Chassis Number: 536253053
Admiring the car offered here, one would be hard-pressed to guess its origins as anything but Alfa Romeo in the early 1950s. Only its very American size and presence belie its roots, as do the subtle Cadillac script and badging.
Underneath its design, the creation of Ghia principal Luigi Segre is the same Series 62 that the average neighborhood banker drove to work in 1953. Such is the power of a coachbuilder to make over a car’s entire personality, transforming a staid Cadillac into something of sensual flash and dash.
The Cadillac offered here is distinguished from its sister Ghia coupe by its front-end design, which features a unique grille with thin vertical bars finished in gold-anodized aluminum, as well as no front fender parking lights, different taillights and rear license plate holder, and two half “bumperettes” rather than a full front bumper.
Don Williams of the Blackhawk Collection acquired it for its current owners some two decades ago; Williams recalls it as a solid, original car that was then restored by the late Mike Fennel, the well-known restorer from Santa Clarita, CA.
The combination of great 1950s American chassis, engineering and build quality with breathtaking Ghia design is a showstopper. Desired by socialites of the era and wrapped in an air of romantic intrigue, this car ranks as one of the great coachbuilt creations of its age. It needs only a Hollywood starlet wrapped in mink and Givenchy to complete its appeal.
