- An incredibly rare Chevrolet El Morocco is primed to cross Mecum’s auction block.
- The modified convertible is one of only 10 cars built in 1957 by Reuben Allender.
- Based on a ’57 Chevrolet, it looks like a baby Caddy thanks to its unique tail fins.
Cadillac’s 1975 Seville was a game-changer for the brand, bringing GM’s most luxurious nameplate into the reach of Americans looking for smaller, more affordable cars. Two decades prior, that option wasn’t available to buyers, so one Canadian Cadillac fan set out to build something along the same lines, and one of the incredibly rare surviving examples is about to hit the auction scene.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== “DESKTOP”){
adpushup.triggerAd(“0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8”);
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd(“82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f”);
}
});
Reuben Allender wasn’t in the car business. He made his money – a lot of them, actually – from textiles, but he also loved his Cadillacs and reckoned a smaller version of the 1955 Eldorado would be a hit. So he set about creating one, basing his first car on a 1956 Chevrolet, which at 195.6 inches (4,970 mm) was more than 25 inches (635 mm) shorter than an Eldorado.
Related: 1957 Chevy ‘Hellair’ Hides A Dirty Surprise Under Its Hood
But with fiberglass Eldorado-style tail fixed fixed to the Chevy’s rear quarters it had a similar look, and it also got a very similar name, El Morocco, something Allender apparently appropriated from a Manhattan nightclub of the time.
Other changes included a modified grille containing a pair of ‘Dagmars,’ rocket-shaped protrusions named after a buxom glamour girl and TV star of the period. These were actually reversed ’37 Dodge headlight shells.
Steel Fins and Small Block Power
Switching to the updated 1957 Chevy the following season, Allender’s team moved from fiberglass fins to steel ones, and lower body-side moldings mimicked the look of Caddy’s flagship Brougham. The front end was less flamboyant this year, but the grille was cleaned up by the removal of its central bar, and El Morocco lettering replaced the stock Chevrolet name above the V-shaped hood emblem Allender opted to retain.
Photos Mecum
The engines were kept standard, but that was no hardship since Chevy’s legendary small block had only just debuted in 1955 and was streets ahead of its rivals. For 1957 it got a stretch from 265 cu-in (4.3 liters) to 283 cu-in (4.7 liters), and with the optional four-barrel carb like the one in this car was rated at a solid 195 hp (198 PS), which it sends to the rear wheels through a two-speed Powerglide auto.
Mecum Auctions says this drop-top is one of only 10 cars built for 1957 (other sources suggest only two convertibles were produced that year). It’s covered just 78 miles since a concours restoration that must have cost its owner a small fortune.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== “DESKTOP”){
adpushup.triggerAd(“bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c”);
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd(“9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751”);
}
});
A Pricey Passion Project
The cars also weren’t cheap to buy when new, reportedly coming in around 30 percent more expensive than the Chevy donors and too close to the price of a real Cadillac. Even so, Allender failed to make any money on the venture and called it a day after two years.
This one hits the auction on May 17 and it’ll sell come what may because there’s no reserve. But to give you some kind of ballpark estimate, Mecum sold this same car in 2021 for $220,000. You can check out the auction listing here, or find out more about Allender’s crazy Chevillac project and see archive pictures of those fins being added at Coachbuilt.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== “DESKTOP”){
adpushup.triggerAd(“bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c”);
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd(“9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751”);
}
});
Photos Mecum
#Chevillacs
