Presented by RM Sotheby’s – The expansive vision of Paul Andrews Collection also included select historic street rods and customs, which he admired for their imaginative design, fascinating engineering and, of course, performance. One of the most noteworthy is this significant 1948 Cadillac, known as “Eldorod,” which was the first automobile drawn for Boyd Coddington by Chip Foose and, significantly, Boyd’s personal car.
Beginning as a stock 1948 Cadillac, the car was moved to a custom-fabricated steel chassis with C4 Corvette independent suspension, carrying a Chevrolet 502-cubic-inch V-8 and TH400 automatic transmission. The body had its rear quarter panels welded to the body, the tailfins and wheel moldings completely reshaped, and the body moldings hand-made from scratch. New bumpers, grille, windshield, and aluminum top were also custom-made for the project, as was the billet air cleaner under the hood; 18-inch billet wheels finished off the exterior. The interior was dressed with custom gauges and a Boyd’s custom leather-wrapped billet steering wheel. In this form, “Eldorod” was the last car out of Hot Rods by Boyd before its parent company’s 1997 bankruptcy.
Its designer, Chip Foose, would later restyle the car in his own shop. A 1956 Chevrolet front bumper and 1954 Pontiac grille, reworked with 1957 Nomad bumper guards, were fitted to the snout, while the hood itself was sectioned and lengthened to fit the curve of a custom windshield and A-pillars. The peaks of the front fenders were extended into the doors and frenched in, with 1952 Ford headlight extensions and hand-made chrome bezels. The tops of the doors and the rear quarter panels were sectioned and blended into the sectioned rear decklid, flanked by reshaped taillights with custom lenses. Wheel openings were also reshaped. Much of the body hardware was hand-formed of brass that was carefully fitted and then chrome-plated.
Foose Design’s Freddy and Jed Valdez painted “Eldorod” in glistening Huntington Blue, slightly toned darker by adding black, as per Foose’s original vision for the car; beautiful enamel pinstriping was laid on by Dennis Ricklefs. A removable hardtop was hand-shaped by the revered Marcel’s Custom Metal and covered in Haartz cloth. The side and rear glass were cut by Eddie Kotto. Inside, the original gauges were reworked by Redline Gauge Works, while the seating area was updated with leather upholstery and German square-weave carpeting.
Underneath, “Eldorod” retained, and still does today, much of its Boyd-fitted drivetrain, with the engine fed by a 1,375-cfm FAST EZ-EFI kit, cooled by a Mattson’s aluminum radiator, and exhaling through stainless steel MagnaFlow pipes and mufflers. Custom one-off Foose wheels were machined by Mike Curtis design and shod in Pirelli P Zero tires.
Subsequently, part of the noted collection of Wayne Davis prior to its acquisition by Paul Andrews, “Eldorod” has been featured in an online article from Hot Rod magazine, and justifiably so. It was envisioned by two of the most legendary names in the business. Boyd Coddington provided the impetus, funding, and shop to bring it to life the first time; Chip Foose drew it, and later had the opportunity to recreate it exactly as he had originally envisioned it. Both men’s stamp is clearly present on the end result, a superb piece from the hands of two masters.
RM Sotheby’s is thrilled to announce the expansion of its Monterey auction this year with a third auction night dedicated to the incomparable Paul Andrews Estate Collection. Offered almost entirely without reserve, the impressive collection will kick-off RM’s flagship auction weekend on Thursday, 12 August.
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