Mario's Tribute to the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car Concept Car

1 One-off 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car XP-48 Concept Car was unveiled at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel NYC for the 1956 GM Motorama.

2 The 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car was sometimes called Cadillac’s answer to Fords Continental Mark II, but in many ways GM's product was more impressive.

3 The Eldorado Brougham was more exotic and exclusive than the Continental Mark II. It commanded a price nearly a third more than the Mark II’s $10,000 sticker at $13,000.

4 Made of fiberglass, the Town Car had a black leather half-roof over the passenger compartment, an open chauffeur’s compartment and a different roofline.

5 Inside, the passenger compartment was trimmed in soft beige leather in a biscuit and button motif with lots of gold trim.

6 The divider bulkhead had a sliding glass window for passenger privacy.

7 Seating was pure luxury in soft beige leather and center armrest with front opening doors for ease of entry.

8 The chauffeur was surrounded by luxurious black Moroccan leather and chrome.

9 Among the features awaiting the driver were radio, telephone, air conditioning controls, vanity, cigar humidor, thermos bottle, and glassware.

10 Chauffeur telephone for speaking to the passengers. A wonderful example of Cadillac and GM design and engineering leadership by Harley Earl and his team.

11 The passenger compartment was lavishly equipped with twin compartments.

12 Furnished with, among other items, a decanter and cups, a vanity case and a tissue dispenser, all in gold plate.

13 For contacting the chauffeur without opening the window, a bulkhead-mounted telephone was provided.

14 Separate Air conditioning with passenger controls for comfort. Air conditioning cools the car, front and rear.

15 A Fancy Decanter and cups all in gold trim fit nicely in their own compartment, The passenger compartment has deep-pile Wilton carpeting in beige to match the seating.

16 Lavish soft leather passenger interior with twin bulkhead compartments and sliding glass chauffeur window.

17 1956 GM Motorama. Readied for production in 1957, the Eldorado Brougham made the show circuit in the 1956 GM Motorama themed “Highway of Tomorrow”.

18 365-cubic inch OHV V-8 engine 305 hp with gold-plated valve covers, dual four-barrel carburetors and unique air cleaners.

19 Forward opening hood. Live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

20 305 hp, 365 ci OHV V-8 engine, four-speed Hydra-Matic auto transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs.

21 1956 Paris Salon auto show where the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Town Car was shown with a lot of enthusiasm from spectators.

22 1956 Paris Salon auto show. This luxurious Town Car received high praises at the Paris Auto show in October 1956. Note the new Quad headlamps.

23 1956 Paris Salon auto show. Picture showing the sliding chauffeur's glass window and the divider bulkhead.

24 At the end of the show season the Brougham entered production, and the Town Car was eventually sent to the Warhoops Salvage yard in Michigan to be destroyed in Dec 1959.

25 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car was not destroyed at the Warhoop Salvage yard and found by Joe Bortz in 1988 along with 3 other GM Concept Cars.

26 GM Motorama specialist Joe Bortz found the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado in unrestored condition in the late 80’s at the Warhoops Salvage Yard in Michigan.

27 Two of the 4 cars from the Great Warhoop Find were the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car and the 1955 Chevy Biscayne behind it.

28 Harry Warholak Jr (L) owner of the Salvage Yard and Joe Bortz (R) in 1988 purchasing the Town Car. Joe bought all 4 GM Concept Cars that were not destroyed he found at the yard.

29 Mr. Bortz did not restore the Town Car and instead sold it to J.C. Whitney Co. owner Roy Warshawsky during the early 1990s.

30 Mr. Warshawsky sadly passed away and ultimately RM Auto Restoration completed the car’s restoration and rebirth to its former glory.

31 A star in its day the Town Car is seductive, smart and sultry thankfully saved from destruction for future generations to appreciate.

32 The Town Car remains an important part of Cadillac’s design and engineering leadership.

33 The Town Car is made of fiberglass and stands 55.5 inches tall with a 129.5-inch wheelbase and is 219.9 inches long.

34 Save for the construction and roof design, the 1956 Town Car pretty well illustrated what was to come in 1957.

35 An electronic locking system both secured the doors when the vehicle was in motion and opened the center-opening doors when needed.

36 Sold in August 2023 to a private collector at Monterey Jet Center Auction in Monterey CA for an amazing $400,000. Currently on loan to the Petersen Auto Museum.

37 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car resin model. Chauffeur roof open.

38 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car resin model. Chauffeur roof closed.

39 Limited Edition 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car Concept Car model.

40 Matrix 1-43 scale 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Town Car XP-48 Concept Resin Model currently for sale on Ebay for U.S. $124.99 from Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada.

41 Original 1956 print ad for Cadillac cars, showing their Motorama auto show cars: the Eldorado Brougham Town Car, Maharani, Castilian and Gala.

42 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car promotional mugs were given away at the GM Motorama shows.

43 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham went into production at an amazing $13,000 price.

44 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham with a stainless-steel roof went into production in 1957 not the chauffeur driven Town Car.