Cadillac Eldorado
The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car produced between the model years of 1952 and 2002. When it debuted, the Eldorado was the most luxurious Cadillac on the market. Between 1965 and 1972, Cadillac made Eldorado with Fleetwood bodies similar to those of early Cadillac convertibles and roadsters from before the Second World War. The terms Eldorado Seville and Eldorado Biarritz have referred to different body types and trim levels of Eldorado at various points in the car’s history.
Origins of the Cadillac Eldorado
The original impetus behind the Cadillac Eldorado was to commemorate Cadillac’s fiftieth anniversary as an automobile manufacturer. In 1952, Cadillac conducted a contest among its employees to choose a name for a new concept vehicle, meant to showcase state-of-the-art technology. Mary-Ann Marini, a secretary at Cadillac, recommended the winning name Eldorado in reference to the company’s golden anniversary.
The Eldorado debuted in 1952, making it a contemporary of the Chevrolet Corvette, Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta, and Buick Roadmaster Skylark. The original Eldorado was a convertible, and among its notable features were its dagmar bumpers, conical chrome projections from the front bumper, which were popular on early 1950s cars. The original model also featured a wraparound windshield and a dip in the sheet metal below the windows. It was available in Alpine white, artisan ochre, Aztec red, and azure blue. Despite that it had the same engine as the Cadillac Series 62 convertible, the original Eldorado cost nearly twice as much. Besides its fancy body, it had then-luxurious features such as a signal-seeking radio, windshield wipers, a heater, and power windows.
Evolution of the Cadillac Eldorado
The second generation of Eldorado cars, which debuted in 1954, did not have as many top-of-the-line luxury features; thus, they were much more affordable, and they were very popular with buyers. Until 1956, every Eldorado was a convertible, but starting with the 1956 model year, a hardtop version became available. During this era, the hardtop variety was called the Eldorado Seville, whereas the convertible became known as the Eldorado Biarritz.
In 1957, Cadillac made an Eldorado show car with a Fleetwood body, invoking car enthusiasts’ nostalgia for the pre-1941 Cadillacs with bodies made by the Pennsylvania-based Fleetwood company. Starting in 1965, when the fifth generation debuted, every Eldorado had a Fleetwood body; between 1965 and 1972, there were not separate Eldorado and Fleetwood models; it was just one model known as the Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado. The Fleetwood Eldorado featured then-cutting-edge luxury perks, such as reclining seats and AM/FM radio.
The Eldorado abandoned the Fleetwood body in 1972 and changed the design of the car several times, with varying results. The Eldorado reached its peak of popularity in 1984, when Eldorado convertibles represented 26 percent of all Cadillac sales. Cadillac ceased production of the Eldorado in 2002. The rationale was that the car created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cadillac should be in production for exactly 50 years. Today, the earliest models of the Cadillac Eldorado are the ones that generate the most interest from collectors.
