Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado (1967-1970)

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Cadillac
Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado (1968)
Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado (1968)
Fleetwood Eldorado
Production period: 1967-1970
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Coupe
Engines:
Gasoline engines : 7.0–8.2 liters
(276 kW)
Length: 5610 mm
Width: 2030 mm
Height: 1365 mm
Wheelbase : 3048 mm
Empty weight : 2145 kg
successor Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado (1971–1978)

The Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado from the 1967 to 1970 model years is a personal luxury car from the Cadillac brand belonging to the US General Motors group . The coupé, mostly just called “Eldorado” in short, was the brand's first model to be front-wheel drive and at the same time one of the first large-scale front-wheel drive cars in the luxury class . Today the car is considered a style icon. Its extraordinary design was created under the direction of Bill Mitchell ; it is considered one of his best work.

Background: The Eldorado series

The Eldorado series has been a regular part of the Cadillac model range since 1953. It went back to a show car called El Dorado Golden Anniversary presented in the summer of 1952 , with which the brand celebrated its 50th anniversary. Based on the example of this one-off, which was named after the legendary gold country of South America , Cadillac developed an open two-door series model that was particularly well equipped and positioned above the regular Cadillac Series 62 Convertible. In 1956, Cadillac added a two-door hardtop coupe called the Eldorado Seville to the Eldorado range , and in 1957 the extremely expensive Eldorado Brougham sedan was added. The Eldorado family took the lead at General Motors. Although the Eldorado Cabriolet, which - depending on the model year - was between 1,500 and 3,500 US dollars more expensive than the regular Cadillac convertible, was only sold in small numbers, it attracted customers to dealers and customers as a particularly high-quality and attractive model helped to increase sales of the standard Cadillacs.

At the beginning of the 1960s, the Eldorado family lost its charisma. At the end of 1960, Cadillac discontinued the exclusive Eldorado Brougham, which had been a losing business, without replacement. The regular Eldorado Convertible had already lost its independence a year earlier. Using the badge engineering concept, the cars now known as Eldorado Biarritz (until 1965) and Fleetwood Eldorado (1966) not only shared the technology, but also the body with Cadillac's standard convertibles, the better-equipped luxury versions of which they became. Annual production in the 1960s was regularly in the lower four-digit range; apart from the last two model years, only a little more than 1000 Eldorados were made each year.

At the end of the 1966 model year, Cadillac ceased production of the rear-wheel drive Fleetwood Eldorado. For the 1967 model year, the Eldorado was realigned. Technically and stylistically, it was replaced by Cadillac's standard models and developed into a completely independent luxury coupé. Part of the technical repositioning of the model was the move to front-wheel drive, which was a novelty in this class. The Eldorado of this generation was - like all subsequent generations - related to the Oldsmobile Toronado .

History of origin

Technically closely linked to the Eldorado: Oldsmobile Toronado

The development of the new Eldorado began as early as 1959. After initial considerations, it should occupy the market niche of the exclusive Eldorado Brougham . Initial studies by the Cadillac designers saw the new Eldorado primarily as a two-seater coupé with a very long bonnet and a passenger compartment set far back; At times there were also considerations for the use of a V16 engine, but this was not implemented.

After a three-year conception phase, the decision was made in 1962 to switch from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive. This was to underline the independence of the Eldorado, which was increasingly lost in the early 1960s. Previously, the development of a front-wheel drive model for the sister brand Oldsmobile had already been decided, which resulted in the Oldsmobile Toronado presented in 1966. In the summer of 1963, General Motors summarized the technical development of the Oldsmobile and the Cadillac. As a result, both models had the same technology. However, Cadillac's engineers made detailed changes that, according to observers, led to the Eldorado handling being better than the Toronado's.

Unlike its predecessors, the new Eldorado was developed exclusively as a coupé. An alternative convertible version was not planned.

The body design is attributed to the then GM design chief Bill Mitchell; he is considered one of his best jobs for General Motors. In fact, Mitchell himself made little contributions to design. The shape of the Eldorado was essentially developed by Stan Parker and Charles "Chuck" Jordan . The first drafts from 1960, which were still created for a dream car with a twelve- or sixteen-cylinder engine, defined the proportions of the later production model with a very long bonnet, a small passenger compartment and a short rear. The XP-825 concept vehicle from the summer of 1964 then corresponded in almost every detail to the later production body.

Initially, the name LaSalle was discussed as a name for the new model, which had been used for a Cadillacs subsidiary from 1927 to 1940 . Ultimately, the fact that this LaSalle series was located in a market segment below Cadillac, so that a contradiction to the intended positioning of the new model in the luxury class, spoke against the revival of this name. Ultimately, this led to the continuation of the established name Eldorado, which was further enhanced by the addition of "Fleetwood".

The Eldorado competed on the domestic market with the Continental Mark III , a luxury coupé from the Ford concern that was sold by Lincoln . Both vehicles had roughly the same prices; In contrast to the Eldorado, the Continental Mark III had conventional drive technology.

Model description

"Razor Edge Design"
Concealed headlights (1967 and 1968)
From 1969: Open headlights

landing gear

The chassis of the Eldorado corresponded in its basic features to that of the Oldsmobile Toronado. It had the box frame customary at General Motors at the time, with a wheelbase of 3,048 mm, which was unusually short for Cadillac. The front wheels of both models were individually suspended on wishbones with torsion bar springs and telescopic shock absorbers. At the rear, the Eldorado had a rigid axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and a total of four shock absorbers. Unlike the Toronado, which was initially equipped with drum brakes all around, the Cadillac had front disc brakes from the start. The power steering had a variable ratio depending on the steering angle.

drive

Only eight-cylinder engines were used as the engine. Different engines were used in the course of the production cycle:

  • In the first model year it was a 7,024 cc (429 cubic inch) eight-cylinder V-engine with 340 gross SAE horsepower.
  • In 1968 and 1969 a version of this engine enlarged to 7,729 cm³ (472 cubic inches) was used, which made 375 gross SAE horsepower.
  • In 1970 the Eldorado received an exclusive new eight-cylinder engine with a displacement of 8,194 cm³ (500 cubic inches). It was the largest mass-produced car engine of the post-war period. Its output was 400 gross SAE horsepower.

In the model years 1967 to 1969, the Eldorado shared the engines with the other - rear-wheel drive - Cadillac models. For use in the front-wheel drive Eldorado, however, some changes were necessary. They concerned the oil pan, the exhaust connections and the mountings of the engine. In all cases, the power was transmitted by an automatic three-speed transmission called Hydra-Matic , which was installed on the side of the engine. The engine and transmission were linked by chains.

body

The special design features of the Eldorado included clear, straight lines with sharp angles, which in retrospect were referred to as Razor Edge Design ("razor edge design "). The doors were very long, but the adjoining rear side window was narrow. The trapezoidal C-pillar, which was located above a distinctive kink in the belt line, was again wide. Headlights were installed at the front, which were hidden behind a flap when not in use and whose exterior design continued the pattern of the radiator grille. This gave the impression that the radiator grille extended over the entire front end. After two years the headlight cover was dropped; They were replaced by permanently visible double headlights.

production

The body of the Eldorado was initially created in the Fleetwood plant in Detroit . For the 1969 model year, Cadillac moved production to Fisher's facilities in Euclid , Ohio .

Series production began in the summer of 1966. When the Eldorado was launched, it cost 6,277; U.S-$. It was more expensive than any Cadillac Calais and DeVille , but slightly cheaper than the four-door Series 60 sedans . An Oldsmobile Toronado that had comparable propulsion technology was about 1,500; US $ cheaper. The prices of the Eldorado rose in the following years to 6,605; US $ 6,711 (1968); US $ (1969) and 6,903; US $ (1970). In 1967/68 the price for an Eldorado in Germany was 39,600 DM. At the same time, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Coupé cost 31,950 DM and a Volkswagen 1300 ( VW Beetle ) 5,150 DM.

The Eldorado was immediately successful. In the first model year almost 18,000 vehicles were built, in 1968 there were 24,5828, in 1969 then 23,333 and in 1970, when the Eldorado received the 8.2 liter eight-cylinder engine, finally 28,842 cars.

Technical specifications

Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado
1967 1968-1969 1970
Engine: Eight-cylinder gasoline engine
V-configuration
Displacement: 7,024 cc,
429 cubic inches		 7,729 cc
472 cubic inches
 8194 cc
500 cubic inches
Bore × stroke: 105 × 102 mm 109 × 103 mm 109.2 x 109.3 mm
Power: 340 SAE-PS gross 375 SAE-PS gross 400 SAE-PS gross
Mixture preparation: Quadruple carburetor (Rochester)
Valve control: underlying camshaft
Cooling: Water cooling
Transmission: Automatic three-speed transmission
Front suspension: Wishbones
spring bars
Rear suspension: Rigid axle
coil springs
Brakes: front disc brakes,
rear drum brakes
Chassis: Box frame
Body: steel
Wheelbase: 3048 mm
Dimensions
(length × width × height):		 5610 × 2030 × 1365 mm
Empty weight: 2145 kg
Top speed:  192 km / h

literature

  • Georg Amtmann: Cadillac . Lechner Verlag, Geneva 1990, ISBN 3-85049-071-8 .
  • Angelo Van Bogart, Brian Earnest: Cadillac. 100 Years of Innovation. Krause Publications, 2003, ISBN 0-87349-690-6 .
  • James M. Flammang, Ron Kowalke, Ron: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 . Krause Publications 1999, ISBN 0-87341-755-0 .
  • Roger Gloor: All cars from the 1960s. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-613-02649-X .
  • John Gunnell: American Cars of the 1960s: A Decade of Diversity. Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-89689-131-3 .
  • James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X .
  • Richard M. Langworth: Automobiles of the 1930s . Beekman House, New York 1980, ISBN 0-517-30994-7 .
  • Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
  • Cadillac - Standard of the World. Motorbuch Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-613-01247-2 .
  • Cadillac - The American dream car. VIP, 1993, ISBN 3-552-05101-5 .
  • Standard Catalog of Cadillac 1903-2004. Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-87349-289-7 .
  • Automobile revue. Catalog numbers 1960, 1969 and 1973 (dates).

Web links

Commons : Cadillac Eldorado (1967–1970)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The chronological assignment of automobiles in the USA is primarily based on model years. Model years usually differ from calendar years. For most manufacturers, a new model year begins in late summer. The 1967 model year at General Motors began accordingly in August 1966; the 1970 model year ended in July 1970.
  2. ↑ Regardless of the formally appropriate designation for this series, Fleetwood Eldorado , the US automobile literature almost consistently only speaks of "Eldorado"; see. z. B. Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 90. The following presentation follows this custom for the sake of simplicity.
  3. ↑ The Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was a luxury model manufactured in a few hundred copies with an independent body and complex technology that included an innovative, albeit problematic, air suspension. In individual years its body was handcrafted at Pininfarina in Italy. Regardless of the name identity, the Eldorado had no external resemblance to the Eldorado convertibles. The Eldorado Brougham was nearly twice as expensive as Cadillac's standard models.
  4. ↑ The name Fleetwood refers to the formerly independent American body manufacturer Fleetwood Metal Body Co. , which was taken over by General Motors in 1930 and manufactured many of the factory bodies for Cadillac in the pre-war period. Cadillac used the name Fleetwood since 1966 for the high-quality equipment line of its expensive Series 60 sedans, which were designed in details more formal than the cheaper DeVille sedans. By combining the Eldorado with the name Fleetwood, Cadillac suggested that the Eldorado was a coupé version of the Series 60 models.
  5. ↑ It was not until the Dodge Viper from 2003 that it surpassed the Cadillac design with its 8.4 liter ten-cylinder engine.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Angelo Van Bogart, Brian Earnest: Cadillac. 100 Years of Innovation. Krause Publications, 2003, ISBN 0-87349-690-6 , p. 138.
  2. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 84.
  3. ^ A b David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader: Classic automobiles. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3 , p. 104.
  4. ^ C. Van Tune: Cadillac Eldorado 1953-1973. In: Motor Trend. Issue March 1994.
  5. ↑ James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X , p. 42.
  6. ↑ James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X , p. 18.
  7. ↑ Maurice Hendry: 1967 Eldorado - What's up Front That Counts. In: Special Interest Cars. Issue February 1982.
  8. ↑ James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X , p. 67.
  9. ↑ James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X , p. 82 f.
  10. ↑ a b c History of the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado on the website www.eldorado-seville.com (accessed on October 21, 2016).
  11. ↑ a b c d Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 91.
  12. ^ Georg Amtmann: Cadillac . Lechner Verlag, Geneva 1990, ISBN 3-85049-071-8 , p. 31.
  13. ↑ James W. Howell, Jeanna Swanson Howell: Cadillac Eldorado. American Classics. 1st edition. Motorbooks International, Osceola 1994, ISBN 0-87938-879-X , p. 85.
  14. ↑ a b catalog Die Automodelle 1967/68 . Issue No. 11/67, Vereinigte Motor-Verlage, Stuttgart.
  15. ^ A b Roger Gloor: All cars of the 60s. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-613-02649-X , p. 94.
  16. ↑ a b Georg Amtmann: Cadillac . Lechner Verlag, Geneva 1990, ISBN 3-85049-071-8 , p. 32.
  17. ^ A b John Gunnell: American Cars of the 1960s: A Decade of Diversity. Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-89689-131-3 , p. 116.
  18. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 90.
  19. ^ John Gunnell: American Cars of the 1960s: A Decade of Diversity. Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-89689-131-3 , p. 117.
Cadillac models timeline , 1930s to 1980s
Type 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9
Middle class 60 61 2nd ww 61 Cimarron
355 70/80 62 Series 62 6200 Calais
upper middle class Seville
Upper class 65 Coupe DeVille / Sedan DeVille
60S Sixty Special Fleetwood Flwd60S Fleetwood
Limousines 355 72/75/85 Series 75 6700 Fleetwood 75 FL FB Brougham
Personal Luxury Eldorado
Roadster Allante
Luxury class V-16 Brougham