the Motorama show car in  1953; later it was repainted metallic gray (below)


   

   
These are good shots of the remodeled front and rear clips

This 1953 Cadillac Le Mans roadster is #4 of four built to special order. It was returned to the Cadillac styling studios in 1959, for major restyling, by its owner, J.E. "Bud" Goodman, CEO of Fisher Body.

Besides receiving new front and rear clips, including quad headlights, at that time, this car was fitted out with the new Tri-Power engine featuring three double-barreled carburetors. It received lower fender air intakes, a lower, flatter hood on which the former, ornamental "fins" were removed and replaced with a "V" emblem and crest.   The imitation trunk "straps" also were removed.

As the last century came to a close, this modified Cadillac show car was offered for sale on the Internet for a MILLION dollars [!!!].  I don't recall where I saw that ad; I believe the car was, at the time, in the care of California used-car dealer, Frank Corrente. Late Extra [6/2006]:   Frank denies that either he or his company advertised the car for that ridiculous amount (I did find one ad where it was listed at $325,000) .  Does anyone remember the $1 million ad?

It was seen at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California in August, 2002. At that show, the ID tag said it was being shown by GM in Detroit, MI. However, it still carries a 1963 California plate on it (presumably the one issued in the name of Jack Goodman).

In the movie, The Buddy Holly Story, the car appears in one of the scenes about half-way through the movie; it was filmed inside the Cadillac dealership of Jack Goodman, in Texas; the actors palying Buddy Holly and the Crickets are seated in car.

To read more about this car, check out SSA 1984, pp.22-25, special issue CCON, p.29, CS12, p.102, SIA  #169, 2/99.  

I have many photos of it, including a series of color shots taken after the 1959 modifications, from the GM/Cadillac Styling library, 9/94). Photo also in  McC p.311. This updated Le Mans is featured also in an article on the GM Motoramas, in Automobile magazine for August 2008.


   
The modified Le Mans #4 was shown at the Bagatelle meet in Paris in the nineties

       
Photo (left):  © Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.   Other two photos from the Internet.

       
Above: (left) distinctive cast alloy wheels, (center) Cadillac's first wraparound windshield, (right) new air scoops
Below: (left) grille script, (center) '59 power plant, (right) power seat medallion

       

   

       

       

   


Above 3 rows: Most recent public appearance:   Capitol Cadillac, Washington, DC, October 2008
This may never be repeated:  TWO Le Mans in one spot at one time !
[ Photo: © 2008 and courtesy Capitol Cadillac ]




Cockpit, Instrumentation and Controls

Carl Steig of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc. provided the following description of the instrument panel of the Cadillac Le Mans roadster:

The Le Mans interior pre-dates the Space Age, but has that look; or at the very least is the aircraft type, with full instrumentation and lever controls. Note the push-button for inside door release, next to the two buttons for left and right power window lifts.



The arm rest has a built-in ashtray at the leading edge.

The ribbed steering wheel says "CADILLAC" in block letters at the top.



Chrome plates at the floor edges are next to the finely stitched kick panels.

Starting at the left, the first instrument is the tachometer which reads "ENGINE REVS x 1000" over the odometer window, for a record of engine life separate from the mileage of the car. The tachometer itself reads from 0 to 50 and says "x 100" under the letters "RPM".

Between the tachometer and the speedometer, a rectangular window for the Hydra-Matic indicator has the letters "N DR Lo and R". Above it is a window which will glow red for high-beam indicator. The speedometer, reminiscent of the early forties, reads 130, but is unmarked. We presume it means miles per hour.

Next we find four levers marked "VENT, TEMP, DEFROST and VENT". Below them are the ignition lock, starter combination and cigarette lighter. Above them, almost as an afterthought we find the wiper switch. The next gauge is marked "GASOLINE" and reads "E, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, F".



The next dial is for the radio and reads from 6 to 16. A small crescent shaped button at the bottom of the dial reads "SELECTOR" and is the pushbutton Wonderbar which signal seeks the next strong station. The button on the left of the radio dial manually selects the stations while its collar button selects more or less stations for the Wonderbar. The button to the right of the dial is the on-off switch and volume control, while its collar adjusts the tone [Twin speakers are recessed behind the panel].

The next dial reads "TEMPERATURE" and has numbers from 100 to 240. Next to it we find the glove compartment door button and lock. The door opens downward to reveal the compartment below the four dials on the right.

The next dial is divided into two halves, the upper being marked "BATTERY" and showing "-D" [discharge] on the left, "0" in the center and "+C" [charge] on the right. The lower half says "OIL" and reads "0, 30, 60".

The last dial is for the rather standard electric clock with an adjustment knob at the 6 position. The inside mirror is mounted on the dash, rather than hung from above, and the dash is specially padded.

The steering column is chrome plated, the headlight dimmer switch is on the floor to the left, and the brake and accelerator pedal which were found lying around somewhere at GM will look familiar to many Cadillac collectors.

The entire instrument panel is topped with a crash pad insulated with a special, slow recovery plastic which eliminates the rebound found in rubber.


Driving position; are the gauges on right only for passenger's information?
UNQUOTE

And here are some of the photos from the 'Site, which didn't transfer:

[Ray B.]

Thanks Carnut. This is indeed the page of Mr. Cadillac's website that I mentioned earlier, but didn't quote in full.

The main difference between his story and the one in the Crestline book is the yeart of this restyling. The rest is compatible.
And I tend to stick to 1955 because of the photograph and license plate (even if not really readable).
But one particular information given by Yann Saunders definitely says "1959". It's the Tri-Power 345HP engine, introduced for 1959 and not before.

So my best guess is that the car was cosmetically modified in 1955, then mechanically updated in 1959.
It would be very interesting to read the two mazgaeines he mentions. SIA was usually very well documented (although at times bested by Autopuzzlers. See: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=9091.0