KNIGHT IN ARMOUR – GLEN EVANS 1959 CADILLAC SERIES 62

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Glitzy, ostentatious, extravagant, and ludicrous are but a few adjectives that have been used to describe Cadillac’s flamboyant finned offering for 1959. At literally the height of the fin wars by significant car manufacturers of the era, Cadillac towered above all others with its grandiose, bullet-equipped twin dorsal tips. Combined with over-exaggerated front and rear bumpers, double stacked grill, acres of chrome and extreme dimensions, the 1959 Cadillac is the epitome of the proverbial Yank Tank.

Back when success was measured by what you drove, they were the ultimate accessory for any prosperous entrepreneur or well-heeled individual. Besotted by movie stars and entertainers, they quickly became the toast of Tinseltown and will be forever immortalised by the silver screen. From gangsters to daydream dolls, their effervescent effect globally overruled any underwhelmed critics. When more is almost enough, it parks this four-door flat-top version of the famed automobile in a league of its own.

Keen to fulfil his desire for a Cadillac was founding Knights member, Glen Evans, or ‘Sparky’. That’s the name his mate gave him, thanks to his early-days psychobilly quiff. “You look like you’ve been electrocuted,” he reasoned.

Sparky offloaded his wife’s EK Holden to snap up this affordable example.

“It was already imported from California by a guy in Perth and Richie, and I went over to his place to check out what he had. It was in pretty bad shape, but rust-wise, it was good. The interior was thrashed, and the mechanics needed a rebuild, but it was cheap, and it was a Cadillac,” he recalls.

At the time of purchase, the huge four-door didn’t fit into Sparky’s garage, so all work was carried out in the driveway, just like they did in the past. Surrounded by good mates and a wealth of talented club members, the rebuild commenced, but Sparky says that time was his enemy.

“I’ve had it too long to mention!” he quips.

As owning a cool cruiser was his intention from the get-go, Sparky didn’t feel it necessary to tug out all the original running gear and set about refurbishing the existing drive train with experienced help. The factory 390ci Caddy mill now sucks on unleaded go juice through a Holley 650, straw feeding rebuilt stock heads to handle today’s pump gas. A stock rotating assembly provides enough puff for now, but exhales more efficiently through a new three-inch diameter twin system.

Gear selection is also massively improved since receiving a workover by Ian Stibbards at Precision Automatic Transmissions. With fresh lube in the original third member, Sparky set his sights on getting the huge hulk hovering over the freshened underpinnings.

Armed with a quartet of bounce bags from Air Ride Technologies, Sparky enlisted help from Ben “Ferret” Forster, Pete and Johnny Mercury for the install. Mounted on all corners, the new suspension arrangement plants the big girl close to the pavement with instantaneous gratification. Floating above the hot West Australian asphalt, like an infamous land yacht, the deVille personifies curbside cruising in style without mortgaging the family home.

Although the body was quite sound with only minimal rust, it did require a healthy massage after years of neglect and general abuse. Aided by a good friend and fellow Knights member, Richie Balazic, Sparky stripped all of the external bright work in preparation for a fresh coat of satin black.

The anticipated paint job was stalled until a suitable area for spraying was available. As luck would have it, Sparky moved house and temporarily rented for 12 months until he settled into his current abode. The rental became the perfect place for the airborne attack on the exterior, and Richie and Pete were keen to lay down the Motospray suede. They completed the presiding act by finishing the flat-top roofline in the corresponding gloss for maximum show points.

Completing the external eye candy is a set of Gene Winfield-customised hub caps that Sparky personally purchased from the phenomenal fade master during a USA visit. Surrounded by whitewall Coker Classic hoops from Antique Tyres, the stock Caddy rims are reborn and ready to roll.

With only external trim and chrome to reattach, Sparky upped the personal ante and tackled the enormous task of reupholstering the thrashed threads himself.

“Many years ago, before I knew any of the (Knights) boys, I took a summer off work to go windsurfing,” he explains. “The guy that I surfed with had a small business making sails and board bags. I ended up working with him in the mornings and sailed all afternoon.”

Equipped with new skills, he expanded his abilities to auto upholstery using his own EK Holden as a test mule.

“This is the third car that I have re-upholstered,” he adds.

Considering the state of the Caddy’s interior, he figured that there was nothing to lose and had a go at it, even attempting to recover the factory-clad dash in deep red vinyl. As the last stitch fell many Bud’s later, a sea of red tuck and roll engulfed the belly of the suede beast, spilling onto every surface like a severed artery.

As a decade of ownership approached at a frenetic pace, the Caddy’s completion was spurred into overdrive by a new garage that can now accommodate it properly, not to mention my request for a photoshoot at short notice. Even on the day of the shoot, adjustments were consciously catered for, and post-shoot corrections were concealed, but the accomplishment was applauded.

Cruising on a permit that afternoon, Sparky was enthralled to be behind the wheel of his beloved Cadillac deVille. Powering under its own steam, cushioned by tuck and roll created by his own hands, it was a rewarding effort. It reminds me why we all do what we do with old cars and never give up on the dream. Cue credits and soundtrack.