Engine No. 1001085

Body No. 35

According to its factory build sheet, a copy of which is on file, the Taylor Cadillac V-12 phaeton was originally delivered with this rakish and desirable open coachwork, body no. 35, accessorized with stainless steel-spoked wheels and dual side-mounted spares with mirrors. It was first shipped to the Don Lee, Inc., dealership in San Francisco, then diverted to Los Angeles where, presumably, a buyer had been found.

The car eventually moved east and was part of the famed collection of prolific Classic acquirer, Rick Carroll of Jensen Beach, Florida, from whom Mr. Taylor's father, Willard, purchased it. Donnie Gould Restorations undertook a complete restoration from a still largely original car – at a time when Donnie himself was still wielding the spray gun! A small collection of photographs, included in the file, shows the progression of the restoration. Properly accessorized with factory Lorraine spotlights, luggage rack, and Pilot Ray lights, and with beautiful attention to detail evident throughout, including the preservation of the original body wood in the floors, the car went on to win an AACA National Senior First Prize at Vero Beach in 1993.

Following Willard Taylor's passing, the Cadillac was sold from his estate in 1994 to Charles Peet of Fort Lauderdale, in whose ownership it achieved Senior honors with two perfect 100-point scores in Classic Car Club of America judging in 1995. Five years later, Jim Taylor, having long missed what had been his father's automobile, bought it back, and it has been once again at home in the collection for the past twenty-two years.

The car has been occasionally shown, including at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, as well as at Amelia Island in 2001, winning the BASF Trophy for the finest paint combination – an especially poignant moment, as Mr. Taylor's father had specifically chosen the colors of Champagne and Burnt Orange over a Pumpkin chassis. Those finishes remain in virtually pristine condition, unsurprising as the car has covered scarcely 27 miles since it was restored.

Few automobiles in the Taylor Collection pack the marvelous visual punch of this beautiful Cadillac, which can justifiably be called an heirloom – owned now by two generations of great motoring enthusiasts, who oversaw its restoration, its return to the fold, and meticulous preservation ever since.