The Cadillac Celestiq was designed to revive the brand’s “Standard of the World” reputation and evoke the coachbuilt cars of old. Now, one of the originals is being auctioned for the first time.
The 1953 Elegante was the brainchild of commercial artist Harry Birdsall and speedboat importer Joe Mascari, who enlisted designer Albrecht von Goertz to bring their dream machine to life.
Von Goertz drew the low-slung two-door with tailfins and a retractable hardtop, and they sent the designs to Carrozzeria Rocco Motto in Italy to bring it to fruition.
The aluminum body it crafted was draped over a Cadillac Series 62 chassis powered by a 331-cubic-inch V8. The car features a hydraulically operated top, bronze trim, a Lucite steering wheel and gold-plated highlights on its white exterior. The project took 30 months and cost $30,000. That’s roughly $425,000 today, which is coincidentally right around where a Celestiq starts, before owners add their bespoke touches.
The Eleganted debuted at the 1955 New York Auto Show and was owned by Birdsall until his death in 1960. It exchanged hands privately several times over the years as its condition deteriorated.
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It eventually came full circle and in 1992 was bought by Birdsall’s son, Richard “Dicky” Birdsall, who was a fabricator and spent the next 16 years restoring it to its original condition, turning it into an award-winner. It doesn’t just look great, it runs and can be driven on the road.
The car will now headline the Kruse Auctions Auburn Auction in Indiana, Sept. 3-5, where the public will have the first opportunity to bid on its ownership. A pre-auction estimate of its value has not been offered, so the sky’s the limit for this unique creation. If you miss out, Cadillac will surely build you a Celestiq with the same colors, but you’ll have to settle for an electric drivetrain instead of a V8.
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