Cadillac Sculptures
made in a variety of exotic African woods
from the Ivory Coast

Local craftsman at work on 1:8th scale replica
of 1946 Cadillac fastback coupe

Philippe Ruel, my friend from France who works in the Ivory Coast for the French Ministry of Education and who has been kind enough to translate some pages of   The (new) Cadillac Database© into French for our Quebec and European users, had these hand-carved Cadillac models made by native artisans in that country.

The completed models were containerized to Paris with the rest of Philippe's personal effects and dispatched from the French capital to their buyers.

Not all Cadillac and LaSalle models could be sculpted. The accent was on sedans and coupes from the late thirties through current models (earlier models were likely to have too many obviously delicate parts).

Check some examples of work completed and in progress, below. For your information, I ordered, in 1:8 scale, a 1936 V16 coupe, 1937 Hartmann V16 roadster (with top up) as well as my own Black Pryncess (1942 Series 75, V8 limousine).

Completed 1949 Cadillac fastback coupe, still needs its ebony wheels

Corvettes, E-Type Jaguars, VW Beetles and others ready for finishing

Raw, exotic wood billets awaiting the sculptors chisel

Two 1947 Cadillac fastback Sedanettes on order and under construction

Front view of the two 1947 Cadillacs

Compare the size of the 1:18 scale Anson toy, left, with the 1:8 scale African sculpture, right
A must for the discerning collector's coffee table!

   
Side-view of 1:8 scale 1947 Cadillac fastback coupe and other forties Cadillacs on order

Chrysler 300B coupe in final stages of completion

Sleek E-Type Jaguar taking shape

    
Early Mustang convertibles and VW Beetles are on order for Europe

Special order

    
Currently being sculpted are two 1:8 scale replicas of this unique 1937 Cadillac V-16 roadster by Hartmann, Switzerland
[the actual car currently is featured in the Blackhawk collection, Danville, CA ]

   
Rough-cutting the basic shape

Sculptures in progress

Rear view (work has progressed more on upper car)

Streamlined Cadillac V-16 roadster with fully enclosed fenders, front and rear

    
Two bird's eye views of fully-enclosed front fenders

    
Close-up view of the twin tear-drop headlights and tail lights, before sanding and finishing
[ original Hartmann photos are being used to create the replica, since the surviving car has been considerably modified ]

Awesome fully-enclosed front fenders

From left to right (in progress): 1935-37 Cadillac V-16 coupe, 1937 Hartmann V-16 roadster, Porsche

     
In early stages of completion, the author's
1942 Cadillac Fleetwood "75" limousine

Left: 1942 Fleetwood "75"
Center: 1937 V-16 roadster by Hartmann, Switzerland
Right: 1934 Fleetwood V-16 coupe

No more orders are being taken for any Cadillac (or other) wood models.  Mr. Ruel has now returned to France following his long mission to the Ivory Coast. He does not feel that he can entrust local artisans to carve and ship such intricate auto models without his direct, on-the-spot supervision.

Click here for updated pics