1970 Cadillac NART Zagato: though I still say it's an Oldsmobile

Luigi Chinetti won LeMans for Ferrari and became the first US distributor for Ferrari. His racing team was called North American Racing Team, hence NART. He and his son Coco were always creating some back door project,some of which were beautiful , mostly rebodied Ferraris, but some of which were drek.

I'd put this car in the Drek department. I can't figure out if it's an Eldo chassis or Olds but anyway once you read the auction description,you can tell me what marque classification it should be in.

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=93479

My only question is: does anyone remember it being for sale before it finally reached an auction at Monterey decades later? I figure it probably cost them about $50K to create but maybe they were offering it for half that price just to get rid of it. I am a fan of Zagato but more like their Aston DB4GTZ.To them this car was way too big to tackle...

Hy,

Auction description indicate 500 cu Cadillac 472 but we can read 472 on air filter ...

It was not so serious for "high level" auction cession ...

Why are you sure it's an Oldsmobile ?

At the end, I think the Cadillac Eldorado from the 70 herself are comming (or inspired) from Toronado ...

Bonjour, Philippe

I was wrong, the car I originally was trying to find is the Oldsmobile Thor, done by Ghia (and Giugiaro at Ghia) see on this website

www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1967_oldsmobile_thor/

I think it is better than the NART Zagato but the roofline looks very Tom Tjaarda-ish so I guess I will write Tom to see if he remembers it. There is a little confusion there because when Giugiaro left, Tjaarda took over Ghia chief designer spot and had to finish some of what Giugiaro started. Is the Thor kicking around European auctions?

Thanks

The Oldsmobile Thor, this one ?

http://www.lotusespritturbo.com/Oldsmobile_Thor_Ghia.htm

But after 2004 ?

Yes that is the one. The resolution on the picture is poor but I can deduce two things--the Thor is parked next to a one-off DeTomaso Longchamp wagon made for Mrs. DeTomaso to drive around with her beloved dogs (which she competes with in dog shows), which makes me think it is indeed pictured in the DeTomaso museum, such as it was. The second conclusion is that it has a NJ license plate. Mrs. DeTomaso's family was based in NJ , and Rowan Industries HQ was there so I think it was licensed and registered in the U.S. so could have been brought here. Since Ford bought out Rowan Industries shares of Ghia iby 1973 I don't think they wanted to keep an Oldsmobile around Ghia, so maybe the Thor got sold when the DeTomaso Museum was liquidated of assets and several of the prototypes sold off. I would love to hear if the Thor has shown up at any auction.

Hello All,

This Cadillac Zagato N.A.R.T. is interesting me since many years and Philippe here above is there to confirm we were speaking about the N.A.R.T. in a forum where him like me and others I have seen in the AACA forum sometimes. Ther are a few different versions about the history of this car and especially its engine. Here, http://brusselsoldtimers.com/cadillac-n-a-r-t-zagato-the-italian-cadillac/ appart an excellent set of pictures it is said in the comments:

"Juste pour info, le 427 C.I.D sur le couvercle du filtre à air veut dire « 427 Cubic Inch Displacement », ce n’est donc pas le 8,1l qui se trouve sous le capot!"

"Just for info, the 427 C.I.D. on the filter cap wish to say 427 Cubic Inch Displacement, it is not thus the 8.1 Liter which is Under the Hood!"

and the answer is:

Effectivement bien vu! Mais malgré qu’il y ait les inscriptions 472 C.I.D. sur le filtre, c’est bien le 500cu qui est installé dedans, d’ailleurs le 472cu ne développe « que » 375cv, alors que le 500cu développe 400cv!

Le 500cu n’a d’ailleurs été disponible qu’a partir de 1970 sur les Cadillac Eldorado.

Malheureusement il faudrait maintenant se rendre en Italie pour vérifier si c’est bien exact!

"Effectively seen just! but even thre are marks 472 C.I.D. on the filter, it is the 500 c.i. which is in the car. Furthermore the 472 c.i. is developping 375hp only when the 500 c.i. is givig 400hp!

The 500 ci. was available from 1970 on the Cadillac Eldorado.

Unfortunately we will need now to go in Italy for a verification and know if it is exact!".

An other point of view which must be more exact is the one developped by our friend Yann Saunders here

http://cadillacdb.planeteldorado.com/Dbas_txt/Drm70-74.htm

Under the definition: Zagato (Italy) special Cadillac Eldorado rear-engined, 2-door, 2+2 sport roadster built for the son of N.Y. Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti.

In an other place Yann Saunders is saying:

Zagato: Italian coach-builder; did custom body on 1968 Eldorado chassis for son of Luigi Chinetti, director of NART [North American Racing Team]; CA 9/1982; dimensions given in French magazine as 3m12 wheel base, 5m32 overall, 1m88 wide, 1m29 tall; 2-door, rear-engined car said to have Chevrolet V8 engine [in fact Cadillac] located between rear wheels, fuel tank and spare in front, small luggage space at far rear, independent 4-wheel suspension, automatic transmission, two air scoops each side of hood near windshield , convex rear windshield [like Ferrari Dino by PF], protective rubber molding all round acting also as front and rear bumpers, special inward-facing dual rear seat design, retractable headlights, alleged to have hit 365kph on track tests, price given as 55,000,000 lire in 1967! Photos in post-war "Custom" album. See also CA 8/92, project started 1968 with GM and Luigi Chinetti, NY Ferrari importer; result was 1970 Cadillac NART Zagato; GM contributed Eldorado 472 V8, Turbo Hydra-Matic, front drive transaxle, modified '68 Eldorado chassis, with engine mounted in rear for rear-wheel drive; Zagato built 2+2 (almost) aluminum body; car has modified Eldorado' 68 wheel covers, modified '68 Eldorado dash, steering column, 4-wheel disc brakes, etc. gas '68 Pontiac GTO tail-lights. Delays and economic difficulties drove out GM in 1969; two other designs never got off the drawing board; bought from Chinetti family in '87 by Melvin A. Olshansky of Glencoe, IL, car was restored by Mill Creek Motors and Upholstery Unlimited of Clinton, Iowa and Baileywicks of Fulton, IL.

And when the car was for sale in Brussels/Belgium in 2007 by Anciens Etablissements VanderVeken and/or in 2008 by GKM PROMOTIONS which became later FAST CARS.... The car always was there in 2011, I was retaining a text which was written in English (I have an other one in French I was writing from different sources - I will translate it in English and post it here later)

The car was announced at €100,000 first ad later at €135,000 or US$165,000

Luigi Chinetti, who as a racing driver had piloted a Ferrari to a victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, served as an American distributor for the Italian marque during the Sixties. He continued his racing passion through his North American Racing Team, universally known by the acronym NART, with cars renowned for providing podium finishes for their drivers. After many successful racing campaigns, the cars were often sold to the wealthy, attracting high premiums. It was Chinetti, with the help of General Motors, who designed and developed this Cadillac NART. Drawings were created followed by full scale clay models, prior to a prototype being built by Zagato and furnished with parts from a Cadillac Eldorado.

The design could be considered both controversial and daring; an engine placed amidships, behind the rear seats, yet with an interior that could comfortably house four to six passengers. Parts were used from other Cadillac vehicles to create the front suspension and servo-assisted, ventilated disc brakes were fitted all round. All available amenities of the time were installed, including power assisted steering, pop-up headlights, air conditioning, stereo radio/cassette tape music system and electrically operated windows. The windows were large and allowed the driver and passengers to see and be seen, and clearly the Cadillac NART was intended to appeal to the wealthy. It was to be produced in limited numbers, built to high standards and expectations and to have the performance of a sports car and the class and prestige of a luxury vehicle. Of course, it would be accompanied by a price tag that matched.

Work began on the prototype in 1969 and two years later the Cadillac NART was displayed on the Zagato stand at the 1971 Turin Auto Show and on the Chinetti Motors stand at the New York International Automobile Show. By then, however, Chinetti's Ferrari business was requiring all of his attention and although a second prototype was scheduled it was never built leaving this the one and only Cadillac NART ever produced.