The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz embodies the fifties as much as neon signs, Elvis Presley, and hula hoops. Its styling represents the peak of American exuberance, with chrome galore and designer David Holls’ famous tailfins, the largest ever installed on an American production car. However, the 1959 Cadillacs were not merely high-finned glamour wagons; they were, as historian Maurice Hendry wrote, “undeniably excellent” in every way. This was particularly true with the top-of-the-line Eldorado series, which offered a list of sumptuous luxuries, including power brakes, power steering, a 345-horsepower Tri-Power V-8, and Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, all as standard equipment.

Arguably, the most desirable of the Eldorados was the Biarritz convertible. It was Cadillac’s most expensive open-air car for 1959, with only 1,320 built.

The Eldorado Biarritz offered here was built as it sits today, in Argent Silver Metallic with a black soft-top over Blue Metallic Cardiff and Florentine Grain leather featuring matching carpets. A copy of its build record on file notes the same chassis, engine, and body numbers as present on the vehicle today, and records that the car was outfitted with E-Z Eye tinted glass and cruise control, in addition to the impressive complement of standard power features.

Registration documents on file confirm that Larry M. Tardie of Eugene, Oregon, owned the Cadillac in 2001. He is said to have commissioned a restoration to its present appearance, which included refinishing the car in its original colors inside and out. In 2005 the Academy of Art University in San Francisco acquired the Biarritz, and it remained a staple of the museum for nearly two decades. It was regularly brought out for local events, once chauffeuring baseball great Willie Mays in a San Francisco parade and exhibited for a time in the well-known Candy Store in Burlingame.

Acquired for the present collection from the Academy of Art University, the Cadillac has continued to enjoy excellent care, with invoices on file for parts used by the consignor’s in-house team to maintain it in superb running and driving order. Notably, it is fitted with a Retro Sound audio system and has been converted to modern air suspension, a less temperamental and more easily serviced alternative to the original factory system. The result is a beautiful example in every way, wonderfully combining a high-quality older restoration with well-considered improvements—the perfect ride to sail down the road in dramatic mid-century American style.