My Car: Classic Caddy brings back childhood memories

The Dubai resident Rami ElZeini and his 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

Rami ElZeini with his 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in Dubai. The car, which he bought five months ago, is originally from the US. Pawan Singh / The National

When Rami ElZeini was a boy in Cairo, he used to visit an aunt who lived near a guy who had an old Buick Roadmaster. He loved to visit – apart from being a great cook, his aunt would let him out to play with the local kids. Or so she thought. What ElZeini really did was head around to the Roadmaster and polish the teeth in its glorious chromed grille. Clearly, in ElZeini’s case, the old-car bug bit hard and early.

ElZeini’s grandfather was a Ford dealer in Egypt, so he was no stranger to cars. His grandfather and father owned a series of cars that would now be thought of as classics – Packards, Buicks and some of the really big Fords and Mercurys – but all were just a means of transport for the family and business. “No one gave any thought to preserving any of these family cars – we just needed them to get around in,” says ElZeini, who now has his own car-preparation business in Dubai called Buddies Auto Service.

“It’s taken me almost 20 years to fulfil the dream of owning something I grew up around,” says ElZeini, “and I am loving every second I spend in this fantastic car.” ElZeini has only had the 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for five months – not quite long enough for him to have the time to research it, in between spanner checks and the things that he’s done to get it really up to speed. The car was first owned in the Unites States and was imported by a UAE dealer – “but that’s as far as I’ve got”, he adds.

The ’68 Cadillacs were part of General Motors’ C-Body group – along with the Buick Electra 225 and the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday – which were redesigned by Bill Mitchell and built in various GM plants around the US state of Michigan. The two-door hardtop body was one of four bodies available across the full-size range. All were fitted with a slightly upgraded 7.7L V8 and three-speed automatic gearbox, driving the rear wheels for the 1968 model year. At a shade over two metres wide and 5.7 metres long, the “full-size” C-body cars were suitably named.

ElZeini’s car has had a repaint to tidy it up a bit, in a colour that’s correct for the period. The original paint can still be seen inside the boot lid and it’s almost identical – just a little less deep – and looks absolutely perfect with the clean, flat and massive but ripple-free side panels. The rear wings are only slightly shorter than a Chevrolet Spark.

“I’ve nipped up a few rattles, replaced the tyres, sorted the air con and fixed a few suspension bushes and the odd electrical glitch, but the car has needed no major work, and most of what I have done was just to have it a little bit more perfect,” says ElZeini. “My dad was coming to Dubai to visit, so I wanted it ready and looking its best for the airport run – and it is so simple to work on myself: no electronics, no computers and no driver-aid systems.”

ElZeini says that the brakes take a bit of getting used to – there isn’t much help in getting the two-and-a-quarter tonne Caddy to slow down, and the dimensions are such that you really need to be careful pulling out of a parallel parking spot if you don’t want the car’s rear overhang swiping something. “I love the way the bonnet seems so far away – it is like piloting a small boat sometimes – and the way it sweeps through your view on corners means that you always have a reference point when driving. I find I am driving more slowly, more deliberately and with a lot more attention when I am in the car – not because it’s mine, but because it is just a bit ­intimidating.”

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