1966 Cadillac Deville start up and walk around. Read History behind the car below.

The Story behind “Blue” the 1966 Cadillac Deville.

I remember Dryden (James/Jimmy) Leitner telling me the story behind my 1966 Cadillac and thought I had better write it down to pass along to the next owner.

Dryden’s Mother, Mary Leitner, worked for a wealthy banker, Mr. Sottlie, from Coral Gables Florida who had purchased several acres in the Micco area to raise cattle, and later converted to orange groves. There was a ranch house, cowboy quarters, warehouses and even a landing strip for his Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. Mary owned a Pontiac Bonneville, but Mr. Sottlie drove Cadillac’s and all his Bank Presidents drove one too, which he purchased for them.

One day Mr. Sottile ordered a Baby Blue Cadillac Convertible for Mrs. Leitner his personal secretary. It was shipped down to a Vero Beach Cadillac dealership from Jacksonville on a rail car. On its journey down to Vero a bum had slit the roof and defecated on the back floor. When the car arrived, it had to have a new top and carpeting installed. Mr. Sottlie also had cruise control and tilt and telescopic steering added at the dealership. He had surprised Mrs. Leitner with the car, and she was overwhelmed with his generosity; however, thought it was too extravagant of a gift and refused the car. Later they worked out a deal that if he allowed her to pay the sales tax she would accept. On a side note, funny story about one of the work hands later seeing Mrs. Leitner’s Bonneville being driven in Vero and thought someone had stolen her car…she’s explained that she was now the proud owner of a Cadillac.

On October 1, 1966 Dryden borrowed his Mother’s new car and took it to the beach where back in those days you could drive on Miami Beach only to get it stuck in the sand. Dryden tried to jack the car up and the jack slipped leaving a mark on the back-left side of the car to this day. There is a receipt from Triangle Garage showing a towing out of Virginia Beach Dr, Key Biscayne, Florida paid by D.J. Leitner. Mary Leitner’s main home was near the University in Coral Gables and Mr. Sottile and she traveled back and forth to Micco with the car.

Mary Leitner was born in Fall River Massachusetts (side note, her Grandfather was an attorney on the Lizzy Borden case) and would often have her car shipped there on the Auto Train to take on trips in the summer. On August 20, 1975 she was involved in an accident at the intersection of Main and Elliot Street in Brattleboro, Vermont witnessed by a Police officer. Enclosed is a letter she wrote about the event and a dispute with her insurance company about the repair bill.

In 1976 the convertible was supposed to be a car whose time had gone, an impractical relic of the days and Cadillac, the last automaker to turn out convertibles. Well Mrs. Leither purchased a royal blue 1976 Eldorado convertible and passed the 1966 Cadillac on to Dryden.

At the time Dryden received the car he was a Captain in the United State Air Force and was stationed in Wurtsmith AFB in Michigan. Here the car’s leather interior couldn’t compete with the dry winter weather and suffered several cracks. Dryden did, however, continue to maintain the car, replacing the convertible top one night while on base duty. He also had a famous painter Homer LaGassey do a painting of the car in 1977. It is an ice blue winter scene with the car’s top down.

Years later Dryden retired from the Air Force as a Major and returned to Florida. Patrick Air Force Base was one of the factors for choosing Florida…not to mention helping take care of his Mom. He had the top portion of the engine serviced, the car painted, and he and I replaced the top, in 2000.

Sadly, Dryden passed away in March of 2001 and I inhered the car which remains in Brevard County.

I'd just washed the car and my back was killing me,. I'm out of shape...so don't laugh if you hear me grown.

A Licensed Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker Paradise
Anthony Scaramouche | Broker Associate, Multi Million Dollar Producer Coldwell Banker Paradise m. 321-536-2775 e. tonyscaramouche@cfl.rr.com w. TonyScaramouche.com a. 232 5th Avenue, Indialantic, FL 32903

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