1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible - world's rarest, most desirable!
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Bucket Seats
'Priscilla'
A one-off
World's rarest, most desirable 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
Pedigree history, fully documented since new
Located in Melbourne, Australia
(Worldwide shipping available for international buyer)
This is not just 'a 1959 Eldorado Biarritz.
This is 'the' 1959 Eldorado Biarritz.
What you are about to read will no doubt amaze you - if you are not already aware of this vehicle and it's historical symbolism. It is the most sought after and famous 1959 Biarritz on the planet, discussed on forums, and featured on magazine covers, and confirmed as....'The World's Rarest 1959 Eldorado Biarritz'.
For your special consideration, you are invited to participate in a unique opportunity to acquire the world's rarest, iconic American car.
Authenticated as the only historically documented known survivor, with all the most desired and rarest factory inclusions, of the most flamboyant car ever to come off any production line, on a world collectable car market, this vehicle has been described as the equivalent of a 'King Tut's tomb'.
Cadillac historians and experts were not aware of its existence, until the past decade, when the previous owner was tracked down and notified from the United Sates, that this car is a one-off survivor, the rarest of the rare, of the most popular and recognizable year model.
Currently residing in Melbourne, Australia, and made available to a worldwide market.
The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, is acknowledged as one of the world's sought after collectable cars. It symbolizes American post-war success, confidence and excess.
No other year model of America's luxury marque boasts the iconic fins and space-age bullet tail light as does the 1959.
In its day the 1959 Eldorado range was the pinnacle of automotive technology and luxury. The Biarritz was the most expensive, the ultimate convertible on the planet, surpassing even the Rolls Royce in price, luxury, technology, status and options.
Its motto in 1959 was 'Standard of The World'.
This was the car aspired to, and owned by movie stars, recording artists, business tycoons, Texan oil barons, royalty and anybody who wanted to, not-so-subtly, tell the world they had 'made it'.
Today the car has carved out its place in automotive history as a time capsule of American flamboyance, success and excess.
What makes this model so unique?
According to the world's leading Cadillac historian specializing in 1959 Eldorados (the rarest, most desired of all models), this is the only documented known survivor with:
1. Factory ordered Persian Sand (most desirable body colour) VIN Code : 98
2. Factory ordered matching 'bronze' interior (for Persian Sand) VIN Code : 18B
3. Factory ordered matching Prairie Plumb convertible top (for Persian Sand) VIN Code 3B
A factory 'triple Persian Sand' 1959 Biarritz.
In addition :
This car came with rare factory Bucket seats - optional order on the Biarritz model only in the Cadillacrange. VIN Code 'B'.
Additionally, this car is fully factory optioned, including :
1. Air conditioning and heater (working)
2. Cruise-Control (working)
3. Power Seat (working)
4. Power windows, including power vent-windows (working)
5. Power Central Locking (working)
6. Autronic Eye (detects oncoming cars at night and automatically dips the headlights) (working)
7. Q Engine
8. Triple Carburettors (working)
9. Air bag suspension (disconnected due to air leak)
10. Power convertible top (working)
11. Power trunk (boot) release (working)
12. EZY-eye glass
13. Power steering
14. Power Brakes
15. Signal-seeking radio (original 1959 Cadillac AM radio disconnected but still in place. Modern AM FM radio / CD player installed)
16. Parade Boot
17. Bucket Seats
Automotive writer, Cliff Chambers, wrote in UNIQUE CARS magazine:
"There will never again be a car like the astonishing 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. General Motors certainly won't make one, nor will Maybach or Rolls-Royce or even the prone-to-excess Bugatti. In 1959 form, the Biarritz took every rule of design restraint, every tenet of styling convention and tossed them deep into the freezing lakes that border America's `Motor City.
What Cadillac did with its 1959 models was so extreme that every other carmaker was obliged to quietly push its chips to the centre of the table, walk outside and step in front of a passing bus.â€
Just 1320 x 1959 Eldorado Biarritz Convertibles were manufactured.
There are just 325 documented known survivors, worldwide, going back to research of survivors from 1967.
Today, the most desirable colour is 'Persian Sand' (Many owners or restorers re-paint their 1959 Cadillacs 'Persian Sand' to 'add value'). Persian Sand is the metallic pink/ bronze duco supplied by the factory; a gorgeous colour that truly complements the lines of the car. If a Ferrari should only be red, the 1959 Biarritz should be Persian Sand.
Bill Refakis, is the only world respected expert on known surviving 1959 Eldorado Biarritzs.
He has been researching and documenting all known survivors, for the past 30+ years, including Hemmings Motor News and other sources reaching back to 1967. Mr Refakis is currently completing an internet 'registry' for all surviving 1959 Eldorado Biarritz convertibles. It was Mr Refakis who confirmed that this car is 'alone' in being the only such known survivor with the rarest, most sought after factory specification and options specs.
While there are 'fakes' out there (post factory additions and colour changes to simulate this car), this is the only known genuine one. There is only one genuine Mona Lisa, but plenty of copies.
Mr Refakis is known within the Cadillac LaSalle Club in the USA (with worldwide affiliate clubs including Australia), and by collectors, as the expert on surviving 1959 Eldorados.
Discussions on this car on The USA Cadillac La Salle Club website forum have confirmed its status by Mr Refakis and accepted as such by historical experts. The car's asking price is 'cheap' considering it's historical value and significance, with expert views stating this car is an 'opportunity' for an astute collector. Some say the car should go to Barrett Jacksons auctions to reach its true value, being far more than the reserve asking price on this auction.
Excerpted quotes on record from web forum discussions on this car :
"In 25 years of research,all the way back to, and including Yann's roster from the early eighties, I have only found one complete intact car, triple persian (sand), with buckets and factory a/c,e-h-k body tag. The depth of my research is well known, and non-commercial, and as of today, Paul's car is alone!
Value???
They sold a painting at auction last week for north of 47 million, so who can say? If you have the money, and want, and appreciate owning a unique item, it should not be the price, but theopportunity that is important"
- Bill Refakis, historian, The 1959 Eldorado Biarritz Registry.
About this car
This car was imported into Australia in 1960 by American Car importer, Julian Sterling of Melbourne.
The car still has the original factory 'Warranty Book' with the original owner's name, Howard Merhar of Butte, Montana.
Mr Merhar was a purple heart recipient, and owned two 'supper clubs' in Butte Montana - Howie's Supper Club and The Leggitt Supper Club. Limited by Butte's opportunities for entrepreneurial expansion, Mr Merhar moved to Las Vegas in the mid 1960s to open a casino with a partner. The Casino did not go as planned, and Mr Merhar was then employed at the International Hotel as slot manager.
The International was bought by Conrad Hilton and it became The Las Vegas Hilton. Mr Merhar became Casino Manager of the Las Vegas Hilton. According to his sister, Mr Merhar traded in his Eldorado for a new Eldorado convertible every year.
Mr Merhar died on April 6, 2000 (documented in the Las Vegas Sun obituaries).
This 1959 Biarritz was traded in with Barclay Motors on the new 1960 Eldorado Biarritz convertible.
The car was then imported to Australia in 1960 by Julian Sterling of Melbourne who owned Le Mans Motors in Chapel Street, Prahran.
In 1960, the car was bought by Charlie Pirotta, a wealthy Maltese who migrated to Australia in 1948.
Mr Pirotta paid 8,000 pounds for the car in 1960, at a time when an average Melbourne house was around 6,000 pounds. Joe Pirotta, Mr Pirotta's son, was 22 years old at the time and has verified all these accounts.
Mr Pirotta spent 10,000 pounds to convert the car to right-hand-drive. All up, the car cost Mr Pirotta 18,000 pounds - the cost of three average houses at the time.
In 1963 Mr Pirotta sold to Bruce Terry for 3,500 pounds. Mr Terry was a young car dealer at the time and later a wealthy Melbourne property-developer (The Terry Group) with 85 classic and exotic cars in his collection.
Mr Terry confirmed he sold the car 3 months later to Ken Martin, a Melbourne fire-arms dealer who owned the car for less than two days. Mr Terry sold on a Thursday. The following night, they agreed to go out in the car and pick up some girls. They ended up at Martin's place for a party. Mr Terry recalls leaving the house around 12:00 midnight. An hour later, Martin took a gun and ended his life.
From there, the car was sent to Sydney (to be as far removed from the tragedy as possible), for sale at Christies Car Yard on Parramatta Road in 1964.
The car was bought from Christie's by Theo Morris, a well-known property developer who owned the Carrington Hotel in The Blue Mountains. Mr Morris owned many exotic and luxury cars, having a preference for Cadillacs, Lincolns and Imperials.
The car was sold to Keith Deen of Brisbane, in 1974. Mr Deen bought the car for $2,500 dollars.
During the time with Keith Deen, the car was used in the movie of Dawn Fraser's life. In the movie, her manager drives around in the car. The movie is occasionally shown on late night TV and is available on DVD.
Keith Deen sold the car to Bill Horward of 20 Stawell, Victoria in 1980 for $6,000.
The car lay in a barn for 4 years.
Guido Vella, the nephew of original Australian owner, Charlie Pirotta, decided he wanted to own the car he fell in love with when was a boy. Mr Horwood said he would 'never sell'.
Mr Vella turned up at his house with a 'substantial amount of cash'. The car was sold for an unknown, undisclosed sum, believed to be a record price for an American car.
The car was in poor shape. Guido Vella undertook a 2 year restoration. The restoration cost was reported to have been more than the price of an average house in Melbourne at the time. He painted the car red, and chromed almost anything he could find that was chromable (though not chromed by the factory). Example, chrome rocker covers, chrome belt-pulleys, chrome door hinges, chrome oil cap, chrome hood hinges, chrome hood locks, chrome brackets....even chrome piping in the seat upholstery.
Mr Vella only drove the car 300 miles in 8 years.
In 1993, Mr Vella offered the car for sale, because he never used it.
The car was bought by Paul Zanetti on February 14, 1994 who drove the car from Melbourne to Sydney and used it as a daily driver until 2002.
Paul started a frame-on re-restoration in February 2002 to return the car to original factory colour, completed in 2005. The car travelled 5,000 miles after restoration while Paul owned the car. The current owner has added just over 2,000 miles.
The car has been restored as originally ordered by the first owner, Howard Merhar (triple Persian Sand), and conversion back to factory left hand drive.
The car also has the factory 'buildsheet' which confirms the car's status.
The sale of this rare car also includes the original warranty book, a copy of the factory build sheet, 14 year collection of factory and dealer literature, brochures, data books, shop manuals, charts, advertisements etc which the previous owner inherited with the car or has acquired over the years he owned the car.
The literature alone, as a collection, is unique and priceless, with some rare pieces in mint condition with rare dealer envelopes.
The asking price of $USD 250,000 represents excellent buying for a new owner/collector, considering this car's detailed history, collectable status, pedigree and uniqueness.
Recently installed: New carpets.
Includes: New floor mats (front and rear), spare tyre.
Flaw: Scratch in duco and small surface chip on right (passenger) side above the wheel arch.
Mileage: 7,167 miles since restoration (and engine rebuild).
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Shipping : Shipping worldwide may be made with the owner who has shipping contacts.
Shipping cost estimate is around $Australian 4,500 to USA and Sweden, or around $US 3,200 (at time of listing).
Payment : Price is in $US. Please organize your funds before, not after, clicking the 'Buy' button. 10% payment must be paid/transferred 48 hours after
clicking the 'Buy' button. If transferring payment, a copy of the bank transfer receipt must be sent as proof. Balance must be paid within 7 days.
Note: The car is being listed by the previous owner, Paul Zanetti, on behalf of the owner, as the owner is a private businessman, unable to respond to all inquiries.
The owner has decided to focus on high-end, rare American Muscle Cars. He does not need to sell the car but is refining his collection to suit his preferred Muscle Cars theme. No low-ball offers will be considered or responded to. However genuine reasonable offers will be forwarded to the owner for his consideration.
- Make: Cadillac
- Model: Eldorado
- SubModel: Eldorado Biarritz
- Type: Convertible
- Trim: Bucket Seats
- Year: 1959
- Mileage: 7167
- VIN: 59E-022914
- Color: Persian Sand
- Engine size: V8 Triple carburetors
- Number of cylinders: 8
- Power options: Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows, Power Seats
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Automatic
- Interior color: Bronze
- Drive side: Left-hand drive
- Options: Convertible, Leather Seats
- Vehicle Title: Clear Want to buy? Contact seller!
