’56 CADILLAC COUPE — TODD AND KYM WYLIE

Despite the fact the Caddy was completed nearly a decade ago, this was the first time that the Wylie family had the spare time, due to Todd’s previous work commitments for this magazine, to actually enter Repco Beach Hop. Originally from Arizona, the car was imported into NZ in ’94 and then sat in dry storage for 15 years before the Wylies convinced the Sheldons to let it go. The original build focused on the car’s underpinnings (along with compliance). Paint work was left in the original patinated state for the first few years until the rust started to really take hold, meaning something had to be done. Many of you will remember facets of the build which we documented here in these pages. The car was taken right back to bare metal via soda blasting, before the custom-mixed DuPont ‘Boogie Blue’ could be laid, along with a metal-flaked roof. Custom work is kept to a minimum, with badging and some trim being deleted, the engine bay smoothed, and a custom radiator support panel added by Body Mods. That’s about the extent of it, but there’s also a custom grille that was chromed along with all the original brightwork. The custom work extends into the interior, with pinstriping and a metal-flaked dash from Chaz Allen. The entire interior was retrimmed in tuck ’n’ roll. There is also a complete Sony audio install and a bunch of Mooneyes touches such as the gear knob. The engine is a 240hp built Chev 400 with World Racing alloy heads, Kelford cam, Quick Fuel carb, Edelbrock manifold, and block-hugger headers running into a twin 2.5-inch exhaust. The engine was detailed with finned covers, a flaked Caddy repo air cleaner. It’s nothing over the top, just a solid mild custom that clocks up the kms and has been a regular at the Hop. In prep for the event, it underwent some paint correction by Greg at Spray Factory having chips touched up, and the paint finally colour-sanded after nearly a decade, which brought it up like new. Just how good it looked had some believing it to be a new build, not one that was nearly a decade old and having seen thousands of road miles.

Although it’s a regular attendee at the event, this was the first time it was officially entered, and swapping the usual media sticker for an entrant sticker for the first time paid off with the overall win. And while Todd might be very critical about the car himself (a by-product of his past profession), it was a standout car all week long and the win was well deserved.