The Cadillac Eldorado was introduced as a concept car in 1952 and put into production as a 1953 model as part of Cadillac’s 50th anniversary celebration. The name Eldorado was the result of a company-wide contest to give the new model a moniker. It is a contraction of the Spanish name El Dorado for the mythical Colombian city of gold.
The Cadillac Eldorado was in production from 1953 until 2002, spanning twelve generations. The Eldorado was always at or near the top of the Cadillac line.
The ninth generation Cadillac Eldorado was introduced for the 1971 model year, with a significant redesign. The wheelbase grew by six inches, and the overall length increased by two inches. Fender skirts became standard issue, giving a fuller, heavier appearance. Power came from a 500 cubic inch V8 that was exclusive to the Eldorado. A convertible iteration of the Eldorado was available, having been absent from the model since 1966. Frameless door glass carried over from the previous year, but the rear quarter windows gave way to fixed opera windows in the larger C-pillars on the coupe model. The new Eldorado also featured a new wreath and crest hood ornament.
The interior of the 1971 Cadillac Eldorado received a new curved dash and instrument panel, more comfortable, redesigned seats, and a fiber optic lamp monitor system that kept tabs on headlights, taillights, parking lights, and turn signals, with indicators on each of the front fenders and on the deck beneath the rear window.
The Cadillac Eldorado would soldier on in this guise through the 1978 model year, with refreshed designs in 1973 (new grille, bumpers, trunk lid, rear fenders, taillights, and a few interior improvements), 1974 (vertical ends and side marker lights on the rear bumper, horizontal tail lights, tighter mesh in the grille, new wheel covers, dual-tier instrument panel with warning lights) and 1975 (rectangular headlights, revamped grille, front bumper, full rear wheel openings without the fender skirts, and crisper body lines).
The Cadillac Eldorado for 1976 was little changed from the previous year. It would be the final year for the Eldorado convertible, as slow convertible sales, coupled with anticipated government rollover safety regulations, conspired to kill the rag tops. (Those regulations never came to fruition, and the Eldorado convertible returned for the 1984 production year.) Other GM convertibles ceased production in 1975. Cadillac marketed the 1976 Eldorado convertible as the “last American convertible,” selling 14,000 units, with the last 200 “Bicentennial Edition” Eldorados finished in patriotic white with blue and red pinstripes and sporting a commemorative dash plaque.
Our feature 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible is finished in stunning, glossy Sable Black over Black Sierra Grain leather with a black vinyl convertible top. It is powered by a 500 cubic inch V8 backed by a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission. The Eldorado shows just 3,200 miles from new with only two owners prior to the selling dealer’s acquisition. It is well equipped, as one would expect with any Eldorado, with power steering, power brakes, power convertible top, Twilight Sentinel automatic headlights, AM-FM/eight-track stereo, automatic climate control, cruise control, tilt steering, power windows, and power-adjustable split-bench front seats. Included in the sale is a black parade boot and a First Place AACA Spring Meet award. Work done in preparation for the sale included converting the air conditioning to R134a refrigerant and replacing the air conditioning compressor and power antenna.
This stunning time capsule Cadillac Eldorado is currently being auctioned on Bring a Trailer, with the sale ending Thursday, June 13th.
