How Do You Move Really Big Stuff?

By Cameron Saffell, Ph.D.
Curator of History

In the case of the Museum of Texas Tech University's Pink Cadillac, it takes about 10 students and one curator.

The 1957 Coupe de Ville made the roughly 200 foot trip down Gallery 6 and back into storage in late August. The car was moved to make way for the Pre-Modern Bibles: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Complutensian Polyglot Bible exhibition that opens Aug. 18 in Gallery 6.

It's typical for museums to move objects in and out of storage. The Cadillac has been on display for a little more than a year, marking the first time it's been out of storage since 1984. The car is arguably the largest single item in the Museum's 8 million object collection, weighing in at 4,800 pounds.

The car, which takes up 626 cubic feet of storage space, had been set against a wall at the front of the gallery. To move the car, it was first jacked up, then dollies were positioned under each wheel, and then it was slid away from the wall. Flat tires caused a bit of delay, but once they were aired up, the car was pushed the length of the gallery and back into storage.

The Cadillac had a list price of $5,048, about $44,700 in today's dollars. It came equipped with a 364 cubic inch V-8 engine, a remote-controlled outside mirror, a vanity mirror on the passenger side, four cigarette lighters, electric bench seat, and an electric clock. Optional equipment included an air conditioner, heater, radio, and fog lights.

The car is called a Pink Cadillac, but the color is officially known as Mountain Laurel, which was introduced in 1956 along with Princess Green and Duchess Green. The new colors were Cadillac's attempt to entice more women to buy Cadillacs.

Elvis Presley had a custom pink 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood and mentioned the car in his song, "Baby, Let's Play House," also in 1955. Elvis' growing popularity and connection to the Pink Cadillac helped make Mountain Laurel the company's most popular and iconic colors of the 1950s. The color later inspired the Mary Kay Cadillacs, given to the top saleswomen of the cosmetics line.

The Pink Caddy was first loaned to the Museum in 1984 for the exhibit, Nothin' Else to Do: 75 Years of West Texas Music. It was subsequently donated to the Museum courtesy of Anita Condit.