The year was 1952. Cadillac was celebrating its Golden anniversary. To commemorate this lasting legacy, the brand's design team, led by renowned designer, Harley Earl, created a fresh concept car: The Eldorado.
Commercialized by pop culture and western movies, the Cadillac’s flagship Eldorado Convertible was among the most notable names in automotive history. Despite its simple start, the Eldorado Convertible came out as a limited-edition production car and became an instant success, with its production spanning over 12 generations. Its big feature, the roof, folded inward, providing users with a full-width rear seating and a more aerodynamic exterior shape.
It’s with no doubt that the Cadillac Eldorado made its name in the industry. In this post, we’re taking a closer look at the Cadillac Eldorado’s history, from its inception in 1953 to Its sad termination in the early 2000s.
The Cadillac Eldorado’s Inspiring Beginning
The name Eldorado was derived from the Spanish words "El dorado", "the gilded one" or "the golden one". The name of the car is the result of an internal competition won by Mary-Ann Zukosky, secretary of the company's sales department. Some say that name was inspired by the Eldorado Country Club, a resort town in California's Coachella Valley, which was a favorite vacation spot for General Motors executives. Whichever the case, Cadillac adopted the name and decided to produce limited-edition convertibles for the subsequent model year.
The first-generation Eldorado started rolling out of the line in 1953, retailing alongside with the likes of the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta, and the Buick Roadmaster Skylark. The Series 62 Eldorado bore a striking exterior design that featured a chrome-themed front. This color was visible on the large grille, bumper, and headlight. It also had a large, yet significantly proportioned hood that flaunted the brand’s emblem at the front, and an ornament at the top.
The vehicle had a plethora of amazing technology and deluxe accessories, not forgetting the impressively pioneered wraparound windshield feature. In dimensions, the Eldorado measured 220.8 inches in length and 80.1 inches in width. The only engine offered in this generation was a 5.4-liter Cadillac OHV V8 engine, which paired with a 4-speed hydra-Matic transmission.
The Cadillac Eldorado’s Massive Design Evolution
The second-generation models, which were introduced in 1954, saw a restyled body, which gave it a more general Cadillac outline. This restyling decision helped the brand in cutting production costs. But this change also made it longer, leading to a more expanded look and bigger cabin. By 1955, the rear end saw yet another makeover. This time, it had a unique rear end with distinctly pointed tailfins, chrome body belt moldings, and twin round taillights. With the introduction of the Seville coupe variant, the convertible became known as the Eldorado Biarritz. All in all, these models had similar styling cues and shared the same interior.
In 1957, the third-generation Eldorado Biarritz received new styling updates that featured a lower, downswept fender-line and beautifully sculpted rear quarter panels that gained a broader appeal. For the next production year, the Biarritz’s front fascia was styled, with a new front bumper, new hood, V-shaped ornament, and, to follow the standard Cadillac look, quad headlights. This generation was quite lower than its predecessor (64.1 inches for the '55 compared to 55.5 inches for the Series 70 Brougham, for instance). And as such, the rear bumpers had a more low-profile approach, with new round exhaust exits and reverse lights, as well as fresh medallions on the sides of the tailfins.
From 1965, the Eldorado convertible had the same wheelbase. In terms of its design, the vehicle dropped the tailfins, gained a wider grille, and switched to a vertical twin headlight arrangement. Power came from a 340 horsepower 7-liter V8 mill. In 1966, the convertible received a mesh grille design, which, unlike in preceding years, utilized less chrome.
In the ‘70s, the Eldorado started growing in size. Also, in 1970, the vehicle was 221 inches long, and it had a 120-inch wheelbase. Like the rest of the family, the Eldorado convertible featured the Cadillac 8.2-liter V8 engine, which made 400 horsepower and 550 lb.-ft of torque, becoming Cadillac's largest-ever regular production V8 engine.
Along with a substantial redesign, the '71 Eldorado was now 223 inches long, gaining 2 inches. It had new seats and a curved instrument panel. The front fender received a new fiber-optic "lamp monitor" system. This displayed whether the lights (headlights, parking lamps, and turn signals) were functional or not. It also had one of the best interiors.
From 1973, Cadillac reestablished the Eldorado as its own series, rather than a series from the Fleetwood series. Its design featured a new egg-crate grille, fresh bumpers, and taillamps, among a few others. The '74 edition was 224.1 inches long and offered a larger and more practical cabin space. Until it was discontinued in 1976, the convertible utilized an 8.2-liter V8 engine, which made 190 horsepower and 360-pound feet of torque. After that, all Cadillacs, except the Seville, used a less potent 180 hp 7-liter V8 engine.
The Classic Eldorado Biarritz Convertible Returns To The Scene For Its Last Hurrah
After an 8-year hiatus, Cadillac resumed producing the convertible version of the Eldorado Biarritz for the 1984-1985 model years. In these years, the convertible didn’t receive any new and unique styling updates. It had the same interior and technology as the coupe variant, with reclining front bucket seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a beautifully-styled center console, and a standard digital instrument cluster. Under the hood, the 1984-1985 Eldorado Convertible models packed a 5.7-liter gasoline V8. To this day, the Cadillac Eldorado Convertible retains a special spot in history and is one of the most treasured collectibles. Right now, these vehicles are priced between $25,000 and $35,000 in the classic market, which is reasonable for a vehicle with such a legacy.