COALS TO NEWCASTLE

A Cadillac V-16 restored on a Mediterranean isle may seem an unlikely California concours star, but Jeremy Jackson-Sytner (aka Mr Concours) was there to witness it

- Jackson-Sytner

We're waiting for the start of Pebble Beach's Tour d'Elegance on the Thursday before the main event with a pristine restored 1930 Cadillac V-16. Answering questions from passers-by, notably about the 'M' designation on the licence plate, it becomes clear that we have only a classic 1941 Humphrey Bogart film noir to thank for recognition of the existence of Malta amongst most Americans. Where Malta, or even Gozo for that matter, might actually be, well, that's another discussion.

The build sheet shows that this Cadillac V-16 Series 452 All-Weather Phaeton started life late in 1929. Once completed, its rolling chassis was shipped from Detroit to the Fleetwood Metal Body Co in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, to have its coachwork built. In May 1930 it was delivered to the Don Lee Cadillac LaSalle Dealership at 1000 Van Ness Avenue - then the largest automobile showroom on San Francisco's historic 'Auto Row? And, for the next 90 years or so, it motored far and wide.

From California it somehow took in a trip to Argentina. In the '70s it was back in Oklahoma, USA, as part of Walt Dietzel's collection, then on to Jeff Pearson (son of 'Cadillac Jim' Pearson) in Kansas. Eventually, in a pretty sorry state in 2015, it was gently wheeled down into a subterranean garage on Gozo - the smaller sister island to Malta, about the same size as Manhattan.

Coincidentally, there's an interesting historical connection between Malta and Detroit, and specifically the American motor manufacturing industry of the 1920s.