The magnificent Eldorado Brougham is recognized today as Cadillac’s postwar crowning achievement, a cost-no-object exercise that solidified the brand’s reputation as the premier American luxury automaker. Priced at $13,074, it was nearly twice as expensive as the Eldorado Convertible and one-third more costly than Lincoln’s Continental Mark II. A mere 704 Eldorado Broughams were built during its two-year production run including this example, authentically restored to as-new condition in its original color combination along with its proper air suspension.

Records from the Brougham Owners Association indicate this car, body no. 521, was one of 304 built for the 1958 model year. The underhood data plate stampings indicate this car was finished in Deauville Gray (paint code no. 118), a tone not offered on other Cadillac models. Its interior trim no. 2580 corresponds to a combination of medium blue leather seating with white leather bolsters and nylon carpeting. Body no. 521 is the only car delivered in this striking color and trim combination.

The car’s history was compiled by its third owner, and documents indicate it was sold new to Joseph F. Palana of Seekonk, Massachusetts, through Capital Cadillac (later Criss Cadillac) of Providence, Rhode Island. In 1983, it was sold to Naif Makol of Ludlow, Massachusetts, who cared for it for 27 years. Mr. Makol moved to Suffield, Connecticut, and in 2010, longtime Eldorado Brougham enthusiast Don Ghareeb of Birmingham, Alabama, acquired the car. Noting its solid condition, Mr. Ghareeb commissioned an authentic restoration of the car retaining its unique color combination. Following restoration, it made its debut at the 2012 Cadillac & LaSalle Club Grand National in St. Augustine, Florida, where it received the Postwar Best of Show award. Racing legend Skip Barber acquired the car in 2013 and displayed it at the 2014 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, where it received the Chairman’s Choice award. The current owner acquired the car in 2016, and more recently, it was recognized with Best Cadillac honors at the 2022 Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week.

Accompanying the car is a beautifully packaged, complete set of vanity items, including six magnetized drinking tumblers with case, a cigarette case, an Evans compact fitted with comb and powder puff, a bevel-edged mirror, a leather-covered writing pad with Cross pencil, and a bottle of Lanvin Arpège perfume with spill-proof atomizer.

Eldorado Broughams are prized for their unique styling, exclusivity, and dazzling array of standard features – an unmatched example of Detroit’s automotive supremacy. Just 111 are known worldwide to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club, and far fewer are equipped with original air suspension and the full complement of vanities. An example restored to this level of authenticity is not easily duplicated, nor likely to be seen again.