GOLD # 38—-1955
GOLD # 39—-1956
CHROME # 40—-1957
CHROME # 41—-1958

1955 model year:

Kelsey Hayes 38612 “split rim” design – Chrome only.

Requires a spacer & longer studs for 1957-58 front wheels.

1956 model year:

Kelsey Hayes 39786 – 39787 – 39796 “clad rim” design. (wheel manufacturing process modified)
2 VERSIONS: Chrome (Cadillac Part Number 146 3918 AND Gold (Cadillac Part Number 146 5348).

Requires a spacer if used on 1957-58 front wheels.

1957-58 model years:

Kelsey Hayes 41098 “clad rim” design (slight wheel offset change required for larger 12″ front drums)

Chrome only (Cadillac Part Number 146 6798).

See more Sabre Wheels pictures in our gallery

Hint: Use tubes on your sabre rims to avoid losing air pressure through the rivets.

Please add your comment if you have found out other information or when you can add something to this article. I’ve seen sabrews on Cadillacs younger than 1958. Please report your experiences and also if you have replated/reanodised them. Thanks.

Here is a great article about the sabre wheels at HMN:

The Cadillac “saber” wheel is rare and tough to work with but the perfect match for one of history’s most revered cars
From the sole standpoint of spiffy shoes, Cadillac was already doing fabulously as the ’50s unfolded. Who, after all, can forget the 1953 Eldorado, one of the decade’s most glorious cars, with its authentic wire wheels, most typically wearing a set of Nebraska-wide whitewalls?

Cadillac decided in 1955 to take another stride by introducing an exclusive, model-specific line of dress-up wheels with a dramatic finned theme that incorporated a cast-aluminum center riveted to a steel rim, with a separate crested center cap. That was a highly unusual manufacturing technique 50-odd years ago, but then, this wheel, which came quickly to be known as the “saber,” was a unique piece. Today, it’s one of the most highly prized Cadillac accessories of the 1950s. Finding, and reviving, a set of sabers can exact a heavy price in both funds and physical effort.

The saber was offered by Cadillac from 1955 through 1958. It was standard equipment on all Eldorado models, and was also included as a standard item for the Series 75 in 1955 only. One of the unique foibles of Cad-dom in the middle ’50s was that in 1956, the Eldorado line was bifurcated. That year, the convertible Eldorado became known as the Eldorado Biarritz. The two-door hardtop version of the car, which was based, after a fashion, on a Motorama show car called the Cadillac Celebrity, was then named the Eldorado Seville. In 1956, Cadillac buyers could order the Eldorado with either the optional “silver” or “gold” packages, referring to the finish of the car’s scripting and its saber wheels. Today, saber wheels anodized in gold from that year are among the rarest Eldorado items extant.

This is a good place to make clear that there are actually two designs of saber wheels, one specifically for 1955 and 1956 Cadillacs, and one for cars built during 1957 and 1958. The wheels’ offsets differ, and they’re not directly interchangeable with one another.

To get smart about their care and feeding, we spoke to Elsa Nicodemus, owner of Cadillac restoration specialists FEN Enterprises in Wappingers Falls, New York. She explained to us that, “One of the greatest concerns you have with these wheels is that the center is made of aluminum, and they generally did not hold up very well. They’re very subject to both corrosion and pitting.” That said, the gold-anodized wheels appear to be more pit-resistant than the chrome units. Not only that, but replating chrome over the saber’s cast aluminum is a specific process and can be very costly, because the chrome has to be absorbed deeply into the texture and metallic structure of the aluminum casting. During a restoration, the rest of the wheel is typically finished in gray powdercoating, she said.

Her technician, Mark Senatore, told us, “The 1957 and 1958 wheels are by far the rarest, nearly impossible to find, and very expensive to find as a set.” Here at Hemmings, we’ve seen costs that can lead to spending close to $1,000 for a salvageable saber wheel, and a similar expenditure to refurbish it. Rather than searching for one at a swap meet, your best bet to find a set may be to contact a supplier like FEN that stocks restorable sabers. And even though they’re partly aluminum, sabers aren’t the easiest wheels to mount. We spoke to M. Roy Kahn of Pomona, New York, an authority on 1956 Cadillacs, and he laid it out for us:

“If you get a flat, especially if you’re a woman, it’s a real job,” he said. “These are not high-speed wheels and they’re very, very heavy, plus on these cars, the fenders are partly skirted so the wheel wells don’t open all the way. Without a cell phone, you can be in real trouble.”

This entry was originaly posted on Thursday, September 29th, 2005 and extended on April 20th, 2009.

Eines von 2150 gebauten Eldorado Biarritz Cabrios, mit schwarz/weißer Lederausstattung und 2 Stück 4fach Vergasern mit verchromten Aluminium Sabrewheels. Der Wagen ist voll funktionstüchtig und wurde letztes Jahr auch auf eigener Achse ohne Probleme nach Schweden gefahren. Der Cadillac hat österreichische Papiere. Auf Wunsch wird eine H -Zulassung vorgenommen. Der Wagen ist in Steyr jederzeit gegen Voranmeldung zu besichtigen.

Motor: 150.000 km, 221 KW (300 PS),Erstzulassung: 4/1956
Getriebe: Automatik
Farbe: Weiß
Ausstattung: el. Fensterheber, Lederausstattung
Preis: Verhandlungssache

See some pictures in the gallery and see 127 more pictures containing pictures from the restoration at flickr. For sale by owner lucky@ludwigmedel.at.

You can also view the highres version of this video on my website by clicking here!

* * Calling all Eldorado’s of Europe ! * *
The 4th Cadillac Big Meet at Schloss Kremsegg, Kremsmünster, Austria
Sunday, August 26th, 2007

The European Cadillac Meeting in Austria has been held in 2004, 2005 and 2006 with ever growing success, both in number and quality of the cars at the show.
Last year, we even had TV coverage and an extensive showing on the German TV!
Also the cruising tour on Saturday, the day before the meeting, was once again a big success, being fully booked already by July…

This year, the motto is ‘The Cadillac Eldorado’ and we are looking to invite as many as possible Eldorado’s of all years and generations (1953-2002) in a reserved area at the Kremsegg castle park.
Of course, we once again would like to welcome all these wonderful people and their fantastic Cadillacs of all other types as well, fully restored or all-original, old and new alike, to come to visit the Kremsegg Castle this Sunday the 26th of August 2007.
In order to emphasize our growing success and establishment as the Cadillac Meeting for Europe, open to all enthusiasts from Europe and beyond, we have adopted the name Cadillac Big Meet last year, and we hope you will join us in Kremsmünster !

But the exciting news doesn’t end there – we will once again have a lot of new things going on, and of course the evening before the meet will feature an evening get-together for all to come together and meet in a relaxed atmosphere.

On Saturday 25th of August, the Kremsmünster event kicks off with a cruise through the scenic countryside. Participation is limited to 30, and it is once again going to be a cruise to never forget, maybe the most beautiful cruise we have ever organized !
So, register early!

But the big day will be Sunday 26th when Cadillacs meet in the Park of the Kremsegg Castle. All years are welcome and we expect a great turnout for the fourth edition!
Important to note is that everybody is welcome, no pre-registrations are necessary (except for the Saturday cruise of course).
There will be a separate VIP parking place on the event area for all visitors arriving with other American cars.
Since last year, this meeting is also free for visitors – good to know if your Cadillac is being restored, or if you still haven’t come across that dream car you’re lusting after…
This proves to become an even more exciting show, once again more Cadillac collectors will be present, and the participation of Cadillac clubs from several surrounding countries has been guaranteed.
Auto Günther, our main sponsor, will have all the new Cadillacs on display and you can testdrive one of these new babies.
You can also win a Cadillac for one whole day!

Details on next page…

Kremsmünster is located about 30km southwest of Linz, Austria.
Full information on the Cadillac Big Meet website :

http://www.cadillac-bigmeet.com/

Also feel free to join the Cadillac Big Meet forum to be kept up to date on all the latest details; membership and extra privileges all at no charge of course :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cadillacmeeting

Still need extra incentive to visit this wonderful meeting ?
Simply order the DVD’s from 2005’s event, check the website for more information !
Or just browse some of the video’s available on the website to get a feel of the true Cadillac atmosphere that is ever-present on our meeting.

We look forward to seeing you once again at the one true ‘European Cadillac meeting ‘ – The Cadillac Big Meet!
Excellent weather has already been ordered. You won’t regret it…

Davy Borghys from Belgium

Organisation team :
Gerald Loidl, Georg Pfeiffer and American Special Parts from Austria

Enjoy the pict’s.

Dirk Van Dorst
Belgium

Note: Missing parts will be listed here. If you can help out, please get in touch.

A few days ahead of the event, the weather forecast looked rosy, but with only one day to go “unsettled” weather was forecast for that particular Sunday. Indeed, there were lots of low clouds and a gloomy drizzle when I set off on Sunday morning 8:00 AM to Grobbendonk, about 90 miles from my place. Due to the wet conditions, I opted to not take Pauline, the 1967 Convertible, but rather Louise, the 1959 Coupe.

With the newly installed fan clutch she should remain pretty cool throughout the journey. She did a healthy 75 to 80 mph on the freeway, which was corroborated by the portable GPS I had with me. Even with the slightly larger than original P235/75R15 tires, the speedometer is very accurate. (Maybe it was actually less accurate with original tire size). The temp gauge needle stayed neatly between the 1/4 and 1/2 mark, even after 1.5 hours of driving. Good.

The more I approached my destination, the more the skies cleared. By the time I had arrived, it was warm and a bit cloudy. But there were also traces of sunshine and conditions would improve as the day wore on. Upon arrival at the meeting point — a local hotel with a big parking lot — I immediately saw this was going to be a splendid day. A lot of Cadillacs were already parked in the lot and Louise graciously moored along the other land yachts. One hour and a breakfast later we started the first leg of our trip, a signposted cruise through “De Kempen”, the green part of Northern Belgium and through Southern Holland.

A bit after midday it was time to stop at the house of Gert Verberk. Some of you may remember Gert as the “Eldorado Snatcher”. His Cadillac Eldorado collection started with a 1959 Eldorado Biarritz and a 1953 Eldorado, but soon it would be expanded. Two years ago he purchased a 1958 Eldorado Biarritz in California. Shortly thereafter he also acquired a red 1954 Eldorado, the same one that had initially been found by Jeff Stork for another Belgian, also in SoCal. And only this summer a green 1956 Eldorado Biarritz and a white 1957 Eldorado Biarritz arrived at the Verberk residence. He missed out on a deal with a 1955 Eldorado Biarritz. So if any of you guys know of a very nice ’55 Biarritz for sale, do not hesitate to get in touch with me or Dirk Van Dorst, and we’ll pass on the information to Gert.

Although I had been in Gert’s garage before, I was once again in awe when I saw all those cars lined up. Surrounded by batwing aircleaners, tri-power and dual-quad setup, I could only marvel at all those nice toys. Dirk, trying to keep the driving tour on schedule, literally had to drive us out of the garage and into Gert’s garden. By that time the weather had become very nice and we could all enjoy champagne in the beautiful surroundings of the landscaped garden.

Unfortunately, I had another appointment later that afternoon in Bruges, so I could not participate in the second leg of the driving tour. But still I had thoroughly enjoyed the day with other Cadillac aficionados.

On the way home I noticed to my bewilderment that the temp gauge needle would move up all the way to the 1/2 mark. How could that be possible? Well, after a while I realized I still had the “rally plate” attached to the car’s grille. I stopped at a layby, removed the plate and now Louise stayed “cool” again.

Regards,
Rik

(c) Copyright 2005 Rik Gruwez
Picture albums:
www.classic-cadillac.com/gallery/album248
www.libertysoftware.be/eldoschampagne
www.kapperludo.com/gallery/album04

Color codes:
10 Black
12 Alpine White
14 Cheviot Gray Metallic
16 Prestwick Gray Metallic
18 Camelot Gray Metallic
20 Daphne Blue
24 Somerset Blue Metallic
26 Cobalt Blue Metallic
28 Turquoise
29 Peacock Metallic
30 Acadian Green
32 Versailles Green Metallic
36 Regent Green Metallic
40 Calkutta Cream
42 Alamo Beige Metallic
44 Buckskin
48 Tahitian Coral Metallic
49 Meridian Taupe Metallic
50 Dakota Red
90+ Oympic White
92+ Rajah Silver Metallic
94+ Argyle Blue Metallic
96+ Gleneagles Green Metallic
98+ Desert Bronze Metallic
+ Indicates Used on Eldorado, Seville, and Biarritz models only.

Biarritz interior codes (all leather):
10 white/black
11 black
12 silver metallic
13 biscay blue metallic
15 copper metallic
17 green metallic
18 white/vermillion (red)
19 vermillion (red)

Eldorado top color codes:
1 White
2 Black
6 Gleneagles Green
7 Argyle Blue
8 Copper

We have a couple of pictures of 58 Biarritz in the picture gallery. Most of them are without VID /Body# and color/trimcodes yet. But it’s a start.

I you like that idea, I would be very happy about your support.
You are welcome to send an email to info@lars-schenk.de if you own or know about a 1958 Biarritz.
I would try to make a complete list with:

Body#, VIN#, Paint, Trim, Top and Current Owner, other details.

I will welcome also pictures and detailed infos about the cars.
If someone will give permission to me, I’ll upload pictures and infos to this site.

Anonymous infos are also welcome: There is no need to publish the owners name or contact info.

Thanks for your support. Special Thanks to Dirk van Dorst, Dave Becker and many other for their support.

View the 1958 Eldorado Biarritz Database – List of known survivors (under construction)

View the 1958 Eldorado Biarritz Showcase – Picture Gallery

Please link to this article with this URL:

http://www.classic-cadillac.com/1958-biarritz-database

He’s friend re-assembled the car for me, to ship it to my place in Belgium. Air ride , airco , autr eye , and all the options… 29.000 mls! Inetrior has only 2 loose stitches. I will bring the car back on the road “as found” next summer. Regulary update whit pict’s…
Dirk VD

Click here to view the pictures in the gallery.