A 1972 Cadillac Eldorado station wagon owned by legendary stunt performer Evel Knievel is up for sale in the U.K. through Bonhams.
Knievel’s cars had the same subtlety as his wardrobe. Cadillac didn’t produce station wagons in the 1970s, but aftermarket companies offered conversions. The work on this car was done by American Sunroof Corporation (ASC, also known as American Specialty Cars). The cost was quite high, so only eight ASC-converted Cadillac wagons are thought to exist, according to the sale listing.
1972 Cadillac Eldorado wagon owned by Evel Knievel (photo via Bonhams)
The Knievel Cadillac also stands out because, instead of being based on a more practical four-door model like the 1976 Cadillac Castillian Fleetwod Estate Wagon that came up for auction in 2020, it’s based on the Eldorado coupe. This generation of Eldorado launched for the 1971 model year, and was one of the only American cars in production at the time with front-wheel drive. Cadillac’s designers didn’t exactly exploit the more compact packaging of that drivetrain, though.
With wagon bodywork grafted on aft of the rear door pillars, the Eldorado measures 18.5 feet long. While it does have an 8.2-liter V-8 under the hood, that massive engine produces just 235 hp. That’s not much considering the amount of car the engine needs to move.
1972 Cadillac Eldorado wagon owned by Evel Knievel (photo via Bonhams)
The car was originally purchased by a P.B. Burnett, owner of a produce company, who then sold it to Knievel in 1975. It now shows just 36,000 miles on the odometer, but it appears a bit rough around the edges, including some surface rust.
Despite the celebrity connection, Bonhams expects the Eldorado wagon to sell for just 8,000-12,000 British pounds, or approximately $9,700-$14,600 at current exchange rates. Given its size and the fact that it is left-hand drive, though, potential buyers might also want to consider shipping it to the U.S.
