Pink Survivor: 1959 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
According to her 1985 smash hit Freeway Of Love, Aretha Franklin knows a bit about a pink Cadillac and there probably is no more iconic a pink Cadillac than the outrageous 1959 version such as this Sedan DeVille. This may well be one of the most universally recognized automobile designs of all time! Seemingly original and in pretty fair condition, this top dog Caddy is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and is available here on eBay for a current bid of $20,100 with twenty-seven bids tendered so far. Larry D gets credit for this find!
I have often wondered what really influences automobile designers. Today there are many things to consider like safety, fuel economy, and an entire ration of governmental regulations. In 1959? Not so much so – the world was your oyster. That said, how do you dream up a barge like this? I have often wondered about the dies and presses that were necessary to stamp out the quarters and the fins. And, unlike today, it was one and done, as the design wasn’t repeated for ’60. Total Cadillac production for ’59 was 142K units so one has to think that the hefty design and development expense per unit was pretty outsized.
This example could probably qualify for survivor status. The seller mentions, “Good straight car, body is very straight, paint is in decent shape, with a few small scratches and paint chips (The worst of which is pictured)….. Chrome and stainless is all original and is in very good condition….” The mileage is listed as 62K miles but it’s not claimed as genuine and there is no word as to the originality of this memorable hue. It appears to be Wood Rose so it’s a sorta pink but not Good & Plenty pink. Regardless, it shows well, maybe a little dull but that’s not to say that it couldn’t be revived. The stainless trim, and grille on these ’59s, are absolutely over the top – it’s the result of a designer on a mission, the grille in particular.
Power was provided by a 325 gross HP, 390 CI V8 engine. It may not sound impressive today but it was significant for the era. The listing claims, “Engine is the original 390 v8, that starts and drives… Transmission shifts as it should… ” I wouldn’t call that a ringing endorsement but then Cadillac always went for a quiet and unobtrusive way so maybe the description is all that needs to be said. The transmission is a Hydramatic automatic unit.
The interior mirrors the exterior’s vibe. It’s in excellent condition and upholstered in a matching cloth and leather combination. The dash and door panels are opulent with extensive brightwork. Roomy? No doubt but the seats, after the passage of 63 years, are probably flat and couch-like. The seller states that the interior is clean, original, and fair but it looks better than fair based on the included images.
Many Cadillacs from this auspicious year that I have encountered are usually in need of a huge amount of work, and a resto job on a car of this size and design complexity can be an enormous and $$$ hefty undertaking. This big flat top is really in sound condition and it appears to need little to no attention. The big challenge for this car will be shipping – Hawaii is a long way away from everywhere, right?
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Comments
Might be cheaper to move to Hawaii.
The only “fault” I find in this beauty–if you can call it a “fault”, are the whitewalls that are far too big for `59 period cars. They are more in line with 1950-51 models. Otherwise, what’s not to like? It looks very well cared for, original, and remarkable. It will run a buyer a few bucks to ship back to the mainland, but IMHO worth every penny. You’d be hard pressed to find one as coddled as this, for being a year older than myself!
Really nice looking car. Having lived in Honolulu for a number of years, I cannot understand how this car has survived. The air is laden with salt mist and it invades everything. I do see that salt air has hit the roof bows as one can see rust coming through the headiner in places. The car had to have been stored in a location that did not allow much outside air flow to reach it. There are no underside photos, so I would definitely ask for that from the seller. I also see a lot of spray can work under the hood, black overspray on the lower radiator hose and someone has sprayed the engine. All this aside, this car can be called a true survivor as most 1959 automobiles from Hawaii are but a memory now. BTW, shipping is not an issue from the islands, Matson and Pasha are very experienced and have shipped five cars for me with no issues.
Art,
I also suspect this is a more recent import to the island. It’s way too nice to be an original island car.
I have a friend who lives there, and he says regular fuel is averaging over $5.25/gallon, with hi-octane well over $6. Good thing there isn’t a lot of area to take long trips, as the gas mileage is not very thrifty.
As for shipping costs, If you are basing your comparisons on pre-2021 pricing, shipping costs have been running at about 400% more than pre-pandemic levels for container shipping.
Container shipping? We don’t need no stinkin’ containers! Roll-on/roll-off, baby! What’s insurance for, anyway?
Todd,
Having handled plenty of vintage cars coming in and out of east coast ports, I’ve seen just how poorly the stevedores treat older vehicles [they mostly hate ’em.].
A friend shipped an older sports car from England to Baltimore using Ro-Ro, and the brand new clutch was destroyed. We could smell the burned clutch material 20 feet away. The new back tires had left pieces of rubber on the inner wheel wells. The port guys said contact your insurance company, the port was not responsible, as it could have happened in Southampton for all they knew.
In 1987 I shipped a 1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 James Young saloon thru a vintage Rolls-Royce dealer in London, he was supposed to ensure the engine coolant was a 50/50 mix. The car left the port [in a container] with water only. [Anti-freeze is very expensive in the UK and Europe.] The typical Atlantic shipping route reaches almost to the arctic circle. The car arrived with a cracked block and head. I was fortunate to have taken out personal insurance for the car, and the repair costs were well over $15k.
As for insurance, the type provided by the shipping company only covers your property if the ship sinks. Always insist on an optional insurance policy against damage, for your cars.
Love it, but too expensive for me when I factor in shipping and rebuilding garage.
Another nice write up Jim. What a beautiful machine. The bumpers and hubcaps alone must weigh as much as many modern cars.
But I’m confused and looking for the experts here to elucidate. I thought sedans had pillars between the front and rear doors. I would have thought this was a coupe.
Thx Armstrongpsyd! This body style is really a four-door hardtop – no B-pillar or door glass frames. Cadillac’s naming convention, however, referred to it as a Sedan DeVille which is not really accurate in this case but it delineates it from the Coupe DeVille (which was a really a two-door hardtop). Cadillac took a little poetic license with their model names I guess.
JO
Nice! But I was wondering about the “Car has been stored in a heated garage” statement… Here’s why: https://journal.classiccars.com/2021/05/20/pick-of-the-day-1959-cadillac-sedan-de-ville-pink/
I agree, they are photos of the same car, and the other one is in Parma, Idaho, the ad is from May 2021.
And in those photos, it has a Minnesota plate. This has really been around the block, and the guy who took it to Hawaii has only had it a year and now wants to sell it???
Natalie Cole had a hit with the song ‘Pink Cadillac’. Incredibly, it’s actually a Bruce Springsteen composition. Having visited Hawaii just the once and seen the condition of older cars there; I would most definitely be asking for photographs of the underside.
The locals call it ‘Vog’. A year round mist laden with both sea salt and volcanic dust that eats through cars from the inside.
Clint Eastwood starred in the movie ‘Pink Cadillac’ in 1989.
The singers…..meh & meh !
I absolutely hate the flat top 4 window Sedan. Just something that doesn’t quite go with the car of extreme flamboyance. My father had a 1960 version in the same color, same flat top.
Give me a 6 window Sedan de Ville anytime!
Angel [and other Cadillac people],
While recently going thru one of my storage units I found a rather rare Cadillac Radio that I’d forgotten I had. It’s a 1965 and 66 AM/FM. I pulled it out of a Cadillac 75 limo in a junkyard in New Jersey back in 1973, the limo had been totaled in the rear. In the decades since, I don’t remember seeing another one in a car.
Do you have a ’65 or ’66 Caddy that is begging for an original AM/FM, or know someone who does? I thought I would offer it to BarnFinds members before putting it up for sale elsewhere.
Hey Bill,
You just can’t match those old New Jersey junk yards/scrap yards.
I thank you for thinking of us before going to the general public, but at this time I can not think of a use for the radio, or anyone that I know who has a ’65/’66 Caddy. I hope other members can do something with it.
I never liked the fins on the ’59 Caddy, I know they’re iconic and fans go ga-ga over them. I had a ’60 flat-top, and I thought the fins on the ’60 looked better and fit just fine with the flat-top.