Riding with the King

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That popular phrase evokes many different thoughts for many different people. But to many of us of a “certain generation” and persuasion, those words speak of decades where cars were culture, and the 50’s and 60’s were the days of glory. Detroit was the center of the world, V8s were the language and the longer the wheelbase, the better we liked it. There were great cars coming from a lot of car companies back then, but when you were talking about luxury, class, and excess everything, you had to be talking Cadillac. Packard, Pierce Arrow, Auburn, and Cord were incredible, lavishly expensive cars that didn’t make it out of the post-war era. But Cadillac in the 1950s was rolling, and the leader of the pack for design and glamour was the Cadillac Eldorado. The rare marque among the Eldorado family was the Biarritz, and the Biarritz was the King. Along about this time, a kid growing up in Swainsboro was developing an incurable attraction for cars in general and a special Cadillac in particular. Early on, Jimmy Leonard decided that a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz was the one he would someday own. As we know, boyhood dreams sometimes die early especially when reality throws a blanket. Not only was the Biarritz one of the most expensive production cars made, but they only made around two thousand of them in 1957. Nevertheless, dreams don’t cost anything, and when Jimmy left Swainsboro in the 11th grade, the dream was still alive and growing. Fast forward to recent times. After a successful career, Mr. Leonard left the business world behind and re-located to Swainsboro. What stayed with him, however, was the early dream of the 57 Eldorado. Being an unapologetic car guy with a little time on his hands, there was nothing to do now but find that car. Not that easy. The search got wider and longer with leads that led nowhere and cross-country trips with disappointing results. At last, a dim light got brighter and brighter until finally it turned green, and a car was located in Iowa. A trip turned into a deal that turned into a sale, and the King was coming home with that kid from Swainsboro.

Next week will be both an end and a beginning for the King and that kid. The end will come in the form of a search and restoration process completed. The beginning will come as the first of many trips together. On October 31st, Jimmy begins driving the King down the Atlantic coast from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Hilton Head, South Carolina as part of the National Driving Tour. After a meticulous restoration, the Eldorado will be featured at the 20th Annual Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival at Port Royal Golf Club, November 4th- 6th. This three-day event features some of the most elegant and desirable automobiles to be found anywhere, in judged competition by 75 of the country’s most respected designers, engineers and collectors. Entry into the competition is by invitation only, and each day features different collections illustrating the automobile as art form. Fabulous examples of American and European will be on display and in competition. The King will be in high company but can hold its own and has definitely earned the right to be there.

From a promise a young fellow made himself a lifetime ago, to the realization of that dream, this story reinforces the old adage, “if you want it bad enough and are willing to put in the work, it can be yours.” For a real red-blooded car guy, there are few experiences that match the satisfaction that comes from the feel and the sound and the soul of a great car that is performing at its best. When that car has a story and personal bond with you it’s even harder to describe, but when you are in that moment and it all comes together, there’s just no other way to say it. You are truly “Riding with the King”, and you can’t help throwing your head back a little and smiling.