A 1954 Cadillac Coupe deVille has been selected as the winner of the second annual Classiccars.com Award at the 2016 Arizona Concours d’Elegance.
The Coupe de Ville was introduced by Cadillac in the 1949 model year as part of the Series 62 line. It is a closed, two-door coupe that was Cadillac’s first pillarless hardtop. Intended as a prestige model, it was one of the most expensive body styles of the Series 62 line. The 1954 chassis had a new look, made possible by a longer wheelbase. The lower, sleeker body featured a new grille design as well as “Dagmar” bumper guards. Originally priced at $4,261, Cadillac sold a total of 17,170 Coupe de Villes in 1954.
Car owner Phil Terry of Phoenix describes his Coupe deVille as a true “desert find.” He found in a friend’s backyard in 1997 and spent 12 years restoring the car. Terry has driven it since its completion in 2009, with road trips all over Arizona, to Palm Springs, California; Las Vegas; Santa Fe, New Mexico, and even back to its original dealer in Lubbock, Texas, where Terry met Jack Alderson, who sold the car when new.
Terry said the coupe has been in nearly 100 events and has earned many awards, including several “Best of Show” trophies, with the most recent being at the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art’s 2015 “Ultimate Fins” vintage car show.
This Cadillac has been judged nationally and displays a Senior Badge from the Cadillac & LaSalle Club and a Senior Wreath from the Antique Automobile Club of America.
Terry told Classic Car News that on one of his trips to a car show in northern Arizona, he was approached by someone who worked with the Arizona Concours who said he loved the car and wanted to see it displayed on the show field.
“I told him my car was not a concours car and he told me about this special class they have this year that he thought my car would be perfect for (Iconic Postwar American). So I submitted an application past the deadline, per his instructions, and here we are.”
