1959 Cadillac Cadillac SS Ambulance

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

Gasoline

Watch out for the 42” fins! NUTSBOY AUCTIONS presents a COOL & COLORFUL vintage 1959 S & S CADILLAC AMBULANCE that’s without a doubt the THE WORLD’S MOST UNIQUE ROLLING BILLBOARD! . . . that can be restored back to its former glory when it served a Kentucky Fire Dept. from 1959 – 1974. This is an advertisement for the original 1959 Cadillac Ambulance SS. Here’s the story of this behemoth. On August 28, 1999, the original owner of this stunning Cadillac was looking through an Old Cars Weekly magazine – with no intent on doing anything but looking and drooling – when he saw an ad for a 1972 Chevrolet Ambulance, a big old boxy thang. Unbidden, and within a few seconds, he had an idea for a new kind of Rolling Billboards company using old ambulances as the lure; within a half-minute he had the name: EMERGENCY ADVERTISING. Who could realize that one look was all it took? Well . . . that and about a half-million dollars – $250,000 alone (see some of the bills below) for the car up for auction right here on good old eBay. In short order, the company purchased 10 old ambulances and/or hearses (yikes!), ranging from a pristine 1956 Chevy Ambulance to a 1963 Cadillac Hearse. The joys and heartache came with each one. And here’s all that’s left – the prototype, built to specifications using an old AMT Ghostbusters Ecto-1A model kit. (Below is a picture of the model prototype, built from a 1/24th scale AMT Ghostbusters Model.) EMERGENCY ADVERTISING The World’s Most Unique Rolling Billboards would be up and running for a short time during the dot.com boom – and bust! It was simple: there were 5,000 companies coming on-line weekly in the early 2000s and Who (else) Ya Gonna Call? for instant publicity? Like Arnie Cunningham when he glimpsed a beaten and battered 1958 Plymouth in Stephen King’s Christine, it was love at first sight for its owner when he saw this ambulance in a Rancho Cucumonga, California junkyard - and had visions of what it could look like but, admittedly, couldn’t even dare to dream how utterly impressive this monster would look 2 ½ years later. The car was purchased for $3200 (the initial starting auction price) and was featured in numerous magazines, newspaper stories, ad campaigns, and – finally – on The Today Show with Al Roker the last time it was used on February 13, 2003 when some nut advertised for a wife. (He’s still looking). Thus, the 22’ long, 11 ft. high, approximate 7-8,000 lbs. steel-sinewed classic, has sat for quite a while in one spot after I lost storage space, and has not been started. Nor do I have any plans to. Sorry! Below is a link to a video of the car when the owner “advertised” for a wife during the month of February 2003. If you can cut the quagmire of absurdity, you will see the Cadillac in all its glory – both during the day and night. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LOHiQxEGkw The 1959 Cadillac is to be sold, AS IS, AS SHOWN IN THE SET OF “CURRENT PICTURES” BELOW, with the new buyer fully responsible for pick-up of both Cadillac and the accompanying trailer. The accompanying trailer is included and is used to put the massive (appx.) 1,000 lbs. billboard onto the railing built on top of the Cadillac. It was engineered quite well and quite efficiently so one person – using a series of steps (instructions included) - can transfer the sign onto the car; the sign can also be lowered onto the car from an overhead pulley system of your own design as there are eyelets built into the top of the sign. As you will see, from an invoice there was over $191,000 invested in the restoration, not including signage, trailed etc., bringing the total to over $250,000. The reserve is a fraction of that. I truly believe, given a little TLC, it to be worthy of entrance in Petersen’s Auto Museum in California or MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, or in your own Classic Car Garage It’s truly a Picasso, a Rolling Cloud Nine. The Cadillac was completely disassembled, taking nearly a year to get down to its skeletal remains, by a restoration company in Pennsylvania, since gone the way of the dinosaur. They took the company’s ideas and ran with them – and then some. More here, then: Here are some interesting tidbits about the vehicle: As stated, at fully operational weight, wuth the billboard secured, the Cadillac weighs. Should you choose to use it as an advertising vehicle, there are numerous offerings and ways to advertise, as shown on a business card photo below. Every nut and bolt was originally replaced; the car took 2 1/2 years to build (the original estimate was 9 months and $47,600). Jaws drop when you go down the street. The Cadillac has A/C, a dual braking system, authentic sirens, lights, etc. It has a television, DVD, AM/FM radio. It has a Federal Radio system. It has a BOSE outdoor speaker system. The signage on the trailer is hydraulilcally lifted onto the top of the car via a series of steps after the car has been aligned directly behind the Cadillac. ONE PERSON can load the sign onto the car. It has a scrolling message system that is imputted via a computer system that is hooked up to car. Note that the original computer does load the information, but the screen is cracked. Take a look at all the pics for more tidbits. Can this car be made back into a regular ambulance? I'm sure it can, but youthe expert would have to see about that. It was painstakingly built to house the 1000 pound sign that is bolted down, but everything can be "undone." (A 1957 Chevrolet Ambulance was purchased that was built the same way as this and made back into an ambulance. You can find that ambulance if you google it. Look for the ambulance with giant whitewalls and spinner hubcaps.) PLEASE SEE ALL PICTURES BELOW!! Below are pictures of the 1959 Cadillac when originally purchased in 1999. Below are pictures of the 1959 Cadillac Ambulance during a 2 ½ year restoration process. Above is a picture of the Cadillac after 1 ½ years of restoration. Looks like a skeleton of a prehistoric dinosaur, huh? The pictures that follow of the restoration are not in any particular order. Below are pictures of the 1959 Cadillac after being restored and in "action" around town. Again, the best thing is to cut and paste the link to Youtube above where you can REALLY see the World's Most Amazing Cadillac in action. Here you get just an idea how tall/big the Cadillac is with the billboard on it. Below are CURRENT PICTURES and CONDITION of 1959 Cadillac as of July 20, 2011. Please note THIS IS THE CONDITION OF THE CAR CURRENTLY and this is what you are now bidding on in this auction! *Note: Several cars were used for parts for this Cadillac; the wrong emblem was placed inside the engine compartment as this emblem (obviously) indicates this was a hearse from Cleveland, but THIS ACTUAL CAR was from a straight ambulance from a Fire Dept. in Kentucky. Hey, mistakes happen! \ If you need to see any more pictures, please specify and I will do my best to upload them. I am limited to show you more pictures of the undercarriage as I just don’t have room to get under it! Should you want to set up an appointment to see the Cadillac, do not hesitate to email me with your phone number and I will get back to you ASAP. A non-refundable deposit of US $2500.00 is due within 24 hours of auction close. Full payment required within 7 days of auction close. Balance is due within three days of auction’s end via paypal. Vehicle and trailer MUST be paid for in advance, before actual pick-up of vehicle. Please do not ask for any other arrangements. This car is being offered as-is, where-is. Pick-up and transport is the sole responsibility of the buyer. A $2500.00 non- refundable deposit is required at auction end by winning bidder and the remainder within 72 hours (three days). I reserve the right to end this auction early at my discretion as the car is for sale locally. High bidder is to contact seller within 24 hours from close of auction to make arrangements. DISCLAIMER: The owner is selling this car with the understanding that it is used and not in new or like new condition it is in need of total restoration. I understand the seller has made every effort to disclose every known defect with this vehicle and I will not hold the seller responsible for any undisclosed problems that may have been omitted from the description or be hidden or may have been overlooked or may occur or be discovered later. I am aware I am buying this vehicle AS IS, WHERE IS, AS SHOWN IN THE “CURRENT PICTURES” and there are no warranties or guarantees of any kind. I also understand the mileage showing on the odometer may not be the actual or true mileage of this vehicle. All sales are final and there will be no refunds. By bidding on this auction I agree and accept this disclaimer to be legal and binding and have read and understand it in its entirety. All sales final no refunds. The PayPal deposit is non-refundable. Ask questions, make no assumptions, please . . . And there you have it. Holy chance of a lifetime, Batman! What a perfect gift for that one-of-a-kind car lover in your life! Please visit our other auctions! Good Luck and Happy Bidding! Thanks for looking at NUTSBOY AUCTIONS! On Jul-20-11 at 19:52:15 PDT, seller added the following information: Unfortunately I received a bid as I was continuing editing of this auction copy and adding more pictures. Here is some more informtation and pictures. Sorry, if some are duplicates, but, again, if you need any more pics, let me know and I'll do my best! I will probably be adding more pics in the next few days of the trailer, etc. Through the years, rain did get inside the car – mostly in the front cabin – and it caused soiling on the carpets and ruined the headliner and the part of the side carpeting where the “nurse’s jump seat” is. There is some spotting on the front seats as well. All glass is in great shape with no cracks. Some condensation and such reached under the car and played havoc with the paint. Some of the decals and emblems that were originally on car still “show”; the entire car will need a repaint. We were unable to open any of the five doors to the car probably rusted and frozen in place) so we needed to remove both the rear hatch key (though we could not get in that way) and the passenger rear door mechanism. They will need to be replaced. Both the driver’s door and side passenger door do not close, nor are they flush. Some paint chipping was necessary in trying to get inside the car. Pictures for that noted is pretty self-explanatory. This is the sign that goes on the back of the car. The trailed needs to be aligned with back of the car and through some steps using the hydraulic lift (workable by one person), the 1000 pound sign slides onto the top of the car and locks in place. (This is the wrong emblem; we used several parts cars for this car and this car is an ambulance from a Kentucky Fire Dept. This is just the wrong emblem. Mistakes happen!!0 (There are no less than FOUR batteries, two in the engine bay and two in the back.) (Two screws keep this signs attached to the body. igns load through the top.) 0 MORE PICS TO COME . . . On Jul-21-11 at 03:34:27 PDT, seller added the following information: Here are more pictures of the accompanying trailer. Again, through a series of steps that one person can perform, after the trailer is aligned with the Cadillac, a hydraulic lift will raise then slide billboard sign onto Cadillac along a track and then be locked in place. On Jul-28-11 at 21:23:44 PDT, seller added the following information: Thank you to everyone with their nice comments about the car / business. It is very satisfying! I will be letting the auction run its course, and I thank everyone that has shown interest when coming to see the Caddy. As of Thursday evening, there are 135 watchers, so get ready to rumble!!!! Good Luck! SandyOn Jul-29-11 at 06:53:09 PDT, seller added the following information: Hi again, Many potential suitors have inquired about if they win the auction do they have to take the signage, trailer, etc. The answer is that you are bidding on the entire lot (car, signs, trailer, etc.) . That is what your final bid reflects; however if you do not want anything but the car, that is your choice and I will hold the others. There will be no reduction in the final selling price, no matter what. Once again, should you win the auction, the final selling price is for the car and all its components. If you do not want anything in the auction, I will hold onto it WITHOUT a reduction in the final auction selling price. Thank You and good luck to all watchers.