For drivers who love their cars to be extremely flashy, it can hardly get any better than this: a 1931 Cadillac 355 Drop Head Coupe by Fleetwood liveried in real, 23.75 gold foil. The car, which will be auctioned by Barons, is said to have once belonged to the famous pianist Liberace.
The auction house has set a guide price of £85,000 (€99,740) to £100,000 (€117,210) for the car, which will go under the hammer on September 17 at Barons’ Sandown Park sale in the UK.
According to the description on Barons’ website, the car is “not pristine but in loving condition” and has been the subject of a considerable renovation “at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds”. The ad also says the car was on display for 12 years in a German museum as Liberace’s Cadillac.
The open top model has some gold plating left on the inner door handles and even the wiper arms, while precious stones are still present in the hubcaps. However, the mascot has lost one of its rubies, while the gear knob is now wood and the exterior handles are chrome. The white leather upholstery is apparently “in very good condition”. An interesting feature of the car is represented by the driving lights, which swivel at the same time with the steering wheel.
Powered by a 5.7-liter V8 engine mated to a 3-speed manual transmission, the car is said to drive well for its age. The reason for which it is on sale is because the large collection it is part of is being reduced.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
