If there is one thing that America beats the rest of the world on, it’s big cars. Especially classic, big luxury cars. America is hands down the leading purveyor of land yachts and impressive expanses of automotive space. Vehicles like the enormous Buick Roadmaster make those who dwell outside the United States green with envy.
Sure, European manufacturers have offered some large cars in their time, but these offerings are infrequent and nowhere as wonderful as the 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis. And if given the chance of getting their hands on the most American of classic large vehicles, there could only be one unanimous answer. The CadillacEldorado.
A cultural icon, the Cadillac Eldorado is extraordinary. It defines luxury. It defines comfort. It defines America. Big, powerful, and envied by those who are forced to drive pokey Euro boxes, the Eldorado is a luxury liner in a sea of rafts. With an envious eye, here are eight things we love about the Cadillac Eldorado and two reasons why we would never buy one.
10 An Impressive Run
The Cadillac Eldorado spawned 12 generations of cars. That’s an impressive number of offspring. From 1952 to 2002, it graced salesroom floors before hitting the highways. It was the first Cadillac to use a nameplate, rather than a number. It became a living legend.
In all of its forms, the Cadillac Eldorado had a huge presence, from chrome-decorated glamour puss to sleek executive drop-top. Every suit it wore fit the decade or the time. A class act, the Cadillac Eldorado often sat at the top of the brand’s pricing tree.
9 Early Glamour
Advertised as being the top of the line, the Eldorado was initially a limited edition vehicle. Based on a concept car, 532 convertible units were created. In today’s money, it costs close to $80,000. It featured a 220-hp 5.4-liter V8 linked to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.
Impressively styled, the Cadillac Eldorado was a beautiful car. Dripping in chrome, it was a kaleidoscope of styling features. From hood to trunk, every section of the car had something going on. At over 18 feet long, it was a huge chunk of metal real estate on wheels.
8 Sixties Swagger
By the time the sixties rolled into town, the Eldorado had undergone numerous facelifts. Cadillac revised its entire line-up and the Eldorado was transformed. The convertible retained its enormous size but was now sleeker. Low slung, a 1960s Eldorado looks great.
The Eldorado continued to be updated and improved. The front grille and headlamps would go through several changes. A 7.0-liter V8 dishing out 320 hp also became available. This bestowed the big car with fantastic low-end performance useful for cruising.
7 Sharp Seventies Style
Towards the end of the ’60s, a front-wheel drive hardtop Eldorado was introduced to cash in on the luxury car boom. Available with an 8.2-liter 400-hp unit, the largest ever fitted to a production Cadillac. It churned out a monster 500 lb/ft of torque.
Having grown in length the 9th generation Eldorado defined the 1970s, big, brash, and instantly recognizable. It made an appearance as an Indy pace car. Despite its two-ton weight, the Eldorado couple still scrabbles to a top speed of 120 mph. Very impressive for a big car.
6 It Was The Eighties After All
By the mid-’80s, sales of the Eldorado had exploded. Cadillac shifted 77,000 units making up a quarter of all Cadillacs sold. Available with a massive choice of engines, buyers could also opt for a V6 and a diesel. Both were underpowered but filled a niche.
A touring option was also introduced. It featured a heavy-duty suspension, aluminum wheels, and a leather interior. In addition, the convertible Eldorado also made its comeback in 1984.
5 From Big To Small
If a standard Eldorado isn’t big enough, there’s always the 100-foot-long variant. Crafted by a custom carmaker, it was once the world’s longest passenger road vehicle. Nicknamed the ‘America Dream,’ it had a hot tub plus a helipad with its private helicopter.
Renowned for its road presence and sheer size, the Eldorado shrunk during the nineties. A more compact executive car, it only measured 15 feet in length. Despite this, it featured more technology than ever before. A built-in Motorola telephone was offered as a pricey option.
4 The 2002 Collector’s Series
With buying trends having signaled the end for the Eldorado, it went out in style. The 2002 Collector’s series closed the door on an impressive 50-year run, limited to 1596 cars to mark the occasion. These were only offered in red or white, just like the original Eldorado.
With a 4.6-liter 300-hp V8 under the hood, the Collector’s Series models had plenty of power. Its exhaust was specially tuned to replicate a vintage car. It was fairly quick, too. Pinning the throttle would see it hit 60 mph in 7 seconds. Luxuriously trimmed, they are still prized models.
3 Cheap Luxury Land Yacht
Every generation of the Eldorado is beyond comfortable. They all offer excellent space and are great for cruising hundreds of miles. Even the older cars come loaded with equipment that would embarrass much younger vehicles. They were all expensive for a reason.
Yet today, picking up a used Eldorado can be a bit of a bargain. Prices vary wildly depending on age, model and year. Mint late-’90s cars can fetch up to $10,000. The best 1960s classic cars have values circa $40,000. Rough seventies cars can go for under $1,000.
2 Why We Wouldn’t Buy One: Badly Dated
There’s no avoiding the fact the Cadillac Eldorado is a dinosaur, both in size and substance. There is simply no place for it in the modern motoring world. It is too big, too inefficient, and just outclassed. As a novelty classic, it’s great, but no one should buy one to drive daily.
Outside its native country, the Cadillac Eldorado is a bit of a joke. Taking up the space occupied by two European cars makes it a monstrosity. All examples serve as a reminder of how not to build a car. They are just gas-guzzling relics that belong in museums or scrapyards.
1 Why We Wouldn’t Buy One: Not Exactly Exciting
Apart from a comfortable seat, there is little for an Eldorado owner to get excited about. Never noted for their handling prowess, keen driving is best avoided. Some models may have plenty of power, but in every generation, the car’s considerable size saps all of this away.
Some model years are genuinely pretty, while others are ghastly. There is not one generation of Eldorado that anyone could say that they honestly aspire to own. As classics, the earlier cars tick the show and shine box. Beyond that, there is very little to get excited about.
