The passion that never died… The summer of 1990 was when I saw a Cadillac Club Coupe for the first time. At the time I did not have the knowledge to tell what year it was or ,for that matter, what the model was called. I knew this much though, it was a Cadillac and I was in love with the most beautiful two-ton piece of steel I had ever seen. Five years later I was offered to buy a 1947 Club Coupe, the exact same car I saw back in '90, but since I did not have the money I had to let it go. The '47 had been imported to Denmark from California and was fairly straigth and solid. The interior was in a sad state and the flathead engine had given way for a smallblock Chevy, but at $5000 it was still an okay driver. The car passed through a couple of "enthusiasts" and finally ended up with a friend of mine, who still owns it. Back in 1990 I was a carpenter apprentice, and with not too many digits on my paycheck, I was forced to choose my first car with economy in mind. As I still wanted to ride in style, a 1954 VW bug was purchased. I grew to like that little bug so much, that for the following 13 years, I stuck to the aircooled wonders of Germany. I advanced over the years, restoring the more expensive models and at the same time doing more and more of the work myself, thus saving more money. In 2002, after enjoying a summer in my newly restored Karmann Ghia, I realized that it would sell for a price, enabling me to pursue the Cadillac I had allways wanted. With the Ghia sold to a fellow enthusiast, my pockets full of money and the internet at hand, my search was on. Sadly it was to be a lot harder than I had ever imagined. I tried advertising in the Scandinavian medias both web-based and printed, but without any luck (of course, now I know why.... these are great cars that you don't just sell off). I eventually found the Cadillac-Lasalle club website and started posting about my search for a Cadillac fastback. I had done my homework over the years, could tell the models apart and was set on a 1948-49 fastback, prefferably a '49 as I liked the "new" 331 engine. At first I had a hard time getting replies. It seemed like nobody had a clue as to where I might find one for sale fitting my needs and wallet, but I came pretty close a couple times. The hardest part, I guess, was when being in Denmark it really sets you back when trying to get the good deals in time. Finally I got a reply from Jeff Maltby. He suggested some sources to contact and he even sent me links to ads that I might have missed (Thanks Jeff!!). One late night, while "surfing" the usual sites, I saw an ad in the Cadillac-Lasalle buy&sell section. It was a 1949 Cadillac Club Coupe, tan, with 62.000 miles on the odometer. Fresh out of storage since '73 and the price seemed reasonable. I called the owner immediately and got an "oh yeah, it's still here." He agreed to email some photos of the Cad that same day and I did my best to convince him that I would hold my end of the deal, if the car was as he stated. He was a real stand-up guy, as he assured me that untill I had seen the photos and made up my mind, he would hold off other buyers. From the 30+ photos, I decided to go for it! All that was needed now was the owner faxing me a bill of sale and a copy of the title. On my end I had to transfer the money to him. Apparently it was not that easy to figure out, how to get a fax through to Denmark 'cause he sure tried a few times. Finally he told me that he needed to see some money soon, as there were now several potential buyers for the car. One guy was even from his own neighborhood, he stated. Another guy, from the east coast, wanted to send a truck to pick it up right away. As I visualized the dreamcar slipping away, I decided to chance it (something I'll never do again). Next day I completed the money transfer and sent an email to the seller, asking him to try the fax once more....... At the same time I received the papers in the fax, he confirmed having the money on his account. Phew! The shipping arrangements had already been made so that my fastback would be picked up and transported to Long Beach, get packed and ready for its boatride to Europe. All went smooth until a strike hit the harbour personel..... another two weeks added to a two months wait! On the scheduled day of arrival I went to work as usual, knowing that I would have to leave early to recieve my "package". My older brother was on his way to work in the very western part of Denmark, (only a 5 hour drive from one end of the country to the other.... small country) when he spotted my Cadillac on a truck. A phonecall later I was on my way to the garage waiting to finally see "her". Needless to say I was happy.....and even happier to see a car matching the description I had been given. Not better, not worse. It was now late summer and I did not start working on it until early winter. While working on my Cad I found the brakes to be in very good shape, at least for sitting the last 32 years. I replaced the lines, hoses, bearing grease and had the master cylinder restored. The waterpump started leaking on its first revolution after all those years, so I had a good friend help out with that. The wiring was too far gone, the core even exposed in a lot of places, so I decided to start over on that. New wiring loom, a rebuilt generator and a fresh battery later it was time to wake her up. I had changed the oil in both engine and transmission and was pretty set on starting her up before doing anything else. All I knew was that the old 331 wasn't stuck. With the camera in place, we started the almost frankenstein-like session of feeding her carburated fuel and prearranged sparks, with the help of a true, stock and untouched starter motor. Five tries later she began to huff and puff....... then a rough idle. I was inside the car, not knowing if it had died or it was running, so I stomped the accellerator. Suddenly a wide variety of nuts, grass and seat padding flew out the exhaust and as I got off the pedal, she purred at a perfect idle. Needless to say we were jumping up and down. Not a missfire, not one alarming sound or clonk...... I was happy! Since then, during the summer and fall of 2005, we have driven the Club Coupe to a couple of meets and some cruises with friends. Have propably put around 1500 miles on her. Naturally, having come out of 32 years of storage, almost all the gaskets in the drivetrain have started leaking to a point that I am embarrassed to park it near anyone I know. That is the reason why this winter is spent pulling the engine and trans, resealing everything. I will be giving the engine some new rings as well, if required. The rest of the undercarriage will also get some attention, but only what is needed to get that smooth ride. As far as future plans go.... I will need to replace the lower part of the rear wheel wells, just in front of the wheel. Both body and fenders need some panels, so I will start a search for that. Leads from 49'ers appreciated! Also, since the original hubcaps were stolen, in 1965 according to previous owner, I am looking for a set of Sombreros to complete the trim. A set of nice used caps would fit the cars patina best, but if that can not be found, maybe I will go for some repops. Any leads or info on either from you readers would be great! I could even use a good rear bumper since the original has been bent, propably from just kicking the car off the jack. Lastly, a big thanks, to every one of you out there, for making this a great hobby and club. Without your help and guidance, a projekt like this on the other side of the pond, would be near impossible. Thomas Bredahl bredahl@gearheads.dk