Ever since he sold Cadillacs in Manhattan, while he studied acting and began his acting career, Jack drove the luxury model, eight in all, he once said.

 

 

Jack's First New Car

 

Jack said he bought his first new car in 1957 and that it was beige.(1) He purchased it within months of moving to California. We don't know whether he purchased a 1957 model or a 1958 model. Even so, the two models share a strong resemblance. Google it, and you can see for yourself.

 

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Jack's Last Car

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He drove his last Cadillac, a Cotillion White Sedan DeVille, for nearly 30 years, from the time he purchased it new until his death. He bought the car in Honolulu – from Gilbert "Zulu" Kauhi (Kono), one source says – when he made the move to star in Hawaii Five-0. There, it remained until two years after his death.(2)

It is unclear whether Jack's white Sedan DeVille was a 1969 or 1970 model. Two left-side pictures of the car show too little to make the distinction. Only grille and tail light differences existed between them, and even those differences were minor ones.

 

Maintaining a car in salt and sand, the harsh sunlight, the strong storms, and the ever-present trade winds is no easy matter. Jack learned as much while he tried to make it last. You may ask why he would he want to make it last. No doubt, he was driving very few miles on the Island of Oahu, which measures only some 65 miles by 45 miles at its longest points. One can drive all the way around the island in three hours, and that allows for the 35 mile-per-hour speed limit that is posted on the two-lane coastal roads. Then, too, as one grows older, one begins to see a certain futility in spending large sums of money. The old Caddy was still basically a good car, after all. Why trade it in?

 

Both time and wear-and-tear age a car. When his broke down, Jack took it to the Kahala Shell Auto Center on Waialae Avenue for repairs.(3) He was no mechanic, himself, and had little patience when his car stopped running, insisting “It’s never done anything like this before!” Word is he could be rather intimidating when it came to such matters;(4) after all, Jack liked his car to operate as smoothly as he liked business to operate on the set of Five-0.

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​The Kahala Shell Auto Center was on Waialae Avenue, across from the Kahala Mall. Known for excellent service and a good car wash, it also charged high gasoline prices, perhaps why it closed not long ago. We saw it in "And a Time to Die" on Hawaii Five-O.(5)

 

​Jack had personalized license plates on his car long before they became fashionable. His read “Five-0” and attracted interested glances as he made his way along the Lunalilo Freeway wearing one of his beloved aloha shirts and lauhala hats.(6) He drove his car well and often. RJL member Eric Westerlund recalled the day Jack pulled up before his art gallery, raised the deck of the car’s long trunk, and began lifting out paintings for him to display.(7)

 

Two years after Jack's death, a fan of his and Hawaii Five-O purchased the car from Marie and had it shipped home to California for restoration to like-new condition.(8) At that time, the white Cadillac Sedan DeVille was 30+ years old, yet with minimal servicing, it still ran.(9) While the car was being detailed in California, the detailer made a startling discovery. Hidden under the seat was a simple gold wedding ring. He presented it to the car's new owner, who called Marie. It seemed that she had lost her wedding ring more than ten years before. The new owner of Jack's car returned the ring to Marie.(10)

 

It is good to know that someone now owns the car who appreciates it and its long-time owner.