Cadillac's first Eldorado model was a luxury convertible of 1953, featuring a new panoramic wraparound windshield that all GM cars adopted by 1955. Soon, hardtops joined convertibles in the Eldorado line.
For 1966, GM had successfully reintroduced front-wheel drive in its all-new Oldsmobile Toronado. Front-wheel drive had been defunct in the United States since the final Cord V-8 of 1937. But the 1966 Toronado was a success, with 34,630 two-door hardtops and 6,333 convertibles sold that first year. So, for 1967, Cadillac also adopted front-wheel drive in its Eldorado series and sold 17,930 two-door hardtops. Interestingly, the convertible, Eldorado's only offering in 1966 was not available again in the Eldorado line until 1971.
The big horsepower race of the 1950s and 1960s ended with the 1970s. The horsepower ratings of most engines were drastically cut after 1971, and there was also an addition of various anti-smog devices and other safety features, and in many cases, a lowering of compression ratios. Also, in the 1970s, the long-famous pomp and whoop-de-do of the annual unveiling of new models slowed to a virtual halt as fewer and fewer changes were made in new cars each year.
Big searchlights in front of dealerships at night and the papering over of windows to hide the newest models until the last minute became a thing of the past. How long has it been since you saw those big blue-white searchlights in front of a nighttime car sale?
But the thrill of the big cars and big excitement can be recaptured by owning a car like this colossal Cadillac Eldorado.