The Cadillac Le Mans was a concept car designed by Harley Earl and developed by Cadillac. It was named for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, in which Cadillac competed in 1950. Displayed at the 1953 General Motors Motorama in New York City, the design was a low-profile (51 inches (1,300 mm) to the windshield frame),[clarification needed] two-seat, fiberglass-bodied roadster. This concept showcased Cadillac's first wrap-around windshield. It was powered by a 250 hp (186 kW) version of Cadillac's 331 cu in (5,420 cc) V8 engine, a power output not realized in production Cadillacs until 1955. The overall length of the Le Mans was 196 in (4,978 mm). Though four prototypes were built, the model never went into production.
Cadillac Le Mans
1953 Cadillac Le Mans concept at the 2015 DC Auto Show
Of the four Cadillac Le Mans cars, the fate of three is known. One car, which was customized by George Barris, was acquired by Harry Karl, a wealthy shoe manufacturer who gave it to his wife, Marie "The Body" MacDonald. Another was sold to a Cadillac dealer in Beverly Hills, California. The George Barris custom was destroyed in a fire in 1985, while another one is currently displayed in the Cadillac Historical Collection in Warren, Michigan.[1] The revised car, restyled by GM stylists with quad headlights and sleeker fins, is in possession of the GM Heritage Center.
The fourth Cadillac Le Mans was displayed at the Oil Progress Exhibition at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City in 1953, along with two other show cars from the 1953 Motorama exhibition (the Wildcat I and the Starfire). After that, this car went on exhibit at Greenhouse-Moore Cadillac Chevrolet in Oklahoma City during the first week of November. The vehicle went missing on November 8, 1953, and has not been seen since that time.[2] Numerous investigators and auto enthusiasts have tried to find the missing Le Mans, but so far their efforts have yielded no results.[3]
Galleryedit
Cadillac Le Mans concept revised by GM stylists with quad headlights and sleeker fins
cadillac, mans, also, pontiac, mans, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, schola. See also Pontiac Le Mans This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Cadillac Le Mans news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Cadillac Le Mans was a concept car designed by Harley Earl and developed by Cadillac It was named for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France in which Cadillac competed in 1950 Displayed at the 1953 General Motors Motorama in New York City the design was a low profile 51 inches 1 300 mm to the windshield frame clarification needed two seat fiberglass bodied roadster This concept showcased Cadillac s first wrap around windshield It was powered by a 250 hp 186 kW version of Cadillac s 331 cu in 5 420 cc V8 engine a power output not realized in production Cadillacs until 1955 The overall length of the Le Mans was 196 in 4 978 mm Though four prototypes were built the model never went into production Cadillac Le Mans1953 Cadillac Le Mans concept at the 2015 DC Auto ShowOverviewManufacturerCadillac General Motors ProductionnoneModel years1953AssemblyClark Street Assembly DetroitBody and chassisClassConcept luxury roadsterBody style2 door convertibleLayoutFR layoutRelatedCadillac Series 62 Cadillac Eldorado convertiblePowertrainEngine331 cu in 5 4 L V8 engineDimensionsLength196 in 4 978 mm Contents 1 Fate of the vehicles 2 Gallery 3 References 4 External linksFate of the vehicles editOf the four Cadillac Le Mans cars the fate of three is known One car which was customized by George Barris was acquired by Harry Karl a wealthy shoe manufacturer who gave it to his wife Marie The Body MacDonald Another was sold to a Cadillac dealer in Beverly Hills California The George Barris custom was destroyed in a fire in 1985 while another one is currently displayed in the Cadillac Historical Collection in Warren Michigan 1 The revised car restyled by GM stylists with quad headlights and sleeker fins is in possession of the GM Heritage Center The fourth Cadillac Le Mans was displayed at the Oil Progress Exhibition at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City in 1953 along with two other show cars from the 1953 Motorama exhibition the Wildcat I and the Starfire After that this car went on exhibit at Greenhouse Moore Cadillac Chevrolet in Oklahoma City during the first week of November The vehicle went missing on November 8 1953 and has not been seen since that time 2 Numerous investigators and auto enthusiasts have tried to find the missing Le Mans but so far their efforts have yielded no results 3 Gallery edit nbsp Cadillac Le Mans concept revised by GM stylists with quad headlights and sleeker fins nbsp Rear viewReferences edit Archive 1953 Cadillac Le Mans Motor Trend Archived from the original on 2004 10 27 Wallace Wyss 2013 07 17 The mystery of the missing 1953 Cadillac Le Mans concept Lifestyle Detroit Autoweek Archived from the original on 2014 04 07 Retrieved 2014 04 06 Bill Wilson 2014 04 06 The Cadillac Le Mans A Concept Car Shrouded in Mystery Bold Ride Bold Ride LLC Archived from the original on 2014 04 07 Retrieved 2014 04 06 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cadillac Le Mans Conceptcars it The Cadillac Historical Collection nbsp This article about a classic post war automobile produced between 1945 and 1975 is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cadillac Le Mans amp oldid 1216457818, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
