'Cadillac Pack' classic collection
The three cars featured here all belong to Paul Nottle. Based in WA, Paul is a long time car and motorcycle enthusiast, with a diverse selection of cars in his past, as well as the Caddys that currently occupy the family garage.
Paul's Cadillac trio is made up of a 1941 Series 75, 1949 Series 61 Sedanette and 1953 Series 75. The two 75s are limousines, with the '53 having served duty as a wedding car on a number of occasions. The '41 was formerly owned by the Secretary of State for Illinois and is also ripe for service as a special hire car for weddings and other formal occasions.
The '49, however, is arguably the star of the lot - the Joker amongst the Kings, if you will - and Paul's favourite. While it looks like a normal Series 61 club coupe, aka Sedanette, it's anything but. Underneath that gleaming black paint and sparkling chrome is a car with a history - a history with one of the most unique and individual custom car builders in the world.
If you know of Jay leno, you'll no doubt know his passion for unique and unusual cars. And if you know that passion, you'll no doubt also know that one of those unusual cars is the 'Blastolene Special,' a one-off roadster powered by a 29-litre (1800 cubic inch) V12 engine from a 1950s-era tank. Also known as the 'Tank Car,' the Blastolene Special features a hand-formed aluminium body and rides on a humungous 4.8 metre wheelbase.
That car was built by the 'Blastolene Brothers' - Randy Grubb and Michael Leeds. Together, the pair has produced some truly unique vehicles. Think 'B-702,' the 'Blastolene Indy Special,' 'Piss'd Off Pete' and the 'Decoliner'. A Peterbilt-powered trike, Art Deco-inspired 'Decoson' Harley and similarly-themed scooter (the 'Decopod') are more recent Blastolene creations, but the connection between those cars and Paul's 1949 Cadillac goes back a bit further, when Randy Grubb's creations were a little closer to reality!
Based in Oregon, USA, but originally from California, Grubb started building cars at the tender age of 12, producing a swag of hot rods and customs since. In the early 2000s, Grubb built up a custom based on a 1949 Cadillac Series 61 Sedanette coupe. While the outward appearance was retained, Grubb produced a very different beast under the skin. The factory 331ci V8 was removed, replaced with an early 1970s-era 472ci Big Block, mated up to a T400 automatic and 9-inch diff.
It sounds like a potent combination - and it is - but Grubb built this Caddy to offer comfort and reliability to equal its performance. As such, the car also features 4-wheel disc brakes, a tilt-adjustable steering column, vintage air conditioning, split-fold front bench seat re-trimmed in naugahyde, proper tinted windows (not film tint) and more. In this spec, the skill of Grubb's conversion and modifications was proven on a number of fault-free runs across the USA, including the Ameri-Cruise and various 'hot rod caravan' events.
With the Blastolene business kicking off in the new millennium, Grubb decided to sell the Cadillac. JUST CARS has come across reports of the custom Caddy being advertised in early 2007, and Paul believes it was sold around that time. When paul first came across it in 2008, it was on the market again. Interestingly, a Cadillac - of any sort - wasn't on Paul's radar when he saw the ex-Grubb machine for sale.
"I was looking at big block V8 cars," Paul explained. "Older Chevys, Dodges, Chryslers, etcetera, as well as muscle cars like Camaros."
Based in Chile, South America at the time, Paul, who's a qualified electrician and instrumentation technician, came across a cheap Mustang in Texas, and in the course of buying that, found the Cadillac, advertised online, in San Diego, California.
"Basically, I spotted a gem," Paul said of his reaction to the Cadillac. "It had all the gear, looked awesome and it was 'done'. I loved the [Grubb-Blastolene] connection. I thought that was a really cool story, and knowing about the cars Randy has created, I figured it'd be well built, too."
Paul's love-at-first-sight reaction to the Caddy saw him purchase it and ship it home to WA while he continued working in Chile. When he got home in late 2008, on a two year contract at the mines in the north of WA, Paul finally got the chance to drive his Caddy, and the love didn't diminish - at least not initially!
"When I was up at the mines in Karratha, I was on an 8 days on, 6 off rotation, but every time I got back to Perth, I used the Cadillac as my daily driver," Paul explained.
"I was stoked with it and loved getting it out. I wasn't into giving it a polish every week ahead of a soft Saturday arvo drive. It's cool as shit, so I wanted to drive it all the time!
"I would use it on runs down to Waroona, Mandurah and Bunbury - I probably put quite a few kays on it in that two year period," Paul laughed. "It's no ball-tearing weapon, but if you put your boot into it, the 727 hooks up and it really goes."
The '49 has done WA's main car shows, too, namely Motorvation and Big Al's Poker Run, from 2009 onwards. "The '49 was as popular as my blown '57 Chevy," Paul recalled. "It's really blown my mind how many people like it. I even had a 40-something mum in a Pajero with a couple of kids say to me at the lights 'Mate, that's the coolest car I've ever seen!'."
A drawcard with the '49, at least at car shows, was the Air Ride suspension. Paul believes this was fitted after Grubb sold the car, but in his own experience, never really seemed right from day one.
"The Air Ride suspension needed constant adjusting," Paul explained. "Even when I sat there and trimmed it all up, it would always need to be changed. The last straw was when I was cruising along and the Air Ride went haywire - with a police car behind me! With the car at a crazy angle, the cops pulled me up. Luckily, they just wanted to check out the car," Paul laughed.
"As cool as it looked dumped on its guts at a car show, it just wasn't practical. I put up with it for about 6 months before I decided to do something about it."
Paul called on Cannington Performance, where he's taken most of his cars for work in the past, to get it looked at. When told it would take around $10,000 to replace the system, he decided to junk the lot and have conventional springs and shockers installed. Paul also got Cannington to fabricate an all-new 2 ½ inch stainless exhaust system, replacing the existing pipes that had been modified to exit ahead of the diff. The fuel system was also replaced, while a slightly bent rear axle (possibly a victim of the malfunctioning Air Ride) was swapped for a newly-machined axle from a diff specialist in Perth. With the Air Ride out, the love was back; not just for the '49, but for more Cadillacs!
"I was looking for a '49 to '55 Cadillac when I came across a striking white '53 Series 75 limousine located in Alabama," Paul said.
A long conversation with the seller revealed it had been fully restored (a thorough body-off job) to factory specs, with head modifications to enable it to run on unleaded fuel. Used for wedding hire work in the US, Paul envisioned the '53 doing similar duty in Perth, so decided to buy it. Six months later, he bought a stately-looking '41 Series 75 from the same seller. Serving as the staff car for Illinois' Secretary of State early in its life, the '41 has spent most years since in the kinder climate of Alabama.
Paul's original plan was to use the '41 and '53 as hire cars, while keeping the ex-Randy Grubb '49 as his personal toy. The '53 Series 75 was striking enough for us at JUST CARS to feature it on the July issue's cover, where you can see the quality of its paint and chrome (a $10K replating job) for yourself.
"I drove a former business partner down to Margaret River in the '53 and he loved it," Paul recalled. "Whenever I wanted to take a group of family or friends somewhere, it was the one to pick. It offers just about the smoothest ride I've ever had in a car."
The '41 was a non-runner when bought, needing an engine rebuild, which was undertaken soon after it arrived here. Aside from some wear on the cloth seats, the rest of the car is original, complete and in outstanding condition, even down to the leather document wallets that came with the car. "It's dead stock," Paul explained. "With very good chrome, interior woodwork and even good whitewall tyres."
The '53 has recently had the fuel hoses replaced and the horn fixed, as well as one of the rams for the hydraulically-operated windows. Most spares have been sourced from Kanters in the USA.
Being Series 75s, both the '41 and '53 Cadillacs offer abundant interior space, especially in the rear, making them ideal for wedding hire work. The battleship grey finish of the '41 may not be a "traditional" wedding colour, but it has served in this capacity in the US, and Paul figures its overall appearance would make it suitable for funeral hire as well.
A recent 18 month stint in South America means Paul's Cadillacs haven't been used much of late, aside from the occasional wedding or trips with Paul's brothers behind the wheel. With future business opportunities likely to see him move to Chile permanently, Paul's reluctantly decided to put the luxury trio on the market.
FOR SALE - note: for sale details, including pricing and contact information correct at time of posting only
As much as he's enjoyed his cars, especially the '49 Sedanette, an opportunity to run motorcycle tours in South America has prompted Paul to offer his Cadillacs for sale.
"All the cars are in good condition. The '53 is still resto fresh, the '41 is a low miler, and the engine has been rebuilt, but the '49 is probably the pick of them," Paul said.
"The '49 is going to be the toughest one to sell," Paul confessed. "That's my toy - the one I'd like to keep. If I could, I'd take it with me to Chile, but the laws there make it extremely difficult to import a second-hand vehicle, especially one like mine. Classics are rare over there, and anyone who has one treats it like gold."
"I've used the '49 and the '53 for a friend's son's wedding, and they were really popular," Paul said "so there's no reason why someone couldn't use the '49 for wedding work as well."
Individual details for each car are as follows.
1949 CADILLAC SERIES 61 SEDANETTE.
472ci Big Block V8, T400 trans, 9-inch diff, 4 wheel disc brakes, split front bench seat, naugahyde trim, vintage A/C, tilt/adjust steering, painless wiring harness, twin 2 ½-inch s/s exhaust, new tinted glass. Rare, custom-built car that's still practical and enjoyable to drive. Reg: 49 CADDY
$85,000 ono
1953 CADILLAC SERIES 75 LIMOUSINE.
Ideal wedding hire car. 331ci V8, auto transmission. Body-off resto in USA, $10K spent on chrome work alone. White in colour. hydraulic windows, centre dividing window. Immaculate condition, original rebuilt running gear, unleaded heads. Reg: 1EBL L023.
$59,000 ono
1941 CADILLAC SERIES 75 LIMOUSINE.
Grey in colour. Very original, immaculate condition, freshly rebuilt original 346ci V8 engine. Unregistered, but will register upon sale. VIN# 3340785
$49,000 ono
All prices are negotiable, and Paul's also open to selling the trio as a group for $170K, a saving of almost $25,000 over their combined individual prices.
For further details, see the individual adverts in this issue, or call Paul directly on 0499 621 832. All cars are located near Waroona, WA.
Milestone years in Cadillac history
Paul's selection of Cadillacs come from pivotal year's in the prestige brand's history. Here's a snapshot of what was going on at Cadillac in 1941, 1949 and 1953.
1941
-Cadillac offers optional 'HydraMatic' automatic transmission for the first time. Take-up rate was 30 percent. In less than a decade, automatics would be the transmission of choice for more than 80 percent of Cadillacs sold.
-1941 Cadillacs feature all-new styling with what would become a very familiar bonnet emblem. The crest and raised wings design on '41 Caddys would be closely copied by GM-H for the first 48-215 Holden released in 1948.
-To that point in time, 1941 was Cadillac's most successful production year, with 66,130 units built, a 507 percent increase on 1940.
-Part of the reason for the banner 1941 year was the axing of La Salle, Cadillac's lower-priced companion marque. The planned 1941 LaSalles were incorporated into Cadillac and rebadged as the 'Series 61' range.
-1941 was the first year for "standardised" engines across the Cadillac range. The V16 engine was dropped, replaced with a 346ci V8 for all models.
1949
-Cadillac debuts its first pillarless 2-door hardtop, bearing a name that would almost become almost as synonymous as Cadillac itself - Coupe de Ville.
-A new V8 engine debuted on the 1949 models. The 331ci OHV V8 offered only 10hp more than the 150hp 346ci L-head V8 it replaced, but was shorter, lower and lighter by more than 90 kgs. The 331 was also more economical, more easily modified and produced more torque.
-Cadillac celebrated a milestone on November 25, 1949, with the production of its 1 millionth car. The millionth Caddy, the last produced for the 1949 model year, was also Cadillac's newest model - a Coupe de Ville.
-Motor Trend (USA) magazine bestowed its first ever 'Car of the Year' award on the 1949 Cadillac.
1953
-The 'Eldorado' custom convertible debuted for the 1953 model year. With a unique interior, cut-down doors, wrapround windscreen and wire spoke wheels as standard, the Eldorado stood out, and its US$7,750 price made it the most expensive Cadillac produced to that time - close to double the price of a regular '53 Caddy convertible, and more than 30 percent dearer than the most expensive Series 75 limousine.
-Newly-elected US president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was driven to his January, 1953, inauguration in a new Cadillac Eldorado.
-After making its debut in New York and Boston in 1949, GM's 'Motorama' automobile showcase went national in 1953, visiting major US cities.
-At that year's Motorama, Cadillac presented the 'Le Mans,' a concept convertible optimistically described as a sports car. The fibreglass-bodied Le Mans previewed future styling elements, including quad headlights, a feature that wouldn't appear on production models until 1958.
-While HydraMatic autos were standard on Cadillacs, more than 20,000 '53 models were fitted with Buick's DynaFlow equivalent when the factory producing Hydramatics was destroyed in a fire in August, 1953.
