The world’s rarest royal Cadillac is unveiled by Motorpool’s founder.

The Duchess, courtesy of General Motors

Pre-war Cadillac fans may remember a one-off Cadillac named “the Duchess.”  The ultra-rare, one-of-one, 1941 custom-bodied Fleetwood was purchased by the Duke of Windsor from Cadillac in 1941.

The Duchess as she sits today. One too many cocktails, perhaps?

The original 1941 engine. Note the large fresh air ductwork.

The car itself was loaded with unique touches.  Most noticeably, the Cadillac appears to be a C-bodied sedan lengthened to nearly 20 feet. The flowing fenders pre-dated Buick’s late 1940s Roadmaster lines. Fittingly, the car resembles a Series I or II Rolls Royce Silver Cloud from the late 1950s. The Duke and Dutchess were well known for their fashion sense and style, so Rolls Royce designers could certainly have been influenced in later years by the couple’s choice of transport.  Lastly, the center pillar is most certainly different from other 1941 Cadillacs–in fact, it looks to be from a 1942 Sixty Special.

The original rose-coloured interior made an inviting spot for royalty. And critters.

Other amenities include a custom rear-seat cabinet, which contains two lighted vanity mirrors and specially-tailored jewelry cases on sliding stainless-steel tracks. A built-in humidor and pipe rack were presumably designed for the Duke of Windsor. The rose-colored interior sports lush footrests and silk shades for all windows, including the electrically-operated driver’s partition.  A special air cooling/heating unit is operated from the base of the rear-seat console.

The car was last reportedly owned by the Duke and Duchess in 1952, whereupon it disappeared. . . until now.

The gold hood ornament still proudly flies over the bow.

Motorpool founder, Morgan Murphy, has been on the trail of the Dutchess for five years.  “I discovered the ownership of the car while searching for an Eldorado Brougham. The owner of Broughams 317 and 318 revealed to me that he owned the Dutchess among his collection of 40 Cadillacs from the forties and fifties.”

Murphy immediately tried to buy the entire collection.  “Bill Edmonds [the owner], was a bit of a recluse and absolutely refused to sell. But then he’d tell me to call back the following month.”  Murphy phoned him monthly for the next four years.

Persistence was rewarded last summer when Murphy finally purchased the Duchess from Mr. & Mrs. Edmonds. . . along with another dozen Cadillacs.

Sadly, years in Nassau and subsequent Texas storage took it’s toll on the famous car. Rust plagues the famous fenders and the interior was shredded by critters in the Edmond’s car barn. “Everything that stinks, stings, or sticks was in that yard,” Murphy says of extracting the car, “but happily we got her back to Birmingham intact and with all of her original accessories.”

Before touching the first piece of metal, Murphy has undertaken an exhaustive documentation process, including a trip to Oxford, England to comb through Royal archives. “A machine with this history and provenance deserves meticulous and exacting care,” Murphy says, “We’re going to insure it remains as historically accurate as humanly possible and technically feasible.”

To follow the Duchess’ restoration process, click here.

To ask a question to our experts on classic cars and vintage Cadillacs, give this link a try.

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