General Information
The Cadillac Eldorado was introduced in 1953 to commemorate Cadillac’s golden anniversary, and the name, appropriately enough, means ‘the gilded one’ in Spanish. 1952 was Cadillac’s nominal anniversary year, but they postponed their celebration until 1953 so they could join fellow GM divisions Buick and Oldsmobile in doing so. All three brands had flagship convertibles, but the Eldorado, being a Cadillac, was King of the hill. Those first Eldorados featured GM’s first wraparound windshield, lowered ride height, every option Cadillac offered, and a special hard parade boot for the convertible top. The latter came in handy as a seat for the honoree of a ticker tape parade, or the President-elect of the United States for that matter, considering that Dwight Eisenhower was driven to his inauguration in an Alpine White Eldorado on January 20, 1953.
Oldsmobile’s Fiesta only lasted one year and the Buick Skylark two, but the Cadillac Eldorado had staying power. Until 1955 all Eldorados were convertible, but a hardtop coupe was added for 1956. To differentiate, the hardtop was named the Eldorado Seville while the convertible was known as the Eldorado Biarritz. All Eldorado models since 1955 could be visually distinguished from other Caddies by their ‘rocket’ tail fins. The 1953 model had cost a staggering $7,750, but the price dropped considerably the next year, resulting in much better sales, and by 1957 the price still hadn’t reached that of the original. The limited-production Eldorado Brougham of 1957-58 was another story, because it featured every gadget GM could conceive along with different bodywork, air suspension, and a stainless steel roof. It cost an astronomical $13,074.
Naturally, a top-of-the line Cadillac is very well equipped. Power steering, brakes, windows, and seat were standard. The compression of the 365 V-8 was raised for 1957, but power actually dropped a bit because the formerly standard dual quads were made optional. This particular example was treated to a body-off restoration in 1997 and in 2000 a new owner rebuilt the engine and transmission and replaced the top, tires, shocks and wiring at a cost of $27,500. It has been driven less than 3,500 miles since then and remains in impeccable condition. Tammy Allen added it to her stable at the 2010 Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction.
