When I was expanding a John DeLorean book review the other day, I dug up a 1967 General Motors ad that included a photograph of a Cadillac Eldorado. That got me wondering: Was the 1967-70 Eldorado the best-looking postwar Cadillac? And if so, which models have withstood the test of time better: the 1967-68s or the mildly facelifted 1969-70s?
If we are treating the postwar era as from 1946 to 1978, I think the first-generation Eldorado (in its personal coupe iteration) stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Cadillac lineup. That includes the first-generation Seville, which I consider to be too derivative (go here for further discussion).
Although the 1967-68 Eldorados had the most striking taillights, I am inclined to point to the facelifted models as the best specimens because they arguably had a cleaner and more luxurious vibe — which better fit that market segment.
Before proceeding, I should acknowledge that to laud the Cadillac Eldorado’s styling arguably requires a certain amount of buy-in to the whole idea of a car primarily designed to be a “mobile status beacon flashing the word to one and all” that one is wealthy (Sanders, 1970; p. 79).
In other words, talking about luxury cars is an inherently classist sport — an inconvenient fact that auto history media tend to sweep under the carpet. After all, we’re just admiring old cars, man.
Eldorado fails to overshadow Continental Mark series
The great irony of the Eldorado is that even though it arguably displayed the superiority of GM’s design chops, the Lincoln Continental Mark III was the first postwar Lincoln that was competitive sales-wise with a Cadillac.
What does it say about the aesthetic tastes of Americans when an also-ran luxury brand could slap a Rolls Royce grille on the front of a car, a fake spare tire hump on the back, yet still sell almost as well as a Cadillac that — at least design-wise — was at the top of its game?
I grant you that there may have been other reasons for the Mark III’s surprisingly strong sales, such as its arguably more luxurious interior. A 1970 Motor Trend road test concluded that whereas the Eldorado “has a lot of seemingly more advanced technical conveniences,” the Mark III had a “plush, posh . . . intimacy a car like this should offer” (Sanders, 1970; p. 80).
Also see ‘Even Motor Trend complained about the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado’s brakes’
In addition, my sense is that the Ford Motor Company did a better job of presenting the Mark III has an aspirational status symbol. All in all, this was an early indication that Ford understood the “brougham” fad better than General Motors. Even so, the Eldorado’s exterior styling displayed much more sophistication and inventiveness than the Mark III’s.
Eldorado takes a step away from Cadillac gaudiness
The Eldorado was the first Cadillac (aside from the Continentalesque 1965-66 models) that at least partially broke away from gaudy postwar design themes.
For example, the trademark side sweepspear was replaced with a more trendy side crease. And although the Eldorado’s razorblade rear fenders evoked the tailfins of yore, they were given a V-shape that was made all the more dramatic by a trunk lid with a boat-tailed quality.
The Eldorado was much better executed than Cadillac’s previous halo models. A case in point was the 1957 Eldorado Biarritz convertible, with its oddly shaped rear.
1969-70 models were cleaner than early Eldorados
The 1967-68 Eldorado’s taillights were unusual in that they were biforcated by a chrome bar that in 1967 functioned as an extension of the bumper. The bar was so thick that one might wonder whether the taillights could be better seen from the side than the rear.
In 1968 the chrome bar was made thinner and in 1969 was replaced altogether by a simple vertical taillight that at least looked more visible from the rear.
Some people have stated a preference for the 1967-68 front end because it had hidden headlights, but to my eyes they look too plain. That was particularly the case in 1967, when the leading edges of the front fenders had not yet been converted to turn signals.
Our featured car is a 1970 model that was about to be auctioned at the LeMay Collections at Marymount. The easiest way you can tell a 1970 from a 1969 model is that the latter had a full-width grille with integrated headlight bezels. In contrast, the 1970 model sported a more inset center grille with sheetmetal surrounding the headlight bezels.
So was the glass half full or half empty?
Richard M. Langworth and Jan P. Norbye described the Eldorado as a “technological wonder” that “made money from the day it went on sale” (1986, p. 275). So perhaps that was a good reason for Cadillac to declare victory.
Alas, all that technological wizardry didn’t stop the Mark III from a surprisingly strong showing. To make matters worse, that was merely a prelude to the Mark IV and V eclipsing the 1971-78 Eldorado (go here for further discussion).
That the 1967-70 Eldorado didn’t establish Cadillac’s dominance of the luxury personal coupe field illustrates how even the best exterior styling may not necessarily result in a home run.
NOTES:
Specifications and production data were drawn from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006) and Gunnell (2002).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M. and Jan P. Norbye; 1986. The Complete History of General Motors 1908-1986. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
- Sanders, Bill; 1970. “King of the hill.” Motor Trend. July issue: pp. 78-80.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Cadillac Eldorado (1967, 1968, 1969)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Cadillac Eldorado (1968); Lincoln Continental Mark III (1968, 1969)
PHOTOGRAPHY:
- Button74: 1967 Cadillac Eldorado photo via Wikipedia Creative Commons 4.0
Whilst the 1967 Eldorado was an excellently executed design when it comes to exterior styling, the interior already suffered from the early effects of GM’s cost cutting, which somewhat degrades the result.
That is why I would say the best Cadillacs of the era were the 1949 Fastback and the 1960 models.
+1 on the 1948-49 fastback, and also the 1949 DeVille. Honorable mention to the 1992 Seville.
I still prefer the first two years with the covered headlights. The ’69 grille looks too much like the other Cadillacs in the range. I like the idea of the first year being best, but it’s hard to unsee the filler plates up front that became lights in the ’68.
I agree that the 67 and 68 are the best expression of the design. The later iteration with the formal grill was a step backwards in the purity of the design but reflected the trend to more formal looks of its time. The 67 front fender caps did not make sense as they were crying for the 68 turn signals with the way the filler panel was done – Cadillac could have easily done metal finishing or a different cap for a purer solution.
I prefer the Mark III, at least up to the baboon ass tire hump, which to me is ugly. Not as ugly as on the Mark IV or Mark V, but still ugly.
One thing that caught my eye on the Eldorado was the way they put the Cadillac crest on the rear side marker light. That was exceptionally well done. If they had to have it, be creative!