JIM HAILEY

JIM HAILEY'S CLASSIC CARS

Welcome to my website, directly below is a list of the current collection I own and further below that is many of my past collector cars I used to own. I am not only a collector but also a restorer of some of the cars you see on this site. I have won national awards for my work and have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people in the great world of car collecting/restoration. I specialize in Cadillacs, as that is where my heart is, but have collected and owned everything from Porsche, Mercedes, and Rolls Royce to even a vintage Jaguar. I have nothing less than #2 condition automobiles, if you are into the lingo of the general vintage car scale. Many of them are actual #1's and noted as such where applicable. You will find many Cadillacs on this page but there are also many other wonderful automobiles out there as well; to relegate yourself to just one type or brand seems a little narrow minded to me. That is just my point of view though.

I would like to add that many of my original cars are the best preserved originals I could find internationally and nationally after exhaustive searches. I prefer originality as typically there is less damage done by well meaning but cost and time limited owners and restorers. To restore a car properly takes a huge amount of time, research, money, and attention to detail. Cars restored for profit almost always lack this and suffer accordingly. It is also the rarest of the breed to find cars lovingly maintained and preserved through the ages so other enthusiasts can find significance in their design and engineering in the modern world. My collection is a combination of thoughtfully preserved originals and well restored cars done to national standards. My cars are stored in high and dry Santa Fe, New Mexico and in Dallas, Texas at my residences. The climate in New Mexico is perfect for storing old cars as it is arid and quite temperate.

The importance of starting with an unmolested original is paramount to having a top quality restored car. Be it a stunning original with slight patina or a thoughtfully restored collector to better than factory standards. Disassembly is the process during restoration where numerous mistakes are made. Every thing should be photographed, individually contained, and precisely marked for reinstallation purposes. This will save not only time but unforeseen mistakes that would not be up to factory standards. No matter how trivial looking it is it is always surprising how even the smallest bolt, lock, screw, or gasket can gain importance after reassembly is accomplished. When starting with a fine original with no repaint, or faulty after the fact work, you know how it is supposed to be and how to put it back after you have finished each piece. This is the mark of a quality restoration and of a brilliant original example taken to the next level. That is what I love to do and why I collect the cars you see on this web page.

So please enjoy and feel free to contact me (tedasaurus@gmail.com) with observations, stories, advice, or anything automotive related. Also please visit my good automotive friend of more than 20 years Matt Garrett at his website (http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm) as he is a wealth of information and has one of the best collections to be seen on the internet.

THE CURRENT CARS I OWN

(click on the BLUE car titles to see many more detailed photos)

1958 Eldorado Brougham #525, All original Vanities

All Original and working air suspension

ONE OF THE BEST IN EXISTENCE