I would look for the Arii '58 Cadillac for a first time project. One piece body, low parts count. They're a bit pricey on ebay but I think I've seen both a hardtop and convertible.
The recently released kit, I haven't finished the trailer yet. Nice kit, emblems were easy to drybrush. I built as a stocker with the 6-banger. Comments welcome, thanks for looking.