It was only a matter of time before Cadillac would respond to the personal
luxury car segment of the market, which had been growing rapidly since
the early sixties. Since 1953, the Eldorado had been among Cadillac's most
prestigious (and expensive) series of automobiles, but to compete in the
personal luxury field, it would have to undergo some changes first. The
1963 Buick Riviera [links in this article open in a new window] was originally designed with
Cadillac in mind, the vertical grilles on the front of the car even hark
back to the Cadillac LaSalle grille in their appearance. At the time, Buick
needed a specialty car more than Cadillac, so Buick got it. But this began
the process of design for Cadillac's own personal luxury car.
The 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado was very different than the 1966 Eldorado. No longer a convertible, this
sporty two door hardtop was quite a styling departure for Cadillac. A masterpiece
from front to rear, the Eldorado sported flared open wheel wells, with
slotted wheel covers. Concealed headlamps up front gave way to razor-edged
chrome trim on the tail lamps out back. A sharply vee'd rear window emphasized
that this wasn't your typical Cadillac. The first car to offer automatic
level control, variable-ratio power steering, and front wheel drive, it
was not traditional by any means. Concerns that Cadillac's customers would
not accept the new car disappeared when sales exceeded production abilities.
Cadillac had created a hit!
Changes were few for 1968, and mostly followed the rest of the Cadillac
line. A new 472 cubic inch V-8 engine appeared, along with federally-mandated
front and rear side marker lights. New competition appeared in the spring
of 1968 from Lincoln. The Continental Mark III was based on the four door Ford Thunderbird, and was introduced early
as a 1969 model. This car would prove to be a competent challenger to the
Eldorado throughout the seventies.
The Fleetwood Eldorado received its first major appearance change for 1969.
The concealed headlight covers were eliminated and stationary headlights
appeared in their place. The grille received a finer texture which was
less racy than that of the previous 2 years, and new wheel covers eliminated
the slotted ones, which also gave the car a more subdued appearance. In
back, the dual back up lights were removed from the bumper, replaced by
two reflectors, and a single back up light was now part of the fuel filler
door.
Minor styling updates for 1970 gave the Eldorado a fresh look, with a new
grille and rear taillamps. Cadillac's spectacular 8.2 Litre 500 cubic inch
V-8 engine was brand new, and became standard equipment in 1970, exclusive
to the Eldorado. An Eldorado Convertible rejoined the series in 1971, and
the Eldorado's clean lines became a bit busier, in keeping with styling
trends of the time. The Eldorado Coupe was the first production car to
come with Coach Windows as standard equipment, a styling touch that started
a fad during the 1970's. Before long, any car with enough space in the
roof rear quarter area was being fitted with the additional windows. Some
pulled it off better than others.
In 1975, the Eldorado lost its rear fender skirts, which had been standard
since 1971. Once again, open rear wheel wells gave the Eldorado a sportier
appearance, and new options such as Electronic Fuel Injection were made
available. The 1976 Fleetwood Eldorado Convertible would be the last American-built
convertible, and Cadillac made sure appropriate press would accompany this
milepost. The final 200 convertibles built were all identical, with Cadillac
keeping the actual last one for itself. Prices went through the roof for
a time after production ended, but soon came down to more reasonable levels.
Cadillac bid farewell to the traditional full size Eldorado in 1978, with
a plush Eldorado Custom Biarritz Classic edition. This car sported a two tone paint job with matching two tone
pillowed leather interior. It was flashy, and it was expensive, and like
it or not, it was the perfect way to bid farewell to a motoring experience
we'll likely never see again. The full size personal luxury cars like the
1967-1978 Eldorado were distinctively American. Huge cars propelled by
huge engines that put passenger comfort above all else. Fuel economy didn't
really matter, because the people who purchased these cars new had money,
and weren't concerned about such things. But the realities of the world
would not allow such extravagances to continue, as fuel shortages forced
people to look at what they were driving. After all, what good was having
a masterpiece in your driveway if you couldn't buy the gas to drive it?
The Eldorados that followed were smaller, and more fuel efficient. Every
bit as plush, perhaps, but they didn't have the same eye appeal as their
predecessors. And there was really no way that they could, considering
the sheer size of the car was an important part of the overall expression
of luxury. There's something about floating down the road in one of these
cars that just can't be experienced when driving anything else. And that
feeling is something truly rewarding, something that Eldorado drivers will
tell you makes it all worthwhile. It is sad that they don't make them like
this any longer!
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