[Auto] Evel Knievel’s old two-door Cadillac Eldorado wagon is up for auction in the UK

[El Máster Edwin]

Fancy an 18ft custom Caddy estate with an 8.2-litre V8 as your next project car? Why of course you do…

 

Looking for a new project car? Well, how about one car that's so long it should basically count as two? This is a 1972 Cadillac Eldorado that’s currently living in the UK and is up for auction with Bonhams. Although as you can clearly see, rather than being the usual two-door coupe or convertible, this particular Eldorado is a two-door station wagon.

We’re told this conversion to an estate was a factory option for the Eldorado, with the work carried out by the American Sunroof Company (ASC). It would have been monstrously expensive in period though, so it’s reckoned that only eight ASC converted Cadillacs were ever built.

And if that level of rarity doesn’t float your boaty American limo, then get this: this custom Eldorado was previously owned by none other than Evel Knievel. Yep, Bonhams says that PB Burnett sold the Caddy to the legendary stuntman in 1975, and it was Knievel who had it painted white. Evel’s son Kelly Knievel has also confirmed that he and his mother queued up outside a county hall at 3am to buy the very licence plate that’s still on the car. We already thought this thing was cool. Now we’re counting how many pennies are down the back of the sofa.

And would you just get a look at that red leather interior. Incredible. There’s even air conditioning and electrically adjustable seats as 1970s factory options. 

 

This particular car has just been extracted from nearly 30 years in storage and only has 43,000 miles on the clock. “It looks to be extremely solid, with just some light surface rust poking through the paint,” says the auction ad.

The absolutely vast 8.2-litre V8 has certainly seen better days though, with the offside cylinder head and carburettor both currently in the boot. Helpful. Might need a little bit of work to get it back to producing its full 235bhp. And yes, Cadillac did manage to only extract 235bhp from an 8.2-litre V8.

Apparently the keys and most of the history have been lost for this 18.5ft long yacht, which means the ignition barrel has been ‘butchered’ to release the steering lock. There’s also a cracked windscreen, a missing hubcap and a rear-view mirror that’s currently in the glovebox.

Still, what a chance for someone in the UK to own Evel Knievel’s old Caddy. Plus, Bonhams reckons it’ll go for between £8,000 and £12,000. Bargain.

 

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