Cadillac’s fantastic, suicide door concept “The Ciel,” wowed ’em when it debuted at Pebble Beach and now CarScoops.com does some DNA sleuthing to see where the the 4-door convertible’s design cues originated from. The verdict? Several cars contributed to the look of Caddy’s latest tour de force.

The Ciel’s long tapered rear fenders and delicate vertical tail lamps are an obvious element lifted from Cadillac’s past. The look was borrowed and refreshed from the classic Bill Mitchell designed 1967 Eldorado.

Elegantly grafted to the Ciel’s tail end, it reboots an old Detroit styling trick where the rear overhang is longer than the front. The result is a very classic profile and one largely absent in an era of econo-boxes and lozenge shaped cars.

The second influence isn’t so obvious. When one thinks of suicide doors, 60’s Lincolns come to mind, but Cadillac got there first in post-war design with clam shell doors on the 1957-58 Cadillac Brougham. (FYI, the last true, independently opening suicide doors on a mass produced car were fitted on the Ford Thunderbird 4-door from 1967 through 1971.)

The third influence, though the author overlooks it,is the Ciel is far and away a tribute to the ’61-65 4-door Lincoln Convertible. The rectilinear, slab sided body and overall blueprint is lifted almost intact from Caddy’s cross-town rival in Dearborn.

Now, all we need is a RWD, closed roof, production version of this car with the LS9 from the CTS-V and Cadillac is back as “The Standard of The World.”