The Cadillac Eldorado is a personal luxury car that was manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1953 to 2002 over ten generations. Competitors included the Lincoln Mark series, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado and the Chrysler Imperial Crown Coupe.
The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line during early model years. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham models of 1957–1960 were the most expensive models that Cadillac offered those years, and the Eldorado was never less than second in price after the Cadillac Series 75 until 1966. Eldorados bore the Fleetwood designation from 1965 through 1972.
Name
The nameplate Eldorado is a contraction of two Spanish words that translate as "the gilded (i.e., golden) one" — and also refers to El Dorado, the mythical South American "Lost City of Gold" that fascinated Spanish explorers.
Chosen in an internal competition for a 1952 concept vehicle celebrating the company's golden anniversary, the name Eldorado was proposed by Mary-Ann Marini (née Zukosky), a secretary in Cadillac's merchandising department. — and was subsequently adopted for a limited-edition convertible for model year 1953.
Palm Springs Life magazine incorrectly attributes the name to the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California, a favorite resort of General Motors executives in theCoachella Valley — though the resort opened in 1957, five years after Cadillac's own naming competition.[citation needed]
Cadillac began using the monikers 'Eldorado Seville' and 'Eldorado Biarritz' to distinguish between the hardtop & convertible models (respectively) while both were offered, from 1956 through 1960 inclusively. The 'Seville' name was dropped when the hardtop was initially discontinued (1961), but the Biarritz name continued through 1964. Beginning 1965, the Eldorado became the 'Fleetwood Eldorado'. 'Biarritz' returned as an up level trim package for the Eldorado for 1977.
Fourth generation (1961–1964)
| Fourth generation | |
|---|---|
1961 Eldorado Biarritz Convertible
| |
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1961–1964 |
| Assembly | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Designer | Bill Mitchell |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door convertible |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | C-body |
| Related | Cadillac Sixty Special Cadillac De Ville Cadillac Series 62 Buick Electra Oldsmobile 98 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 390 cu in (6.4 L) OHV V8 429 cu in (7.0 L) OHV V8 |
| Transmission | 4-speed Hydra-Matic 3-speed TH-400, automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 129.5 in (3,289 mm) |
| Length | 1961–62: 222.0 in (5,639 mm) 1963: 223.0 in (5,664 mm) 1964: 223.5 in (5,677 mm) |
| Width | 1961: 79.8 in (2,027 mm)[2] 1962: 79.9 in (2,029 mm)[2] 1963: 79.7 in (2,024 mm)[2] 1964: 79.5 in (2,019 mm)[2] |
| Curb weight | 4,800–5,000 lb (2,200–2,300 kg) |
Cadillac was restyled and re-engineered for 1961. The Eldorado Biarritz convertible was technically reclassified as a subseries of the De Ville (Series 6300), a status it would keep through 1964. An Eldorado convertible would remain in the Cadillac line through 1966, but its differences from the rest of the line would be generally more modest. The new grille slanted back towards both the bumper and the hood lip, along the horizontal plan, and sat between dual headlamps. New forward slanting front pillars with non-wraparound windshield glass were seen. The Eldorado Biarritz featured front series designation scripts and a lower body "skeg" trimmed with a thin three quarter length spear molding running from behind the front wheel opening to the rear of the car. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, dual back up lights, windshield washer, dual speed wipers, wheel discs, plain fender skirts, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, 6-way power bench seat or bucket seats, power vent windows, whitewall tires, and remote control trunk lock. Rubberized front and rear coil springs replaced the trouble prone air suspension system. Four-barrel induction systems were now the sole power choice and dual exhaust were no longer available. With the Seville and Brougham gone sales fell to 1,450.
A mild face lift characterized Cadillac styling trends for 1962. A flatter grille with a thicker horizontal center bar and more delicate cross-hatched insert appeared. Ribbed chrome trim panel, seen ahead of the front wheel housings in 1961, were now replaced with cornering lamps and front fender model and series identification badges were eliminated. More massive front bumper end pieces appeared and housed rectangular parking lamps. At the rear tail lamps were now housed in vertical nacelles designed with an angled peak at the center. A vertically ribbed rear beauty panel appeared on the deck lid latch panel. Cadillac script also appeared on the lower left side of the radiator grille. Standard equipment included all of last year’s equipment plus remote controlled outside rearview mirror, heater and defroster and front cornering lamps. Cadillac refined the ride and quietness, with more insulation in the floor and behind the firewall.[25]
In 1963 Eldorado Biarritz joined the Cadillac Sixty Special and the Cadillac Series 75 as the only Cadillac models with Fleetwoodbodies and immediately acquired Fleetwood crests on its rear quarters[26] and Fleetwood rocker panel moldings.[12] The 1963 Eldorado was also the first Fleetwood bodied convertible since the Cadillac Series 75 stopped offering four- and two-door convertible body styles and production of the Cadillac Series 90 (V16) ceased in 1941.[1][14] In overall terms the 1963 Cadillac was essentially the same as the previous year. Exterior changes imparted a bolder and longer look. Hoods and deck lids were redesigned. The front fenders projected 4.625 inches further forward than in 1962 while the tailfins were trimmed down somewhat to provide a lower profile. Body side sculpturing was entirely eliminated. The slightly V-shaped radiator grille was taller and now incorporated outer extensions that swept below the flush-fender dual headlamps. Smaller circular front parking lamps were mounted in those extensions. The Eldorado also had a rectangular grid pattern rear decorative grille. A total of 143 options including bucket seats with wool, leather or nylon upholstery fabrics and wood veneer facings on dash, doors and seatbacks, set an all-time record for interior appointment choices. Standard equipment was the same as the previous year. The engine was entirely changed, though the displacement and output remained the same, 390 cu in (6.4 l) and 325 hp (242 kW).[27]
It was time for another facelift in 1964 and really a minor one. The main visual cue indicating an Eldorado Biarritz was simply the lack of fender skirts. New up front was a bi-angular grille that formed a V-shape along both its vertical and horizontal planes. The main horizontal grille bar was now carried around the body sides. Outer grille extension panels again housed the parking and cornering lamps. It was the 17th consecutive year for the Cadillac tailfins with a new fine-blade design carrying on the tradition. Performance improvements including a larger V8 engine were the dominant changes for the model run. Equipment features were same as in 1963 for the most part. Comfort Control, a completely automatic heating and air conditioning system controlled by a dial thermostat on the instrument panel, was introduced as an industry first. The engine was bumped to 429 cu in (7 l), with 340 hp (253.5 kW) available. Performance gains from the new engine showed best in the lower range, at 20 to 50 mph (30 to 80 km/h) traffic driving speeds. A new technical feature was the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, also used in the De Ville and the Sixty Special.
Fifth generation (1965–1966)
| Fifth generation | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1965–1966 |
| Assembly | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Designer | Bill Mitchell |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door convertible |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | C-body |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 429 cu in (7.0 L) OHV V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed Turbo-HydramaticTHM400 automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 129.5 in (3,289 mm) |
| Length | 224.0 in (5,690 mm) |
| Width | 79.9 in (2,029 mm) |
| Curb weight | 4,700–4,900 lb (2,132–2,223 kg) |
The Eldorado became a Fleetwood sub-series in 1965, although there was strictly speaking no separate Fleetwood series at this time.[1][2][28] It was consequently marketed as the Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado, in a similar fashion to the Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 and the Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special.[1][2][29] The Biarritz nomenclature was finally dropped from sales literature, probably because there was no need to distinguish the convertible from the long absent Seville and Brougham. This was the last generation to be installed with rear wheel drive.
The Eldorado was redesigned but rode on the same 129.5-inch (3,290 mm) wheelbase. The elevated tailfins were removed, with fins planed flat, and sharp, distinct body lines replaced the rounded look. Also new were a straight rear bumper and vertical lamp clusters. The headlight pairs switched from horizontal to vertical, thus permitting a wider grille. Curved frameless side windows appeared with a tempered glass backlight. New standard features included lamps for luggage and glove compartments and front and rear safety belts. Power was still supplied by the 340 horsepower 429 cu in (7,030 cc) V8. Perimeter frame construction allowed repositioning the engine six inches forward in the frame, thus lowering the transmission hump and increasing interior room.
In 1966 changes included a somewhat coarser mesh for the radiator grille insert, which was now divided by a thick, bright metal horizontal center bar housing rectangular parking lamps at the outer ends. Separate rectangular side marker lamps replaced the integral grille extension designs. There was generally less chrome on all Cadillac models this year. Cadillac crests and V-shaped moldings, front and rear, were identifiers. Cadillac "firsts" this season included variable ratio steering and optional front seats with carbon cloth heating pads built into the cushions and seatbacks. Comfort and convenience innovations were headrests, reclining seats and an AM/FM stereo system. Automatic level control was available. Engineering improvements made to the perimeter frame increased ride and handling ease. Newly designed piston and oil rings and a new engine mounting system and patented quiet exhaust were used.
Sourced by : Wikipedia.org
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Me :Kalo di Bandung ada yang jual ga ya? Harganya berapa?
You : Emang mau beli Fei?
Me : Ngga..
You :Trus ngapain nanya?
Me : Biar seru aja... Hehehe
You : Kok tiba-tiba bahas cadillac Eldorado?
Me : Pengen aja... Ini mobil tua tapi masih keren dan classy... Mobilnya presiden Amrik
You : Kenapa Cadillac?
Me : Gpp, lagi seneng aja baca mobil-mobil tua yang pernah jadi mobil presiden, dengan segala tekhnologinya. Semua produk yang berlabel Cadillac, bisa dipastikan adalah mobil-mobil mewah dengan berbagai jenis keunggulannya. Berkat segala keunggulannya serta kemewahan dari fasilitas-fasilitas yang disediakan, Cadillac pun akhirnya dijadikan sebagai mobil resmi untuk para presiden Amerika Serikat. Tentu, mobil Cadillac tersebut telah dimodifikasi dan dilengkapi oleh berbagai hal yang tidak bisa kita temui di mobil-mobil Cadillac lainnya. Cadillac tersebut juga mempunyai sebutan spesial, yaitu “Limo One”.
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