Michael Riley's Blog: Hemmings Find of the Day – 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Hemmings Find of the Day – 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville

We'd be hard pressed to consider this 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville for sale on Hemmings.com as original, what with the rebuilt engine and transmission and recarpeted interior. But we're assured the car was refurbished to its original specifications due to the fact that its original owner – who garaged and apparently babied the Seville – has held on to it for nearly 60 years. From the seller's description:

This gorgeous beauty has an original 365 Cu In newly rebuilt engine and newly rebuilt original transmission. Over $70,000 invested. The car has zero miles on the engine and transmission and will run 'forever' with respectful care.

This head-turning knockout has only 87,000 original miles and is in its luxurious original Desert Bronze color. All new carpeting inside and the all original opulent leather rear side panels and seats give you an idea of how this car was meticulously crafted and assembled. The pictures don't do it justice.

The 1958 Seville was the second and final year for the daring, unforgettable inboard 'shark' tail fins. Only 855 Seville Coupes were made, the same number as for its sister car, the Eldorado Biarritz convertible model which commonly brings $200,000 and up.

The complete and total rebuilding of the correct original numbered engine cost nearly $5,000 and the rebuilding of the original transmission was just under $4,000. We also added a brand new radiator to top things off. Everything works in the car except the am radio which is probably an easy fix.

This stunning piece of classic automotive art comes with a standard 4 barrel carburetor (an option offered in 1958) and leaf spring suspension with coil-over shocks. It does not have the trouble-plagued air-ride suspension which was dropped by Cadillac in 1959. There is little to no rust on the undercarriage. This car has been garaged its entire life by the original owner and looks nearly as good as the day it rolled off the showroom floor. Be sure to look at the enlarged versions of the photographs.

The Seville was equipped with every power accessory possible. This one has four brand new Coker whitewall tires and 15″ Kelsey-Hayes turbine wheels, an electric eye self-dimming system for the new 1958 quad headlight setup, and the first all-transistor, signal-seeking car radio produced by GM's Delco AM Radio (the only thing needing attention). Vintage Air Conditioning can be easily added and will perform far better than factory air. Wheelbase is 129.5″. Length is 223.5″. 365 cubic inch – 310 HP at 4800 rpm.