Photo: Mecum Auctions

We love hearing stories about former celebrity cars, and the latest one we heard concerning former Rat Pack member Frank Sinatra’s ’57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham is pretty interesting. Known simply as “The Sinatra Car,” painted in Lake Placid Blue (for Ol’ Blue Eyes, appropriately enough), and equipped with the 310hp, 365ci. ‘plant, this is one of two Eldorados that Frank had owned (the other was a ’58).

Evidently, a former Enron executive by the name of Jonathan Barnes picked up the then four-owner car for roughly $130k not too long ago at an auction to add to his otherwise extensive collection of 11 Mercedes-Benz automobiles, which include an SLS AMG and McLaren SLR. Not too shabby.

Photo: Mecum Auctions

Unfortunately, like all shady corporate executives he eventually got caught doing something naughty, and the Eldo has been placed on the auction block again, but of which one is an uncertainty. For those of you that must know what Barnes did to lose everything, we’ve heard from Jalopnik that,

“..While at Enron, he had been in charge of shipping raw materials like coal and oil to the company’s power plants. He became friends with an oil shipper named Clyde Meltzer, whom prosecutors accused last January of working with Barnes and a third party to net at least $80 million.

According to federal officials, the scam intensified when Barnes moved to Houston in 2002 to work first at his own firm, then at chemical giant LyondellBasell. Barnes and Meltzer arranged for Lyondell to overpay for oil shipped from Venezuela, and collect kickbacks on the surcharges. When new managers at Lyondell noticed the charges, they went to the feds.

As the feds began to investigate the scheme last year, Barnes rolled over and cooperated, wearing a wire to capture evidence from his partners. He pled guilty to four charges in March, agreed to pay up to $82 million in restitution and could still face up to 55 years in prison. Meanwhile, the U.S. marshals have begun to auction Barnes’ vehicles including the SLS AMG and McLaren SLR.”

Photo: Mecum Auctions

Pretty intense stuff, but we’re more interested in the car than some overpaid moron that rightfully got screwed over for scamming people. Having said that, Frank Sinatra had excellent taste in cars, and this Caddy is proof of that. When the ’57 Eldorado Brougham was new, it retailed for $13,000 –$104k in today’s money! To add further shock and irony to that was the fact that it cost GM $23,000 ($184k in today’s money) to build each car, according to Mecum Auctions where we believe Barnes scored the car in the first place.

This car also comes from an era where Cadillac was considered to be “The Standard of the World” the first time around, being compared to cars like the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the day. So in all actuality, paying $130k for this car is pretty sensible considering that kind of street cred, and if you happen to be a classic car collector with a penchant for all things Sinatra, then this car is for you!

Photo: Mecum Auctions