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1931 Cadillac Convertible Definitely not a color from the catalog for sale in Hemmings.


auburnseeker

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All I can say is wow.  Not in a good way either.  The white naugahyde interior and faux fur on the floor just top off the wow factor.   Prime it black,  put a blanket over the seat and it would be alot more palatable. 

I didn't really think the whole Cadillac pimp thing came in until the 70's or late 60's.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/cadillac/fleetwood/2638698.html

94441303.jpg

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30 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

 

I didn't really think the whole Cadillac pimp thing came in until the 70's or late 60's.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/cadillac/fleetwood/2638698.html

94441303.jpg

Which is probably about time this poor Cadillac suffered this indignity.

 

My grandmother often said having money didn't necessarily mean having taste.

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Why do they do stuff like that?  I hate cars that just were born with black fenders/aprons/splash-gravel shields that have funny colors on those parts.  It probably cost a lot of money to paint a car with hideous paint and you can multiply the cost by about 10 and subtract that from the potential value of a correctly painted car...

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All the cars in glitter bright colors, polished everything, overlamped etc are the result of the mentality of the owners over the past 25-30 years. When the cars were new there were a few select cars that were indeed painted "bright" ( I am being kind stating it that way  if I really stated what I want to I would be banned from this site) colors. Most of these were done for owners in warmer climates , and a good portion of the luxury cars sold to India to potentates got a lot of sheet metal polished to mirror finish.  Bling and 'look at me ' status is not new, but is now being done more to satisfy egos and some peoples interpretation of status. Those who partake in this are out to prove to everyone that they are better and more important in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey level of social strata.

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56 minutes ago, Walt G said:

All the cars in glitter bright colors, polished everything, overlamped etc are the result of the mentality of the owners over the past 25-30 years. When the cars were new there were a few select cars that were indeed painted "bright" ( I am being kind stating it that way  if I really stated what I want to I would be banned from this site) colors. Most of these were done for owners in warmer climates , and a good portion of the luxury cars sold to India to potentates got a lot of sheet metal polished to mirror finish.  Bling and 'look at me ' status is not new, but is now being done more to satisfy egos and some peoples interpretation of status. Those who partake in this are out to prove to everyone that they are better and more important in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey level of social strata.

The Lady Norah 'Docker Daimlers' comes to mind.  https://www.jaguarheritage.com/daimler-history/daimler-engineering/the-docker-daimlers/

 

https://www.cartalk.com/blogs/jim-motavalli/lady-norah-docker-daimler-car-worlds-own-marie-antoinette

 

Craig

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I think it's pretty cool. It's nice to see something different every now and then. It was Literacies stage car. Real gold leaf, not paint, bottom is done as well. Not that you would, but I don't think you could replicate that gold leaf job for double their asking price. 

 

What a chick magnet. That girl in the second video is gorgeous, and she loves the gold Caddy! 

Edited by Hemi Joel (see edit history)
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9 hours ago, Str8-8-Dave said:

It probably cost a lot of money to paint a car with hideous paint and you can multiply the cost by about 10 and subtract that from the potential value of a correctly painted car...

I sold a very solid clean 15 T runabout several years ago that the next owner did a super nice restoration on but painted it maroon with cream accents… it was hideous and for some strange reason he couldn’t sell it for what he bought it from me for. If it had been just plain old black it would have sold double if not more… the guy really thought he was improving its salability. I don’t even want to think of the money he must have lost.
 

It was his car and his choice, but some people just don’t “get it”

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4 hours ago, Hemi Joel said:

 

4 hours ago, Hemi Joel said:

What a chick magnet. 


Joel……they did say Liberace……..so that theory is out the window. 😎

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I could own this car for what it is. Not my first choice in colours but its def unique. I recall seeing a late model Rolls or Benz that was gold leafed that belonged to a middle eastern prince or something to that effect.

 

My guess would be that if you had someone gold leaf that car it would be significantly more than $200. 

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Well yea if you include the labor.  I'm talking about just the cost of the gold leaf.  Friend is a sign painter and gold leafs fire trucks, signs  and such. Has for well over 30 years.  He told me he just recently had to buy his second ounce of gold leaf.  24 carat will not tarnish, anything under 24 will. Gold leaf is incredibly thin and light. Years ago we gold leafed several carousel rides.  Interesting process.

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53 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

Gold leaf is incredibly thin and light. 

I'm impressed by excellence, but never by money.

Gold leaf, and gold plating, as you implied, have

very little value.  Electroplating, among the thinnest,

is only 2 millionths of an inch thick!

 

Sorry to say, this car doesn't impress me in the least.

To me, it shows that people can have bad taste

whether they are affluent or poor.

 

Edited by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)
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Lee looks pretty happy in the car.

dr31RdsGold.jpg.79e167b2f054dd92fb2faf5422f9f68a.jpg

 

He is smiling like I do when I drive my "86 Park Ave. That thing with the roof cut off and too new, reasons you don't see my car at "real" car events. No sense being the only happy one there.

 

Anyone know the story about Mr. McLaughlin parking his version of the Canadian Buick in front of the GM offices while discussing their business deal and having upper management demanding to "have that red circus wagon removed from the premises".

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This car is very interesting to me because I use gold leaf in my work as a painter. 23k gold leaf is real gold that is beaten into a very thin foil. It comes in little squares and is glued to the surface. There appears to be a clearcoat over the leaf. That is necessary because a metal leaf finish is vulnerable to abrasion. True 23K gold leaf will stand up to weather on the torch of the statue of liberty just fine but it does not stand up to touching and abrasion. The gold leaf costs less than you might think because it is so thin. I would bet the cost of the materials to paint the car would be more than the cost of the gold leaf. Labor not included. 

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On 11/23/2022 at 7:52 AM, Restorer32 said:

 Years ago we gold leafed several carousel rides.  Interesting process.

New Orleans City Park Carousel (Flying Horses)?

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I find the gold leaf process very interesting. My first exposure to it was in the mid-90s when I met an older gentlemen who was mostly retired but still got called on from time to time to do some signage. He used clear automotive lacquer but had run out and couldn't find any; I happened to have a quart tucked away and I can still see the smile on his face when I handed it to him! Years later I did repairs to a motorcycle tank with gold leaf work. I forget who I hired to do that part of the work but there was some time spent working to match it to the existing material.

 

I sure wouldn't use it on a whole car, but I've seen much worse than that Cadillac.

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