Gold-Plated Cadillac Elegante Sells for $1.4M — But Fails to Become Most Expensive Cadillac Ever

At Kruse Auctions in Auburn, US, the one-of-a-kind 1953 Cadillac Elegante convertible was put up for public auction for the first time in history. The exclusive custom sports car, featuring bespoke hand-hammered aluminum bodywork, went under the hammer for $1.4 million. However, despite sensational media reports, it did not claim the title of the most expensive car in the brand’s history.

Italian Coachwork, BMW 507 Designer, and Gold Accents

The Elegante project was conceived in 1953 by American artist Harry Birdsall and his business partner Joe Mascari. It was built on a Cadillac Series 62 frame chassis powered by a standard 5.4-liter V8 engine paired with a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.

Renowned designer Albrecht von Goertz—creator of the iconic German BMW 507 and 503 sports cars—helped refine the initial silhouette. Translating the sketches into metal was entrusted to Turin-based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Rocco Motto.

Italian craftsmen hand-shaped the aerodynamic body from sheet aluminum, reducing weight and lowering the chassis by twenty centimeters. According to archival materials on Classic Driver, the hand-building process took two and a half years and cost the owners $30,000—a colossal sum for the 1950s. The car featured a complex electro-hydraulic retractable hardtop, a panoramic windshield, a clear Lucite steering wheel, and gold-plated hardware. In 1955, the coupe became the star of the New York Auto Show.

16 Years of Restoration and an Auction Record Check

The car eventually returned to Birdsall’s heirs, who carried out a comprehensive 16-year restoration that culminated in a People’s Choice Award at the prestigious Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

At the auction, the car was sold complete with its original trailer and a photo archive. The final official results from Kruse Auctions show a sale price of $1.4 million, including the buyer’s premium.

While the sum is impressive, it fell short of an all-time record for the American brand. Auction history records several higher-value sales:

• A rare 1930 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan by Murphy was sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction for $1.925 million;
• A custom 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe by Ghia fetched $1.43 million at the same venue.

The main value of the sold Elegante lies in its absolute uniqueness: it is a one-off masterpiece of post-war American luxury wrapped in European coachwork, changing hands publicly for the first time seventy years after its creation.