This 1958 Eldorado Biarritz was sold new by Powers Cadillac, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its original owner, who is believed to have been a Pittsburgh Glass Corporation executive, from whose widow the previous owner, Dr. Frederick Prehn, acquired the car. Dr. Prehn commissioned a total restoration by specialists in the Midwest, which was completed over two years. The painstakingly detailed work was exhaustively documented by a two-inch stack of receipts, which cover virtually every aspect of the restoration as well as by a collection of photographs, which show various stages of assembly.

The Cadillac was taken back as carefully as possible to exacting original specifications, as recorded on its build sheet, with the exception of installing a factory-correct air-conditioning system in place of the original dealer-installed unit. Even the color of Rajah Silver Metallic is original and correct to this car, and the excellent interior was reupholstered using high-quality and correct Jenkins Cape Buffalo leather. The Cadillac-LaSalle Club’s Authenticity Manual was used to ensure that, as much as possible, this 1958 Cadillac would look exactly as it did when it left the factory. As an example of the lengths went to for accuracy, portions of the damaged but irreplaceable steering wheel were custom-remolded from scratch!

Aside from the aforementioned factory air-conditioning system, other options seen on the car include the gold-anodized aluminum grille, the Autronic-Eye automatic headlight dimmer, and E-Z-Eye tinted glass. Power steering, seats, windows (including vents), and trunk lid were all standard equipment.

The completed Eldorado was in the CLC’s 2009 First Junior and GM Heritage Awards, followed a year later by its First Senior and Best of Show-Late at the Kansas City CLC Grand National. So widely recognized was its excellence that it was the subject of feature articles in the October 2, 2008, issue of Old Cars Weekly and the November/December 2008 issue of The Self-Starter, in which it is also shown on the cover.

Late-1950s American convertibles are notoriously expensive to restore properly. To find one that was restored for a passionate and knowledgeable enthusiast, and has been highly maintained to the best standards since, is the best possible solution. Offered here is a 1958 Eldorado Biarritz—one of its era’s ultimate Cadillacs—that has been taken to the highest standards of excellence and awarded appropriately.