Cadillac taste, Chevrolet budget? 1957 El Morocco sells for $140,000

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco. Photos courtesy Leake Auctions.

As Reuben Allender envisioned the El Morocco, it would provide Cadillac style to those who could only afford Chevrolets, a sure-fire way to appeal to those whose tastes ran beyond their means. Nowadays, however, El Moroccos come rather close to selling for Cadillac prices, as we see from the example that sold at auction this past weekend for $140,800, including buyer's fees.

Reuben Allender (Ruby, to his friends) had amassed a fortune buying and selling surplus goods, and although he could afford to drive a new Cadillac, he understood that others with a passion for automobiles were less fortunate. Upon seeing how much the 1955 Chevrolet resembled a Cadillac, a light bulb went on in Allender's brain; hiring engineer and fiberglass expert Cyril Olbrich, the pair produced a body kit meant to make a new Chevrolet look like the latest Cadillac Eldorado. Even the name of the car, the El Morocco, was chosen for its similarity to the Cadillac model.

Production of the El Morocco began in 1956, and was originally limited to convertible and two-door hardtop models. Rear fins were crafted from fiberglass (though this changed to steel for 1957), and "Dagmars" for the front grille were originally crafted from 1937 Dodge pickup headlamps, mounted in reverse. Initially, the El Morocco split the difference in pricing between the Chevrolet and the Cadillac, but Allender soon realized that asking a premium for an unknown product probably wasn't the best way to get his product off the ground.

Prices were reduced for 1957, and a four-door hardtop model, like the turquoise and silver example that crossed the stage last weekend, was introduced into the lineup. Allender didn't keep precise records, so it isn't clear how many were constructed for the second model year, but the low estimate is 10 and the high estimate is 16. By 1958, the design of the Cadillac Eldorado had changed so much that a Chevrolet-based El Morocco was no longer practical, although it's said that Allender only gave up when he couldn't get parts in a timely manner to produce a third series.

Leake Auctions claims the car that crossed the stage on Saturday was one of only three 1957 El Morocco sedans known to survive, and it had been subjected to a body-off restoration completed in 2010. Though lacking the rear fender skirts found on other El Morocco models (reportedly purchased, along with the car's wheel covers, from aftermarket catalogs), this was still a rare example of a 1950s custom, which explains the car's $140,800 selling price.

1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible.

Other cars cracking into the top 10 in Dallas included a just-restored 1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, sold for $165,000; a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a numbers-matching 435-hp, 427-cu.in. V-8, which sold for $114,400; a 1967 Ghia 450 SS convertible, which sold for $96,250; a 2006 Bentley Flying Spur, which sold for $79,200; a 2003 Ferrari 360 Modena, which sold for $78,100; a 2005 Bentley Continental GT, which sold for $78,100; a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa, which sold for $77,000; a 2009 Dodge Challeger SRT8, built as a SEMA show car, which sold for $71,500; and a 1976 Ford Bronco, also constructed as a SEMA show car, which sold for $71,500.

1978 Subaru BRAT 4x4 pickup.

Less expensive vehicles from the auction included a 1958 Ford Custom 300 sedan, which sold for $4,180; a 1952 Packard 200 Series sedan, which sold for $4,675; a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL convertible, which sold for $5,170; a 1962 Oldsmobile F85 convertible, which sold for $5,280; a 1966 Ford Mustang with a 289-cu.in. V-8, which sold for $5,500; a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbriar van, which sold for $5,610; a 1978 Subaru BRAT 4x4 pickup, which sold for $6,050; a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, which sold for $7,480; a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Coupe, which sold for $9,130; and a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta Super 88 Royale convertible, which sold for $9,625.

For complete results from Leake Auction's Dallas sale, visit LeakeCar.com.