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Classic beauty fetches a mint

By RITA FARLOW
Published January 24, 2007

After a week of hope and hype, it was over in a flash.

When the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville, owned by John Pfanstiehl and Kelly Cisarik, rolled onto the auction block at Barrett-Jackson's shortly after 9 Friday night, serious bidders wasted no time.

The car fetched $150,000 at the show, one of the country's most prestigious car auctions in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Cadillac now belongs to an undisclosed collector from the west coast.

"I don't know as yet whether he displays his cars or not, but many (collectors) do," Pfanstiehl said.

The Indian Rocks Beach couple said they hoped the car would end up in a museum or would be bought by a serious collector who would show the car. After the Caddy spent 25 years in the garage, Pfanstiehl said it was time the public got to see it.

Pfanstiehl said he hasn't gotten used to the empty space in his garage. "It's one of these things that I think it really takes a while to set in," he said.

Pfanstiehl and Cisarik spent the last week in Scottsdale, taking in the sites and sounds of the auction. Pfanstiehl said the car generated a lot of attention from the crowd.

Not only is the car believed to have the lowest mileage of any '59 Eldorado Seville, but it was an integral part of a murder trial in the early 1960s. Pfanstiehl bought the car from the son of the original owner, Maurice Gagnon. Gagnon, a wealthy jewelrymaker, was shot and killed in the car in 1959.

Now that his one-of-a-kind Cadillac is gone, Pfanstiehl said he's in no rush to buy another classic car but plans on keeping his eyes open.

"It was a museum car. I really couldn't drive it because of the mileage, so I'll be looking for something with lower mileage," he said.

[Last modified January 23, 2007, 22:41:35]