1959 Cadillac station wagon - CadMad - Super Rides by Jordan

Who said station wagons were lame?

The Ridler Award for the best hot rod among the hundreds at this year’s Detroit Autorama custom car show went to a 1959 Cadillac called the CadMad, because it’s a mash-up with a legendary Chevy Nomad from the same era.

The stunning rose car was the result of a 14-year labor of love that cost approximately $2.3 million to complete.


According to Hagerty, it started when the late Las Vegas car collector, Stephen Barton decided he wanted to win the award. So he went to his garage, picked out a 1959 Cadillac Brougham with a body by Pinninfarina, one of just 99 that were made, and sent it to noted California hot rod builder Super Rides by Jordan to turn it into something even more special.



Super Rides chopped the car in length and width and turned it into a two-door, combining handmade body panels and the roof from a Nomad, then wrapped it all around a space frame chassis equipped with a 1,025 hp 632 cubic-inch V8 from Tom Nelson Racing Engines.



All of the accessories, including the starter and brake booster, were mounted remotely and hidden away to keep the engine bay looking as clean as possible. A set of modern, bespoke wheels designed to resemble the original’s wear whitewall tires and wrap around a set of high-performance Baer brakes. The interior is a similar mix of old styling with new tech, and features cargo floor made from three types of high-end wood.

Over 4,000 hours were spent on the car, but sadly Barton didn’t get to seen the final product. He died in January 2018 at age 76.
Barton’s brother, Craig, made sure the project got finished and said he was overwhelmed by the award. He told Hagerty the team had “ a tremendous vision and the years they invested building CadMad definitely paid off.”