1973 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (RHD)

Description

Cadillac has represented the pinnacle of American luxury motoring for the past century and their products have always reflected the mood of the nation – witness, for example, the rise of the fins and other styling excesses in the booming 1950s and the more sober, restrained elegance of the early 1960s as the Cold War era began in earnest. Cadillac’s first Eldorado was a 1952 Dream Car, entering production as a limited edition model the following year. The Eldorado became Cadillac’s range-topping convertible, later joined by the Seville hardtop coupe derivative and the open version was thereafter badged the Biarritz. Succeeding generations saw the Eldorado grow in size and stature until the arrival of the radical sixth generation in 1967, becoming Cadillac’s first personal luxury car to feature front-wheel drive using a driveline borrowed from the innovative Oldsmobile Toronado. In 1971 the seventh generation E-body Eldorado arrived, retaining the front-drive platform but with a much longer 126.3-inch wheelbase and was substantially restyled. The Eldorado became a unique model line and enjoyed excellent sales through the early 1970s despite the Oil Crisis. Revised sheetmetal from front to rear freshened up the 1973 Eldorados, with a new eggcrate grille, wraparound indicators and vertical tail lamps while features like Automatic Level Control and energy absorbing bumpers also appeared. The 1973 Eldorado was powered by a massive 500-cid (8.2-litre) V8 coupled with GM’s smooth three-speed automatic transmission, affording effortless performance despite the Cadillac’s prodigious girth. Cadillac made just 9,315 Eldorado convertibles in 1973 and few of these magnificent behemoths ever made it to Australia. This was Cadillac’s final full-size Eldorado, with the succeeding eighth generation a downsized, more fuel efficient model, reflecting the changing attitudes of American motorists.