To be invited to the Cadillac Heritage Display in Pebble Beach is nothing short of a big deal. In fact, only the finest Cadillac examples even stand a chance at going to the event. This year, two Cadillac collectors from California made the trip with their rare, fully restored cars to put them on display. Thanks to GM News for bringing us the story.
The collectors, Dave Ventresca and Mike Porto, have been collecting and restoring cars for years now. Both men chose to take their open-air Cadillacs to the show, which took place at the Pebble Beach Golf Course on August 20th and 21st. As we reported, the classic open-air cars proved as inspiration for Cadillac’s latest concept car, the Ciel. Fittingly, the Ciel was also unveiled at the event.
Ventresca took his hand-built ‘53 Eldorado to the show. It has a custom interior, 331cui V8 and four-speed automatic transmission. Created to cater to affluent buyers, Ventresca’s Eldorado is one of only 533 made of its kind.
Porto’s Cadillac is one of only 21 triple heather Eldorados made in 1962. Discovered floor-deep in mud in a salvage yard, Porto worked along with another Cadillac collector, Mark Gebhart to begin the restoration process. When Gebhart passed away in 1995, Porto inherited the car and spent countless hours piecing the car together, using his other ‘62 as a reference.
The two collectors definitely earned their place in the Heritage Display with all the work and dedication they put into their cars. Along with the two Eldorados, a 1905 Runabout and a ‘31 Fleetwood dual-cowl phaeton limousine were also on display.
