You’d have thought the Chevrolet Corvette was the only convertible you could buy in the US back in 1953. It arrived on the scene in a blaze of publicity and even though it was an absolute show stopper, General Motors had something even more glamorous up its sleeve; the Cadillac Eldorado.
Cadillac already had a reputation as a luxury carmaker but the Eldorado was its first car to feature a swoopy wraparound windshield. It also boasted custom coachwork, leather upholstery, power steering and whitewall tyres, all of which 55 years ago was definitely something to get excited about.
Under the huge bonnet sat a 331ci (5.4-litre) V8 with 210bhp mated to a three-speed automatic tranny powering the rear wheels. It cost twice as much as the sporty-looking Corvette but only 532 were sold that year due to the hefty base price of $7,750 (Dh28,442). Rather than scrapping it altogether, GM substantially dropped the asking price in 1954 and they flew out of showroom floors with 2,150 units finding happy homes.
Sales continued to grow with each refresh, as did displacement. By 1959, legendary designer Harley ‘tailfin’ Earl had added his famous touch to the Eldorado while it was splattered with chrome bumpers and trim.
All this, not to mention 345bhp, helped it achieve iconic status in US automobile history and it was deserving of praise for its wonderful looks alone.
The fins began to shrink when the new models debuted in the early Sixties and the Eldorado became even more elegant. Changes were kept to a minimum between 1963 to 1966 because GM had huge plans for the 1967 model year car.
The Eldorado was set for a new lease of life.
GM design guru Bill Mitchell went to town on it, radically redesigning the car. It was unlike any Caddy before it, though it shared the E-Body with the Oldsmobile Tornado and Buick Riviera, introduced a year earlier. Earl’s tailfins had been replaced by more sombre lines.
The two-door hardtop was smaller than ever and now, the front wheels were doing all the work rather than the conventional rear set up. Mitchell had also hidden the headlights inside the grille, which gave it an aggressive and contemporary look.
Powered by a 429ci (7.0-litre) V8 producing 340bhp with a top speed of 192kph, it boasted all the luxury equipment available at the time, such as automatic climate control, cruise control and tilt-telescope steering. That it went on to become the most popular Eldorado ever and one of Cadillac’s best-selling cars is not a surprise.
It was a massive change in direction compared to the previous generations but proved to be such a success that the 1967 Eldorado continues to influence Caddies of today.
