Cadillac Eldorado History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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The Eldorado debuted for 1953 as a limited-production, top-of-the-line Cadillac convertible — just 532 were built that first year — and quickly became the brand's halo car, the most expensive Cadillac of its era and the trend-setter for the company's most flamboyant 1950s styling, including the wraparound windshield and tail fins.
The Eldorado was radically reinvented for 1967 as a front-wheel-drive personal-luxury hardtop coupe, sharing GM's E-body with the Oldsmobile Toronado and Buick Riviera. Through the 1970s it grew into one of the largest cars Cadillac ever built, and the 1976 convertible was marketed as the 'last American convertible' before the body style briefly disappeared.
Production ran for fifty years and twelve generations before ending on April 22, 2002. To mark the milestone, Cadillac built a final run of 1,596 commemorative cars in red or white — the only two colors offered on the original 1953 convertible.
Body styles
- Convertible
- Coupe
- Hardtop
Notable special editions & performance variants
Eldorado Brougham
An ultra-low-production, hand-built four-door hardtop flagship with a stainless-steel roof and air suspension; one of the most expensive American cars of its day.
Eldorado Biarritz
The convertible (later top-trim) Eldorado nameplate, a recurring luxury designation across several generations.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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