AL CAPONE’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH CADILLAC

Soon after Al Capone was promoted to head up “The Chicago Outfit” crime syndicate in 1925, rival gangs organized several assassination attempts from which Al only narrowly escaped. The most spectacular of these attacks – a ten-car drive-by ambush on Al’s favorite hangout in Cicero, Illinois- convinced Al that he needed better protection against the powerful automatic weapons favored by his rivals.

Rolling Fortresses

Al’s first step was to upgrade his transportation security, in the form of two completely unique, armored Cadillacs. The first was a 1928 Cadillac Model 341 Town Sedan, a stylish, four-door, five-passenger car popular with well-heeled Chicagoans. With the help of a local mechanic, Al made modifications that transformed the car into a rolling fortress. These included:

1. 1-inch thick bulletproof glass windows on front, rear, and both sides. The side windows could be cranked up so that a 2-inch air gap appeared at the base of the window, providing enough room for one of Al’s gunmen to laterally sweep a Thompson submachine gun. The rear window opened as well, allowing Al’s gunmen to strafe any pursuing vehicles. 
2. Steel plate armor in all side doors.
3. A standard police siren mounted under the hood, flashing police lights mounted behind the grille, and a regulation police radio hidden in the glove compartment.
4. Modifications to the car’s V8 engine to boost the effective speed of the 3 1/2 ton car to 110 MPH.

The 341 also got a custom paint job that made it indistinguishable from Chicago police cars of the era, many of which were Cadillacs. 

Al was happy with the 341, but wanted to add another Cadillac to his armored fleet. So in 1930 he purchased a top-of-the-line Series 452 Imperial Sedan featuring Cadillac’s powerful 452 cubic inch V-16 engine. Like the 341, the Imperial’s windows were bulletproofed, with small circular cutouts to allow gunfire from within; its side doors included ¼-inch steel armor plate. Other custom accessories were a police radio, smoke screen system, and a slot cut into the floor so that oil or tire-puncturing tacks could be dropped to thwart pursuers.

Al’s custom modifications to the Imperial Sedan reportedly cost $30,000. Unfortunately for Al, he was sent to prison before putting many miles on the car.

What happened to Al Capone’s Cadillacs?

When Al began serving an 11-year federal sentence for tax evasion in 1931, the 341 was left with a Chicago auto dealer, after which it was bought by Harry E. LaBreque, a promoter who shipped it to Europe to serve as an attraction at a London amusement park. Over the next several decades, the car repeatedly changed hands before eventually returning to the U.S.A. in time to promote the 1975 opening of the movie Capone in Chicago. In 2013, the 341 was sold at auction for $341,000, making it one of the priciest, most historically significant classic Cadillacs out there.

Al’s armored Imperial Sedan also survives today in a private collection. Impounded from Al’s Miami vacation home by the FBI, the Imperial Sedan remained in U.S. custody for several years. After several private sales, Al’s armored Imperial Sedan sold at auction for the lofty price of $309,000 in 2009.

We can’t offer you an armored Cadillac, but we can supply the very best cars that Cadillac offers today, including the ATS, CT6 (whose self-driving capabilities are the talk of the automotive press), and Escalade. Give Sarant Cadillac a call at 877-212-1682 or use this website’s online contact form.

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