It was 1957. Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Sputnik was in the sky. Elvis Presley was on the Ed Sullivan Show for what would be the third and last time. He would also own a new Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, the car that marked the reachable pinnacle of automobile ownership for many Americans. At over $7,000, it was achievable for the man or woman of great personal success—someone who, like Presley, had climbed their way up and desired to reward themselves with the best that money could buy. It spoke to that success with vast quantities of chrome, impressive highway-devouring performance, and styling that only Harley Earl’s studio could have dreamt up.

The 1957 Cadillac sported a new X-framed chassis, which did away with side rails and provided added structural strength, contributing to an even quieter, smoother ride than before, as well as allowing a lower body placement for reduced overall height. The resulting car virtually hugged the road, and with its apparent acres of rounded sheet metal crowned with knife-edged tailfins, the vast Biarritz Convertible seemed to drift down the highway. Naturally, the upgraded interior came with all imaginable power accessories and creature comforts.

One of just 1,800 Eldorado Biarritz Convertibles produced in 1957, Don Davis’ example is beautifully restored in its original Starlight Silver Metallic over red leather upholstery, an unusual and striking livery. Desirably, it is equipped with factory air conditioning, which was rare enough on a 1957 Cadillac, but especially so on an open convertible, and most of all on the top-of-the-line Biarritz. The trunk opens remotely with the push of a button, and the same button pulls the trunk lid closed. Talk about conspicuous consumption! Other important accessories include the “Autronic Eye” automatic headlight dimmer, a Wonderbar radio, and a hard “parade” cover for the folded convertible top. Chromed “sabre” wheels are shod with wide whitewall tires, the classic look for a Cadillac of this era.

The Eldorado Biarritz remains, as it was in 1957, a four-wheeled symbol of success, completely appropriate to the collection of Mr. Don Davis, and especially so when equipped with factory air conditioning—all the better for open-top driving under Texas sunshine.