1931 Cadillac 355-A Deluxe 5P-CPE V8 Rumble Seat Very Collectable Low Reserv
Make: | Cadillac |
Model: | Other |
SubModel: | 355A |
Type: | Coupe |
Year: | 1931 |
Mileage: | 70,220 |
VIN: | 810515 |
Color: | Burgundy |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Transmission: | Manual |
Interior color: | Brown |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Rochester, New York, United States |
Extras |
Listed by |
Private seller |
Description of 1931 Cadillac Other 355A |
View Our Other Listings | Contact Us | Print this listing 1931 Cadillac 355-A Deluxe 5P-CPE V8 Rumble Seat Very Collectable Low ReservGREAT LAKES CLASSIC CARS1128 Lexington Ave Bldg 4 Suite CRochester. NY 14606Call Us Today(800) 510-3797Ask Us A Question Vehicle DetailsYear: 1931Make: CadillacModel: OtherVIN: 810515Stock Number: E0233Mileage: 70220Transmission: ManualEngine: 8 Cylinder. 5. 8 LExterior Color: BurgundyInterior Color: BrownTitle: Clear Great Lakes Classic Cars Proudly presents 1931 Cadillac 355-A 5P-CP V8 Rumble Seat Luxury Coupe This Caddy Coupe started out like many back in its day purchased and owned by the affluent and by people with the wealth to afford it. This particular beauty has an intriguing history. Purchased new by Monsignor Dr. John Francis Goggin as a symbol of his prelatial status. It was a tall. splendid coupe. “Garnet Maroon” and Black in color with “Cerise” – colored Wire Wheels. Yes. the Monsignor bought it NEW. and it cost him in cash $2. 35. 75. That was high in those days but he intended to make it his lifetime purchase. and he did. He had it repainted once in 1947 after his retirement. Weakening eyesight finally obliged him to give up driving in 1956. so he quietly sold the car. by that time a sort of antique. He had only driven it 63. 00 miles. I mention this story about the cherished Monsignor not only because he owned this Cadillac but also due to his incredible life. ‘The Sheaf’. religious newsletter paid tribute to Dr. Goggin and his lifetime achievements and contributions in 1966 via a long well written passage mentioning this Cadillac having part in his life. Dr. Goggin dedicated his life as a scholar and religious man with strong ties to Rome and Pope Pius XI. constantly in the eyes of the community as a leader and mentor. The Cadillac stayed local in the same family until we acquired it after passed on to the next generation and they just didn’t know what to do with it and didn’t share in the same passion for old classic cars as dad did. The miles on this behemoth are believed to be original and it starts and drives like it did back then. Let’s emphasize that the Cadillac is a solid example of opulence and wealth from a time when it shared the roads with the great Duesenbergs and Packards of the era. This marks the beginning popularity of many comforts we today enjoy in modern automobiles. -Electric ignition -Harmonic Balancer Both critical advancements to better the automobile. you would no longer have to hand crank the engine to start. Mr. Lasalle was appalled when a gentleman died from injuries of the crank handle kickback striking him on the head. hence the electric ignition. The Harmonic Balancer allowed the engine to operate with less vibration at increased speeds allowing vehicles to go faster safely. Cadillacs of this era fetch huge money at auctions in any condition. obviously the level of condition and restoration reflect the price but we can all agree that they’re all investment worthy. This particular vehicle was painted decades ago and it will need to be done again to achieve that Palm Beach Grade the car deserves. The bottom of doors and boxed rockers have evidence of lead and or prior body work and as I said before the paint that’s on it is driver quality and will need redone if you’re looking for that high end finish. The interior coverings are original Mohair and is in decent shape based on age. the dash is beautiful with inlays and gauges that work. the windows roll up and down as they should. and there’s a solid feel to everything… Talk about over building it back then. The front and rear fenders are original METAL and line up perfectly with great swoops and curves. One of my favorite visual cues of this automobile. The Rumble Seat is nicely covered in thick vinyl and it’s a blast to ride in during parades or just cruising. Take notice of the Golf Bag side door on the passenger side just in front of the rear fender… Way too cool. The roof top of the Caddy has been painted in beige as well as the hand painted gold band accenting the lines of this beautiful eye-catcher. Stainless and Chrome are in extremely good shape considering the age. There are some scratches and crazing here and there but nothing deterrent of its integrity. Light housings and hardware look great. All the glass lenses are unique and none are cracked or clouded. All the lights work! Spoke wheels and centers look great wrapped in vintage wide whites (tires are old and hold air just fine). All the patent numbers and serial numbers are clearly visible everywhere on this car including underhood components. There’s so much we can talk about on this Cadillac. feel free to contact us and we’ll be glad to speak to you about it and answer any question you may have. We are always excited to offer exceptional automobiles particularly this Cadillac due to its rare pedigree and known history. 25 Factoids about Cadillac. 1. Al Capone’s Cadillac was the first presidential bulletproof limo. The infamous gangster had a 1928 Cadillac sedan just like the one you see here—though it was fully armored to protect against rival gangs’ threats on his life. It was impounded by the treasury department when he went to Alcatraz prison. On the evening of December 7th. 1941 (Pearl Harbor). the Secret Service suddenly found itself in need of something bulletproof for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to deliver his “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress in DC. When asked where he got the car on such short notice. the president famously said. “I hope Mr. Capone doesn’t mind. ” 2. Capone also owned one of the Cadillacs used in The Godfather and The Untouchables. His 1929 model was a favorite getaway car—it had a pair of bullet holes to prove it. Paramount Pictures bought the car and used it for a multitude of films. including some of the all-time gangland classics. 3. After WWII. Caddy introduced the curved glass windshield to America. It was one of the key defining features of 1950s automotive design. 4. Cadillac is named after a Frenchman. Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. a French army officer. founded a town called Ville d’Etroit—known today as Detroit. Michigan. Apparently they thought. 'Why not him?' 5. Cadillac founder Henry M. Leland apprenticed under gunmaker Samuel Colt. Leland worked in the legendary gunsmith’s revolver factory. learning the value of precision engineering—like using tools that could measure designs within a 1/100. 00 of an inch—that he'd eventually take to Caddy. 6. Leland souped up Oldsmobiles when he was younger. Why? Well. because he could. He reworked the single-cylinder engine from an Oldsmobile and nearly tripled its output—from 3. 7 to 10. 3 horsepower. Upon this. Ransom Olds (yup. that was his name) essentially told him to get lost. because the Oldsmobile chassis couldn’t handle such a powerful motor. 7. Cadillac’s slogan. nbsp;"The Standard of the World. was a reference to its engineering. Leland had such high standards when it came to precision that he brought in special tools from Sweden to ensure he had the most precise factory on Earth. To prove this. his engineers disassembled three cars in front of a group of judges. who then shuffled all the parts. Three days later. all three cars fired up perfectly. and went on a 500-mile trip. Cadillac was awarded the Dewar Trophy (yes. that Dewar)—essentially the Nobel Prize for cars—for proving the interchangeability of its cars. 8. By 1910. Cadillac was the first manufacturer to mass-produce cars with enclosed cabins. Translation: ride in a Caddy and stay dry from the rain. 9. The enclosed cabins eventually led to the counterbalanced crankshaft to keep the cars quiet. Noise and vibrations are all magnified when the cabin is closed. By the early 1920s. most Cadillacs were this way. To assuage the harshness. the company balanced the V8 to give it a smoother and more luxurious ride. 10. In 1912 Cadillac made people less cranky by inventing the electric starter. The term “cranky” originally referred to the bad mood drivers would be in after struggling to turn the crank while starting their car. Cadillac fixed this by introducing the first electric starter on the Model 30 in 1912. 11. . And that electric starter saved lives. Leland’s engineers began working on the starter after one of his buddies—Byron T. Carter. founder of the Cartercar—died while starting a stranded friend’s Caddy. After the car backfired. its crank spun violently and hit him on the head; he died a few weeks later. Leland reportedly said upon his death: “I won’t have Cadillacs hurting people that way. ” 12. Cadillac was the first car equipped with electric lights. This also included the debut of high-beams. or "brights. as we call them today. (We’re still trying to find the first person ticketed for signaling other motorists that there was a cop ahead. ) 13. It made V8 engines a thing. Cadillac’s 5. 1L engine (70 hp) wasn’t the first V8 ever designed. but it was the first mass-produced. and the first to feature a coolant reservoir. It was so reliable. in fact. that the United States Government bought a couple thousand of them to shuttle officers around during World War I. 14. Leland and his son left Cadillac in 1917 and started the Lincoln Motor Company. and immediately bankrupted it. Though Lincoln has enjoyed a great deal of success in the past 97 years. most of it was without the Lelands. A serious tax error to the tune of $4 million ($50M today) forced Leland to auction Lincoln off. Henry Ford bought the company on the cheap ($8. 5 million; $117M today) in 1922. and. after waiting a few months. unceremoniously escorted the Lelands out of the building. symbolically ushering in a new era. 15. The 1922 Type 59c could fill up its own tires. You could adjust the car's suspension for comfort or performance and you could fill up your tires. too. because the car had a self-powered air compressor. 16. In 1927. Cadillac became the first American carmaker to hire an automotive stylist. Harley Earl designed the LaSalle. and he went on to become an outright legend. He built the first all-steel. one-piece roof that would later lead to what was known as the Turret Top. 17. It was the first to put a V16 Engine in a car. When Cadillac dropped the first V16 ever made for vehicular use in 1930. it was A) gorgeous and B) a 7. 4L beast. putting out 160 hp. 18. The tail fin on the 1949 Coupe DeVille (above) was inspired by the P38 Lightning fighter plane. Look at both. and you can definitely see the relationship. 19. . But. um. they completely forgot to install a gas cap on it. Caddy had totally spaced including it in the design. but saw it as an opportunity to try something new. so they hid the gas cap in the driver-side tail lamp. Nice save. 20. 187 Somalian leopard furs were used to upholster the 1950 Debutante. Plus a gold-plated instrument panel and ignition key. for good measure. 21. Those sexually-charged front bumpers from the ‘50s were called Dagmars. after a popular actress. This is Dagmar. We're guessing this doesn't need further explaining. 22. The 1955 Cadillac La Salle II Sports Coupe was the Corvette-esque concept car they should have made. It had technical innovations. like the fiberglass body bonded to the frame for added stiffness. It’s a shame this one never made it to mass-market status. 23. The 1957 Eldorado Brougham came equipped with whiskey glasses. It had memory power seats. automatic locks. and low profile tires on aluminum wheels. It also came with a makeup kit and magnetic whiskey glasses. Caddy was all part of celebrating the “American Lifestyle. ” Hey. the car cost about double most other cars of its day. Perks come at that price. 24. They invented climate control. By 1964. everything on your Caddy could be controlled by thermostat. the first vehicle to ever offer such a cool ride. 25. Those iconic fins on the 1959 Eldorado were a result of corporate trickery. Harley Earl was overseeing the design of the car and he wanted the up-and-coming designer Bill Mitchell to lower the rear fins by four inches. When Earl went on vacation. Mitchell. who liked the fins as they were. simply raised one by four inches. The trick worked and Mitchell’s fins stuck. becoming a high-point of 1950s style. If you have any questions about this or any of our other auctions please feel free to contact us via e-mail sales@glclassiccars. comor you can call us at (800) 510-3797. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you. Features & OptionsAccent StripesCoolant Temp. GaugeManual TransmissionRear-Wheel DriveRunning BoardsV-Style EngineVanity Mirror(s)Wood Trim Additional Photos Warranty InformationAS IS - NO WARRANTYThis vehicle is being sold as is. where is with no warranty. expressed written or implied. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description. authenticity. genuineness. or defects herein. and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness. imperfection. defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle. and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgement solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer's request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. Terms & ConditionsWinning bidder must contact us within 24 hours of auction end. and make arrangements for payment at that time. A $500. 00 deposit is due within 24 hours of end of auction. The remainder is due within 3 business days of Auction end. If no contact is made within 24 hours we reserve the right to re-list the vehicle. sell it to the next high bidder. or sell it otherwise. Most banks and credit unions do not finance vehicles older than 1995 or with more than 100K miles. Make sure if financing. your financial institution accepts the year and miles of this vehicle before bidding. Please arrange financing prior to bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping of this vehicle. If you wish to have it shipped using a service. we will gladly cooperate. you can locate shippers by doing a search for `auto shippers`. If you are not sure about something. Please ASK. Do not assume anything not listed is included. We reserve the right to cancel bids for excessive negative feedback. We reserve the right to end the listing if the vehicle is no longer available for sale. 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