I found this group of cars a couple years ago while I wandered off of a bike trail.....turns out that I know the property owner....the cars were being stored there for several years ...and the owner of them stopped showing up to pay rent a few years ago.The guy doesn`t know what to do with them yet.I got a chance to see them again today and took these pictures.Really is a shame,some super rare cars there!!!! Someone robbed the dual quads off 2 of the Caddys since I was there last though. The guy that owns the property that they are on....just thinks off them as old junk cars....I keep tellin him to let me know when he decides they gotta go.I promised him not to tell anyone there location though....he doesn`t want people snoopin around.
What an absolute shame... I hope you can talk this guy into selling them, or at least some of them to you. Great pictures!!
it really is a shame.....some kids found the cars one time I guess and jumped on them and broke out most of the glass!!!
I think the Stude is a Packardbaker. the ones that look like a catfish. not sure why Studebaker bought Packard, I guess they wanted to build the ugliest car ever made them Caddy convertibles are worth a bunch. nice load of stuff there. between parts on ebay and complete cars I see 40 grand, other people would see 20 bucks a ton
That is a Packard...fiberglass hood and all... unfortunately all the property owner sees is scrap value also...so I really hope they dont all get crushed. Hard to see in the pics...and weeds...but there also a couple `59-`60? Buick/Pontiac/Olds converts.... the one Cad is a `56 Eldorado Biarritz vert and atleast one other is a `57 Biarritz vert... Check out the batwing air cleaner still on the `53-`54 Caddy vert.....I tried to get him to let me atleast get the air cleaner...but he said no....
looks like its going back to the earth!! some look as if they couldn't be brought back, what a shame.I hate seeing that. jimV
Seems there are 3 kinds of people out there that own these cars The guy that hoards everything but would rather let it rot in the ground than ever think of selling to anyone. The guy who some how collected a bunch of old cars but really has no interest or clue about cars and only sees them for scrap value no matter how many people tell him otherwise. Would sooner sell for scrap than make 100x the amount selling to a car lover. The guy that hoards and greatly exaggerates what every thing is worth and still lets stuff rot away before he'd ever lower any prices. Yet all three probably still buy lottery tickets hoping to win some jackpot while they sit on a pot of gold they don't even know they got.
just as a note, i sold a 57 biarritz in similar shape missing MORE for $15,200 on ebay last year... i had bought it for $2000
give the guy scrap price for them and sell the ones that can be saved . Too sad to think of all of them crushed. What a shame
You would think the Caddys would worth somerthing, but based on a '57 and a '58 I had is the same or worse condition I wouldn't get too excited over those boats.
I'm not sure of the laws in your state but the land owner can file a storage lien,post notice and auction them off.By doing this ,it will create a title too (I don't think too much is gonna be roadworthy there though). It is a friggin shame to see such neat pieces detiorating like that.I've seen this mentality before though.Once saw a whole pile of Indian fours in a guys back yard in the same shape.In his mind ,they could be "fixed".
There's a 56, 57 and 58 Eldorado Biarritz, all very rare, very high dollar cars, worth saving. Production figures: 56, 2,150; 57, 1,800; 58, 815 Old Cars Price Guide values #6 parts car and #1 100 point car 56, #6 $2,560 # 1 $64,000 57, #6 $2,000 # 1 $50,000 58, #6 $1,920 #1 $48,000
That's the kind of place I look for. Buy 'em all for scrap value, haul 'em off and eBay them. Take out a second mortgage if you have to, if you can sell just one of those cars for $10,000 plus, you're sitting pretty good. Just tell your buddy you can make them go away no questions asked for scrap value -
Were these cars in decent shape when they were first left there, or were they junkyard refugees even then? It is too bad that people (especially kids) can't respect other peoples property and KEEP THEIR F*&KING HANDS OFF! Alot of good cars have been turned into crap by people breaking windows, smashing parts, and leaving doors/hoods/trunks open. I don't agree with stealing parts either, but if this stuff gets crushed, at least some of the good stuff got out.
Update...they are all still sitting there and still not for sale. Sadly though,someone else has found them and stole numerouus parts off of them.
The restoration cost on one of these "super valuable" Cadillacs would exceed $100K in labor alone. I see sagging frames, rusted rust, siezed electrical units, and more. The chrome/stainless bill would be over $25K, a pre-sewn interior in the OEM fabrics and leather (the best way to go) is around $17K (had that quoted to me a year and a half ago). Now one of those "worth a mint" Cads is worth how much? Whatever you can get for the parts, that's how much. It's a sad fact of life in the higher end 50s cars. Very expensive to bring back. And for some unknown reason, the same era Mopar brings $50-70K more. Just as expensive to do but the Mopars get big money even at auctions. 53 Eldorado? Now that might really be worth saving, but I didn't see one of those in there.
save them from the crusher. you found them now you have to save them and dont let up till you get them.
The Jalopy Journal
