This 1948 Saoutchik Series 62 Cadillac, 3-position drophead was on display at Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Danville, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area, when I photographed it in 2010. It’s powered by a V-8.

“Some of the most flamboyant and expensive coachwork ever to come out of France was created by expatriate Russian cabinetmaker Jacques Saoutchik,” according to a summary about the car provided by Blackhawk.

“Although firmly established before the beginning of World War I, it was not until the 1920s that Saoutchik rose above most of his contemporaries.

“After World War II, more lavish designs were built by Saoutchik. In 1948, noted New York furrier Louis Ritter commissioned J. Saoutchik to execute a special convertible on a Cadillac chassis. The car was completed in time to be displayed at the Paris Salon of 1949, and it stole the show.

"After having it shipped back to New York, Ritter drove it to California, where he used the car around Beverly Hills for a number of months before selling it. It was then purchased by Harold McLean, a modest, retired Midwestern businessman living in Santa Barbara. His wife’s favorite colors were lilac and purple.

“This car is one of two 1948 Series 62 Cadillac chassis that received similar coachwork. Of the two designs, this is the more elaborate three-position convertible coupe creation. The engine has hydraulic lifters which make the motor very quiet. The car was restored to its national prize-winning condition in the same color and canework combination as when it was new. Among its honors (as of the time it was photographed in 2010) are first place awards at Antique Automobile Club of America and Classic Car Club of America events, as well as the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.”

(These photos were taken with a consumer-grade digital camera prior to my purchase of my professional gear. I was still using a pro SLR at the time and was experimenting with the CG DSLR. I don't think I have any of this car with my pro DSLR gear.)