959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible

“King of the Fin” is what they called me the day I arrived at the dealership. They rolled me on to a rotating stage in the center of the showroom. I watched as a crowd of people huddled around to admire me. My bright red paint and a white convertible top were hints that I was a special machine. If that didn’t give it away then stepping inside my red interior would tip off even the most dimwitted of customers. But if even that wasn’t enough to convince them that I was interstate royalty all the salesman had to say was my name, “Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.” Top of the line – that’s me.

I know it’s wrong to be boastful but I was built with ego in mind. I saw everything with confidence through my double headlights as I watched people walk into the showroom every day to gasp at my $7,400 sticker price before choosing a cheaper sibling. I didn’t mind. I knew I wasn’t just a car. I was a commodity. The owner of the dealership felt the same way.

Winter of 1959
I had been at the dealership for nearly 3 months now and although I had met hundreds of people who wanted to buy me none of them could afford my price. Duck decided to use me as his personal car to stretch my wheels and stir up attention on the streets. When I heard the news I was excited about finally being able to turn my odometer. It only read 7 miles up until then.

It was December when I first rolled out of the showroom and felt the cold pavement on my white wall tires. The sky was gray and the previous snow storm have left the city in a slush, but I stood out like a satellite in space. A bright red convertible cutting through a landscape of gray. I loved catching pedestrians turning their heads when I rolled by at 15 mph through downtown traffic. Duck liked it too and always turned up the radio whenever a rock n roller song came on.

Duck lived in a two story house in the suburbs of town. In a neighborhood of cookie cutter houses with Chevy Nomad’s and Ford Customs parked in their driveways. I felt like royalty living among commoners cruising through these streets. Duck’s house did not match his personality. It was the biggest one at the end of the street and was built out of stone with brown shutters that made it stand out from the other yellow and white houses on the block. Duck would always park me in the garage before going inside.

At home is where I rarely heard Duck say anything, just the sound of ice circling in a glass and a TV muttering whatever happened to be on. I remember hearing that Duck’s favorite show was The Rifleman, a western series of some kind. I almost never heard his voice. As if he only reserved his good moments for work and the public eye. He didn’t even have a Christmas tree or lights.

The 1959 Cadillac was a road rocket. And the convertible Biarritz version was the most beloved in the fleet.

Many celebrities including Music icon Fats Domino Steve McQueen and Jayne Mansfield owned a 1959 Cadillac Convertible

The 1959 Cadillac had it all – looks, comfort, performance and flamboyance. As America embraced the space race, this car became the ultimate symbol of success with its 19-foot length and huge iconic huge tail fins with dual bullet tail lights.