--- title: Louie Mattar and His 1947 Cadillac: Photos of a Tricked-Out Marvel description: When a San Diego garage owner named Louis Mattar began modifying a 1947 Cadillac, he set the bar for tricked-out cars very high, indeed. canonical: https://time.com/3674818/tricked-out-car/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-04-24T16:17:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:08.119Z og:title: See Photos of One of the Most Tricked-Out Cars in History og:description: When a San Diego garage owner named Louis Mattar began modifying a 1947 Cadillac, he set the bar for tricked-out cars very high, indeed. og:url: https://time.com/3674818/tricked-out-car/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2026d426dbf5adff/69877acce20a87954ca849a2/15012015-tricked-out-cadillac-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: Louie Mattar's 1947 Cadillac og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See Photos of One of the Most Tricked-Out Cars in History twitter:description: When a San Diego garage owner named Louis Mattar began modifying a 1947 Cadillac, he set the bar for tricked-out cars very high, indeed. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2026d426dbf5adff/69877acce20a87954ca849a2/15012015-tricked-out-cadillac-06.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Shower? 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Apr 24, 2013 4:17 PM UTC  Louis Mattar enjoys a pull on the water pipe he installed in his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. Louis Mattar enjoys a pull on the water pipe he installed in his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Apr 24, 2013 4:17 PM UTC As Tennyson might have written, if he lived in 2013 and wasn’t a very good poet, “in the spring, and summer, and fall and winter, one’s fancy turns to thoughts of automobiles.” There’s a lot to be said, in other words, for the romance of the open road. And for as long as there have been cars, there have been men and women who have felt the need to alter, improve, manipulate—in short, to trick out their vehicles with accouterments and ornamentation that the manufacturer did not feel compelled to include in even its most crazily deluxe models. For some, these additional touches might be spinning hubcaps. For others, it might be furry dice hanging from the rear-view mirror, or animal-print upholstery, or flames painted on the hood. For the braver among us, it’s a hydraulic system that helps a chopped ’65 Impala hop around like garlic in a hot skillet. But whatever the augmentation, the aim is always the same: to personalize a ride. To make it stand out. To make it one’s own. And then there was Louie Mattar, who turned his 1947 Cadillac into a how-to guide for four-wheeled DIYers everywhere. As LIFE told its readers in a March 1952 article, “A Car That has Everything,” Mattar was “a San Diego garage owner with a big imagination.” --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- One additional note: Later that year, in Sept. 1952, Mattar’s ultra-tricked-out Caddy set a world endurance non-stop record (since eclipsed) when three drivers, working in shifts, traveled round-trip from San Diego to New York and back—6,300 miles—in one week. It later traveled—virtually non-stop, due to Mattar’s innovations that allowed it to refuel while driving, etc.—from Anchorage, Alaska, to Mexico City. Today, Mattar’s wild ride is on display at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park.  Louis Mattar with his 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Louis Mattar pulls the makings of a meal from the trunk of his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Washing is done by small machine in back seat. Two batteries provide extra electricity. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Louis Mattar hangs washing from his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Ironing is easy for Mrs. Mattar with arm rest as board. Toaster or razor can be plugged in here. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Louis Mattar enjoys a pull on the water pipe he installed in his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Jackie Smithwick, friend of the Mattars', takes a warm water shower next to front fender. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A boy drinks from a water fountain that Louis Mattar installed in his 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Plugged into Louis Mattar's heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Cooking hot dogs, Mattar uses homemade stove which slides forward into the back seat from trunk. (French's mustard optional -- but highly recommended.) Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A picnic on the beach, courtesy of Louis Mattar's tricked-out 1947 Cadillac. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3674818/tricked-out-car/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3674818/tricked-out-car/"},"headline":"Shower? Check. Washing Machine? Check. Hookah? Check. 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