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Caddy To Be Restored

November 18, 2009 | Other

Cadillac which may once have belonged to Elvis Presley is being restored to its former glory in the city of Tyneside. An experienced team of Heaton-based specialist restorers have been commissioned to revamp the seats inside the gleaming white convertible. The 8.2-litre Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado, built in the early '70s, has been bought by an English car collector who wants to remain anonymous. He said the car once belonged to the singer, who died in 1977 aged 42.

Restoration experts at Northumbrian Leather will remove layers of gloss white paint from the seats of the Cadillac. Co-owner of Northumbrian Leather Max Tait said: "Somebody down the line has thought it was a good idea, in the name of restoration, to slap a few coats of thick white paint across the seats.

"It is not that the car has been re-sprayed and the seats have changed colour, they have just been repainted and repainted and repainted probably every year, for years, to keep them white.

"Now they feel horrible. Hopefully we can get back to soft original leather beneath all the dry and crispy paint and restore the original finish." He will remove the paint with wire wool, a job that will take him two to three weeks. Mr Tait described the V8 engine-powered vehicle as a "bit of a monster" and added: "If you can imagine fitting a set of brakes to a boat then that's what it's like to drive."
 

Source:ElvisMatters