To be offered at auction at the Salon Prive event on September 4th, this is one of the most special 1951 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 in existence. As it happens, this limo was the ride of former Argentinian President Juan Peron and his wife, Evita Peron.
If Evita rings a bell to some of you but don't recall where you heard that name before, let us remind you that Andrew Lloyd Webber made a musical with the same name based around Eva Peron's life story, while a movie with the same name was realeased in 1996 starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.
Eva is remembered as a cultural icon in Argentina and beyond thanks to her support for the working class and women rights. She built up swathes of support, leading for calls for her to become VP of the South American country. Her declining health meant that she could never truly make a challenge for the Vice-Presidency and she sadly died of cancer at the age of 33 in 1952. More than 3 million people lined the streets of Buenos Aires at her funeral, proving her importance.
After is was exhibited numerous years at the Museo Evita in Buenos Aires, the 1951 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine has recently arrived in the United Kingdom and the current owner has decided to part with his coveted treasure during this year's Salon Prive. Estimated to fetch anything between £200k ($341,560) to £260k ($444,030), the new owner will be offered many photographs of Juan and Eva with the car including them as passengers en route to a state function.
On its arrival in Great Britain, a glorious jewel, presumed to be from one of Eva's dresses, was discovered in the car, and is also included in the sale. This particular four-door 8-passenger limo is only one of 30 Fleetwood Series 75 Business Sedan vehicles ever made. When it was new, this car had a sticker price of over $5,500, which translates to $51,270 in today's money considering the average annual inflation.
Under the bonnet, the Fleetwood 75 was fitted with a 5.4-liter V8 motor producing 160 horsepower thanks to a two-barrel carburetor made by Carter or Rochester, depending on the model.
Eva is remembered as a cultural icon in Argentina and beyond thanks to her support for the working class and women rights. She built up swathes of support, leading for calls for her to become VP of the South American country. Her declining health meant that she could never truly make a challenge for the Vice-Presidency and she sadly died of cancer at the age of 33 in 1952. More than 3 million people lined the streets of Buenos Aires at her funeral, proving her importance.
After is was exhibited numerous years at the Museo Evita in Buenos Aires, the 1951 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine has recently arrived in the United Kingdom and the current owner has decided to part with his coveted treasure during this year's Salon Prive. Estimated to fetch anything between £200k ($341,560) to £260k ($444,030), the new owner will be offered many photographs of Juan and Eva with the car including them as passengers en route to a state function.
On its arrival in Great Britain, a glorious jewel, presumed to be from one of Eva's dresses, was discovered in the car, and is also included in the sale. This particular four-door 8-passenger limo is only one of 30 Fleetwood Series 75 Business Sedan vehicles ever made. When it was new, this car had a sticker price of over $5,500, which translates to $51,270 in today's money considering the average annual inflation.
Under the bonnet, the Fleetwood 75 was fitted with a 5.4-liter V8 motor producing 160 horsepower thanks to a two-barrel carburetor made by Carter or Rochester, depending on the model.