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A 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz is live on Bring a Trailer, and the story behind it is better than the chrome. After a Pennsylvania restaurateur died in 1962, his widow reportedly tucked the Biarritz away in a storage area at the family restaurant in Portersville, where it sat with about 21,000 miles on the clock. It stayed hidden until 1988. The auction ends Saturday, October 24, at 1:43 p.m. ET.
A Cadillac Nobody Was Supposed to Find
According to the listing, the Biarritz was first owned by a couple who ran a restaurant in Portersville, Pennsylvania. When the husband died in 1962, the wife eventually hid the convertible in a storage area at the restaurant. The odometer showed roughly 21,000 miles then, and it still read only 24,000 miles when this auction opened. The car came out of storage in 1988, and the seller says the current owner has had it since 2002, adding about 2,000 miles.
That timeline is why this car stands out. Plenty of "garage finds" are cars that were parked for a few years. This one spent more than two decades out of sight, then went to a long-term keeper who barely used it. A 1990s Washington Times article about the car is included with the sale.
What Makes the Biarritz Special
The Eldorado Biarritz was Cadillac's flagship convertible in the mid-1950s, and BaT says only 2,150 were built for 1956. This one wears its original Alpine White, with blue-and-white leather upholstery, a power-operated white soft top, a body-color hard top boot, "Dagmar" front bumper guards, and tall tail fins. It rides on chrome 15-inch Sabre wheels with whitewall tires.
Under the hood is the 365-cubic-inch V8, rated at 305 horsepower when new, fed by dual Carter four-barrel carburetors under a gold-colored "batwing" air cleaner. A four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic sends the power to the rear wheels. Power steering and power-assisted drum brakes round out the equipment, along with an AM radio and E-Z Eye glass.
Original, But Not Untouched
"Survivor" gets tossed around loosely, so here is what the listing actually says. The power top was replaced in the 1980s. A door panel was repainted decades ago after egg damage from inside the restaurant. In 2013 the power top and power windows were repaired, the brakes were overhauled and the exhaust was replaced. Corrosion is noted on underbody components, and the gallery shows wear on the seats and elsewhere. The mileage is described as indicated, not verified.
Those caveats matter, but they also make the story easier to believe. During the auction the seller reported that the numbers match on the frame and the engine block, and a former owner commenting on the listing described the car as largely original, down to the interior. One commenter noted a yellowish cast on the interior from its years in the restaurant, though without any smoke smell. The seller is offering it on behalf of the current owner as part of the John C. Mesloh Collection, and it is sold on a New York registration.
Why It's Worth Watching
The Biarritz is bid to $30,000 as of this writing, with four bids and more than 580 people watching. The listing has plenty of detail, and the comment section is full of advice on preserving rather than restoring the leather and paint. That tracks with a wider appreciation for cars that haven't been redone, a theme we've covered before, from a one-owner 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL that emerged from decades of storage to a Corvette convertible survivor with 55,000 miles. If you prefer your Cadillacs rougher, there's also the Cadillac convertible rescued from 50 years of neglect after nearly being crushed.
Another long-owned classic on the same site: the 1979 Aston Martin V8 Volante that spent 46 years with a Hollywood producer.
Auction details: 24-Years-Owned, 24k-Mile 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz on Bring a Trailer. Current bid $30,000 as of Wednesday, October 21. Ends Saturday, October 24, at 1:43 p.m. ET. Seller: AuthenticAuctions, Mineola, New York. Photos courtesy of the Bring a Trailer listing.
