Pre-registered Magnificent Modifieds owners with their Certificates of Appreciation

In spite of intermittent rain showers on the morning of Sunday, October 25th, Magnificent Modifieds truly ended up being magnificent!  A total of 62 cars, including 10 modfieds, participated in the show.  For the first time in CLC history, a Regional car show held at a Cadillac dealership featured modified Cadillacs and LaSalles.  The modifieds were registered in one of three special peer judging classes for the featured group: Class A: Pre-War Modifieds (1902-1942), Class B: Post-War Modifieds Early (1946-64) and Class C: Post-War Modifieds Late (1965-present).  

As an added feature, the show provided CLC Head Judge Bill Anderson an opportunity to test the draft judging rules for the newly created CLC Modified Division.  Three cars participated in this trial judging conducted by Bill and volunteers Brendan O’Rourke and Rick Menz (pictured below). The Modified Division judging program will take place, for the first time at a CLC national event, at the 2017 Grand National in McLean, VA.

The vehicles ranged in years from a 1903 Model A to a 2010 DTS Livery.  The 1903 Cadillac (pictured right) is #781 out of 2,497 produced in that model year.  Cadillac records show that the car was sold new by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, that its body was painted black, and that it was equipped with Fisk tires and axles produced by the American Ball Bearing Co.  The car is a runabout with an optional tonneau added to provide a rear seat and additional passenger capacity.  It is also equipped with picnic baskets.  When the car was new, the tonneau cost an extra $100, and the picnic baskets cost $18.

In addition to the modifieds making history, there were three Fleetwood Talismans at the show, one for each model year of 1974-76 (pictured above).   Most attendees have never seen all three years of the Talisman at one show, including Grand Nationals.  Read the story about Lynn Gardner, Jack McClow and Earl Rutter's Talismans (pictured left) in the Hemmings Blog. 

Modifieds and Classics alike in the Showroom

Best of Show – John Denison’s
modified 1955 Coupe Deville
 

As the case with previous shows, the crew of volunteers arrived before 8:00 AM to register and park the cars.  By the time DJ Mike Veilleux of Music Madness played the National Anthem at 10:00 AM to officially open the show, which has become a tradition, there was a respectable number of cars on the showfield and in the showroom considering that it rained a good portion of the morning.  For lunch, Red, Hot, Blue of Laurel, MD was on-site to serve attendees and spectators their delicious food.

Mark E. Brodsky’s 1953 Eldorado --
one of two Azure Blue '53 Eldos at the show

Thanks to Daniel Jobe, Capitol Cadillac and the Potomac Region volunteers pictured above for making it a special day!
 

As announced in the show flyer and newsletters leading up to the show, the judging and awards ceremony both began 30 minutes earlier than normal to allow the participants as much time as possible to drive home before the 1:00 PM Redskins game ended.  Master of Ceremonies Richard Sills welcomed the attendees to the awards ceremony with his opening remarks on the theme of the show (pictured right).  Here is an excerpt:

 “One of the special features of our fall show each year is to choose a special theme to honor to a select category of Cadillacs or LaSalles.  This year, we dedicate our Fall Show to honor the “Magnificent Modifieds” – those Cadillacs and LaSalles whose present or past owners used their own imagination, designing skills and craftsmanship to create something a little bit different – or in some cases a lot different – from the products sold by General Motors. 

The traditional values of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club, like most mainstream car clubs, have been oriented toward authenticity – cars that are either preserved or restored with complete adherence to the way the manufacturer built them.  And yet, when we look at significant cars of the past, we see the creations that appeared in the GM Motorama – the concept cars, and the dream cars that the GM stylists and executives themselves conjured up to excite the public, and to try out new innovations.  Top GM executives in past years would often commission the GM styling studio to create a one-off modified version of the current model car for their own personal driving enjoyment.   And, going back to the Classic Era and before, well-to-do customers would order a new Cadillac or other fine car and have it shipped off to a custom coachbuilder for special modifications before taking delivery.   The special creations by coachbuilders such as Fleetwood, Brunn, LeBaron and Willoughby would be displayed in Cadillac showrooms, auto shows, and other venues.  The public was inspired by the custom creations that sprang from the imaginations, and from the design studios, of those who could not be satisfied by standard offerings of the manufacturers.  And what were these outstanding cars?  They were, of course, “modified cars”.

So “modified cars” really have a long and illustrious history.  Then and now, the observer might find some modifications that he would admire, and others that are not to his particular taste.   But either way, those who design and create modified cars do so because they consider the car as a thing of beauty, as an art form, to be enhanced and to be the subject of creative thinking, rather than as a mere appliance that just performs an everyday function.”

Lester Bailey's modified
1951 Coupe Deville

Randy Edison with his 1968 Eldorado

Interior of Andy Armstrong's
modified 1960 Eldorado Biarritz

Trunk had modified touches too

No show is complete
without a 1959 Cadillac

Carlisle Custom & Classics
modified 1963 Coupe Deville

Showfield's finest

Taking it all in!

Showroom glamour

More showfield

Debbie Taylor's modified
1965 Coupe Deville

Memphis, Tennessee's finest
circa 1960

The Honorable Emmett V. Jordan, Mayor of Greenbelt, presented the Mayor’s Choice Award to Fred Palmieri, Medford, NJ, for his 1998 Eldorado Convertible (pictured right).

Debbie Taylor announced the winner of the Ladies Choice Award, Dirke Williams, Laurel, MD,  for his 1963 Series 62 Convertible (pictured below right).

Mark E. Brodsky, Chevy Chase, MD, (pictured below right) received the Dealer’s Choice Award from Daniel Jobe for his Azure Blue 1953 Eldorado, which was being shown at Capitol Cadillac for the first time.  Mark was also presented the Henry S. Ruby Memorial Award by Dan Ruby.

Finally, were the Best of award winners!  The Best Pre-War car, the best Cadillac or LaSalle from 1942 and earlier, was awarded to James Elliott, Yorktown, VA, for 1903 Model A (pictured below).  James drove the first-year Cadillac in and out of the showroom.

The Best Post-War car (late) was awarded to Dan Arnold, York, PA,  (pictured below right) for his modified, red 1967 Coupe Deville, one of the many beautiful modified cars on display in the showroom. 

Our most prestigious award, the Best of Show Award, went to John Denison, Upper Marlboro, MD, for his modified 1955 Coupe Deville (pictured above).  The workmanship (example below) was second to none on this day and most any other days!