CPR Customer Featured in Cadillac & LaSalle Club’s Self-Starter Magazine
Our long Cadillac restoration history features a close relationship with the Cadillac & LaSalle Club. We
support the mission of the organization and its efforts and many of our valued customers are members. Bill Renda is among them.
Bill’s a longtime classic Cadillac aficionado from Connecticut and found us through an ad in the Cadillac & LaSalle Club’s Self-Starter magazine. He came to us in need of a rebuild of the car’s clock soon after he purchased his gorgeous 1963 Cadillac Series 62 convertible. Rather than send the part in, he drove the hundred or so miles to our facility to meet our team and view our shop. That was the beginning of a relationship that saw him return to Cadillac Parts & Restoration (CPR) multiple times to address various issues, most recently a full engine rebuild.
He’s a special guy who we quickly began to appreciate. He’s as generous and compassionate as they come and uses his beautiful convertible to perform random acts of kindness by “spreading the Cadillac magic.” In the article published in the Self-Starter’s February 2020 issue, you can read about his passion for old Cadillacs, deep personal tragedy, and a re-awakening spurred on by his purchase of his 1963 Cadillac.
The article is available in print and online, only to CLC members (Read the text below the photos). We recommend Cadillac & LaSalle Club membership to all.
Article text:
My fascination with Cadillac began with what is a distant, but indelible, memory. I was nine-years-old when my father Sal, then a talented and highly sought-after auto body guy in the New Haven, CT area, took me to work. In the shop at the time was a 1963 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 series that he let me sit in. It was like being in a castle on wheels. My father would always tell the story of how I stayed in that car all-day-long and to this day still, I remember falling in love with that car. Fleetwood limos remain among my favorite Cadillac models.
As an adult, that passion never died and, in fact, only strengthened as I began my own collection with a 1975 Calais that served as my daily driver. I eventually began participating on the local show circuit with a 1976 Coupe De Ville and a 7,000-mile, 1980 De Ville. Earning trophies was nice but meeting and socializing with others in the hobby was the real joy.
It was in the midst of these fun times that I met a girl and fell in love. Sasha became not only my wife but also my best friend. After we married, I maintained my Cadillac activities with my breathtaking ’80 Coupe De Ville and that joy of ownership was only enhanced by my wife’s passion for the car.
Having met the love of my life who also shared in my Cadillac affinity, I thought life couldn’t be better. But then we decided to have children and start raising a family. A re-prioritization was necessary for a young couple with a baby on the way and the desire to secure our finances and be responsible parents led the sale of the Coupe De Ville.
Three years later, we learned a lesson in how quickly life can turn. Sasha developed a rare and serious lung condition called Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) while carrying our second child. She was forced to carry a pump with her at all times in order to administer a drug that would help dilate her arteries and allow oxygen to be transferred into her bloodstream.
Battling PPH while pregnant led to the loss of our second child. The pain was only magnified by the realization that my wife’s health was fading. Not long after, Sasha passed in my arms. In the midst of devastating loss and grief, I now had to raise our two-and-a-half-year-old daughter on my own. Life as I knew it changed completely. Cadillacs were no longer any part of the equation and my sole priority became raising my daughter.
The next sixteen years were devoted to my daughter and along the way, I built a successful landscaping and snow removal business. When she turned nineteen, my daughter decided to attend school and left home. Even though my 93-year-old father was living with me, I was essentially an empty-nester and the suddenly quiet home made me stir-crazy. I was ready to begin a new chapter in my life but had no idea in which direction to go.
The rekindling of my love affair with Cadillac happened randomly. I was visiting a friend’s auto repair shop and there she was, a 1963 De Ville convertible sitting pretty in its brilliant red paint and white top. I knew right there that I wanted that car and subsequently discovered that its owner was willing to sell. After a long weekend, a deal was struck and she was mine and I was back in my Cadillac stride.
Naturally, the car attracted attention wherever it went. However, there were some annoying issues with the car that I wanted to be addressed. Some unsatisfactory experiences with repair shops left me in a quandary as to where to go to have the work done correctly. I searched through some magazines and kept noticing ads for Cadillac Parts & Restoration (CPR). When the next edition of The Self-Starter arrived, there they were again.
After a phone call, I decided to make the ninety-mile drive to their Poughkeepsie, NY facility, rather than just send the broken clock in for a rebuild. It turned out to be a smart decision as, even though I arrived at CPR unannounced, Frank Nicodemus, Jr. took time out of his busy day to show me his immaculate shop and go into detail about the work they performed.
After seeing CPR’s storage facility and viewing their completed and underway restoration projects ranging from Concours-level to gorgeous “drivers” like mine, I knew I had found my Cadillac’s second home.
With my newly-rebuilt and properly functioning clock, I began entering local shows and while earning trophies was nice, the social engagement meant even more. However, it was an incidental encounter that enlightened me to just how much purpose can be derived through my Cadillac ownership.
I was driving the car when I came across the 93-year-old mother of a good friend. She was fascinated with the car and my offer to give her a quick ride in the “tomato” (as Frank, Jr. affectionately named it) turned into an enjoyable two-hour tour through her old neighborhood. Upon receiving one of many thumbs-ups from people we passed, she exclaimed to one admirer, “That’s right, baby. This is a Cadillac!”
We both had a great time on that excursion and it led to my desire to seek out others who expressed an interest in the car and offer them a chance to experience the enjoyment of top-down Standard of the World cruising. I now call it “spreading magic,” which is a fitting term as everyone that I’ve driven, friends and strangers from seniors to young children, all walk away from the adventure with a big smile on their face.
Whether it’s chauffeuring couples on their wedding day in the Cadillac for free or simply paying for a senior citizen’s meal at a local restaurant, performing these random acts of kindness is fulfilling and is something that seems to be lacking in today’s society. It’s a practice we need to make more commonplace.
She’s not a concours car and that isn’t my goal. However, aside from looking fantastic, it’s important that she runs well and all systems and accessories perform properly. Since my first experience with CPR, my “tomato” has returned a couple of times for other work including a recent complete rebuild of the original 390ci motor. She now runs like a Swiss watch.
Much of the magic I’m privileged to spread is due in large part to Frank, Jr. and his mom, Elsa, at CPR. Their competency is only exceeded by their honesty and their longtime affiliation with, and sponsorship of, the Cadillac & LaSalle Club and our local NY/CT Two Rivers CLC chapter is a testimony to their dedication to Restoring the Standard of the World.
My Cadillac was recently invited to be displayed at the extravagant New York City Concours held on the rooftop of the newly rebuilt Pier 17 in Manhattan. The invitation came as a great surprise and was courtesy of CPR. Seeing my car on display alongside some of the most beautiful classics in existence was a thrill and having Frank, Jr. there to share the experience was amazing.
As autumn arrives in Connecticut and the leaves change color before falling, another season of magic spreading is coming to an end. However, come next Spring, I’ll have even more opportunity to share the Cadillac love with the latest addition to my garage, an all original 36,000 mile, teal 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
To those in the Wallingford/New Haven area, and even those just traveling through, if you see me driving by in one of my classic Cadillacs, feel free to wave me down. I’d love to talk about our classics and the magic they create.
(Self-Starter magazine, February 2020 – article written and photos by Bill Renda)