National Vacuum’s new 1959 Cadillac returns as Gainesville landmark

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -A new 1959 Cadillac is now parked outside National Vacuum in Gainesville, replacing two classic cars that sat in front of the business for more than 30 years.

The new car arrived last Wednesday. The previous Cadillacs were removed earlier this year to be restored, leaving customers and passersby wondering where they had gone.

Owner Rick Bernal said the car is a tribute to company founder Bob DeRochemont, who passed away last year.

“The story of this car goes back to the founder of our company, Bob DeRochemont, who passed away last year,” Bernal said. “When he got into the vacuum business, he drove a ’59 Cadillac selling vacuums. It became our company logo because it was such an eye-catcher. We wanted to honor his memory by getting another one.”

Bernal said the company’s colors — red, white and blue — reflect DeRochemont’s patriotism. The original display cars were a red one and a blue one. He said finding a replacement required searching through hundreds of cars from that era.

“We are trying to honor the one who founded this company and made it what it is, and we feel like this is the way to do it,” Bernal said.

Unlike the original display cars, the new Cadillac is in driving condition, meaning it could appear in local parades and car shows in addition to its post outside the business.

“I mean, this thing is 65 years old — it’s in better shape than I am, I can tell you that,” Bernal said. “The car is an amazing car. There’s no rust in it, and that’s what we are trying to protect against so it can look good for a long time.”

Bernal said the response from the community after the original cars were removed caught him off guard.

“I was very surprised that it had become much more a part of the community,” Bernal said. “People took ownership of these cars. When they both left and it became known they were not coming back, it was a big deal. So we redoubled our effort to try to find a nicer replacement.”

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