58 Caddy, a gorgeous
58 Caddy, a gorgeous
gas guzzler from LA
If you go down to the deep lanes of Devon, youre in
for a big surprise. Instead of the usual tractors you
could be faced with a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville,
as Christine Waugh discovered
I FOUND it on the internet, confesses agricultural engineer and American classic car enthusiast Derek Speake, of Hilltop Services, Yarcombe.
"It looked so good that Hilltops chief engineer Adrian Absolom, farming pals Andy Barnes and Andrew Curtis, my son Tom and I flew out to Los Angeles to check it out.
"Only 858 Eldorado Sevilles were ever made, so shes a rarity. The car has black and white leather upholstery, an automatic gearbox, power steering and all sorts of other goodies. She is a gas guzzler, but with petrol in the US at less than a £1/gallon, thats not a problem."
After buying the car, the plan was to drive it from LA to Baltimore and ship the Caddy home to Southampton.
Adrian takes up the story. "Its lucky were engineers. The Caddys speedo broke on day one, 200 miles later, driving through vast feedlots of alfalfa, nasty noises came from the engine we discovered a badly worn distributor shaft had broken the vacuum unit arm." Eventually they tracked down a used part in Quartzite, Arizona. Once fitted the Caddy started first time.
Derek smiles ruefully: "I tell myself if Id wanted a brand new car with no faults I wouldnt have bought her."
"Serious desert driving the next morning," joins in Andy Barnes. "We travelled along a dead straight road with just a railway track alongside – one train passed with five engines pulling 119 wagons."
They covered 515 miles that day, leaving the desert behind and entering an arable landscape with soft rolling hills. An overnight stop in Witchita, Kansas, produced bad news. "Witchitas dry on Sundays. No beer!"
Monday found them in Kansas City where Adrian bought another pick-up for the business, then on to Trenton, Missouri, to stay with friends at Lakeview.
The Caddy performed brilliantly, but we were all tired and needed a few days R&R," says Derek.
On Saturday they travelled east and crossed their fourth time zone into eastern time. One last overnight stop in Hagerstown then on to Baltimore docks next day to wave the car and pick-up goodbye as they disappeared into the hold of a Wallenius Line ship.
In his workshop, Derek wipes a cloth over the Cadillacs gleaming black paintwork. "Considering this car is over 40 years old, it was a great trip. Next I am looking for…"
He stops as his wife Dawn appears in the doorway. "…But thats another story."
Inquiries: 01404-861525 or www.hilltopservices.co.uk