(first posted 5/11/2014) I was pedaling down Beale Street last Saturday when I ran across this Eldorado. Naturally, I pulled over and began to take pictures.
As you can see, this one has had its “Broughamness” augmented with the addition of some exquisitely tacky trim (I think this is a conversion called the Eldorado Paris Opera Coupe). Who would do such a thing? After all, Elvis had been enjoying his eternal reward for a year when this generation of Eldo appeared. Note the brick to keep this contraption from rolling out on Beale. Could it be the owner grew up in a rural area?
Perhaps, say, Ferriday, Louisiana? A quick search of Memphis’s local paper, the Commercial Appeal, verifies that this is a “Killer” car, having once belonged to Jerry Lee Lewis.
Jerry Lee was supposed to be next big thing after Elvis, but he proved to be too wild for anyone to handle and self destructed more times than I would care to elaborate here. Still, he is the last of the famous Sun Records artists left alive, releasing albums with titles like Mean Old Man and Last Man Standing. He still performs at the age of seventy-eight (usually making an appearance at the Beale Street Music Festival), and has said he wants to die of a heart attack while playing Great Balls of Fire to a sold out crowd.
So it should come as no surprise that his chariot has a red interior with the loose pillowy leather one would expect from the end of the Great Brougham Epoch. This, after all, is the man who allegedly set a piano on fire while in concert (although he denies having done such a thing).
No opera windows, but The Killer added a set of landau bars, which appear to be Cadillac-approved. Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
Out back, there are some faux tie-down straps, but there appear to be no plates, which leads me to the conclusion that is now an advertising piece.
The discerning curbside connoisseur will notice no wreath and crest on the ‘spare tire’.
But the hood ornament is still there, albeit a bit mangled, like the Killer himself.
The last time I was down on Beale the waitstaff at Jerry’s place managed to look trashier than the crew at Coyote Ugly, which is quite a feat in itself.
My wife asked if I wanted to look at the Caddy, and I gave her a firm (but polite) “No.” I have little interest in those strange conversions.
Those would have been my exact sentiments.
That crest in the center of the side mounted spare bears a strong resemblance to the body by Fisher crest…coincidence?
My reaction exactly. Here’s the Body by Fisher badge all GM cars once sported on the rocker panel (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Unless it was replaced with “Interior by Fleetwood” which a few of mine had
Whole lotta tasteless goin’ on.
+1 it looks like it should be Huggy Bear’s ride.
A+ for the bigot !
That or Superfly’s car. https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_10195-Cadillac-Fleetwood-Eldorado-1971.html
Sure the fake spare tires on these are tacky, but I always thought that they were an innovative, inexpensive way to hide the cut lines in the fenders where the front end was extended.
Sure, but the side spares and extending the front end made them look beyond silly.
Personally, I like the degree of flash they get from the factory, especially the Biarritz model. Once you start tacking on the crap grille, the side mounted spare tires, etc. it just looks ghetto/white trash fabulous.
These cars targeted the same people as Stutz or Zimmer. You could make the same criticisms of those cars.
The same criticisms apply except that those are basically tricked out kit cars with make them even more silly.
I wonder if you could combine this with a Biarritz package? Or would that create some sort of Brougham matter-anti-matter conundrum that could tear the space time brougham continuum apart?
When that happens, we’ll know. Every car will be Broughamized by the residual Brougham energies. I’ll go out and see my Mazda covered in woodgrain and carrying a fake Continental spare.
Hmm. Fender skirts, a vinyl roof and hidden headlamps might work on the Crown Vic. If it got brocade upholstery even better. The Kia might not take to it as well!
Eldorado Bizarritz?
+1.
Another custom Eldorado? Jerry Lee, Shame on you. They looked much better straight from the factory.
That’s very sharp, that color looks good on the 79-85 Eldorados, that’s a 79 with the Biarritz package and an astroroof too. There is a similar car for sale on ebay right now.
I saw one just like that yesterday in Hannibal, MO. Same wheels too, though I don’t remember if it had an Astroroof. Way worse condition, though.
That’s broughamtastic!
I don’t come down hard on things like these, I respect the diff’rent strokes thing. And, this is an expensive (wheelbase stretch ahead of the firewall) show biz prop as much as anything. But, I still have my own opinions, and don’t care for this.
I do have a frustration with cars like this, these tacky 3rd cousins of the factory Cadillac have a way of projecting their tackiness back upstream. Further, low rent dealer add-ons, and a few bad moves even at the manufacturer level can taint a lot of public opinion against what was basically a good car before the drive train went to hell.
While rare, I fully appreciate seeing this treatment done to Mercedes Benz and BMW cars. As in life, class acts tend to have their tackier relations.
Not the most pretty conversion, but i have a large weak spot for these sort of cars….I love it.
Keep riding and photographing Memphis; I enjoy the tourism aspects.
I know there are better cars there. I went to a British car show/meet on Mud Island in about 1988; is that event still going on?
I’ll admit, this car did not leave me Breathless, but there is a lot of older iron running around here(Mark VI sedan in green?), so I’m sure I’ll come up with something that will have y’all saying Great Balls of Fire! Until then, y’all have to be Drinkin’ wine spo Dee o Dee until there is a whole Lot of Shakin’ goin’ on. 🙂
Constellation, I’ll have to check the local car scene. Most of what I’ve shot here are true Curbside classics, much as Paul intended. They’ve just been cars that have crossed my path in the course of my Daily life.
Dave B, you could also apply the analogy to ol’ Jerry Lee – he was always seen as the wilder, tackier, Elvis, and yet he is still here after Elvis, Johnny(Cash), Carl(Perkins), and Roy(Orbison) have left.
Jana, you’re correct! That car sits in that very spot for advertisement, I’ve passed it many times and admired it. Stay safe in Memphis, the crime rate there has risen spectacularly over the last decade.
No, it’s gone down over the last decade.
Thanks for photographing stuff in Memphis. I’m in Memphis, too, and see stuff all the time but I’m always driving. There are plenty of CC’s in Memphis waiting to be captured!
I lived there in the past and have come back to visit and I also keep up with the news there as my mother lives in Memphis. Memphis is dangerous and crime has increased since I have lived there. Thus why I left and why my mother plans to move after many years. Memphis has turned into a shit hole with no jobs, decaying infrastructure and corrupt government.
That car is six degrees of tacky, but what do you expect from a guy who shamelessly flaunts his relationship / marriage to his thirteen year old (!) first cousin, and then treats her like crap the whole time that they’re together. That was the debacle that cooked his goose career-wise.
Yeah being a paedophile and buying and uglified car like this no wonder Jerrys career is in the toilet
His cousin is Jimmy Swaggert no stranger to wrongdoing and scandal either.
Hey, he never touched those hookers! Just took photos….Actually,I could really imagine Jimmy Swaggart behind the wheel of this, checking out the working girls.
…And They’re both cousins to Mickey Gilley.
Me not like. Me want this instead!
No es Brougham. Es pimp.
There is a fine line between the two.
The car for those with more dollars than scenes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5JpSqeacpc
Jerry Lee dabbled in acting as well. I came upon this Police Story episode while attempting to relive my childhood memories.
Him and Dean Stockwell play serial killers, LOL.
I’ll always remember Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci in Quantum Leap.
I recently bought a trim item from this generation of Eldorado for my ’89 Camaro. It’s the two-color courtesy lights from the bottom-rear of the Eldo’s door panels. They’re readily available on Ebay (I paid $40/pair) and I think they will dress up quite nicely the big stupid ugly black plastic moldings that are the third-gen F-body’s door panels. A little touch of Cadillac for a car not nearly so high up the automotive food chain, it’s “Luxury you can afford!”
I always liked those red and white lights, a Brougham essential.
Wonder why the bricks are in front and back tires? Can’t put it in Park?
To be fair, it really needs to be immobilized instead of just leaving it in Park or setting the handbrake.
It needs a Continental spare tire on the back so that the people driving behind you can relish in your taste for life’s finer things.
My father bought a used 1974 Eldorado in 1977 that was pimped out, with padded vinyl roof that covered off the opera windows and Rolls-Royce grille type chrome extension. It was white with red leather interior and red roof. We took a buddy of mine with us once to Florida from Toronto. He was asleep in the backseat when we crossed Customs. The Customs Officer didn’t even see him sleeping and we didn’t provide his passport. We teased him the whole trip that he was illegal and would be deported back to Canada if caught!
RIP Jana.
I’m rarely a fan of customized Cadillacs, but I find this 1985 DeVille station wagon, rather quite attractive. And quite believable as a factory-quality version.
Bill Mitchell did not like his cars dolled up with tacky trinkets. I read an interview where he referred to the after market half landau roofs as “pig bladders!”
Music trivia. Most of you will remember ‘Pink Cadillac’ as a big hit for Natalie Cole back in April 1988. Betcha didn’t know that it was written by the legendary Bruce Springsteen and was suppose to feature on his album ‘Born In The USA’ but got turfed and ended as the B side of the 1984 single ‘Dancing In The Dark’.
I’m fascinated by what went into stretchIng this, ahead of the cowl or firewall.
When you think about it, this makes a passenger compartment stretch seem like child’s play, because in addition to the frame, sheet metal, brake lines, exhaust, and some wiring, in this case you’ve got to stretch the steering shaft, throttle, brake and transmission controls, a/c lines, heater hoses, the harness between the engine and dash, and who knows what else.
And even after all the work and money that’s spent, in my opinion it still looks hideous. Guess I’m boring, because I would’ve spent the money on a better car to start with, like a Mercedes S-class or BMW 7-Series.
A little duck tape will do all of that.
It is AWESOME