Original Advertisement - National Geographic, Cadillac Motor Car Division

Another eBay purchase. This original magazine advertisement is nearly identical to the other but the picture is slightly different. This ad came from The National Geographic.



The text of the ad is a slightly condensed version of the previous ad posted:


It Gives a Man a New Outlook...
... when he first views the world through the windshield of his own Cadillac car. There is the wholly new sense of pride he feels as he sits in possession of a motor car that is so widely respected. There is the entirely new feeling of mastery he enjoys as he puts the car through its brilliant paces for the very first time. And, finally, there is his deep pleasure in realizing that he has made one of motordom's soundest investments. And, of course, all of these sentiments will be all the more pronounced for the motorist who makes the move to Cadillac in 1957. Why not visit your dealer and see for yourself? You're welcome to try the view from the driver's seat at any time. Cadillac Motor Car Division - General Motors Corporation

Original Advertisement

While waiting on the car, I visited eBay a few times. Here's an original 1957 "Night At The Surf Club" magazine advertisement. The ad is 10"x13" in size. (Assuming it came from Life Magazine)



The text of the ad:

It Gives a Man a New Outlook...
... when he first views the world through the windshield of his own Cadillac car. In fact, we have it on the word of Cadillac owners themselves that it constitutes one of the most edifying experiences of a motorist's life. There is, for instance, the wholly new sense of pride he feels as he sits in possession of a motor car that is so widely respected and admired. There is the entirely new feeling of confidence and mastery he enjoys as he puts the car through its brilliant paces for the very first time. There is the priceless satisfaction of knowing that he is surrounded by every luxury and safeguard known to automotive science. And, finally, there is his deep inner pleasure in realizing that he has made one of motordom's soundest investments. And, of course, these wonderful sentiments will be all the more pronounced for the lucky motorist who makes the move to Cadillac in 1957. Why not visit your dealer for a preview journey and see for yourself? You're welcome to try the view from the driver's seat at any time. Cadillac Motor Car Division - General Motors Corporation

Still waiting...

The generator is frozen up...still waiting on a rebuild. At least they've made progress with some of the other items.

Meanwhile, I've been doing a little research on the model:

The 57 Biarritz was Series & Style Number: 6267SX (I've seen it listed 6267SX or 6267) Code "E"
1800 Biarritz convertibles were made
Price New: $7,218
Wheelbase: 129.5"
Overall Length: 222.1"
Eldorado's weighed about 4900 pounds
When new, it got about 12-14 mpg city, 15-17 mpg highway
115 mph top speed
0-60 in 12.4 seconds
1/4 mile in 18.6 seconds at 75 mph
300 horsepower standard, with the optional dual carb, 325 Horsepower.
Eight-cylinder OHV V-8 engine 365 cu.in.

Capacities:
19.5 quarts Cooling System
5.0 quarts Crankcase
20.0 gallon fuel tank

Standard equipment included:
White Sidewall Tires
Heater
Radio
Fog Lamps
Sabre Spoke Wheels / Chrome
Power Window Rebulators
6-Way Seat Adjuster
Trunk Lock
License Frames

The only optional equipment on the Biarritz was:
Air Conditioner
E-Z Eye Glass
Autronic Eye
Dual Carb.
You could also change the chrome grille insert to a gold color.


The VIN breakdown: The first four numbers indicated the year and series of the car ("5762") The car number is the last 6 digits.

In For Repairs #1

The Caddy was dropped off yesterday to get some work done. We'll need to fix the small fuel line leak before storing it in the garage and the generator belt needs to be replaced. I'm also having them look at the brakes and give me an estimate on a redo. The right rear window is to be replaced and they are going to work on finishing the door panels, along with fixing how the front seat is bolted on. They'll also make sure that the windows are adjusted so that it's weather proof with the top up. That'll be good enough to drive this beast around!

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz arrives...

The car arrived today! It definitely needs some interior work as the door panels are loose and other odds & ends. However, the body seems to be in pretty good shape with no noticeable rust on the whole thing. The chrome is mostly there, but there are some trim pieces missing which is going to be a nice project to do. The convertible top does work, the car starts up immediately with no smoke, and there's only a few drops of oil leaking after a few hours. Underneath looks pretty spotless and the engine compartment is quite good.

The brakes need to be redone and my second test drive snapped the generator belt when I gunned it for the first time. It will definitely need a new belt and the belt tension adjusted. The right rear passenger window is badly cracked but all of the power windows do work well.

All and all, it's a pretty cool car. 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, bright red exterior with red/white guts....couldn't ask for a cooler ride! It's just too bad it's not in a little better shape..but that's what this blog will be used for - to track the progress of this fine ride!