GM Wanted This Cadillac Concept Destroyed — Nearly 70 Years Later, It Sold for $494,500

Imagine being told to destroy a car, only to discover decades later that keeping it could make automotive history. That’s essentially what happened to a remarkable 1956 Cadillac concept that General Motors expected to disappear into the scrap heap.

Instead, the one-off Eldorado Brougham Town Car survived, passed through the hands of collectors and recently sold for $494,500 at an RM Sotheby’s auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Known inside GM as XP-48, the Cadillac was created for the company’s 1956 Motorama show. Robert Cumberford, just 19 at the time, designed it with contributions from Herb Cadeau and GM design chief Harley Earl. Based on the 1955 Eldorado Brougham Concept, it pushed the luxury idea considerably further. The front compartment was open for a chauffeur, while rear passengers enjoyed an enclosed cabin separated by glass.

And this was no ordinary back seat. Black and beige leather, Wilton wool carpeting, gold-finished hardware, and air conditioning set the tone, while an intercom, cigar humidor, and drinking glasses made the rear cabin feel more like a private lounge. After appearing at Motorama, the Cadillac traveled to the Paris Salon later that year.

Its survival, however, came down to one man’s refusal to follow orders. In 1958, GM sent the car to Warhoops Used Auto & Truck Parts in Warren, Michigan, along with several other concept vehicles destined for destruction. Owner Harry Warholak Sr. partially dismantled some of them but kept the Cadillac hidden in a trailer. His son later explained that he had hoped to use it at his daughter’s wedding. That plan never materialized, but the car survived.

The Cadillac eventually passed through several collectors’ hands before enthusiast Dick Baruk acquired it in 1996 and completed its restoration. The job was more complicated than polishing the chrome: the original concept had no functional powertrain, electrical system, or brakes. Although it used a production GM chassis and its major body panels worked normally, it was never built as a fully operational road car. Baruk fitted a period-correct engine and transmission, complete with dual four-barrel carburetors and gold-plated valve covers.

The restored Cadillac later won Best in Class at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Nearly seven decades after GM planned to destroy it, XP-48 has earned a very different kind of recognition - and a $494,500 sale price. Turns out, one scrapyard owner had a better sense of this car’s future than its creators did.