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Once Pink and Proud, This 1959 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Is Waiting to Be Rescued

The automotive world may be moving towards electrification, but that doesn't stop classic car enthusiasts from taking a look back. So here we are, bringing you the ultimate symbol of the American auto industry: a 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale 18 photos
Photo: eBay.com
1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale
The 1959 Cadillac is considered by many to be one of the last projects of Harley Earl's career. He was the head of design at General Motors until November 1958, just weeks after sales of the model with the most impressive fenders ever installed on a vehicle began.

This rather extreme detail of Cadillac's design was the responsibility of the design director, but it was stylist Dave Holls who was eventually responsible for the positioning of the bullet-shaped lights, which were fitted below in 1958. With its taller-than-ever fenders and those top-mounted headlights, the 1959 Cadillac couldn't be mistaken for anything else on the market.

Beyond the famous fenders, the 1959 Cadillac was different from the 1958 edition because the body was two inches lower, a remark that also applied to the height of the beltline and even the height of the wide front hood. The car was also longer than its predecessor.

Like the other 1959 variants, the Coupe DeVille was distinguished by the absence of a B-pillar between the side windows of the passenger compartment. The curved windscreen introduced by Harley Earl was still on the menu for this model, as was the curvature of the roof.

1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale
Photo: eBay.com
Up front, the bumper retained the four headlights that debuted on the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, while the massive chrome grille was also an evolution of earlier years. At the rear, the reversing lights were located in the same place where the exhaust pipes used to be. Let's not forget that car design was inspired by the aerospace industry during this historical period.

Today's discovery is clearly not the kind of machine that can already be taken out for a drive. In its current condition, this 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville obviously requires a lot of attention and a lot of repairs, before being pampered with visits to classic car shows.

Details about the car in the ad are scarce, but from the pictures uploaded on eBay, it appears to have been neglected for a very long time before reaching its current owner. The bodywork was once Wood Rose Metallic. However, it is difficult to determine what color it is now. Either way, the result will probably be the same: after restoration, this Coupe DeVille will attract attention wherever it goes.

The interior is also in very poor condition. There are two huge seats (without headrests), partly upholstered in what used to be red velvet, also waiting to get a new lease on life. The dashboard is littered with chrome elements waiting to be polished to their former glory, but the dials are missing and so are parts of the steering wheel, probably donated to some other DeVille. The door cards were taken down, too. The engine compartment is empty as well, and some of the parts can be seen in the other pictures. "I could probably put the engine block in the trunk for shipping," the seller writes in the ad.

This 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille has been in storage for over 30 years and badly needs restoration

There are several missing parts and there is rust on the lower front fenders, inner passenger floor panel, and rear quarter panels. It has factory air conditioning and other features like fog lights and six-way seat adjustment.

1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Wood Rose Metallic ebay sale
Photo: eBay.com
It's the 390 cubic inches (6.4 liters) V8 engine that was at its peak around 325 horsepower (329 ps) and 430 lb-ft (583 Nm) of torque. Yet keep in mind that this coupe's mission wasn't to break acceleration records, but rather to float down the road in the greatest comfort imaginable.

The asking price at this point is $18,500. When it rolled off the assembly line, this car cost about $5,300. The total production numbers stopped at 21,924 units, and the one you see in the pictures is the 500th example.

The pink Cadillac became popular in the 1950s after Elvis Presley was seen driving one. The best-known version of the car is a pink 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, which has been made into miniature replicas by various companies. In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams, Elvis Presley is depicted as the pilot of a pink spaceship. The book Pink Cadillac, written by Robert Dunn in 2002, features Elvis as a character and includes a scene where he gives the protagonist a pink Cadillac as a gift.

The CBS miniseries Elvis also includes a reference to Elvis' pink Cadillac, showing him purchasing the car for his mother. Pink Cadillacs seem to be a symbol of several generations. Several songs feature or refer to pink Cadillacs. One of them is Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac," which was released in 1983 and later covered by Southern Pacific in 1986 and Natalie Cole in 1988. Another song is "Freeway of Love," a Grammy-winning hit by Aretha Franklin, released in 1985.
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About the author: Marius Visan
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Marius grew up in a family of truck drivers, so the love for cars and anything with an engine came naturally. After getting his journalism degree and an M.D. in Multimedia and Audio/Video Production he went right into covering the automotive industry for a news agency and a print magazine.
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