1956 SdV $11,500 asking - Minneapolis MN Not Mine category

[Bryan J Moran]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1181012253348229

Pristine "barn find"--garaged for 30 + years.  Clean body, and interior.  Beautiful black and white interior with white leather trim.  New tires and battery.  Needs some repair due to long time sitting. Chrome, chrome, chrome inside and out. Make this your dream car with some work.  Don't miss this one!  Beautiful & rare condition. Car is in midwest.

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I rarely post cars for sale anymore as I am older and have a couple I am working on or sending to be restored, and I am seeing retirement closer every week.  But, I thought this car warranted bringing it to the attention for interest and fun. 

Having previously read quite a bit, I always found the 1956 1st year C Body 4 door hardtops very interesting.  Like most, I favor the 2 door hardtops for sportiness, overall style and fun, but apples to apples, I would take the 1956 SdV 4 door hardtop over a CdV.  Especially on a breezy spring day, about this time of year, when the lilacs are in bloom and fragrant, perhaps a storm is moving in with it's dramatic clouds, and the world slows down for just a minute while you use the power steering to hang an elbow out the drivers window - or better yet - enjoy being a back seat passenger shielded from extreme winds of a convertible but still enjoying a park like ride around town. 

1955 ushered in the 4 door hardtop with some apologies to Kaiser's 49 Virginian. But they were debuted in the B line for GM. 1957 and forward until the end in the early 70's, it was a good style, but to me nothing was like the 56 4 door hardtop.  Styling changes were annual, and 56-57 was dramatic, losing the french curve of 54-56. 

I am a big fan of the 57 "reverse cant" C pillar, but make no mistake, 56 is the year to have for this body style.  One man's opinion, anyway.

[Lexi]

Nice looking car with a lot potential. No mention of whether engine stuck or not. Most curious, at least to me, is what appears to be a pristine or near pristine, white steering wheel. Have you ever noticed how some steering wheels on vintage cars can look as good as new while others look awful as the plastics they used just did not stand up to the test of time? 1956 Cadillac steering  wheels could be the worst of them all! Perhaps not having a segmented wheel like the '55s, the lack of "expansion joints", so to speak, caused most of the '56 to crack like crazy. From what is visible, the one in this barn find car looks too good to be true, or is it just a very rare example of one that somewhow survived (or was a past restoration)? I have looked at a lot of them, and usually 1956 Cadillac steering wheels just plain suck if in original condition. CLay/Lexi

[Roger Zimmermann]

I have looked at a lot of them, and usually 1956 Cadillac steering wheels just plain suck if in original condition. CLay/Lexi

Maybe it was just luck: the steering wheel from my '56 SdV was in a good condition with hair cracks. It probably depends a lot in which climate to car was used and garage or not.
the attached picture is from 2016; I don't know how the wheel is looking now because I sold the car some years ago.

[Lexi]

That is a beautiful wheel Roger. My favorite colour for a Cadillac wheel as well. Only those fine hair line cracks which are also common, but yours is the best example I have seen. That one makes the 1956 Caddy mag centerfold spread for sure!

I am sure environmental conditions are a wild card in this situation. Here are a couple of shots of '56 wheels. Yes, I cherry picked 'em, they are indeed rotten. Many times I see that they have covers on them to hide the damage. The segmented style steering wheels seem to have stood up better, like the '55 Cads for example. Could be when they added the contrasting colored segments with the chrome filler rings, that acted as a stress reliever on the plastic. The '56s are homogenous, which is probably not as stable with respect to expansion and contraction.

In the first attached shot note the large fisure that runs along the inside which has opened up. Unfortunately a common occurance. Also attached is a shot of Lexi's wheel, many fine cracks, similar to Roger's, but I suspect more of them. I also suspect the color of the plastic may have stood up better, (also hides the cracks well). In one area of my wheel, (not pictured), there is an area of separation apparently caused by material shrinkage. Such are also present in the 2 wheels pictured. About the width of a nickel. But Roger's is the best I have seen. As he is one of the "Cadillac Gods" it is only fitting that his car had such a well conditioned steering wheel. Clay/Lexi

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for your comments! I also had the worse wheel: the one from my '56 Biarritz. Finally, I let it recast by one US vendor about 20 or 30 years ago. The steering wheel from that car is still perfect, but the car is stored into a relative cold garage. Temperatures are between 0°C to 22°C.
As I wrote, it was pure luck. when I bought the car in 1981 or 1982, I had very few knowledges into the Cadillac world: Yann Saunders explained me how to recognize a '59 Biarritz from a regular 62 serie convertible...Sure, I improved a bit, but I don't know everything!