In 1978, General Motors added a potent 472 cubic-inch V8 to the Cadillac Eldorado engine lineup, which offered superior power and performance over the aging 429 cubic-inch V8 that it replaced. Whereas the 429 was rated at reasonable 340 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, the 472 upped the ante considerably with a potent 375 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque. This engine would later form the basis for the massive 500 cubic-inch Cadillac V8, which put out 400 horsepower and a ridiculous 550 pound-feet.
One of these 472 cubic-inch powered 1968 Cadillac Eldorado models will soon head to auction at Mecum’s Indy 2020 sales in July. Like all ’68 Eldorados, the 472 V8 links up to a four-speed automatic transmission. Many GM enthusiasts will know that the eighth-generation Eldorado shared the GM E-body platform with the Oldsmobile Toronado, which means that four-speed sent all 375 horsepower to the front wheels. Power steering ensures this luxo-barge is as easy to turn as it is to look at, while power brakes help bring the heavy vintage cruiser to a stop.
There aren’t many other details on this particular 1968 Cadillac Eldorado on Mecum’s website. We do know it was delivered in the burgundy and white color combination it’s pictured in and it doesn’t appear to have been restored at any point. The car is being sold from the estate of the late Larry W. Smith, who owned and operated several different companies and served on the board of multiple organizations. His widow, Dr. Diane Tyler, said Larry drove his cars “very rarely and showed them less,” so it’s likely that this Eldorado has very low mileage and has been kept in a climate-controlled garage.
A number of other notable GM cars will be sold out of the Larry Smith estate, including several C2 Corvettes.
“He gravitated toward big-block Corvettes more than any other car,” Tyler also said of the late businessman. “I believe it was because it was his first car.”
Check out the listing for the Eldorado at this link for some more information and photos.
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Comments
“In 1978, General Motors added a potent 472 cubic-inch V8 to the Cadillac Eldorado engine lineup….”
Assuming you meant 1968.
Yes, in 1978, the newly downsized Eldorado was launched as a 1979 model. The reimagined FWD Eldorado featured a longitudinally mounted 368 cubic inch V-8.
So I’m apparently wrong. The new for 1979 Eldorado debuted using an Oldsmobile 350 V-8. It wasn’t until 1980 that a suitable Cadillac engine was ready; for that model year the new Cadillac 368 V-8 began usage in the Eldorado. I knew GM used an Olds 350 in the first Seville’s but I didn’t think it was used in the all-new ‘79 Eldorado too.
4-speed automatic??
You mean 3-speed automatic.
The THM-425 found in the Eldorado and the Toronado were 3 speed units.
Let’s chip in and buy the staff a history book
This example is a POS. Even the photos here show a good deal of body putty under the paint. The “ELDORADO” badge on the deck lid is in the wrong place. The rocker moldings on the doors are incorrect. This tells me it’s been in an accident or two over the years. I wouldn’t buy it.
Oh, and there was no “engine line-up” in 1968. All Cadillacs, all models, used the same 472 CID V8.
Sam, you also forgot to mention that the engine HP and TQ data you cite are gross figures; engine data changed to using net figures in 1972 and has been net data since.
Dang!! This article is taking a beating! haha. Yes, some mistakes. Although I feel megeebee it completely correct in the condition of this specific car, I will say it’s one heck of a 20 footer. Love the color combo.
Dan I’m with you…. THIS is a Cadillac… now GM, build a modern version of this please… and use the same idea, philosophy and concepts for the rest of the lineup… THIS was a statement in its day, the Escalade makes the boldest Cadillac statement today as well.. except THIS has style. But its pointless….
My grandfather had a beautiful blue 1969 Eldorado, which had a 472 cubic inch V8.
The horn was integrated into the entire steering wheel with a rubber strip.
Cadillac would thrill a huge bunch of BUYER’S it it would build an Eldorado on a Camaro chassis, afd use these paint combos.
They won’t.
Stoke is beyond them now ,ir even building there own engines ….that’s what the ‘ Standard Of The World ‘ means.
Never had a four speed automatic transmission available that year.
Never had a four speed automatic transmission until 1982 or 1983.
When I was growing-up in Hollywood in the late 60’s, early 70’s these Eldos were EVERYWHERE! You never see them, anywhere. Where are they now?
A couple of years ago, Netflix had available on their site the entire collection of the TV series Columbo and the subsequent TV movies that were made to follow-up the series. The series premiered in 1968 and the final movie originally aired in 2003. I’d never seen the series before so I watched all of them because I like the experience of being taken back in time to an era I didn’t experience. The show is set in Los Angeles/Hollywood/Beverly Hills and each episode involves a wealthy, usually sophisticated individual who has committed a crime for which the LAPD sends in the seemingly inept Lt. Columbo to crack the case.
What’s interesting is that through the course of watching the series, you see the prominence of Cadillac, as Peter McDonald indicates, and then the decline of Cadillac. Initially Cadillacs were everywhere including these stunningly shaped flamboyant Eldorados. The socialite who killed her husband did so in a Cadillac in the early episodes. As time progresses, shockingly a Mercedes appears as the vehicle sitting in front of the grand home where the crime went down. Then it’s a Jaguar but punctuated amongst the European imports are still plenty of Cadillacs. As the calendar moves forward BMWs appear and then Lexus models all the while the Cadillacs that initially were so prevalent begin to totally disappear. It’s a sad commentary for the Cadillac brand but watching the series one sees in a sorta “first-hand” way Cadillac losing the California market for status/luxury cars which eventually spread across the country. I’m certain most people who’ve watched the series didn’t notice this but as a car lover and one-time fan of Cadillac it’s obvious. To those born more recently, and I didn’t experience much of this era myself, they really have never seen Cadillac as the preeminent luxury car brand that everybody who was anybody owned. Chronicled in the Columbo series, one gets a taste of those days.