AUTOCULT - CADILLAC - COUPE DE VILLE RAYMOND LOEWY USA 1959

An American made in France In 1959 the renowned US-designer Raymond Loewy created in a spontaneous action a visually completely new car based on a standard Cadillac Coupé de Ville. His intention was to exhibit the design at the Paris Motor Show in 1959. The French body maker Pichon-Parat required only two days to finish a car according to Loewy’s idea. The chassis, the doors and the windshield came from the standard Cadillac, whereas the rest of the car was completely new designed. In this short space of time a visually appealing new Cadillac in a bright green-blue metallic coloring contrasted by a white roof was set on its wheels. Striking eyecatcher was indisputably its unique, centrally-arranged front end. After the exhibition appearance Raymond Loewy drove the elegant road cruiser by himself during his stay in Europe. After this he brought the car to his US-American home where it remained in his possession until 1970, before he sold it to his neighbor, the car collector Mimo Zaccuri, in Palm Springs. In 1989 Zaccuri also lost the interest in the unique Cadillac and sold it to Europe. For a long time the car was deemed to be lost before it turned up again at an auction in Scottsdale in 2010. For 161,700 US-Dollar the car that faced the ravages of time changed hands. Today the car is sophistically restored to its original condition.