Frank Nicodemus, Sr - My Passion For Classic Cadillac's - Chapter 2

Passion For Classic Cadillac'sMy passion for Cadillac’s began in 1960 and I can remember the 1957 Cadillac on display at a local Cadillac dealer in the Bronx, New York, where I grew up.  My next door neighbor owned a Shell gas station.  He purchased a brand new 1960 Eldorado Biarritz Convertible.  It was a plum color exterior and a white leather interior with a white top.

It was at that time my interest grew stronger.  I was searching for cars in salvage yards that I could fix up.  I also found cars of interest; I would place an ad in Hemmings magazine, parting out the car and took order requests for parts.  I visited the salvage yards on weekends that people were requesting, called back the perspective customer, described the condition and cost for the part he was looking for and made many sales this way.

My parts business at that time was County Classics located in Irvington, New York.

As the demand for Cadillac parts became difficult to find and expensive to buy, I started duplicating and reproducing small items and leather for interiors.  During the mid to late 1970’s I had a full line of Cadillac ornamentation, moldings, decals, interior products, interior leather and upholstery.

I predominantly purchased Cadillac’s from  1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960’s and sold them for retail as well as salvaged cars and later resold them for retail.

In the early 1970’s, I purchased a 1959 Cadillac Deville convertible in Black, red interior, white top, and I purchased from the original owner who lives in Elmsford, New York.  I had known about the car for several years.  One snowy wintery day, after a heavy storm, I passed the owner’s home; she was an elderly woman and she was attempting to shovel out her driveway to get to the garage.  I was anxious to show my father this car.  We helped her move the snow to the garage.  We opened up the doors looking at the car and she began to tell us that she “purchased another smaller vehicle and the dealer did not want to take it in trade.  Her sister-in-law told her to sell it and she claimed that she was always jealous of her gorgeous Cadillac”.  I kept this car until 1986 and later sold it to build a barn at my former residence.  The purpose of the buildings was to store classic Cadillacs and create a work atmosphere where I could continue to make replacement and reproduction parts to hobbyist that were not available at that time.

Before 1986, I owned approximately 50 Cadillacs prior to my moving to Dutchess County, New York.