Custom 1957 Cadillac Eldorado is Old School Cool With a Modern Surprise Under the Hood

Around the same time. this 1957 Eldorado Brougham hardtop sedan left the factory floor. Admittedly, this 1957 Caddy is anything but stock. It failed to sell on Bring a Trailer this past October. But in the time it was on the auction block, it made a profound impression on the viewing public.

Many classic car purists would have preferred the OEM 365-cubic inch (6.0-liter) overhead-valve V8 and four-speed transmission this car came with to stay where it's been for 65 years. But of all the engines you could have possibly replaced the stock internals with, a supercharged 4.4 liter Cadillac Northstar V8 out of a late 2000s XLR-V tops the list from a poetic and mechanical standpoint.

In many ways, the Northstar was the torchbearer of the old Cadillac V8. The original flagship Cadillac engine that grew in size over eons to as massive as 500 cubic inches (8.2-liters). At around three-quarters the displacement of this 57 Caddy's old engine, there's sure to be less weight to lug around.

Obviously, this is the kind of build that requires a complete disassembly down to the bare shell and chassis. No plastic clips or other nonsense is involved in a car this old. It's just a lot of removing old-fashioned nuts and bolts to get the job done. Once it was, the fun part could start. Starting, of course, with that absolute gem of a Northstar V8. No head gasket issues with this late-model Northstar. That issue was more or less solved by the time the XLR came around.

Power is fed to what's described as a six-speed automatic transmission. It's probably a GM 6L80 of some sort. The owner clarified on this car's Bring a Trailer comments that the previous air suspension present on the car has since been replaced with high-quality steel coils.

Perhaps all that great for bragging points, but the owner claims the car still rides like a dream. As far as the rest of the suspension, underneath shots of the car appears to show it's mostly stock. That is, except for changing the front drum brakes for power-assisted disks at some point in the past.

With the newfound horsepower under the hood, that's something we won't mind not being numbers-matching. The cat was out of the bag when the motor was removed in the first place. With 15-inch wheels and hubcaps and stunning two-tone white and black paint on offer, there's something about late-50s Cadillacs that remain eternally cool even today.

Before leather seats became the certified industry standard for luxury vehicles, automakers were allowed to play around a bit more with soft-touch seat-cover material. In the case of this Cadillac, the seats are trimmed in a positively exquisite French silk material with supple, plush leather inserts on the driver's and passenger's side seat ends.

With other treats like a refurbished dashboard, radio unit, stereo system, and power antenna, this car's a wireless Bluetooth module and a cell phone dash mount away from being road trip ready. This custom Caddy may not draw the same crowd as the same car with an LS engine.

The Northstar V8's polarizing reputation makes sure of that. But let's be real. We're not in the business of car enthusiasm to yuck someone else's yum. The fact this auction fizzled out at $65,000 is a real shame. But hey, someone will come along who appreciates it and pay top dollar. If only it was us.