Friday, March 11, 2011

Al Capone's Cadillac



Or at least one of them. A fortress on wheels, the Cadillac was made to Capone's own specifications and was loaded with such "amenities" as bullet-proof glass, custom-designed portholes to accommodate blazing machine guns, boiler-plate panels, a drop pocket under the floor for peppering the road with tacks and a spray gun under the car that would leave an oil slick waiting for pursuing vehicles.

Bonhams Quail Lodge Automotive (Carmel, California) in August 2009 put the 1930 Cadillac of Al Capone and “The Outfit” (a.k.a. the Chicago Mob) up for auction; a series 452 V-16 Armored Imperial Sedan. The Bonhams' estimate was $250,000 – 300,000, but their website does not contain the result.

Based on a seven-passenger Imperial Sedan by Fleetwood, its doors are reinforced with ¼” steel armor. All the glass is 5-ply laminated. The side windows have round ports cut in them as noted above. A police band radio nestles under the dashboard conveniently above the front seat passenger’s feet.

If your budget doesn't extend to the real thing, you can still own a model of it: Franklin Mint have a detailed 1:24 scale model priced at $200.

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