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"Assouline Celebrates 110 Years of Cadillac History with a New Book\nOne of America's greatest success stories turned 110 this Year. Assouline celebrates with a handsome new title\nOne of two custom concept cars crafted by legendary Italian design firm Ghia, this golden-wheeled coupe was snapped up in 1953 by Prince Aly Khan for his then-wife Rita Hayworth. Identified with the actress ever since, the sleek stunner recently resurfaced in a cameo in Iron Man 2.\nConceived by Eero Saarinen with heavy input from GM design chief Harley Earl\u2014and opened by President Eisenhower in 1956\u2014the Cadillac Design Studio at the GM Technical Center was (and still is) a midcentury marvel filled with now-iconic pieces by Harry Bertoia, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Charles Eames. In fact, in 1985 it was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects' illustrious 25 Year Award, honoring buildings which have \"stood the test of time for 25 to 35 years as an embodiment of architectural excellence.\"\nA Martian desert, pink saguaros, two pairs of '59 tail fins, and a David Bowie\u2013esque version of the artist posing against a galactic backdrop complete Kenny Scharf's 1979 canvas Self-Portrait with Cadillac. The retro future was so bright he had to wear shades.\nThe automobile-industry practice of hand-sculpting full-size clay models was originated by Earl, a pioneering coachbuilder also responsible for the idea of concept cars.\nWith its muscular egg-crate grille, dramatically curved windshield, quad headlights, and angular tail fins, the '59 Le Mans was the epitome of Cadillac's tough-guy elegance.\nIt may look like a pink Cadillac, but that's actually the ground reflected in a chrome-covered '65 DeVille in this ethereal spread photographer Gene Laurents shot for the November 1964 issue of Vogue.\nTruly space-aged, Earl's rocket-inspired Cyclone concept car made waves\u2014with its silver coat and convertible Plexiglas bubble top, which automatically closed in the rain\u2014during a 1959 pace-car debut at the Daytona International Speedway. Sadly, it never went into production.\nThe fins on the 1957 Eldorado Brougham were one of the high-water marks of Cadillac under Earl. The sexy car was driven by Elvis Presley, Clark Gable, and Frank Sinatra.\nA Barbie-like model leans against a candy-apple\u2013red Eldorado Biarritz drop-top for a 1958 Vogue cover.\nCadillac founder Henry M. Leland standing beside America's first closed-body automobile, the 1905 Osceola, which in its day was dubbed \"the quintessential shopping car.\"\nTaking home \"best concept\" awards from Autoweek, The Detroit News, and the North American International Auto Show, the 2009 Converj electric car was an innovator on both the design and technology fronts, with its vertical sapphire lights and propulsion technology. It is scheduled to go into production in late 2013 as the ELR.\nCadillac: The Standard of the World (Assouline, $75)."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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