Cadillac & LaSalle Club Discussion Forum

Cadillac & LaSalle Club Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rhino 21150 on February 19, 2006, 12:09:22 AM

Title: Cadillac Zagato
Post by: Rhino 21150 on February 19, 2006, 12:09:22 AM
http://www.zagato.it/arczag03.jpg
This is what happens when you let speed crazy Italian car freaks get near a Cadillac. This is from the Zagato website, which is full of other crazy cars. The Caddy is a 1970.
Title: Re: Cadillac Zagato
Post by: Yann Saunders, CLC #12588 on February 19, 2006, 12:31:28 AM
That rear-engined, 2-door, 2+2 sport roadster was built for the son of N.Y. Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, well-known racing driver who headed the North American Racing Team N.A.R.T., hence the car came to be known as the "NART, by Zagato". The engine was Cadillacs standard 472 c.i., 375 HP unit mounted "in reverse" to propel the car from the rear [Zagato claimed that the car would deliver 400 HP - and the air cleaner carried a decal to that effect]. The aluminum spider type body, designed by Luigi Chinetti Jr. and built by the Italian coach builder, Zagato, to Luigis specifications, featured an inward curving rear window and modified 1967/68 Eldorado wheel covers (in fact, I was long convinced that it was a 1967 model until I got from Zagato in the early eighties a photo of the designers drawing dated 1970; in that photo the car is shown with special, alloy wheels). GM participated in the project to some extent but dropped out in 1969 owing to the numerous production delays and the economic difficulties of 1969. The car was shown at Turin and New York, where orders were taken. However, only one car was ever built. It was acquired in 1987 by Melvin A. Olshansky of Glencoe, IL and restored over a period of 2½ years by Mill Creek Motors and Upholstery Unlimited of Clinton, IO.  Theres an article about it in  Collectible ASutomobile for August, 1992].  More photos may be seen in the "Cadillac Database":

www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Drm70-74.htm