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.”
"When he bought a brand new Cadillac four years ago, the extra equipment his dealer offered was not enough and Mattar started to add a weird assortment of things that other motorists can only dream of.
Doing most of the work himself, he put in a shower, coiling the pipes from his 50-gallon water tanks around the exhaust manifold for the hot water. A pumping system was crammed under the hood. Next to the taillight went a drinking fountain and under the dashboard a tape recorder and a bar with spigots for whisky, water and soda. In the back seat he put a washing machine, a stove and even included a kitchen sink. All this took four years to do and cost Mattar better than $14,000."
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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnw0AzaMQInon1AfJC2ikzAseOSu06joTXVrT4OzySaHiVEvTnzbdrKIEa36ZI3YKEEZ7sKt0HTRNmolkDNdS1JOLwdxdfkD9WhzIXal7MJz8aGzeZ9DX_SSgcoWAuxXbd6Y8ypUwiNmM/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(1).jpg) |
Louis Mattar with his 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFMjzxBoO5N6JLe21mfdL5Iug3oG0v3MnIgoeaoKZ4bjk-K-7_rxKYeBZOix17GQdKXAroKC3BXEFShMOpuEL4D_mfwcNfKNZNvwfdt55Fv_hzG3QJiNMdD5g3pHO0a-3BbXYkpjphz-s/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(2).jpg) |
Louis Mattar pulls the makings of a meal from the trunk of his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTri8OLTgVW8c9xjutwmV1JElGL990DMcTMpmc9hvAGsU-k0Y17JBBVm0hJMd8kKxQiZqaE5wQzbtNo8MbDSfhQP6vBOYF2NPb1RFu3cQ370MbEn-i4Z0Yozd8XuwO158L0ryjIoBX8i-/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(3).jpg) |
Washing is done by small machine in back seat. Two batteries provide extra electricity. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3o63_L8MxiHjqH6tV3TXYpmItjjykkKNCUn8AoM9d6PIOJ4FauDFAPQJFkT1QDP4AxGYXZXi4mav9BUx7NVKF6rPWmq6QDAgmCUI7Y9PDvIYB0fSRUfkJTDl7PfPPBYkDJSe4XE9N2xf/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(4).jpg) |
Louis Mattar hangs washing from his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcukt8f6vgJn9YtiGAzBJeW-exvM6g4aiJNIyPHAeVh_N3s4ka6QKHyfDsN7bJJmdjVTLZOBBHf9rziQhVxIvFQIwMEqhUhyD3WTZ5wN43e-IVzjmH5jXVMWY7nQ5ZOg6bkCyuGFIpOD_/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(5).jpg) |
Ironing is easy for Mrs. Mattar with arm rest as board. Toaster or razor can be plugged in here. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jMVGdtvT7x7ZmmEpTjzWH7gTQ9EHkwhqnadKwwwuW_H1862wwNsDziidVNhfLpzr3ysv5GeI4QbFGqXReSrlFADa9hiT1l2UTDbGa7R-xC6vhOp1uJpySXCF4lKiNfa40IUN5s8q-MuT/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(6).jpg) |
Louis Mattar enjoys a pull on the water pipe he installed in his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu356n9ODq2P1_hwSfgmnVuSIonyEDYH7arjW5EQj6_NwTX8zCrHcuzqqaLlrGX8OHYXAiHPwYT-u0FbH38atBnFTDGgXlVgF9COZHDh7SuZ1fnKByQkuRzc2HPjid7SYpTdzD0Zwl-3ca/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(7).jpg) |
Jackie Smithwick, friend of the Mattars', takes a warm water shower next to front fender. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3ZEqcKh7X_vsr9gHwbRCKFmZyA9V0YKXG0x9QsYtNwQaX1q1-2hGcoWs8hLKudBl5Sl__QVB4eEEkmHC0n5ba91i9CGcncEK7fzRtndOVLaaPPUJLPmQMZePucAJ3tL4C8nNJkj_Wijx/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(8).jpg) |
A boy drinks from a water fountain that Louis Mattar installed in his 1947 Cadillac. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0b424IAgMm6Paxr45APC6Vihx5pyCufqj1pdF9x1Piq3fNm1gkqy7OW7rbF5ZXZvvk2kQd1rfwwXtnDH0XQ6rcaB6VB4134k6uMc1xDoslMcx-SZ-wjYPmHqIzFcCUd_5HNPOXQX2Zgvg/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(9).jpg) |
Plugged into Louis Mattar's heavily modified 1947 Cadillac. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqOWhxti1PFXd7MTJT7HsZP-wsxspZyVYQqGuNLbVN3ANRu5mDlrvmCOUrVAh3PRkEK4xR5Ypo3lzBI8zaIT7iF6YTx0aFZeydxTCxEJZfnkfxpf4TkxbgLcZLRsTmUJDkQ0A_Ddm3dSs/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(10).jpg) |
Cooking hot dogs, Mattar uses homemade stove which slides forward into the back seat from trunk. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ce104JaGSHjvO9X0Gg_5NwhKN9bYcbI9wj5a-HwJJW9ICG6WWo1p9KEPkxpTQZ9mD6f5ItFC_q64hvwbnE7e3DQi_6cpmU0AUC0LOJGVab40xuBhjCZAwqGAYjZ5dEpOhdndeSjMQ80G/s640-rw/A+Car+That+has+Everything+(11).jpg) |
A picnic on the beach, courtesy of Louis Mattar's tricked-out 1947 Cadillac. |
(Photos:
Ed Clark—
Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)
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