The car as both a work of art and an expression of self is almost as old as the motor vehicle itself.
Ever since the first ‘specials’ started being built in the early 20th century, enthusiasts around the globe have found ways of creating cars through which they can express their own personality or celebrate a type of culture through the medium of the automobile.
One of the most fascinating branches of car culture has its origins in the late 1970s in the USA, when the first lowriders appeared. The name, incidentally, applies both to the cars and also the people who exhibit them.
Historically, lowriders were mostly Latino men from Texas, the Southwest, and southern California. The mobile masterpieces made by lowriders embraced art, family, and religion.
Often, the paint finish is as important as the car’s overall presence, and it's not unusual to find a lowrider that has had huge amounts spent on special paint finishes, along with airbrush details, geometric patterns and sometimes religious symbols. Each car is lowered within inches of the pavement and driven as a rolling work of art.
Lowrider culture then focuses around “cruises”, where the cars are driven slowly and appreciated by the assembled crowds. They are not merely transportation or recreation; they express who the owners are and how they would like to be perceived.
And that’s exactly what the vendor of this 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville wanted to achieve, even though Royston in Hertfordshire is a very long way from New Mexico…
Although it started life as a standard Cadillac Coupe de Ville, BHG 74R has come a long way since.
It appears to have arrived in the UK in around 2008, as that was when it was first MOT’d here, but the car has been progressively customised by its last two owners, the previous keeper fitting all of the hydraulic systems and the current one finishing the car off with an amazing black and metalflake red paint job, ivory wire wheels and white banded tyres.
The Cadillac has recently been completed and is offered for sale as a ready-to-go show vehicle.
There isn't a huge amount of paperwork with the Cadillac other than a V5C registration document and a few bills relating to parts bought for it.
The vendor is a motor engineer and vehicle customiser by trade, so the substantial amount of work he has carried out on the car isn’t recorded on invoices as he has carried it out in his own time.
It is both tax and MOT exempt and registered as such with the DVLA.
The first thing you notice about the Cadillac is its incredible size. The pictures don't really do justice to showing how vast the car is - it's about 19.5 feet long and over seven feet wide, so it has a hugely imposing presence on the road and turns almost every head it drives past.
It's also beautifully done. The paint finish is absolutely impeccable, especially the metalflake red inserts which have some delicate airbrushed details. The paint itself features six different pearl finishes and the red parts are very smartly offset by ivory stripes.
The craftsmanship and artwork here is truly something else, and it's clear that a lot of love and enthusiasm has gone into making the car look as good as it does.
Then there are the details. The 100-spoke ivory coloured wire wheels and white banded tyres, the subtle Mexico number plates, the hand-milled alloy Lowrider badge… it's an absolute work of art, but then that's what these cars are all about.
And that's before you consider the structural work that the vendor has carried out on the car. He says he has put hundreds of hours’ worth of work into welding the underside to make it as good as new.
This is a project that has been done properly and with genuine love and attention for the end result.
If the outside of this car isn’t brash enough, then wait until you open the door - the difference being that most of what's inside is how it was when it left the Cadillac factory in 1976.
The red leather seats are gloriously garish, matched by equally red carpets and a red vinyl finish to the dashboard and door cards, with a fake wood insert.
It represents the absolute extreme of American ‘luxury’ tastes in the 1970s, but at the same time there's something quite charming about it, while there are also some fantastic details to observe such as the integrated radio with Cadillac laurels on its controls, the overengineered flip-up ashtrays and the external temperature thermometer, mounted on the door mirror housing so it can be seen by the driver.
It goes without saying that the space on offer inside the Cadillac is incredible and it's easily big enough to transport six - all of them can lounge around freely in what are essentially a pair of squishy red leather sofas.
It's not just the exterior of this car that’s big. The engine, too, is absolutely massive. It's a General Motors ‘Big Block V8’, with a displacement of 8.2 litres.
The engine was fully reconditioned 2,000 miles ago and is in fine running order as you'd expect, whilst the transmission has also been overhauled by the vendor.
We were taken for a journey in the car and can confirm that it’s incredible to sit inside – the view out over the colossal bonnet is something else, the ride is somewhat boat-like and the engine note is fabulous. And everyone stares. Everyone…
But the party piece is the hydraulic suspension setup. There are three electric hydraulic pumps mounted in the boot operating from a 24-volt system that allows the Cadillac to be lifted at the front, rear or side-to-side. It also means it can be slammed down really close to the road for the full lowrider appeal. It’s an exceptionally cool thing.
This is an incredible car. A bespoke build - and done in the spirit of a part of car culture that has a very significant and important place in global automotive folklore.
It’s beautifully, done – the paint finish is something to truly behold and the way it can be made to dance on its hydraulics is a guaranteed show head-turner. It’s not a car you’ll want to use every day (the 8.2-litre engine will see to that) but it’s a very, very special thing indeed.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
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1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
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