The Cadillac Eldorado is one of the brand’s most famous nameplates. First introduced in 1952, no less than 12 generations came and went by the time the Eldorado hit the dustbin in 2002. Offering huge size, plus superlative luxury and style, seeing these machines in their natural habitat is always a treat, as evidenced by this recent street sighting of a ninth-generation Cadillac Eldorado in Miami Beach.
Draped in black paint punctuated with polished chrome, this ninth-gen Eldorado looks the part of a high-class cruiser from tip to tail. The folding soft-top roof adds to the mystique, while the white interior upholstery offsets the dark exterior nicely.
We love all the straight, square lines on this thing, from the headlamps and tail lamps to the grille and bumper lines. Even the rear skirted wheels add to the blocky appearance. Indeed, this Cadillac Eldorado is one solid slab of American opulence.
It’s also worth noting that the ninth-generation Cadillac Eldorado is a monster of a vehicle in terms of exterior dimensions, measuring in at a full 224 inches (18.7 feet) for overall length. That’s more than 18 inches (1.5 feet) longer than the modern 205.8-inch Cadillac CT6! In fact, the Eldorado is closer to the overall length of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (229.5 inches, 19.1 feet) than it is a modern passenger sedan.
| Wheelbase (in / mm) | 126.3 / 3210 |
| Overall Length (in / mm) | 224 / 5700 |
| Overall Width (in / mm) | 79.8 / 2030 |
| Overall Heigh (in / mm) | 54.2 / 1380 |
Under the hood, earlier ninth-gen Cadillac Eldorado models came equipped with a 500 cubic-inch (8.2L) V8 engine, but by the 1977 model year, the 500-cube powerplant was replaced with a 425 cubic-inch (7L) V8 producing 180 horsepower. Interestingly, all GM E-body cars were front-wheel-drive in 1977, a first for the company. With a three-speed automatic on deck to route the power, the 4,828-pound Eldorado required a little under 10 seconds to reach 60 mph.
Granted, by modern standards this Caddy doesn’t quite have what it takes to keep pace. But a car like this isn’t about objectivity – it’s about style and presence, and the Eldorado has both in spades.
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Comments
“Cadillac Eldorado”! It’s all in the name.
: )
I wish they would have put the Ciel concept into production under the Eldorado Name. That car was beautiful and I really think the brand needs something impressive to get people in the door.
Live to dream.. a new modern Cadillac Eldorado with underpinnings borrowed from the CT6-V meaning all-wheel drive and the fabulous Blackwing twin-turbo V8.
This Eldorado body style started in 1971, before the 5 mph bumper. The engine was 500 cubic inches with lower compression, but still had 365 hp. It was a beautiful car with less protruding bumpers, which looked cleaner, with some less weight. The 75-77s still look great, but those regulations really held back the performance of these later models.
I remember driving a borrowed 70 Eldorado, and it was a fast car and had 400hp with fwd.
That’s a 1976 Eldorado. They didn’t make an Eldorado convertible in 1977. And the rear wheels are not skirted.
Is that the new CT-Whatever? 🙂
A friend’s family had a 74. With the totally flat floor you really could have 3 abreast seating up front! Those Eldos rode great but don’t try to fling them around a corner….there’s a lot of mass up front!
Got a 1971 convertible Eldo.
Its the rear car you will never be able to buy in the feature.
Will ship to the US to cruise route 66.
She’s a beauty
I am the proud owner of a 1977 Eldorado, with only 38,000 original miles and a moon roof…. I have driven this beaut to Banff and Jasper from Edmonton and she has never missed a beat. A little under powered going up the steeper hills, and thirsty but did not let me down, at all.
Not a lot of specific detail about this Eldorado subject except for the obvious. The Biarritz editions were optioned further to include electronic fuel injection and hydroboost brakes. Being the first generation of GM’s foray into EFI systems (the new Sevilles were also equipped with EFI systems) was somewhat of a disaster due to little or no R&D when it was rolled out. Nonetheless if you could afford to buy and own one of these land yachts you didn’t care about the lousy fuel economy (8 MPG doing downhill with a tailwind) or high maintenance, you just wanted a comfy ride and to look good when you got to where you’re going.