In 1980 we had a senior mechanic at Bland Cadillac in Houston who had a home machine shop. He would snatch up any 500 or 472 V8 he could find from totalled 68 - 76 Cadillacs and rebuild them if necessary to max out horsepower and sold them as fast as he could crank them out. Never told me who was buying them - like me he loved the older vehicles - we had many pleasurable hours of conversation reminiscing about the good old days. In remembrance Bob J.
Before diesel pickups the 500 Cadillac was a good towing motor. They are limited in rpm, but under 3,500 rpm is adequate. The 500 is relatively light weight
@@jamesweddle184 My father had a 1991/1992 Eldorado. Mind you, it was an amazing car and in comparison a much younger Mercedes Benz felt like a tin box to drive in (97 E-Class).
The ''68 Eldorado is my favorite because of the clean design with the concealed headlights and wipers. Also yfirst year of the 472 V8. "What's a little gas to drive in class"! Ah the good old days when Detroit was king and aids meant assistance. Makes me wonder what happened to Detroit?
GM actually began using Monoleaf rear suspension on the ChevyII / Nova in the early 1960's. On another note, I never understood the "partial frame" concept, not befitting a Cadillac of old. Cadillac engines were really great in this era.
The 1968 was the BEST year of this four-year styling era. The 1968 model gave you the all-new 472cid engine with 375hp, Dual exhaust option, longer hood with hidden wipers, square classic Cadillac mirrors, hidden headlamps, new Cadillac logo, parking lamps in the front fenders, and the best version of the razor blade taillamps. You can keep the '67, '69, and '70 models. I won't even mention the '71 through '78 models. They were just another Cadillac model with nothing sporty or unique about their styling.
Not to mention the the dashboard designs used in the 1967 and the slightly different 1968 design. Much better looking than the cheap looking dash and no color keyed steering wheel offered in 1969-70
Nice to see two cars featured in this video that once belonged to me: The Lucerne Aqua Firemist/white top and bucket seat car (pics were taken in my driveway for the listing on Bring a Trailer, where I sold the car about three years ago). I believe it had 23K miles at the time. And, Adam’s Black/red slicktop ‘67 was also mine for a few years. I sold it about ten years ago and knew the interim owners until Adam bought it. Of course, I always have at least one of these. In my view, the most beautiful Cadillac ever made. My current ‘67 is an Atlantis Blue Firemist slick top with dark blue leather.
The 67-70 design is by far the best, but the next two generations were decent-looking. The downsized 86 model was a complete turd tho and killed the model imo
Thank you. I like the "Top 10" format and your usual formats. You are a "Rare" and perhaps "Classic" TH-cam content creator: no "click bait," no hystrionics and political intrusion. Keep up the good work.
To me, this car has one of the most beautiful designs ever. But I bet it was thirsty with that 8.2 liter engine. I remember talking to a guy who was a parole officer about 1972. He spoke of a gang of kids who stole exclusively Eldorados. They knew how to bypass the security and they were so little they had to climb on top of each other to get in the car. Great initiative and ingenuity if only it could be properly channeled. I always appreciate your presentations.
I enjoy this format and it is great fun learning more interesting facts about these awesome cars. Hard to imagine the '70 and '71 are the same size - the '70 looks so sharp and elegant, while the '71 appears enormous and bloated in comparison.
Dad had a 1972 Eldorado. I remember him telling the story that some kid with a hopped-up V8 tried to race him from a stoplight. Dad said he just pushed the pedal down and left the kid in his dust.
As always, Adam, a superior job. Always look forward to your work. 1) The retractable rear windows were also on the 1967 thru 1971 Thunderbird, when such cars were not equipped with the factory Landau roof. 2) Buckets and Console are exceedingly RARE on 67 thru 70 Eldorado, and also, there are 4 known examples with an Oldsmobile style full length operating console with floor shift. Cadillac dealers did their level best to discourage ordering stuff like this, as they felt it was "hot rod kids stuff" and not proper for a mature, wealthy clientele. Most likely, they didn't want cars coming back after being driven hard. 3) The 1969 Cadillac steering wheel was a "Rim-Blow" design, where you honked the horn by squeezing the steering wheel rim. There was a flood of complaints from (mostly) upper middle class housewives that they would be in an emergency situation and slamming their fist into the steering wheel, with no results. Hence, the hasty 1970 redesign, which looks like it was done very quickly (because it was) to alleviate this customer complaint. The 1969 wheel was initially supposed to be used thru 1970 as well. Many 1969 wheels were modified for more conventional horn actuation. 4) The 1970 was supposed to have dual exhaust all the way back, but, as you can see, it's dual to the muffler with a single outlet. Again, referring to #2 above, that was "hot rod kids stuff." 5) The 8.2 was capable of churning out 600 horsepower with a full, quiet exhaust and hydraulic lifters. GM was terrified of the bad press from the safety nerds and discouraged Cadillac from extracting this much. Even in later, Clean Air Act years, with low compression and unleaded fuels, the 8.2 could've blasted out way more than it did, as you've seen on your cars. Driveway tweaks unleash at least 50 to 75 horsepower. One Cadillac engine builder has a 472 ( the 472, 500, 425 and 368 were the same "engine family") with around 800 horsepower running unleaded pump gas, cats, and full exhaust. 6) Finally, the 500 was in advance response to rumors that Ford was working on (and did have ready but never released) a 514 cubic inch variant of the Lincoln 460 with about 400 horsepower. That engine wound up in slightly detuned form in Super Duty trucks and the 460 would soldier on in its regular form thru the 1978 model year.
I've always suspected the suspension would be designed to give a sportier ride for this model. Kind of a subtle "clapback" to the banker's hotrod.. We like this format and appreciate all that you do! Your channel is gold..
Of course, what passed for "bucket seats" in those days were not much different from the split bench seats that were always available, so half of it was semantics.
Indeed...! The '71 looks obviously fatter than the '70. I guess part of me still doesn't believe the author; I'd have to research the stats to confirm that.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 The 71 is more rounded and buxom than the 70. The 70s was more in the 60s angular mold, the 71 marked a return to the buxom look of the 50s, so it looks bigger than it really is. It was actually the smallest Cad in the 70s.
@@jamesbosworth4191 Well, if one factors in the whole decade, I'd say the Seville takes that status, but that's beside the point. One thing I'm curious about is how the Toronados from '71 thru '78 looked a lot like the Eldos of '67 thru '70. It makes me wonder whether Cadillac decided to donate the old Eldo shell design to Oldsmobile for refitting into the '70s Toros. I also have the same feeling about the first-gen Seville shell, being that the sedan variants of Cutlass from the early-'80s looked a lot like the Sevilles of the late-'70s. It's only a guess, but the similarities to those respective models look too coincidental to me.
Of my 80+ vehicles only owned one '76 Eldorado a beautiful '76 Conv. / Canary Yellow With Camal Top & Interior! A Toronto Blue Jays pitcher bought it for his Dad, NICE KID!!
Imagine if the EPA never existed and these engines were able to be improved over time. Imagine the 8.2 liter with direct injection, variable timing, variable intake, a cold-air intake tube, and made out of aluminum!!!!! Holy crap they would literally shred the tires off!!
Most everything the EPA forced to help hydrocarbon emissions was for the good and we probably never would have seen manufacturing costs drop low enough for producing and machining aluminum to gain performance, efficient fuel injection systems (even GDI), or VVT/VVL systems so they could make it to light vehicles. That said, every single thing pushed by the EPA to reduce nitrogens of oxides emissions killed power and fuel mileage so they can keep their EGR systems and low compression engines with retarded ignition timing.
@greggc8088 it has come at n enormous cost. Todays DI engines are in the tens of thousands. Turbos add to the problem. With safety regs, costs are unaffordable. Have you looked at the sticker on a new car lately? Even used clapped out pieces of trash cost 5k or more. Ill take leaded gas over this
I used to see Novas and Camaros crabbing down the street when they got old, nothing too serious, but the clamps that held the rear axle to the springs seemed to loosen up. I though at least some Novas had multiple layers of leaf spring, though they might have used single leafs on the base model. When that suspension was re-used for the '76 Seville, they put liners, Mylar or Teflon or something, between the leafs to keep them from squeaking.
@@pcno2832 I remember Novas with single leafs, and with multiple leafs. I got a ‘78 Nova for my stepson, and it had multi-leaf springs. My sister had a ‘76 or possibly ‘75 dark blue Nova, bought brand new, and I liked it. She was killed in that car by a couple of dickhead drunks, and I don’t remember for sure, but think it was multi-leaf rear axle. She didn’t have that car all that long….she was killed in October of ‘76.
My dad's 66 New Yorker had bucket seats similar to that with a semi-console in between them. I think that was a relatively rare option on the 66 New Yorker.
Back on the 90s I saw a program where these two guys bought a 8.2L sedan Deville. They tuned it out and took it to a drag strip. Ran it down the 1/4 mile, came back, cut off the rear doors and ran it again. Shaved an entire second of their E.T.. And after every run, they would cut something else off. It ended up being a rolling chasis and drive train with a seat and a steering wheel. I think they were running in the 13s when it was over. I guess it was a fun way to show how power to weight ratio works and just how heavy those Cadillacs were.
Yes! And don't look anything at all like each other! Both beautiful. GM was at the top of their game then. They are a shadow of what they once were. Olds and Pontiac gone; Buick reduced to marketer of boring Chinese SUVs.
Had a 60,000 mile ‘70 Eldorado in the mid 1980s, fun car to drive with the ability to annihilate the front tires at will. Pretty impressive top end speed as well although the 120 mph speedometer was a bit of a letdown.
Back in the mid 80s I had the occasion to drive a '76 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Amazing fuel economy, at 5.5 mpg! It did ride smoothly, however, and had gobs of torque to launch it off the line away from traffic lights. Felt like you were stopping a train to stop at an intersection, and did indeed tip the scales at 5050 pounds.
Many first-generation Nova/Chevy IIs had mono leaf rear suspension, but that was a much smaller vehicle, and certainly not luxury. Always enjoy your channel.
I love watching your video's because you are so detailed on the cars you cover. I remember seeing these big cars back in the day, thinking there is no way people are going to want to collect these cars. They will all go to the junkyard once people are done driving. LOL How wrong I was. I actually like these big yachts now, probably because I'm older (47). LOL
I think you meant " And one piece floor mat" in the note at 3:42, the beauty that it is. That view of the rear seat in the 7:42 does not look very deluxe, but I guess if you are rolling an Eldo, then you aren't chauffeuring extra passengers very often. I'm not sure if I would call those "bucket" seats, more like Barcelona seats maybe. While I appreciate these survey clips, I miss the detail reviews of cars from your fleet. Have you covered all of them or just waiting for the return of summer? How many jewels do you have in your inventory anyway?
2:00: The 1971 looks larger because of the 'bulging body lines', as opposed to the crisp, straight body lines of the 1970. Also, those fake side vents probably make the 71 look bigger...
I never understood auto designing. Take the 70 Eldorado. An absolutely beautiful design. Then in 71, GM designers completely destroy the cars design in the following year. Makes you wonder who approves the changes. And why? Especially when you can physically see the previous model is so much nicer. Instead of making subtle, yet noticeable upgrades to keep interest.
Yea, "different" isn't always better. I don't mind the '71 Eldorado, but when they included that trapezoidal opera window for '75, along with 6 bumper guards, I was wondering how anyone could take credit for the car with a straight face.
@@RareClassicCars thats the other crazy part. When the newer style outsells the previous, nicer style. Could it be from economic and rebate factors? I cant see it solely off looks.
I worked in the parts department at one Cadillac in Phoenix in the mid 90s and the owner of our dealership was Bob Lund who was president of Cadillac motivation from 1962 until 1973. We were the world‘s largest exclusive Cadillac dealership and if you need it old Cadillac parts, you called me! Bob is a great guy.❤😊
@@biglongcadillac my family had both back in the 70s that's how I know the eldorado didn't ride as good as a mark 111 or a mark v I remember the mark 111 rode the best
I too am amazed that the '71 was the same length as a 70. In '74 I bought a beautiful light Mediterranean blue with white top and interior '71 (like the '71 convertible shown) . The front wheel drive was amazing. I got stuck going down a steep loose gravel drive which was almost perpendicular and had to back up to get out. The car just backed up without skipping a stone.!!! I ended up selling it cause I was going to college and it didnt want to park such a beautiful car with the terrible parking. Although it handled great, the ride was not nearly as soft as my then father in laws '72 Thunderbird which too was a large coupe.
Those 72 - 75 "Thunderbirds" were actually Lincoln Continental Mark IV with less standard equipment and a slightly lower price. Nice cars, but they were hardly the sporty cars that 'Birds of the past had been.
I've got a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible fire thorn red with a red interior and I also have a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible fire thorn red with a white leather exterior... My dream cars.
Number 10 : I wonder if the presence of the 1971 Eldorado's wheel skirt in the rear enhanced the rear fenders' appearance of length compared to the 70's open well, breaking up the fenders look. I dont know if the 71's skirts were standard, though.
The '69-70 Cadillacs all had black steering wheels with a deep binnacle lined in black plastic to reduce glare. A severe reaction to the chrome-filled early 60s models, but it stank of cost-cutting. The extra tumblehome of the '71-78 Eldos really made them look bloated--the earlier gen. wore its similar size much better.
I like the format and information on the car. Could you do some videos on early ford and GM products on cruise control and factory air conditioning. Thank you for your wonderful videos cheers from Mick Australia.
Very interesting that the '71 model had a nearly identical length as the 1970 Eldorado. It was most definitely the side bloat of the '71's sheet metal that made it seem like a considerably larger vehicle. That 500ci powerplant was monster displacement. At roughly 12 miles to the gallon leaded, we're fairly certain many of these Cadillacs were traded in during the soon to occur Arab oil embargo of 1973 at a significant loss. 💸💸🔍. Many Thanks Yo !
Thanks for this one, Adam.. Cadillac would have been better served out of the gate if they had gone with the V 12 engine they were considering instead of front wheel drive, which turned out to be nothing but a cheap gimmick with inherently worse handling characteristics.
7:59 The most likely reason for the odd horn buttons and the cheap look of the '70 wheel was the need to get rid of the troublesome 1969-only "Rimblow" wheel in a hurry. Rimblow, which embedded the horn switch into the inside surface of the rim itself, was an annoyance that got worse as the car aged. You eventually had to mark the areas of the rim on which the horn still worked, then find them before the person in front of you hit your bumper.
The 70 was more angular and chiseled in the theme started by the 57 Ford, the 71 harked back to the buxom look of the early and mid 50s, so it looked bigger than it was, the 70 looked smaller than it was.
The 67 Firebird had two mono leafs out back . I was big into the second gen T/A's. A coworker had an originally 67 400 convertible . Really cool first year bird .
I always give General motors credit for trying radical engineering,, the Corvair, rope drive Pontiac, front wheel drive Eldorado etc.. I also have always found it somewhat ironic that the most successful radical engineering in terms of reliability served virtually no purpose other than a flat floor. If General motors would have instead spent that front wheel drive money on the suspension, brakes, and interior appointments as beautiful as that car was it would have been a huge huge hit... I have to imagine that most potential front wheel drive Cadillac Eldorado buyers of the time test drove them and came away surprisingly unimpressed...
The Toronado and Eldorado did give them some experience with FWD that proved useful when they had to design the X and A cars for the 1980s. The Toronado drivetrain was originally designed for a much smaller FWD F85 that never got built, so these coups served as sort of a 15 year trial balloon to keep their feet in the water (pardon my mixed metaphors).
I think GM claimed the fwd setup was so expensive because they eye amortizing the development costs over fewer units sold since the fwd platform was a high end car sold on limited numbers. The rest of the car industry, after all, went fwd because they found it cheaper to build. GM should have had the fiscal courage to back up the fwd engineering with a proper rear suspension and interior. thereby boosting sales and paying for that fwd development cost. At the SAME TIME Cadillac had rear leaf springs, the Chevy/GMC had long trailing arms and coil springs on the rear! NO EXCUSE! For that matter, couldn't they have borrowed the Corvette rear independent suspension, just deleting the axles, for smooth ride?
As someone who lives in a place with snow, the shift to FWD was a welcome, huge improvement. The RWD cars just couldn't get out of their own way in the winter. And the flat floor was a huge improvement, too. It's always uncomfortable having to sit in the middle position when there's a driveshaft tunnel.
Thanks, Adam, for the great video. I love your idea of top 10 interesting facts. For me, the 67-70 Eldorados are the pinnacle of American automotive design and I think my fave is the 1970. I prefer the exposed headlights and just love the rear taillight design of this car. It’s sad that GM became so focused on cutting costs. They cheapened what was, at that time, a world class vehicle. Awesome channel!!
Hello, Great Video Thanks. My 1970 Eldorado Had a Tilt and Telescoping Steering Wheel And it also had the Large Moon Roof . To this day I have never seen like the one I had in 1975.😂
There are sources/opinions that about the same era/time horsepower ratings were calculated differently beginning around 1971. I'm not sure of what they did however, a 1970 350-4V V8 had 300 HP and in 1971 it was 270 HP then in 1973 250 HP. At some point later, the 350 V8 was down to 150 HP, possible in their trucks. In any regard, today's Cadillacs don't come close to the smooth elegant ride that these old "boats" had. There was much room, comfort, plush, space etc. while today's products are more set up for sport ride, firm seats and much less room. Completely different vehicles today.
For 1971 GM mandated that all their cars had to be able to run on unleaded fuel, so the actual power output of many of their engines dropped. I believe Cadillac's compression ratio was about 8.5 to 1 for 1970 and 10 to 1 for 1971.
@@pcno2832 High compression was used in the 1960's up through 1970. In 1971/1972, compression ratios were dropped to 8.50:1. Unleaded fuel didn't start until 1975 and catalytic converters were equipped. They did change cams by 1973 and by then came the smog add-on equipment such as A.I.R. pumps, EGR etc. Even so, there are people/sources who claim the reason for the big power drops were related to the methods of measuring HP. I'm not so sure about that but that's what is being claimed. I know for sure HP suffered big in the real world so, when they went from 300 HP to 250 HP, you noticed it. That pretty much eliminates their theory.
7:29 Having the glass retract into the sail panel seems like a good idea, but it's too bad they didn't use the extra space under the sill to increase the elbow room for the rear passengers. 11:25 This is a nice view of what made the "totally flat floor" possible; it was really hiding a lot of wasted space. A floor contoured around the frame , springs, and exhaust system would have made the car less elegant but roomier; the 1979 redesign, which required 2 mats, did exactly that.
Love your videos! I'd love to see one on the 79 (I'm not sure of the year model but the 79 looks closest) Olds Delta 88. My grandma had one for pretty much my entire childhood, bench seats front and back, four door. My sister called it the "Lead Sled" because it was silver. Those were very reliable cars and their size made them safe for grandma's. Keep up the great work!
Very interesting video. And it certainly brings up a lot of questions. Why do most modern front drive vehicles have a center hump when clearly here the cadillac was able to position the exhaust pipes without the need of a center hump. Yet in design it maintained sleekness rather than the higher stance some modern vehicles tried. As for suspension, very interesting. I think not only due to space, but also sleekness of the design. I ask, were MacPherson struts available at this time? I remember the Honda Accord station wagons used struts and the strut towers intruded greatly into the bed of the wagon. The single leaf spring is an odd one, just fascinating, but I'm sure it was the culprit of a harsher ride. More leaf springs, greater variability. I think that perhaps the desire to keep the car looking sleek, was of top importance here. Lastly, I find the dual exhaust interesting. If the engine was mounted transversely, then they would have gone out of their way to run one of the exhaust pipes on the other side of the vehicle rather than run it all on the one side the exhaust was coming from. The whole idea of dual exhaust was due to the V configuration of the engines. It made sense to run a seperate exhaust for each individual bank of pistons. Just interesting how Cadillac was really trying to solve a lot of "firsts", issues they perhaps did not foresee and had to solve one way or another.
re. '67 eldorado, i had one in '69/'71 when i got a new '71 eldorado.. also had a '66 toronado, nice enough car but mine had AWFUL drum front brakes.. '67/'70 was the best looking prettiest cadillac.. i have a perfect '70 eldorado now that will fly (and a '59 & '60 cadillac convertible).. father had a '55 packard, i would climb on the rear bumper to "ride" tha car up and jump off for the car to lower itself back down.. i guess i am blessed with longish, so far, life and the ability to own and drive these super neat cars.. the '59 convertible ALWAYS gets salutes from other drivers.. want pix, just ask though i'm not sure just how one could ask that of me on youtube..
Most people were slow to gravitate to disks, as we all did our own maintenance and repairs, and we wanted what we were familiar with, not stuff we had to entrust to a shop.
GM passenger cars and trucks circa 1966-1977 invariably shared a jewel-like faceted aesthetic on the front clip. This is very noticeable on the hood edge and corners. Sometimes it is subtle over the quad headlights, as seen on the 1970 Impala/Caprice and 1973 Caprice. If you look from above at the nose and tail of GM cars from this era, you'll notice the silhouette shape of a castle battlement as seen from the perspective of one corner at ground level and looking up. These designers were artists.
The 70 Eldorado is my favorite year, I had a 70 Eldorado and a 70 Fleetwood Brougham both in cinnamon firemist. I don't recall the heated seat option in the 70 but if I remember correctly it was available in 69, a very rare option like the sunroof.
My parents had a gold 1970 El Dorado Cadillac coup with a gold leather interior and white vinyl top. My dad liked the color since El Dorado meant in Spanish the Golden, referring to a city of gold. We had it to haul a 30 ft travel trailer over half of the US and Canada. In addition because of the gas shortage, my dad had rigged it up to also take propane too. With the tank in the trunk all we had to do was flip a switch under the dash board and we had an extra full tank to go. We didn't have to worry about odd and even days. My parents Cad also had electric back windows with a lock switch at the main controls on the driver's door. I remember this quite well because when we would travel though hot places like the desert, my dad would lock the windows and turn on the AC. Problem was he would fire up his pipe and wouldn't let me roll down my side of the window because of the hot air outside. He tried to convince me that the AC was circulating the smoke out, but I still complained. It was cool to be able to burn rubber from the front tires. One thing I remember about the car was it had such a long hood. We didn't have a center console , it was just an armrest. It was a good car till it broke down and nobody was able to fix it. A lot of great memories with that car. Thanks!
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In 1980 we had a senior mechanic at Bland Cadillac in Houston who had a home machine shop. He would snatch up any 500 or 472 V8 he could find from totalled 68 - 76 Cadillacs and rebuild them if necessary to max out horsepower and sold them as fast as he could crank them out. Never told me who was buying them - like me he loved the older vehicles - we had many pleasurable hours of conversation reminiscing about the good old days. In remembrance Bob J.
Before diesel pickups the 500 Cadillac was a good towing motor. They are limited in rpm, but under 3,500 rpm is adequate. The 500 is relatively light weight
They work great in a GMC Motorhome
@@timothykeith1367They use them on the big airboats. Ride in one in the Everglades
Those motors were grunt muscle with boatloads of torque. They were great for heavy hauling & towing.
That black beauty shown for the first thirty seconds is a work of art.
It IS gorgeous!
Cadillac definitely changed the Eldo from year to year, but they never improved it. The 67 will always be the definitive Eldo in my eyes.
The 1967 eldorado is the bomb diggity 🎉❤
@@jamesweddle184 My father had a 1991/1992 Eldorado. Mind you, it was an amazing car and in comparison a much younger Mercedes Benz felt like a tin box to drive in (97 E-Class).
The ''68 Eldorado is my favorite because of the clean design with the concealed headlights and wipers. Also yfirst year of the 472 V8. "What's a little gas to drive in class"! Ah the good old days when Detroit was king and aids meant assistance. Makes me wonder what happened to Detroit?
GM actually began using Monoleaf rear suspension on the ChevyII / Nova in the early 1960's. On another note, I never understood the "partial frame" concept, not befitting a Cadillac of old.
Cadillac engines were really great in this era.
I think they just used that layout because Olds had already designed it.
The 1968 was the BEST year of this four-year styling era. The 1968 model gave you the all-new 472cid engine with 375hp, Dual exhaust option, longer hood with hidden wipers, square classic Cadillac mirrors, hidden headlamps, new Cadillac logo, parking lamps in the front fenders, and the best version of the razor blade taillamps. You can keep the '67, '69, and '70 models. I won't even mention the '71 through '78 models. They were just another Cadillac model with nothing sporty or unique about their styling.
Not to mention the the dashboard designs used in the 1967 and the slightly different 1968 design. Much better looking than the cheap looking dash and no color keyed steering wheel offered in 1969-70
I agree 💯%> those taillights and hidden headlights were spectacular
Nice to see two cars featured in this video that once belonged to me: The Lucerne Aqua Firemist/white top and bucket seat car (pics were taken in my driveway for the listing on Bring a Trailer, where I sold the car about three years ago). I believe it had 23K miles at the time. And, Adam’s Black/red slicktop ‘67 was also mine for a few years. I sold it about ten years ago and knew the interim owners until Adam bought it. Of course, I always have at least one of these. In my view, the most beautiful Cadillac ever made. My current ‘67 is an Atlantis Blue Firemist slick top with dark blue leather.
Oh, how I love those GMC motorhomes!
I've always thought the 1967-70 Eldorado is a wonderful, timeless design. The successor 1971-78 model, not so much.
The 67-70 design is by far the best, but the next two generations were decent-looking. The downsized 86 model was a complete turd tho and killed the model imo
I agree. Cadillac traded classy for garish.
Agreed. '67-'70 crisp, chiseled and elegant. From '71 forward they are bloated fat whales on wheels that got worse looking every year.
@@therealniksongs The 70s marked a return to the buxom look of the early to mid 50s. Some loved it, some hated it.
Thank you. I like the "Top 10" format and your usual formats. You are a "Rare" and perhaps "Classic" TH-cam content creator: no "click bait," no hystrionics and political intrusion. Keep up the good work.
Thanks very much! Much appreciated!
To me, this car has one of the most beautiful designs ever. But I bet it was thirsty with that 8.2 liter engine. I remember talking to a guy who was a parole officer about 1972. He spoke of a gang of kids who stole exclusively Eldorados. They knew how to bypass the security and they were so little they had to climb on top of each other to get in the car. Great initiative and ingenuity if only it could be properly channeled. I always appreciate your presentations.
I enjoy this format and it is great fun learning more interesting facts about these awesome cars. Hard to imagine the '70 and '71 are the same size - the '70 looks so sharp and elegant, while the '71 appears enormous and bloated in comparison.
Today's Cadillacs may be faster and handle better, but they do not have the style nor presence of the first gen Eldorado.
I have a newer Cadillac XT5 as my dailey. I love it but w/ 20" wheels its fairly stiff. I wish they kept the XTS & went pure luxury w/ it.
This is the eighth generation, Eldorado man.
@@dustin_4501EXACTLY. Thank you.
@@douglasb.1203 You're welcome.
@@dustin_4501 8th? How do you figure? 2nd or 3rd., maybe...sorta.
Dad had a 1972 Eldorado. I remember him telling the story that some kid with a hopped-up V8 tried to race him from a stoplight. Dad said he just pushed the pedal down and left the kid in his dust.
Love these cars!!! 👍👍
Ours was a 1968. Pink one red interior😊😊
@@gerry-p9x Very cool!
@@gerry-p9x Nice! They looked great in pink.
@@UberLummox yeah trying to find the color like a pinkish lavender color with matching top....More to come
@@gerry-p9x Oh I think I know that color. Back in the day there was a '67 in my town that was *pink* pink. Kind of a light pink.
As always, Adam, a superior job. Always look forward to your work.
1) The retractable rear windows were also on the 1967 thru 1971 Thunderbird, when such cars were not equipped with the factory Landau roof.
2) Buckets and Console are exceedingly RARE on 67 thru 70 Eldorado, and also, there are 4 known examples with an Oldsmobile style full length operating console with floor shift. Cadillac dealers did their level best to discourage ordering stuff like this, as they felt it was "hot rod kids stuff" and not proper for a mature, wealthy clientele. Most likely, they didn't want cars coming back after being driven hard.
3) The 1969 Cadillac steering wheel was a "Rim-Blow" design, where you honked the horn by squeezing the steering wheel rim. There was a flood of complaints from (mostly) upper middle class housewives that they would be in an emergency situation and slamming their fist into the steering wheel, with no results. Hence, the hasty 1970 redesign, which looks like it was done very quickly (because it was) to alleviate this customer complaint. The 1969 wheel was initially supposed to be used thru 1970 as well. Many 1969 wheels were modified for more conventional horn actuation.
4) The 1970 was supposed to have dual exhaust all the way back, but, as you can see, it's dual to the muffler with a single outlet. Again, referring to #2 above, that was "hot rod kids stuff."
5) The 8.2 was capable of churning out 600 horsepower with a full, quiet exhaust and hydraulic lifters. GM was terrified of the bad press from the safety nerds and discouraged Cadillac from extracting this much. Even in later, Clean Air Act years, with low compression and unleaded fuels, the 8.2 could've blasted out way more than it did, as you've seen on your cars. Driveway tweaks unleash at least 50 to 75 horsepower. One Cadillac engine builder has a 472 ( the 472, 500, 425 and 368 were the same "engine family") with around 800 horsepower running unleaded pump gas, cats, and full exhaust.
6) Finally, the 500 was in advance response to rumors that Ford was working on (and did have ready but never released) a 514 cubic inch variant of the Lincoln 460 with about 400 horsepower. That engine wound up in slightly detuned form in Super Duty trucks and the 460 would soldier on in its regular form thru the 1978 model year.
My bedroom is smaller than the hood on this car! LOL
GM also used a Torsion Bar front suspension on the C10 to C70 trucks in the early 60's
Great episode. This format is fun. The ‘67 Camaro also had monoleaf rear springs. One year only, it had multileaf for ‘68.
Adam, Fact: Nobody was expecting a video at 11:18 on a Thursday morning. 😁
Early Novas & Camaro/Firebirds used momoleaf springs. Especially with weaker powertrains (sixes & small V8s.)
Thank you for another well done video!! My personal favorite is the 1968 Eldorado = everything is just right on that car and that year!!!!
I love these cars, thanks for the video.
Beautiful Eldorado. My favorite of the 4-year run was the 1968. I think that was the pinnacle year of that body style.
Me too.
67-68 Pretty Machines
I've always suspected the suspension would be designed to give a sportier ride for this model. Kind of a subtle "clapback" to the banker's hotrod.. We like this format and appreciate all that you do! Your channel is gold..
I never would have guessed that the 1971 Eldorado was the same length as the 1970 model! Ooh, and bucket seats!
Of course, what passed for "bucket seats" in those days were not much different from the split bench seats that were always available, so half of it was semantics.
Indeed...! The '71 looks obviously fatter than the '70. I guess part of me still doesn't believe the author; I'd have to research the stats to confirm that.
I don't believe it
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 The 71 is more rounded and buxom than the 70. The 70s was more in the 60s angular mold, the 71 marked a return to the buxom look of the 50s, so it looks bigger than it really is. It was actually the smallest Cad in the 70s.
@@jamesbosworth4191 Well, if one factors in the whole decade, I'd say the Seville takes that status, but that's beside the point. One thing I'm curious about is how the Toronados from '71 thru '78 looked a lot like the Eldos of '67 thru '70. It makes me wonder whether Cadillac decided to donate the old Eldo shell design to Oldsmobile for refitting into the '70s Toros. I also have the same feeling about the first-gen Seville shell, being that the sedan variants of Cutlass from the early-'80s looked a lot like the Sevilles of the late-'70s. It's only a guess, but the similarities to those respective models look too coincidental to me.
I used to drive a 74’ Eldo Convertible white with Red leather interior 💗🤩
I was fortunate to own a 75 Eldorado. Not the quickest car but as you said when you punched it,the hood would rise and she’d peel out! Great car
The 1967 Eldorado would have to be one of my favorite cars of all time - absolutely beautiful.
The 1967 had the old 429 but the 1968 had new venerable 472 with similar styling but a not as nice of an interior. Tradeoffs.....
66 was better
@@Україна-ц7э The 66 was a different car - a more DeLuxe version of the "regular" Series 62 convertible.
Of my 80+ vehicles only owned one '76 Eldorado a beautiful '76 Conv. / Canary Yellow With Camal Top & Interior! A Toronto Blue Jays pitcher bought it for his Dad, NICE KID!!
I love how much you love cars Adam and I'm learning things that I never knew.
Imagine if the EPA never existed and these engines were able to be improved over time.
Imagine the 8.2 liter with direct injection, variable timing, variable intake, a cold-air intake tube, and made out of aluminum!!!!! Holy crap they would literally shred the tires off!!
I wish they would never have existed. I believe that we would have cleaned up fine without it.
Yes, you just gave us a pretty fair description of the hot rod hobby.
Most everything the EPA forced to help hydrocarbon emissions was for the good and we probably never would have seen manufacturing costs drop low enough for producing and machining aluminum to gain performance, efficient fuel injection systems (even GDI), or VVT/VVL systems so they could make it to light vehicles. That said, every single thing pushed by the EPA to reduce nitrogens of oxides emissions killed power and fuel mileage so they can keep their EGR systems and low compression engines with retarded ignition timing.
@greggc8088 it has come at n enormous cost. Todays DI engines are in the tens of thousands. Turbos add to the problem. With safety regs, costs are unaffordable. Have you looked at the sticker on a new car lately? Even used clapped out pieces of trash cost 5k or more. Ill take leaded gas over this
@@henrystowe6217 Preaching to the choir.
A friend had a 68 or 69 Nova with Mono Leaf rear springs. It was a 6 with a powerglide.
I used to see Novas and Camaros crabbing down the street when they got old, nothing too serious, but the clamps that held the rear axle to the springs seemed to loosen up. I though at least some Novas had multiple layers of leaf spring, though they might have used single leafs on the base model. When that suspension was re-used for the '76 Seville, they put liners, Mylar or Teflon or something, between the leafs to keep them from squeaking.
@@pcno2832
I remember Novas with single leafs, and with multiple leafs.
I got a ‘78 Nova for my stepson, and it had multi-leaf springs.
My sister had a ‘76 or possibly ‘75 dark blue Nova, bought brand new, and I liked it.
She was killed in that car by a couple of dickhead drunks, and I don’t remember for sure, but think it was multi-leaf rear axle. She didn’t have that car all that long….she was killed in October of ‘76.
Sorry for your loss
Enjoy this format for sure. Always nice to impress your friends with random knowledge
Yeah, THAT'S a REAL car! 😍
My dad's 66 New Yorker had bucket seats similar to that with a semi-console in between them. I think that was a relatively rare option on the 66 New Yorker.
Adam - you are a wealth of information and knowledge on the history of these classic vehicles.
Thanks for sharing this video with us. 😊
Back on the 90s I saw a program where these two guys bought a 8.2L sedan Deville. They tuned it out and took it to a drag strip. Ran it down the 1/4 mile, came back, cut off the rear doors and ran it again. Shaved an entire second of their E.T.. And after every run, they would cut something else off. It ended up being a rolling chasis and drive train with a seat and a steering wheel. I think they were running in the 13s when it was over. I guess it was a fun way to show how power to weight ratio works and just how heavy those Cadillacs were.
Sacrilege!
@davidgold5961 yeah.....hurts to think about now, but at that time, it was just a 20 year old gas guzzling caddie that no one wanted.
I would think with no rear doors, the back seat area would have acted like a drag parachute and force the engine to work against it.
@@mindeloman There were still plenty of people who loved them, people who couldn't afford them when they were new.
67 Eldo and 66 Toro are absolutely gorgeous!
Pretty 😍😍😍
Yes! And don't look anything at all like each other! Both beautiful. GM was at the top of their game then. They are a shadow of what they once were. Olds and Pontiac gone; Buick reduced to marketer of boring Chinese SUVs.
I like this format, Adam, and I also especially love your Best/Worst Engines videos. Would love to see more of those.
Had a 60,000 mile ‘70 Eldorado in the mid 1980s, fun car to drive with the ability to annihilate the front tires at will. Pretty impressive top end speed as well although the 120 mph speedometer was a bit of a letdown.
Back in the mid 80s I had the occasion to drive a '76 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Amazing fuel economy, at 5.5 mpg! It did ride smoothly, however, and had gobs of torque to launch it off the line away from traffic lights. Felt like you were stopping a train to stop at an intersection, and did indeed tip the scales at 5050 pounds.
If it used THAT much gas, something was amis. Maybe the carb needed rebuilding and was running too rich.
5:29 I love that ivory/sky blue/brown combo, never seen any other car like it.
i believe the 67 Camaro also had single leaf rear springs
1:51 The length increase of the 1971 is .00496 %, less than one-half of one percent.
Just the better looking model.
Many first-generation Nova/Chevy IIs had mono leaf rear suspension, but that was a much smaller vehicle, and certainly not luxury. Always enjoy your channel.
Adam, your content is always spot on and as accurate as a Swiss time piece! Bravo sir!!
I love watching your video's because you are so detailed on the cars you cover. I remember seeing these big cars back in the day, thinking there is no way people are going to want to collect these cars. They will all go to the junkyard once people are done driving. LOL How wrong I was. I actually like these big yachts now, probably because I'm older (47). LOL
You are still young! My kids are older than you, but you are a mature adult, not a teenage boy.
@@jamesbosworth4191 48 now. LOL
Without question, the most beautiful post-war Cadillac.
Old nova chevy2 had mono leaf in back
Very beautiful car
I think you meant " And one piece floor mat" in the note at 3:42, the beauty that it is. That view of the rear seat in the 7:42 does not look very deluxe, but I guess if you are rolling an Eldo, then you aren't chauffeuring extra passengers very often. I'm not sure if I would call those "bucket" seats, more like Barcelona seats maybe.
While I appreciate these survey clips, I miss the detail reviews of cars from your fleet. Have you covered all of them or just waiting for the return of summer? How many jewels do you have in your inventory anyway?
Fascinating......
2:00: The 1971 looks larger because of the 'bulging body lines', as opposed to the crisp, straight body lines of the 1970. Also, those fake side vents probably make the 71 look bigger...
THIS GEN ELDORADO IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING CARS ON THE ROAD.
I never understood auto designing. Take the 70 Eldorado.
An absolutely beautiful design.
Then in 71, GM designers completely destroy the cars design in the following year.
Makes you wonder who approves the changes. And why? Especially when you can physically see the previous model is so much nicer.
Instead of making subtle, yet noticeable upgrades to keep interest.
Yea, "different" isn't always better. I don't mind the '71 Eldorado, but when they included that trapezoidal opera window for '75, along with 6 bumper guards, I was wondering how anyone could take credit for the car with a straight face.
The 71 sold much better than the 70
@@RareClassicCars thats the other crazy part. When the newer style outsells the previous, nicer style. Could it be from economic and rebate factors?
I cant see it solely off looks.
@@johnnymula2305when economy is good people buy more expensive new cars
Your videos are great. Thank you for your hard work!
It is hard to believe that
Cadillac = Ultimate style and luxury.😊
I worked in the parts department at one Cadillac in Phoenix in the mid 90s and the owner of our dealership was Bob Lund who was president of Cadillac motivation from 1962 until 1973. We were the world‘s largest exclusive Cadillac dealership and if you need it old Cadillac parts, you called me! Bob is a great guy.❤😊
The eldorados ride quality is probably one of the reasons the Continental mark 3 did so well
Terrible ride for a Cadillac
Do you have one?
@@biglongcadillac I had a 67 and 70, they didn’t ride well at all
@@kevinrca must've been the cars. My '70 Eldorado rides great
@@biglongcadillac my family had both back in the 70s that's how I know the eldorado didn't ride as good as a mark 111 or a mark v I remember the mark 111 rode the best
The ‘67-70 are the attractive models. ‘71+ just never clicked.
GM used torsion bar front suspension starting in 1960 on GMC trucks but only lasted a couple years. Not sure if Chevy trucks had them.
They did.
I too am amazed that the '71 was the same length as a 70. In '74 I bought a beautiful light Mediterranean blue with white top and interior '71 (like the '71 convertible shown) . The front wheel drive was amazing. I got stuck going down a steep loose gravel drive which was almost perpendicular and had to back up to get out. The car just backed up without skipping a stone.!!! I ended up selling it cause I was going to college and it didnt want to park such a beautiful car with the terrible parking. Although it handled great, the ride was not nearly as soft as my then father in laws '72 Thunderbird which too was a large coupe.
Those 72 - 75 "Thunderbirds" were actually Lincoln Continental Mark IV with less standard equipment and a slightly lower price. Nice cars, but they were hardly the sporty cars that 'Birds of the past had been.
1962 Chevy c10 also had torsion bars
I've got a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible fire thorn red with a red interior and I also have a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible fire thorn red with a white leather exterior... My dream cars.
I love your videos, they are absolutely fabulous!
Number 10 : I wonder if the presence of the 1971 Eldorado's wheel skirt in the rear enhanced the rear fenders' appearance of length compared to the 70's open well, breaking up the fenders look. I dont know if the 71's skirts were standard, though.
Skirts were standard from '71-'74. And yes, that's exactly why they look longer. Good call!
I just saw a Popular Science owner survey of the 1969 Eldorado. The biggest owner complaint: rough ride, though they like the sporty handling. OK.
The '69-70 Cadillacs all had black steering wheels with a deep binnacle lined in black plastic to reduce glare. A severe reaction to the chrome-filled early 60s models, but it stank of cost-cutting. The extra tumblehome of the '71-78 Eldos really made them look bloated--the earlier gen. wore its similar size much better.
I like the format and information on the car. Could you do some videos on early ford and GM products on cruise control and factory air conditioning. Thank you for your wonderful videos cheers from Mick Australia.
Adam these videos are so cool and informative, your page has come so far. Any eye on new Land Yatchs that you want or have just bought?
Very interesting that the '71 model had a nearly identical length as the 1970 Eldorado. It was most definitely the side bloat of the '71's sheet metal that made it seem like a considerably larger vehicle. That 500ci powerplant was monster displacement. At roughly 12 miles to the gallon leaded, we're fairly certain many of these Cadillacs were traded in during the soon to occur Arab oil embargo of 1973 at a significant loss. 💸💸🔍. Many Thanks Yo !
Not that many. If you could afford the car, you could afford the gas.
@@jamesbosworth4191quite tru
Thanks for this one, Adam.. Cadillac would have been better served out of the gate if they had gone with the V 12 engine they were considering instead of front wheel drive, which turned out to be nothing but a cheap gimmick with inherently worse handling characteristics.
Torsion bar suspension, when done correctly save a fair bit of space, I would note, and they can provide a remarkable ride as well.
7:59 The most likely reason for the odd horn buttons and the cheap look of the '70 wheel was the need to get rid of the troublesome 1969-only "Rimblow" wheel in a hurry. Rimblow, which embedded the horn switch into the inside surface of the rim itself, was an annoyance that got worse as the car aged. You eventually had to mark the areas of the rim on which the horn still worked, then find them before the person in front of you hit your bumper.
I like the format as you learn sometimes unbelievable things
I would never guess the 70 71 have the same dimensions
The 70 was more angular and chiseled in the theme started by the 57 Ford, the 71 harked back to the buxom look of the early and mid 50s, so it looked bigger than it was, the 70 looked smaller than it was.
How posh...using the UK/French spelling of litre.
Pontiac did that also on the early GTOs.
@@stephenholland5930and 403 trans ams
The 67 Firebird had two mono leafs out back . I was big into the second gen T/A's. A coworker had an originally 67 400 convertible . Really cool first year bird .
GM did have some experience with torsion bar suspension, the 1960-62 Chevrolet C-10 pickups used a torsion bar front suspension
As did the 88 - 90 something.
I always give General motors credit for trying radical engineering,, the Corvair, rope drive Pontiac, front wheel drive Eldorado etc..
I also have always found it somewhat ironic that the most successful radical engineering in terms of reliability served virtually no purpose other than a flat floor.
If General motors would have instead spent that front wheel drive money on the suspension, brakes, and interior appointments as beautiful as that car was it would have been a huge huge hit...
I have to imagine that most potential front wheel drive Cadillac Eldorado buyers of the time test drove them and came away surprisingly unimpressed...
The Toronado and Eldorado did give them some experience with FWD that proved useful when they had to design the X and A cars for the 1980s. The Toronado drivetrain was originally designed for a much smaller FWD F85 that never got built, so these coups served as sort of a 15 year trial balloon to keep their feet in the water (pardon my mixed metaphors).
I think GM claimed the fwd setup was so expensive because they eye amortizing the development costs over fewer units sold since the fwd platform was a high end car sold on limited numbers. The rest of the car industry, after all, went fwd because they found it cheaper to build. GM should have had the fiscal courage to back up the fwd engineering with a proper rear suspension and interior. thereby boosting sales and paying for that fwd development cost. At the SAME TIME Cadillac had rear leaf springs, the Chevy/GMC had long trailing arms and coil springs on the rear! NO EXCUSE! For that matter, couldn't they have borrowed the Corvette rear independent suspension, just deleting the axles, for smooth ride?
As someone who lives in a place with snow, the shift to FWD was a welcome, huge improvement. The RWD cars just couldn't get out of their own way in the winter. And the flat floor was a huge improvement, too. It's always uncomfortable having to sit in the middle position when there's a driveshaft tunnel.
@@kc9scott Ok,,, two things..
Front wheel drive was adopted because it allows more trunk space and more interior room, not because it is cheaper.
I believe '60-'62 Chevrolet and GMC trucks used torsion bars as well. Not sure if it's the first time GM used them but it's the earliest I know of.
I bought two of these ( 1 wrecked,1 rusted out) just for the engines. They are now 540ci and have 600 horsepower.
Thanks, Adam, for the great video. I love your idea of top 10 interesting facts. For me, the 67-70 Eldorados are the pinnacle of American automotive design and I think my fave is the 1970. I prefer the exposed headlights and just love the rear taillight design of this car. It’s sad that GM became so focused on cutting costs. They cheapened what was, at that time, a world class vehicle. Awesome channel!!
Best Cadillacs ever were mid fifties to mid to late sixty’s period!
Excellent video and information. Loved the Eldorado! Thanks, Adam.
Fabuloso Cadillacs 😮😮😮😮😮😸😸😸😸😸😸😸
Hello, Great Video Thanks. My 1970 Eldorado Had a Tilt and Telescoping Steering Wheel And it also had the Large Moon Roof . To this day I have never seen like the one I had in 1975.😂
I wish they had made a 67 to 70 Eldo convertible. The upholstery could have been a more interesting pattern.
Get a proper intake and you get an extra 25 HP and 50 lb.ft of torque.
There are sources/opinions that about the same era/time horsepower ratings were calculated differently beginning around 1971. I'm not sure of what they did however, a 1970 350-4V V8 had 300 HP and in 1971 it was 270 HP then in 1973 250 HP. At some point later, the 350 V8 was down to 150 HP, possible in their trucks.
In any regard, today's Cadillacs don't come close to the smooth elegant ride that these old "boats" had. There was much room, comfort, plush, space etc. while today's products are more set up for sport ride, firm seats and much less room. Completely different vehicles today.
For 1971 GM mandated that all their cars had to be able to run on unleaded fuel, so the actual power output of many of their engines dropped. I believe Cadillac's compression ratio was about 8.5 to 1 for 1970 and 10 to 1 for 1971.
@@pcno2832 High compression was used in the 1960's up through 1970. In 1971/1972, compression ratios were dropped to 8.50:1. Unleaded fuel didn't start until 1975 and catalytic converters were equipped. They did change cams by 1973 and by then came the smog add-on equipment such as A.I.R. pumps, EGR etc. Even so, there are people/sources who claim the reason for the big power drops were related to the methods of measuring HP. I'm not so sure about that but that's what is being claimed. I know for sure HP suffered big in the real world so, when they went from 300 HP to 250 HP, you noticed it. That pretty much eliminates their theory.
I don't consider today's to be Cadillacs. More like Chevrollacs.
At first, 1972, it was mostly because of different measuring methods, but the 73 cars were slower, the 74s slower still, and so on.
@@jamesbosworth4191 Once the CAT was implemented, HP got better.
The 1971 Eldorado looked like two different vehicles welded together right behind the rear door.
7:29 Having the glass retract into the sail panel seems like a good idea, but it's too bad they didn't use the extra space under the sill to increase the elbow room for the rear passengers.
11:25 This is a nice view of what made the "totally flat floor" possible; it was really hiding a lot of wasted space. A floor contoured around the frame , springs, and exhaust system would have made the car less elegant but roomier; the 1979 redesign, which required 2 mats, did exactly that.
Love your videos! I'd love to see one on the 79 (I'm not sure of the year model but the 79 looks closest) Olds Delta 88. My grandma had one for pretty much my entire childhood, bench seats front and back, four door. My sister called it the "Lead Sled" because it was silver. Those were very reliable cars and their size made them safe for grandma's. Keep up the great work!
Very interesting video. And it certainly brings up a lot of questions. Why do most modern front drive vehicles have a center hump when clearly here the cadillac was able to position the exhaust pipes without the need of a center hump. Yet in design it maintained sleekness rather than the higher stance some modern vehicles tried. As for suspension, very interesting. I think not only due to space, but also sleekness of the design. I ask, were MacPherson struts available at this time? I remember the Honda Accord station wagons used struts and the strut towers intruded greatly into the bed of the wagon. The single leaf spring is an odd one, just fascinating, but I'm sure it was the culprit of a harsher ride. More leaf springs, greater variability. I think that perhaps the desire to keep the car looking sleek, was of top importance here. Lastly, I find the dual exhaust interesting. If the engine was mounted transversely, then they would have gone out of their way to run one of the exhaust pipes on the other side of the vehicle rather than run it all on the one side the exhaust was coming from. The whole idea of dual exhaust was due to the V configuration of the engines. It made sense to run a seperate exhaust for each individual bank of pistons. Just interesting how Cadillac was really trying to solve a lot of "firsts", issues they perhaps did not foresee and had to solve one way or another.
MacPherson struts did exist, but they tended to suffer from sticktion, which was a no no for a Cadillac.
Chevy 2 used Monoleaf system. Early 1960's Chevy 2WD C-10 used Torsion bars.
re. '67 eldorado, i had one in '69/'71 when i got a new '71 eldorado.. also had a '66 toronado, nice enough car but mine had AWFUL drum front brakes..
'67/'70 was the best looking prettiest cadillac.. i have a perfect '70 eldorado now that will fly (and a '59 & '60 cadillac convertible)..
father had a '55 packard, i would climb on the rear bumper to "ride" tha car up and jump off for the car to lower itself back down..
i guess i am blessed with longish, so far, life and the ability to own and drive these super neat cars.. the '59 convertible ALWAYS gets salutes from other drivers.. want pix, just ask though i'm not sure just how one could ask that of me on youtube..
Most people were slow to gravitate to disks, as we all did our own maintenance and repairs, and we wanted what we were familiar with, not stuff we had to entrust to a shop.
GM passenger cars and trucks circa 1966-1977 invariably shared a jewel-like faceted aesthetic on the front clip. This is very noticeable on the hood edge and corners. Sometimes it is subtle over the quad headlights, as seen on the 1970 Impala/Caprice and 1973 Caprice. If you look from above at the nose and tail of GM cars from this era, you'll notice the silhouette shape of a castle battlement as seen from the perspective of one corner at ground level and looking up. These designers were artists.
They were stylists, and understood that a car is not an airplane.
The 70 Eldorado is my favorite year, I had a 70 Eldorado and a 70 Fleetwood Brougham both in cinnamon firemist. I don't recall the heated seat option in the 70 but if I remember correctly it was available in 69, a very rare option like the sunroof.
I seem to remember the early Camaros had monoleafs.
15:15 And “litre” is spelt in British English, not the US “liter”.
My parents had a gold 1970 El Dorado Cadillac coup with a gold leather interior and white vinyl top. My dad liked the color since El Dorado meant in Spanish the Golden, referring to a city of gold. We had it to haul a 30 ft travel trailer over half of the US and Canada. In addition because of the gas shortage, my dad had rigged it up to also take propane too. With the tank in the trunk all we had to do was flip a switch under the dash board and we had an extra full tank to go. We didn't have to worry about odd and even days. My parents Cad also had electric back windows with a lock switch at the main controls on the driver's door. I remember this quite well because when we would travel though hot places like the desert, my dad would lock the windows and turn on the AC. Problem was he would fire up his pipe and wouldn't let me roll down my side of the window because of the hot air outside. He tried to convince me that the AC was circulating the smoke out, but I still complained. It was cool to be able to burn rubber from the front tires. One thing I remember about the car was it had such a long hood. We didn't have a center console , it was just an armrest. It was a good car till it broke down and nobody was able to fix it. A lot of great memories with that car. Thanks!
I do not believe the story about propane conversion, sorry
@@biglongcadillacwhy not?
Great presentation Adam--Keep 'em coming!