Cadillac’s New Convertible Will Share the Spotlight with Its Old Convertibles

Last week, Cadillac unveiled a new Sollei convertible concept that, if produced, would return the carmaker to the realm of giant convertibles, a space it once owned in style. Not since the final Eldorado convertible of 1976 has Cadillac offered a full-size open car, so the news of the Sollei is likely welcome to fans of the marque.

Based upon the Ultium EV platform that underpins the new $300K-plus Celestiq luxury sedan, the Sollei will offer 2+2 seating in a similarly luxurious package. Neither pricing nor production specifics have been confirmed, but Cadillac will display the new convertible in August at Pebble Beach. Quite coincidentally, it will be sharing the Monterey Peninsula with a couple of its esteemed predecessors.

Crossing the block at RM Sotheby's that week is a 1930 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton with Fleetwood coachwork. Just 85 Sport Phaetons were built in 1930-31, and today 17 survive. This car, in pretty Bottle Green, is well documented from new and has resided with some noteworthy collectors in its 94 years, including Otis Chandler. In the early 1950s, it changed hands for the princely sum of . . . $25!

The car was restored over a period of several years in the 1990s and appeared at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1998 and again in 2009. It's presale estimate of $800K-$1.1M at RM is juuust a bit more than $25.

Slightly newer is the 1956 Eldorado Biarritz convertible offered by Mecum, which is slated to sell on Saturday, August 17. With a dual-quad 365-cid V-8 making 305 hp, the Eldo is and always was an effortless cruiser. Finished in Alpine White over a red interior, the Mecum car is sure to attract plenty of attention. Rarer than its Seville stablemate, just 2150 were produced, though it's difficult to pinpoint how many remain today. Wherever they are, however, they are prized by collectors as the pinnacle of 1950s Cadillac style and opulence.

Hagerty values the '56 Eldorado Biarritz at $81,800 for a #3 (good) example and $188,000 for a #1 (concours) car. From Mecum's photos, this one appears to fall somewhere in between, still well into triple-digit territory. And it's well established that rationality often goes out the window in the saleroom at Monterey, so it wouldn't surprise us to see this car soar beyond expectation.

It will be interesting to see the buzz around the Sollei while it's on display in California, particularly whether the new convertible concept is capable of capturing the imagination of enthusiasts quite like a regal V-16 or sumptuous Biarritz does.

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