 I’ve done what I can to protect its location. It’s in the process of becoming one with the landscape. Where a car is last parked has meaning. I rounded a corner on a long walk one day and there it was in the wild. I check on it occasionally, looking for something new to notice. “The Sunday car,” writes dannysdailys on the model page on the Cadillac Forum. “You are in no hurry,” adds Faded Crest, “This behemoth was tailor made…for a single man…It epitomizes pure unadulterated, sexy, personal extravagance.” It’s also a nice fit for a single lady. The colour is vanilla soft serve. It’s either Cotillon or Cameo White according to Cadillac paint names. I’d call this Biarritz, Butter. I can see Greg Allman behind the wheel. Bankers in my Lake Huron hometown bought them in black with red leather interior. It was DeNiro’s ride in Casino, albeit a later model. A 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, according to an amateur. Details like the silver swoosh running along a rise in the hood toward the logo and the spoked rims are clues. It’s for long drives and smoking, with tufted marshmallow cushions and a silver ash tray and lighter at every seat. Half windows in the back give the interior a lush privacy. The antenna disappears into the body — a sign of electronics. It’s 20 feet plus in length and most of it is out front. Driving it on the Boulevard du Général de Gaulle — the turquoise Mediterranean out the window — in its namesake town would be meta. The story of the owner could go off in as many directions as the spokes on the rims. I’m expecting one day to round the corner and find its imprint on the pavement. *** Whipped cream in baba — another paint colour name. Happiness is a Friday night meander that ends at Serano Bakery. It is real busy straight through close. The service is European — brisk and professional. The goddess of hospitality introduced me to it just this year. Twenty-five years in Toronto and still learning. *** You can bet this song played in that car. The music is another custom detail. Cadillac’s were first built in Detroit, the city where the Commodores recorded for Motown. I was fourteen when Easy was released in 1977, and whenever I hear the piano opening I feel that age again. Both versions are good. You pick. 1977/20221977Comments are closed.
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