From the outside, this 1956 Cadillac Maharani Special looks like an ordinary restored classic car but there is nothing ordinary about this Cadillac. Once you enter it strikes you that there is no front passenger seat, in its place is a convenient kitchen area.
Even though its small the kitchen has many features squeezed into the area such as a toaster, refrigerator, hot plate, cutlery holder and a kitchen sink.
The 1956 Cadillac Maharani Special was built by General Motors for the 1956 Motorama show, its name Maharani refers to the wife of a maharajah.
This luxury car was designed as a traveling exhibition and dream car. With all the latest in automotive technology, this Cadillac was loaded with conveniences intended to serve an on-the-go potentate with a hearty appetite.
A former owner of the Maharani who is an expert on Motorama cars of the 1950s, Joe Bortz of Chicago, frequently refers to these dream machines as art works. “Imagine going to the G.M. Motorama and seeing someone eat breakfast in this car,” Mr. Bortz said. “It’s a different dynamic of automotive history that goes under appreciated.”
This 1956 Cadillac Maharani Special was sold several years ago at RM Auctions and fetched $225,000.