Cadillac 355-A Roadster 1931, Estados Unidos

Cadillac 355-A Roadster 1931, Estados Unidos
Motor: 355/120HP
Exterior: Vermelho e Preto
Interior: Vermelho e Preto
Fotografia

HIGHLIGHTS

CCCA Full Classic

Estimated $200,000 invested in nut and bolt restoration

355/120 HP L-head V-8 engine

Updraft carburetor

3-speed manual transmission with reverse

Front and rear semi-elliptic leaf springs

Vacuum-assisted drum brakes

Two-tone Red and Black finish

Black interior and soft top

Rumble seat and luggage rack

Cloth top and side curtains

Dual side mount spares in metal cases

Pilot Ray lights

Golf club compartment

Stainless spoke wheels

Wide Whitewall tires

An estimated $200,000 was invested in the painstaking nut-and-bolt restoration of this 1931 Cadillac 355-A Roadster with Fleetwood coachwork, one of many Cadillacs of its era designated a Full Classic by the Classic Car Club of America. Cadillacs of the early 1930s set new standards from engineering to body design, and they are now considered among the elite automobiles of the Classic Era. Cadillac’s advanced engineering notwithstanding, it was designer Harley J. Earl who distinguished Cadillac in the minds of potential buyers. Earl’s career with Cadillac began after Los Angeles Cadillac dealer Don Lee purchased the Earl family coachbuilding business, Earl Automobile Works. Lee soon introduced the young Californian to Cadillac President Lawrence Fisher, who, after viewing Earl’s portfolio, invited him to Detroit to design the trend-setting 1927 LaSalle. Fisher then chose Earl to head General Motors’ new Art and Color Section, the automotive industry’s first such entity. Fresh from the LaSalle triumph, Earl turned his attention to Cadillac, working under the philosophy that cars were sold not in the showrooms but out on the road. Earl’s penchant for mixing flamboyance with impeccable taste was central to Cadillac’s success, considering the company positioned itself as “The Standard of the World.” But while the V-12 and V-16 Cadillacs of the period certainly dazzled the imagination, it was the V-8 models that carried the day, and Earl made sure they remained on an aesthetic par with such styling cues as the popular hood vent doors and upswept coach sill on this 1931 rumble-seat roadster, one of the most popular body styles in the V-8 line. An outstanding restoration, this Model 355-A’s two-tone red and black finish is complemented with a black interior and top, and it comes complete with dual side-mount spares, painted wheels with stainless-steel spokes, wide whitewall tires, Pilot Ray lights, a golf club door, rumble seat and luggage rack.