Not being in the position of owning a future classic, I’ll always wonder what goes through the heads of those who buy an incredible car, use it (or not) for a while, then stash it away somewhere, just to have it restored decades later and (maybe) sold some more years after that, possibly for a profit.
I do however consider myself happy such people are among us, because they give us the opportunity to stumble upon wonders that would have otherwise been left to the history books.
Going through the thousands of cars sold each year at auctions across America we often come across incredible machines, all with a background, and some of them even with their own stories. Given how June is Open Top Month here on autoevolution, we’ll be focusing on those masterpieces that come with a removable roof.
And I’ll start with this here Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, a rare 1960 example that has been parked more than half a century ago, taken out of storage 35 years after that for some well-deserved restoration work, and is now back into the spotlight as a hot sale during the Mecum auction Tulsa, set to take place next week.
Accompanied by about 1,000 other vehicles, but not lost among them, this precious Eldorado, part of the short-lived fourth generation, is one of just 1,265 made that year in Biarritz guise, meaning convertible, and stands out thanks to several distinct features, the most prominent of all (aside for the simply beautiful design, of course) being the orange exterior, white interior, and chromed stylish wheels.
According to the unnamed seller of the car, when the Eldorado was subjected to a restoration process a decade and a half ago, its frame was sandblasted, everything got cleaned, and some parts, like the ball joints and air conditioning, replaced with new pieces of hardware.
We are not informed of any tuning being performed on the convertible, and the engine it hides under the hood seems to be the stock one. That would be the 390ci (6.4-liter) V8, which in this application had a rated output of 345 hp, quite the number for that time.
The unit was rebuilt during the work conducted years ago, although the specifics of what needed replacing are not provided. Just like when it was born, the car still uses an automatic transmission.
The 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz is apparently listed by Mecum with a reserve, but we are not told how much that is. The car is scheduled to go under the hammer on Saturday, June 11.
For reference, valuation company Hagerty places a concours-condition Eldorado Biarritz from the same year at $228,000. This one is not quite there, but I wouldn’t put it past it to eventually sell for a low six-digit sum.