1956 Cadillac Eldorado so filthy it changed color, washed for first time in 20 years
- This 1956 Cadillac Eldorado barn find had a serious glow-up
- It sat in a garage under a tarp for 20 years
- However, the car beneath the grime will make you gasp
Published on Jul 01, 2024 at 2:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 02, 2024 at 11:25 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
If watching barn finds being washed for the first time in decades is your ASMR, you won’t want to miss this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado getting a serious glow-up.
After sitting in squalor for 20 years, some serious dirt had accumulated – taking the car from its original shade to a dirty brown.
And the color it returns to is simply stunning.
READ MORE! The $300,000 Cadillac Celestiq is worth the wait.
How did the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado get there?
A find from the Carchaeology team of content creators including Randy Carlson, they focus on ‘automotive mayhem and adventure’.
They cover classic cars and historical vehicles and, as in this case, barn finds.
Part of their ‘Massive California Car Hoard’ the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible came with a story as rich as the layer of dirt covering it.
Not unlike this WW2 veteran’s 1946 Cadillac – and his reaction to his son fixing it up will warm your cold heart.
20 years ago the owner’s father was approached in a restaurant by a stranger with a Cadillac.
The two-door convertible 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz was likely to be one of the first to drive off the production line.
He jumped at the chance to take the almost 50-year-old Cadillac back to his garage – where it sat covered for another two decades.
How did they restore it?
However, the tarp didn’t keep the dirt away and almost stuck to the body of the car.
Thankfully the paintwork wasn’t damaged and washed away to reveal the unusual ivory finish beneath, which is complemented by the gold detailing of the badge, lettering, and multi-spoke wheels.
With the driver’s window open the light-blue-leather interior of the second-generation Eldorado sustained some damage with some components from the engine bay removed and placed in the passenger seat.
However, surprisingly the V8 engine, mated to the Hydra-matic transmission, is still running.
After pushing the 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) convertible out of the garage it’s clear that the brakes and brake lights of the Eldorado Biarritz work, too.
When they discover the button to open the trunk in the glove box, they find tires, body components, and the front registration plate inside.
If Cadillac surprises are your thing, you might like to read about the man who bought Snoop Dogg’s abandoned Cadillac and found something unexpected inside.
In other news of famous Cadillac owners, this 1963 Cadillac supposedly owned by Elvis was discovered in a scrapyard and was fired up for the first time in years.
The Carchaeology team plans to fully restore and resell the classic car.
Per classic.com, the average price can reach an impressive $400,000.
Back in 1956, the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado originally entered the market from $5,738 – equivalent to $65,000 today.
6,050 units were sold.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
