THE MOTORAMA ELDORADO BROUGHAM

Cadillac’s Eldorado Brougham was one of the stars of the 1955 General Motors Motorama, with showgoers across the country responding to its center-opening doors, pillarless hardtop construction, quad headlamps, and brushed roofline, it was soon approved for production as a new flagship. As the production model would not be ready until 1957, a new version of the show car was produced for 1956’s Motorama, stoking the public interest for what was to come.

Officially known as experimental model number XP-48, the Eldorado Brougham Town Car was designed by 19-year-old wunderkind Robert Cumberford under the direction of Herb Cadeau and, of course, the revered Harley Earl. It featured very similar lines to the original “dream car,” but with hand-laid fiberglass bodywork in the traditional formal design of a chauffeured limousine with an open compartment for the driver and division window. The black leather-covered roofline featured a crease above the backlight, mimicking the bow of a convertible top, a touch that would later be incorporated into the roofs of Cadillac’s production limousines.

The interior was elaborately finished, trimmed in black and beige leather, accented by gold-tinted hardware and Wilton wool carpeting. Accoutrements included air conditioning, an intercom for passing directions to the chauffeur, and, in the rear compartment, a thermos bottle, set of beverage tumblers, and a cigar humidor—hinting at the “vanities” that would accompany production Eldorado Broughams. Almost all of the hardware on the car was unique, with the door handles and other trim individually hand-cast of bronze.

The 1956 Motorama, “Designing the Future,” saw 2.3 million visitors attend exhibitions in five cities, making this the most widely viewed Motorama of the show's golden era. At each appearance, the Eldorado Brougham, accompanied by a lovely lady in Christian Dior, was a standout. It also appeared in Design for Dreaming, the famous short film produced for the Motorama, featuring dancer Tad Tadlock. At the end of the season, in December, the car was sent across the Atlantic and made an international appearance on the floor of the Paris Salon, perhaps an effort by Cadillac to court buyers of high-end European automobiles into placing an order for the production Eldorado Brougham soon to come.

It is at this point that the story of the Eldorado Brougham becomes part of Detroit automaking and car collecting legend. At the time, with American automakers being scarcely half a century old at most, few had a recognition of lasting heritage; the now-common practice to tuck a firm’s best-received prototypes and concepts into a “Heritage Collection” was unheard of. When General Motors was through with a Motorama dream car, it was usually seen as expendable, and the vast majority were destroyed within several years of their creation.

THE DREAM CAR THAT SURVIVED

During 1958, the Eldorado Brougham Town Car, two 1955 LaSalle IIs, and a 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne were all shipped to Warhoops Used Auto & Truck Parts in Warren, Michigan. Against all odds, this move toward destruction wound up being felicitous, as Warhoops owner Harry Warholak Sr. actually liked cars. He had established his yard not to scrap them, but to serve as a source of parts to keep older cars running. Warholak partially dismantled the LaSalle IIs and the Biscayne at GM’s request, but intentionally did not destroy them. The Eldorado Brougham donated its engine and drivetrain to a Detroit-area high school, but was then hidden away entirely—first in a trailer and then under cover, because, as Warholak’s son later told the New York Times, “he hoped to fix up the Town Car for use in my sister’s wedding.” Accordingly, of the four dream cars that arrived at Warhoops, the Eldorado Brougham Town Car was the only one to remain largely cosmetically intact, down to the cocktail accessories in their cubbies.

Over the years numerous enthusiasts pursued the dream cars rumored to be hidden behind the towering Warhoops fence. Legendary collector Joe Bortz finally succeeded in 1989, acquiring all four from the Warholak family. He sold the Eldorado Brougham Town Car in the early 1990s to Roy Warshawsky, the owner of J.C. Whitney and, for some 30 years, one of America’s best-known and most passionate collectors of Full Classic automobiles.

Mr. Warshawsky sent the car to the great restorer Fran Roxas, who began replacing the structural woodwork in the body and roof, and having new rear bumperettes reproduced to replace the damaged originals. Alas, the owner’s failing health forced the Cadillac’s sale mid-restoration in 1996 to prominent Eldorado Brougham enthusiast Dick Baruk of Michigan, who completed the restoration himself, including sourcing proper 18-inch “sabre” wheels and having all of the rear compartment hardware gold-plated—both as originally fitted. The restoration produced some amusing discoveries. Gold plating was apparently acceptable to GM’s accountants, but the custom thermos bottle in the car was, and is, a dummy prop.

The car that carried the fake thermos, it should be said, was not. Contrary to rumor, the Eldorado Brougham was never what automakers called a “roller”—it was built on a stock production frame fitted, as previously noted, with a standard Series 62 engine and Hydra-Matic transmission. However, the drivetrain appears to have been installed largely to weigh down the front end and give the car its proper stance, as the car was not equipped with an ignition system or functional fuel tank—nor brakes, for that matter. Accordingly, Mr. Baruk acquired a 1956 Cadillac to donate a correct drivetrain, with the engine dressed up in gold-plated valve covers and dual four-barrel carburetors. While the car was still not fully engineered for the road, all equipment was set up to make the car run and drive, so it would be able to move in and out of shows under its own power for the first time.

In 2006, John O’Quinn of Texas acquired the restored Eldorado Brougham Town Car, which remained in his vast stable until 2012. It then joined a large collection in New England, where it resided alongside many other important post-war Cadillacs and continued to be upkept to high standards. During this ownership it was exhibited at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, winning Best in Class, and was also prominently featured in an article in the May 2013 issue of Car and Driver, which creatively brought the car back to its old home at Warhoops—this time in much better condition.

Presented today from a noted West Coast collection, the Eldorado Brougham Town Car is one of just a few surviving GM Motorama show cars from the glory days of Harley Earl, as well as the sole surviving prototype and earliest surviving example of the legendary Eldorado Brougham. Accordingly, it is a true piece of General Motors and Cadillac history, offered now to the next home in its rich and page-turning history.