Danbury Mint 1957 Cadillac Biarritz Convertible

Elegant car, elegant choice for a diecast. I am once again amazed at the eclectic offerings coming from Connecticut lately. The Cadillac crowd has to be cheering for this selection. The fifties-Cadillac crowd must be positively ecstatic! Gee, I am and I am not a big 50’s Caddy fan. You know, come to think of it, as I look this model over, I suppose I am dead wrong; I am a fan, I really am. The big Biarritz boat translates large into 1:24th scale replica form. With a 1:1 wheelbase of 129.5 inches and stretched out a leisurely 221.2 inches in overall length, the car weighed a hefty 4800 plus pounds. Guess you could call that a yacht! The car changed its appearance in 1957 over the previous year’s slightly less radical styling endeavor. The rear quarter haunches sloped downward into the now commonly-coined terminology, “chipmunk cheek” fenders and the poke-your-eye-out shark fins were moved inboard for a jet-propelled look. This was Cadillac, out-of-the-box styling for the day, at its finest.

And once more, Danbury stuck the shape contours, overall style and stance and the faithful look of the classic automobile in perfect scale commitment. They sprayed it, equally as elegant as the car itself, in a Dusty Rose metallic that helps define and delineate the exquisite lines, curves and slopes of the body. Let’s face it; if you were to be seen driving this, “Hey, look at me” behemoth, you might as well be clothed in the appropriate color selection. Opt out the interior in black and white, roll on the fat whitewalls on Sabre Spoke wheels, drop the sails of the rag top and hoist the three-piece hard boot and you were stylin’ and smilin’ up a sea-storm. DM applied the paint as if it was liquid glass. It shines through a nautical mile of gloss. The pieces all fit gaplessly and tight. The doors open, inward in front, mimicking the real doors, on internal hinging. There is a working striker plate on the door jamb and a sprung steel pin in the door to align and hold the doors fast. The trunk is mounted to the body shell on realistically scaled and formed hinges and once again we find those incredibly crafted scissors springs under the hood that work like the miniature marvels they really are. Within the confines of each of these panels is yet more marvelous stuff.

First, though, let’s peer under the big beast itself. Be sure to catch the working suspension. Up front the entire cradle arm moves; not just the individual wheel on a spring. In the back, the suspension moves on operational leaf springs and working shocks. Don’t miss the DM’s handling of metal transmission lines, emergency brake cabling and tiny genuine springs to assimilate the real deal. Then on your way up and back to the trunk check out the small opening gas filler door. Push in at the top of it to gain access. Within is the flawlessly defined gas cap. Be careful not to touch the delicate gold “Eldorado” block letters on the trunk lid as you open the cavernous storage area. You will note the replication of the trunk lid latching mechanism inside and just above the license plate. Even that little sucker, the plate frame, is detailed to the hilt, but I digress. It is easy to do with this model; there are details everywhere! Where was I? Oh, yeah, the trunk, the trunk, the trunk. Sorry, there’s a big time echo in this massive compartment. The spare is removable and shows the same attention to detail as the other mounted wheels. Held up to a light source, you can see through the spokes. You may also see the perfectly drilled five mounting holes. The jack and tire iron are mounted on the ledge next to the spare. Looking beyond to the passenger’s compartment you will see the simulated fabric of the top well. Without the top or hard boot in place, Danbury replicated a fabric-lined piece of material to yield a realistic ‘feel’ to the top storage compartment. Both the three-piece boot and fabric-covered ‘up top’ fit faultlessly in place. Inside the ‘up top’ is yet more detailing. Chrome trim pieces help in the realism and with the connection detailing when the top is erected in place.

The interior contains a plethora of refinement for the passengers. Six-way power seats, a perfect little fold-out arm rest between the front seats. Folding visors, with mirror on the passenger’s side, perfectly formed button controls, gauges, door handles and cranks and delicately etched “Cadillac” scripts on the door sills. For me though, the icing on each of my Danbury Mint cup cakes lies in the engine bay. I suspect the same for a lot of ‘car guys and ladies’. Here, DM goes to town with detail in a big way. No disappointments with this big Biarritz, fellas and gals. The motor bay rocks! Start off by feeling the simulated under-hood insulation. Cool. Then stare at the big 325 horse Clydesdale V-8. Pretty as a picture, it’s painted, wired, plumbed and battery-cabled to reality. And did I mention those exquisite scissors springs? Oh, yeah, sorry. I just cannot praise DM’s detail excellence enough. I like the car displayed with the top up but can see where a large number of folks might like the boot to be in place. After all, there’s more to see and be seen in that way.

Given this model maker’s proclivity for releasing diecasts that lend themselves to variants of the original issue, can we foresee a Seville hardtop in our future? If history repeats itself and this model sells well enough, it could be possible; and this model WILL sell well, it is that good.

-Tony Perrone