Description
Any Cadillac is special but the example we offer here is something unique - a custom based on a 1969 Eldorado platform created by legendary LA-based customiser George Barris for singer, entertainer and member of the “Rat Pack” Dean Martin. Ordered at the height of his career (his weekly series The Dean Martin Show was a smash hit on NBC, resulting in a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), Martin reportedly collaborated with Barris on the project dubbed the “Casa de Eldorado”, a Sport Wagon featuring twin simulated side-mounted spares, a power-operated rear hatchback and numerous bespoke details.
The current Sydney owner has been in touch with Tony and Dick Baker of Custom Coach in Lima, Ohio and we understand they performed some restoration work on the car approximately 25 years ago. They also confirmed this was the unique 1969-based Eldorado built by Barris for Dean Martin and moreover that a second car, painted gold and based on a 1970 model Eldorado, was subsequently made for Frank Sinatra.
[Text Wrapping Break]We know the car eventually made its way to Australia, imported here by a Melbourne-based enthusiast with a penchant for unusual American cars and he in turn sold the Cadillac to a prominent Melbourne family. By this stage the “Casa de Eldorado” was down on its luck and reportedly was left parked on the street for a time, a rather ignominious end for such a significant piece of motoring history.
The Cadillac does fire and run (the author has personally driven the car around the block several times) but will need some mechanical recommissioning in addition to the obvious cosmetic issues. On the plus side, parts for the 1969 Cadillac are readily available and the custom components are all present to be either restored or used as patterns.
Currently not attached to the car, there is a small plaque denoting this to be the “Casa de Eldorado” built exclusively for Mr Dean Martin along with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Barris/ Kustom Industries to a former owner confirming the vehicle’s provenance (including the Cadillac’s VIN), proof this is indeed Dean Martin’s one-off custom Sport Wagon. A fabulous opportunity to return this significant piece of American automotive and
showbiz history back to its former glory, the Cadillac will be sold unregistered and with No Reserve.
Estimate: $25, 000 - $35, 000 (AUD)
