Eldorado Brougham, NOT Fleetwood Brougham. Air suspension was standard equipment, but most have been converted to coils. The styling changes you mentioned were for the regular Cadillacs. 57 and 58 Eldorado Broughams are nearly identical. Great car, good presentation.
Thank you for the correction I change the title as well as thumbnail and all of the slides are right for whatever reason I kept saying Fleetwood brougham I have no idea where that came from.. lol glad you liked this one =)
I think the air suspension was often problematic and sometimes it was changed to a traditional one. Therefore some of those Beauties have a traditional suspension.
@@danielulz1640 Yes, they were designed that way for ease of fitting. Lincoln followed suit the very next year with similar suspension designs, to swap in the optional balloon suspension if anyone ordered it...but, given the issues people had with the Caddy, it's likely that *very* few id any ordered such a suspension. Nowadays, though, some collectors with a lot of cash do swaps with some of those cars, which is fine since they were designed to accommodate such suspensions. Still can't trust balloons, though; they still spring (no pun) holes, which is inevitable with road debris. Sure, one can counter with "Why would you drive such a car on debris-laden roads in the first place?" Well, why ask why?
Jay; I think this is the first Eldorado Brougham I have seen with an all leather interior instead of silk brocade. You mentioned that sitting in the car felt like lead. These cars were pretty much hand built and the bodies contained a LOT of lead filler. Another great video with plenty of close up detail.
I have always been a fin and chrome sort of guy. To me a car wasn't complete without outrageously sized fins and large slabs of chrome - these are the cars of my childhood. The Eldorado reminds me of the classic cars seen from the old Perry Mason television series and the films of the glamorous movie stars and celebrities of the 50s. This is a car that Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe should be popping in and out of! What a car! I can just imagine the deep cushion seats, the ride floating over speed bumps and potholes, and the muted deep gurgle of the engine that is gently assuring you that it is up to the task!
@@What.its.like. - The most tasteful fins of the late 50’s, IMEO, were on the ‘57-‘58 Plymouth Furys and Belvederes. The ‘58 GM and FoMoCo cars were getting too bulbous and glitzy, but Chrysler did their finned-era cars tastefully. Remember the world’s first truly self-driving car? Christine!! Now she was a beauty. Jay, you need to find one of those and do an extended review …
They were cars of my childhood too, but that doesn’t mean I cared for them. Beginning in the 1960s those were my favorite cars when they got over the fins and the chrome. I didn’t care for the early 70s models either. They were just too big. Like the Chevy ad said with the 1977 models “That’s more like it!”
I’ve been looking I saw a 59 fury at the classic auto mall unfortunately I didn’t get to do it because there wasn’t enough space to get in the car but the next time I go I definitely want to do that car
I owned an Eldorado Brougham for 7 years and drove it daily. That is when it wasn’t being repaired at one shop or another. I spent $70,000 on restoration and it still needed to have the air suspension reinstalled. That would have been another $15,000. You can’t drive them safely without the air suspension as the car was made to ride at a certain height and if it doesn’t you can lose the axle. You will not be able to find anyone who can work on one. At least not knowledgeably. You will waste more $$$ having someone work on the car who doesn’t know how than you will spend on getting it restored. A few have been fully restored at a cost of $200,000. I drove mine 34,000 miles but it cost plenty to keep it on the road.
WOW, thank you so much for sharing your experience with this car with us definitely an eye-opener for anybody that’s interested in getting this car, that’s why this channel exist to put information out there so people know exactly what they’re getting into before they get into it.
Yeah kudos for your effort$ at keeping such a bomb on the roads ( and daily driver to boot) for so long. The gas bill alone (these got like 8 mpg in city esp with AC on!) Must've been a pain in the arse to have those suspension problems. And no one to fix it properly. GM made a few rich peeps upset back then.
I and a friend would go to the auto show every year to see what was coming out that year. I first saw the brougham centered at the show floor with spot lights all over it. The one I saw was a dark blue with that stainless steel top. The interior was dark blue and the carpet seemed to be at least 1" deep pile. When I saw the window sticker, I almost fainted. I thought, "A car costing more than a house, absurd!" Yes it had air ride which was available in other GM cars. It was very expensive and many didn't last and were changed to springs. The view of this car has never left me even to this day many, many years later.
I never saw a blue one like the one for the thumbnail but that is my favorite color combination that car would be absolutely stellar. I saw midnight blue one at a car show last year and I couldn’t get anywhere near to ask the guy if I could shoot his car there was at least 300 people around it it was insane. He had all of the trinkets the tumblers i’m pretty sure he had all of the accessories and I wanted to go back but by the time I had a chance to get back he was gone.
@@What.its.like. As they say, "Those were the days" . I think that even that the price of gas was around $.30/gal. Yea, I said $.30 maybe $ .35/ $ .37. My '66 Riviera had a huge 425 cu. in that got about 10 MPG in the city and maybe 14 MPG. on the highway. Oh but what a ride that was. At 80, you might have turn the stereo FM radio up but that's all.
Me too The crazier thing about this car is the people that know about it or like gushing but the people that have no idea what it is it’s just another Cadillac to them.. there are a lot more people who haven’t a clue what that car is versus the people that do
I seem to recall reading somewhere that Cadilac lost money on every one of these luxo-barges. The cost of manufacture vastly exceeded what they could charge.
Just from an artistic design standpoint it was beautiful. No idea how it delivered mechanically. But it looks to have been an amazing item to sit in and use.
Gorgeous, the designers back in the old days design cars with character, not like today with every model looking the same. Quality was more better in the old days then now, just seats alone, and carpets just an example. You will never see thick vault like closing doors ever again. I been a car enthusiast all my life, and luxury cars is my favorite type of vehicle. The '59 Deville or Fleetwood is my dream car. I know for sure if I had the money, I will own a lot of classics. One will definitely be one of the most iconic vehicles of all time is the Volkswagen Beetle, early to mid 70's model to be exact. Thanks for keeping a smile on my face watching your videos, when auto designers and makers put more effort in materials, character, and a identity for cars.
All 1957 to 1960 Eldorado Broughams are so rare that they are often individually identified by their production number. According to my reference material, the following are the only differences between the 1957 and 1958 models: 1.) interior upper door panels finished in leather, rather than metal finish 2.) new wheel covers 44 trim combinations and 15 special monotone paint colors (in reality a customer could still choose a unique paint color and unique upholstery for additional cost, but black or white paint were overwhelmingly popular)
Who would want a Rolls Royce over this? Rolls Royce was so old fashioned, this thing was modern, beautiful, it had a V8 with a 4 speed auto. One of the things I'm surprised not to see, because I've seen a 1957 Eldorado up on a lift is the the 57 had fully independent suspension with a trailing arm rear suspension and four wheel disk brakes. So these were very advanced cars. I'm also surprised to hear about the fuel economy. My dad was born in LA in 1941 and his uncle was Casey Stengel because his aunt edna had married Casey, and Casey had no kids so my father was like his kids. Casey Stengel was a very nice man, and my dad remember Casey would come and hang out with them in the 50's and they would all get in his 1957 Cadillac Eldorado. My dad said it had automatic windshield wiper, headlamps and he said the car got like 25-30 mpg. I think that's one of the misconception was Cadillacs got bad fuel economy, from what I understand once they got up cruising on the open road they were actually fairly aerodynamic, had low rolling resistance and actually got pretty good fuel economy, but maybe not, who knows. My family like cars, in the 60s my grandmother got a BMW 635 with the batwings, so she was the fastest thing on the Freeway of LA in the 60's. In the 80's my uncle got a BMW Alpina. In 1982 a Chevy corvette had maybe 150hp and that little 2500lbs BMW 3 series had 250hp, did 0-60 in 6 second, and got over 160mph! A small little 3 series could take a Ferrari, you needed at least a Porsche Turbo to get it.
I don't know what you thought you saw on that lift but the '57 Cadillac most definitely did NOT have independent rear suspension (though it did have trailing arms, it still used a live rear axle), and it did NOT have disc (not "disk"--that's a computer term) brakes.
"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells. Just watched this one from a year ago and did not see the song pinned so I thought why not mention it. Amazing car that I've not seen close up. Thanks for covering it.
I think somebody already got name that tune for this one, but it won’t let me pin it for some reason, but that is the song and band. I believe this car was incredible. I want to do another one and be more in-depth with it. Glad you dig this episode
For those wondering about the gear shift quadrants in this car (many cars equipped with hydramatic transmission, notably GM and some Crystler cars from this era until the early 1960s) are Park, Neutral, Drive, Low, Reverse. The problem with this, is it was very easy to overshoot from Low to Reverse, and because cars of the time had no sensors to prevent reverse from being engaged while the car was traveling forward, the result was typically a catastrophic failure often resulting in loss of control and possibly a crash. by 1971, it had become part of federal law in the form of U.S. Department of Transportation Standard No. 102: “Location of transmission shift positions on passenger cars. A neutral position shall be located between forward drive and reverse drive positions. Hence the P-R-N-D-(manual) on all modern vehicles regardless of make or model.
Thanks for watching it was a cool car 60s tomorrow 70s the day after we’re gonna try this format for a week maybe a week or two because I have enough in the pipeline that I can do one day 40s next day 50s somebody said to try to do it that way in the comment section so I’m going to give it a try =) it will only work for two or three weeks because I’m gonna run out a 60s and 70s material lol
Jay can dig up almost anything. Maybe, someday, even a Broadmoor Cadillac Stationwagon Limo from the 1950's, which were 2 feet longer than today's Escalades!
This is in my book the greatest American car of the Fifties and probably Sixties as well! I was lucky enough to see a over the top restored example, talk to the owner and even touch it! It is so BEAUTIFUL and absolutely classy. A friend of mine travelled to a car seller for hours two times just to admire the beauty of the thing! That was over fourty years ago and it was absolutely unobtainable for a normal young guy. To me this car has a vibe that makes me shiver with joy. I is somehow like seeing a Ferrari GTO or an Iso Grifo: A dream car!
I would love to see an iso grifo I have seen a Ferrari GTO 250 GTO before those are very stunning cars but with them priced as high as they are I got to vibe that I wasn’t worthy of being in the same county as it
@@What.its.like. I have been around expensive cars. They are common here in Switzerland. My Dad used to restore Ferraris, Astons and GM cars (in a bodyshop) and of course everything else. My Grandpa even owned a 1958 Maserati 3500 Granturismo Superleggera Coupe made by Touring Milano. The closest to exclusive that we own in our family today is the 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider of my father and my 1965 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, a survivor with less than 70 000 miles. I have seen a Grifo only once through a window of a classic luxury shop. They were rare ever since and unfortunately they rusted away very quickly. The more exclusive an Italian sports car was, the worse the rust problem. Handmade cars that were very beautiful, but had absolutely zero rust protection.
Hey JAY! You found one of my All time Favorite over the top 50’s Cars. I can imagine these were electrical nightmares to keep running smoothly. Awesome Stuff Jay
I’m glad you like this one I can’t convey how heavy the door was it was the heaviest door that I ever move to get into a car the crazier thing yeah it was that was the only door that was that heavy all the rest of them were pretty light
Hi from Sydney, Australia. We have 4 of these stainless-steel roofed beauties in our New South Wales chapter of the Cadillac La Salle club, there are more sprinkled around the country in other states. Three are owned by friends of mine, 2 were decent non restored excellent cars one RHD & one LHD. The third was a restoration and the original elderly owner had a matching black 1957 Eldorado Seville for his wife, my mate bought both and restored them over a 10year period. The electrics are more than most old cars, but well-made and did not give Graham any woes at all. I have a 1974 Fleetwood Talisman with every option except a sunroof and thermometer in the driver's mirror. It has a MASSIVE electricalsystem by comparrison with the "humble" lot in the 57 & 58's. It has the TWO most rare options in it, Trackmaster ABS brakes-traction control system, and ACRS, GM's early airbags, Air Cushion Restraint System. Additionally, it has a factory Dictaphone system, the garage door opening system etc, etc the list just goes on and on. However, I have owned it now 40 years & 4 months. As a GM Holden Aust delivered CKD Kit car (completely knocked down) it is also Right Hand Drive. 1974 was the year we nationally went metric so it's also a kilometres car. When I bought a mere 102,700 ks were on the odometre when nearly 9yrs old, now 4 decades later, it has 704,000 ks on it or about 445,000miles its electrics have given me ZERO issues, NONE. I have had staff with new company cars that have been from zero to five years old with massive issues, melted systems from the Aussie heat in open carparks for 9 months of the year. I have registered business use & used my 1974, and 1972 Fleetwood's daily for decades, fully serviced and claimed back against tax returns. Both have been flawless, everything works perfectly.
I think we’re alone now, Tommy James and the Shondells. My dad had a Gold 58 with black leather. It had a record player? He got rid of it 55 years ago. I was 5.
Imagine even to form and fabricate Steel in such utter Way to produce a Car like this is astonishing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even the Quality is withstanding a nuclear blast......
Jay, these are the kind of high-end luxury cars I like to see on your channel. I like that it has power wing vent windows and I especially like the rotary dials for Cadillac's early 'memory' seat adjustments. Great job showing us around this beauty. I missed seeing how big the trunk looks in this huge behemoth.
I’m sorry I should’ve put a picture in there of the trunk I didn’t have keys to any of these cars so the only trucks that you can get into are the ones that don’t lock . This wasn’t the only Cadillac I did while I was there I did an epic 1936 Cadillac that I honestly wouldn’t mind owning one day.. I love the 30s cars I love the fenders i’m a huge fan of the 50s because of the tailfins IDK which one I like better fenders or fins =)
My Grandmother's 2 door '53 Imperial, had power vent wings, I think electro-hydraulic. I was in grade school, and the doors were so heavy, I couldn't pull them closed without assistance.
Could you imagine that happening now see you like a company like Tesla with auto pilot and just kick back and have yourself a drink as you’re not driving down the road.. lol I want to feature a Tesla on here one day I’ve gotten to drive 2 but that was years ago I was thinking about renting one maybe..
Hey Jay, this year of Cadillac is my ULTIMATE Favorite year for the Cadillac! Thanks so much. I've seen a '58 Series 60 Fleetwood, down in Mexico, but never able to find the owner....... Dam! I could get that car and make it near NEW! I know people in Mexico that can do ANYTHING, and EVERYTHING!
This car was epic and the feeling inside was like you made it, felt solid but the crazy thing is people either know or they don’t. When I was shooting this car there was a bunch of people there that day and I made a comment to somebody and said this is the most expensive car Cadillac made in the 50s and he came up to get a better look and couldn’t believe what he was seeing stainless roof and all
I spotted a Brougham at a lakeside restaurant in Austin several years ago, white with light blue interior. The owner noticed my interest and let me crawl all over and under the car. He had all of the vanity items intact, including the Cross pen and note pad, perfume, etc. He had converted the car to springs (the same as my mother's 1958 Buick Roadmaster). I have been studying the changes in the cost of living over my 73 years, and I will argue, pleasantly, that there is no 1:10 increase in price from 1957 to 2023. For cars, the ratio, especially for these models, is 25-30:1, more along the lines of a Mercedes Maybach or Rolls Royce at today's prices.
People know me as a car guy and am often asked what my favorite car is, and I say 'Eldorado Brougham'...of course none of them know what it is. Love the black and white interior on this one, like a tuxedo. As others have mentioned the air suspension was standard on the Brougham, although a warranty recall caused most to be converted to coil springs. I have a '58 Fleetwood with air suspension, and also was converted, but have the complete setup for air if I ever decide to go back. interestingly, none of the air suspension parts are shared between the Brougham and the other models...in fact, other than the engine, trans, rear end, and a few other bits like some dash controls, nothing is shared and is the reason these cost so much and the reason Cadillac lost thousands of dollars on each one. great road cars, i regularly drive mine 80mph over the mountain pass just down the road from me.
Awesome information and story, when I was shooting this car I was talking to some people that were also there and I told them could you believe that this is the most expensive car produced by a major manufacturer in the 50s.. it’s a great car not sure I’d ever want to own one because of electrical and mechanical complexity.
@@What.its.like. same...you have to have buckets of cash as they are one of the most expensive post-war cars to restore. I have seen a couple custom Broughams, which were awesome, but probably custom because the restoration is $$$$. def one of my lottery cars.
Ditto - I'm in MD. Guy had paid a mint for it too - but it's funny these are not always selling in the stratosphere (that might be the asking, but not all of those find a buyer)
My father had one of these. A black one. He bought it used in 1963 or 64. He sold it in 1967. I remember different carpeting. It had a very deep pile shag like carpeting that would change color depending on the direction that you rubbed it with your hand. Cool cars and one of my favorite childhood memories of the many cars he had.
9:40 I believe that's not a third hinge in the middle, but merely a stamped cover for the wires that come into the door, to protect them from getting chewed up. A similar, but simpler design was used on the more plebeian cars as well. Regardless, thank you for showing this very rare, basically one-off car ! A gorgeous design with so many fine details.
FANTASTIC!!! These old cars fifties and sixties bring back so many memories of my childhood. It is a fantastic presentation. Did you do one for the 59 Cadillac? Beautiful car ! Thank you very much and keep up the great work.
I guess you could say that we started with a 46 Desoto then went to the 58 Cadillac tomorrow it’s going to be a 60s Mopar product.. i’m excited for 2023 I can’t wait to see what is in store for this year
Jay, I just discovered your channel about a month ago and have enjoyed all the videos I have watched. I like American iron from the 50's and 60's including the orphan makes. Do not worry about negative comments from people that seem to comment on most of the other channels I watch. You are very complete in your description of each vehicle and love it when you are able to drive them. Happy New Year!
I honestly can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store, it’s going to be cool that is for definite sure I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be able to drive Classic Car it’s winter time here and that’s kind of a no go .. but I do have some goals I really want to drive a Packard next year a proper one from the 30s that has a straight eight
Beautiful car and one of my all-time favorites. The rotary seat controls were outrageous! "HORIZONTAL, FORE and AFT!" A nautical reference to remind you that you were driving a boat, just in case you'd forgotten. Any idea what those chrome circles below the headlights are? Loved every second, Jay!
From Sydney, Australia, the chrome circles ate the horn sound outlet points as the car had 4 yep four horns. I own both a 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, and a super rare 1974 Fleetwood Talisman both also have four horns, the 4th horn is an electric trumpet horn that makes a Fleetwood sound like a GM Diesel railway locomotive is about to run you down, a decent BLAST from it will wake up a whole suburb. My staff at work can hear me make a warning blast at an intersection a mile from our office building, INSIDE the sealed airconditioned building. No one can say they did not hear it, as it's the most aggressive horn on anything but a railway locomotive.
Primary differences between the 1957 and 1958 Brougham were limited to carburation (3 -2's in 1958, 2-4's in 1957) and the change to leather-lined door panels (which was a running change in late 1957) The two years are visually identical from the outside. There were also other very minor mechanical parts updates and upgrades during production.
Right but what gm needs to do. Add a racing thing to that with the same. Cubic inches high rise lifters overhead cam fuel injection on their Cadillac to compete with electric vehicles.
Hey Jay, great video of a great car!!! The 58 Eldorado Brougham was General Motors answer to the Continental Mark ll. Those bumpers with the rubber tips are called Dagmar Bumpers. They are named after a very chesty actress named Dagmar, she was very popular in the fifties. I'm not sure but I think that if it had the stainless steel roof it was called an Eldorado Biarritz Brougham!!! I could be wrong about that. Thanks for sharing your review of this beautiful & expensive Cadillac!!! 👍👍🙂
The coolest thing is this car is priced about half of what it was when it was new so you could good things come to those that wait right.. I knew the torpedo spears were called Dagmar’s but I couldn’t think of the name when I was there I just kept drawing a blank so I didn’t say anything at all lol =) 60s car tomorrow and a 70s car the day after that then we’re probably going to go to 1929
All 57 and 58 Eldorado Broughams had stainless steel roofs. Eldorado Biarritz was the convertible and Eldorado Seville was the two door hardtop with a vinyl covered roof.
Absolutely gorgeous car! 🤩 One of my favorite '50s dream cars! I love seeing these in motion when they were new, in some of my favorite old movies, North by Northwest is one of them, if I'm not mistaken it's the Fleetwood limo in that movie.
You don't disappoint. You find a one of a kind car and every video you have something you say you don't know what it does. Can you take someone with you that knows cars? That engine bay portion of the video was very short. The air compressor for the air ride could have been explained. Show us the Carb setup.
This is a car community not everything can be found on the internet, people in the comment section lived with these some have even owned these help out a lot with the blanks, and it gives them a voice. it’s impossible to know everything about everything, and it’s a fine line I couldn’t show the carbs it’s not my car, and don’t work for the dealer make these episodes to keep the information out their so if the younger generations what it it’s there.. information for this car is hard to find not in on place. The information in this episode is priceless to someone looking at getting one of these and to add to it a few have owned this car commented and said how expensive they are to restore and keep running. Mechanical and electrical complexity.
Awesome I couldn’t find any information pertaining to it I saw a couple Cadillac ads saying that air suspension was available across the board.. you would think that if it wasn’t expensive car that there will be advertisement about it but there wasn’t that much advertising bits on this car
@@What.its.like. It came standard on many 58 GM cars and was a FLOP! even when it worked! I drove a 58 Buick limited with air suspension and it was like driving the good ship lollop! And it was working correctly.
There were no options available on this car other than paint color or interior fabric. The "self-leveling air suspension" which replaced rear springs with inflatable rubber bags was highly problematic and frequently taken out and replaced by owners. This car had the coolest "suicide doors" ever!
14:20 I don't know that I've _ever_ noticed _triple_ hinges on an automotive door. Very interesting. Some (especially GMs with LONG doors) would "droop" over time, so this _seems_ like a _good_ idea.
The El Dorado concept car was shown in 1956 it looked like the production version except it had a removable roof over the driver's seat like an old fashioned Town car limousine it was designed to be driven by a chauffeur.. and yes air suspension was standard. Due to service and warranty issues Cadillac dealers replaced most air suspensions with coil springs.
I like the fins on a '58 better than '57 or '59. Also, Liz Taylor had a Continental Mark II the color of her eyes. Elvis also had one he bought from a dealer in Miami when he was playing there in '56 or '57. Sinatra also had one.
Hello Jay, Air Ride was standard for all 1957/58 Eldorado Broughams but it was very problematic, so Cadillac converted many of them to springs. Cruise Control was not available for the 1957/58 Eldorado Broughams, but it was standard equipment for the 1959/60 "Italian" Eldorado Broughams(Series 69).
Thank you for that correction I found the cruise control in a Hemmings article so I took it for face value here’s the article, I was having a really hard time finding what was standard on that car or what options it had apparently it didn’t have any options but everything was standard but I couldn’t find a list of all of the standard features www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/10/06/a-dream-realized-with-a-rare-example-of-gms-ultimate-in-1950s-luxury
@@What.its.like. Elvis was a car nut they say. He brought back a BMW 507 and a Messerschmidt bubble car from Germany after he got released from the Army...those would be two interesting collectors items for What It's Like! The 507 almost put BMW into bankruptcy in 1958.
I just read an article on this car & it did say that air suspension was standard & was a first for any GM car. My dad had a friend that had one, it was black. The guy had it from new and in 1974 and it still looked new! Tommy James, I think we're alone now.
Hi Justin, good video! Thank you for mentioning the Lincoln Mark II also, two great cars! The compressor you see above the generator is the air suspension compressor. Please reply. Dave...
I want to compare the two so bad Classic got them all unfortunately doesn’t have a continental Mark II but if they do get one and they still have this car I am going to try my best to compare them
Just FYI, the black & white interior was popular in the late 50’s early 60’s. It was usually called Tuxedo. Very popular in Chryslers. Also, that car cost as much as a house in 1958
I’m a huge fan of the black and white color scheme it’s one of the most classiest looking color combinations out there.. I know this car cost a fortune the only other car that was built in America but it was in the early 50s was the Cunningham and I saw that they were anywhere between 8000 and $14,000.. they are super rare though not that many being built I was surprised to find out they only built 704 of these I thought that they made 1500 or right around that maybe that’s how many Continental Mark There are.. I wonder if the classic auto Mall gets a continental mark II and this car is still for sale I would love to compare the two =)
@@What.its.like. , Jay, just FYI . . Out of curiosity about the gauges I searched for other videos of these Cadillacs and found one by Lou Costabile. Those cars had some other interesting features. You might want to check it out
The Lincoln Mark ll I believe cost about $1000 more at the time than a Rolls Royce Keep in mind , these were the cars that statesmen traveled around in ( Cadillacs ,Lincoln's ,Mercedes ,Rolls Royce)
Our family had a 57 in 65. Single headlights and tail lights, hard clothe type top, aluminum wheels, all the goodies plus factory 2 four barrel carbs. Engine wiring caught on fire and it was junked. If I wasn't a mid teener I would of found a way to keep this rare jewel
Great video! Also, the first car to come with narrow band whitewall tires, other cars would not have them until 1961. Only car other than later Continentals & Thunderbird convertibles that you could close the trunk electrically & originally the rear seat center armrest compartment would have come with a bottle of women's Arpege Perfume.
My grandfather (who also owned a textile mill) owned a black one. At the time you could buy a nice little cottage in Westchester County New York for less than this car cost which makes me distrust your inflation numbers. My grandfather's one comment about the car that I remember was "The transmission is garbage." I liked it because I could sleep on the shelf above the rear seat
Jack Benny had an Eldorado Brougham in Palm Springs. The 'Drive' positions are 4-speed on the left divot and in the right divot 3rd gear is held. I've always thought the seats in this car are among THE most epic of the 1950's-1960's The bumper protrusions were referred to as 'Dagmars' for their resemblance to part of a Hollywood Star's upper body features. ...and the Imperial Ghia was as costly.
Bob Hope also had one which was recently featured (Oct '24) in a video on TH-cam. The current owner has had it for 20 years and it's in his massive collection in Canada.
I heard that this was a prestige project for Cadillac. The production costs of the vehicle were about twice the asking price. I think I heard that the day before the car was introduced to the world it fell from the pedestal and some specialists had to work like crazy in order to fix it. I am not sure but I think this was in Detroit.
Just so you know, the bumper guards are also called Dagmar bumpers, because they are a tribute to Dagmar, who was a tv actress back in the 50s. I think she died in 03. I might be wrong.
Hey Jay... I'm late to this party, but I'm pretty sure that the '57-'59 Eldo Broughams were THEE MOST EXPENSIVE American production cars ever sold up until the mid 2000's , considering for inflation... I think that the Cadillac Escalade ended up taking the honor. I'm certain that they were the most expensive production cars in the Universe, back at the time...
I know it’s the most expensive car offered in America that was a mass produce model the Cunningham might’ve been more money.. but they didn’t make that many of those.. Thank you so much for sharing all that information I really appreciate it and you’re never late to the party man.. it’s youtube it goes on forever =)
There's a local here with 6 Cadillacs including this one in blue. Not sure if the air ride was standard. They were optional on other full-size GM cars, and they seldom worked anyway. One rare, and cool ride!
I wasn’t sure if it was standard somebody mentioned in the comments that it was standard on that car everything was standard on that car.. I was a little bit bummed out that there wasn’t any hardly any advertisement pieces about this car I thought for sure there would be a commercial that I could tie into this episode but there wasn’t and I did watch a couple commercials Cadillac did say Air suspension was available as an added option across all model lines so that added to the speculation I wasn’t sure..
There would have been a distinct difference between 1957and1958. all cars from all manufacturers were mandated to have dual headlamps in 1958. where as 1957 models had single headlamps. the dual headlamps lasted for two years, when the manufacturers had their choice to produce cars with single or dual headlamps. a lot people think that they used chrome in the fifties, when actually they used stainless steel nickel steel on the outside of the cars. the reason that the previous owner rerouted the tailpipes? is it would stain the bumper black over a long period of time. a lot GM vehicles shared a number of parts less so with Cadillac they were more parts specific. the group that sang that song was Tommy James and the Shondells.
I inherited same Like,Cadillac when I was 10 YEAR'S OLD 😂, from my grandfather... only need a battery and fix a flat,, i was to young to drive, my father refuse to have it, he said to Big,. Instead end up, a uncle's, hand's 😔, , Free., Now at almost AT 70 year's young. ,😆Memory LANE. GORGEOUSMACHINE., thanks for sharing.. from Florida.👍
Thank you for sharing that awesome story =), I was giving my first car at 12 and but my parents wanted me to have a Monte Carlo ss ( 1985 ) but I kept the car grandpa gave me, big maroon land yacht that I passed my drivers test in first try.. I’ve been looking for one to review but haven’t been able to find one just like the one I owned
@@What.its.like. excellent story, i also, have my first car at 12 , was A Dodge Belvedere 😆, with push bottoms , drive, was different than other's love it,, i, drove to town, i was stop by police, , chief,, i had no drivers license 😆, , i read his name tag, zuares,, , WAS MY UNCLE.😂, , he Let me go..,i never went back again., Don't tell Dad he killme..he never did, otherwise,, , i couldn't be here telling you my TRUE story.. instead, i use my 🐎, had 3, ..😂was lot of fun, THOSE days,no coming back 😔, , blessings 🙏👍 LOL.
The only car that is the equal of this car in its time period is the MB 600. Both shared many common features. But, the MB is an old school sedan meant to be chauffeur driven. The cadillac is future oriented, streamlined and is supposed to be self driven
Thank you for pointing that out you’re the very first person that pointed that out I said all of it on purpose.. =) Except for the whole Fleetwood thing I apologize for that I couldn’t find any information on this car unless I typed it in Cadillac Fleetwood brougham I knew it was called the Eldorado brougham that’s what all the slides say but for whatever reason I kept saying it wrong and for that I’m sorry
According to this Hemmings article It had cruise control www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/10/06/a-dream-realized-with-a-rare-example-of-gms-ultimate-in-1950s-luxury
![สาวเมืองเพชร - ธีเดช ทองอภิชาติ [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kEt7F9PvO3I/mqdefault.jpg)
Eldorado Brougham, NOT Fleetwood Brougham. Air suspension was standard equipment, but most have been converted to coils. The styling changes you mentioned were for the regular Cadillacs. 57 and 58 Eldorado Broughams are nearly identical. Great car, good presentation.
Thank you for the correction I change the title as well as thumbnail and all of the slides are right for whatever reason I kept saying Fleetwood brougham I have no idea where that came from.. lol glad you liked this one =)
I think the air suspension was often problematic and sometimes it was changed to a traditional one. Therefore some of those Beauties have a traditional suspension.
@@beatglauser9444 correct. Apparently, the air bags and the coil springs were interchangeable.
@@danielulz1640 Yes, they were designed that way for ease of fitting. Lincoln followed suit the very next year with similar suspension designs, to swap in the optional balloon suspension if anyone ordered it...but, given the issues people had with the Caddy, it's likely that *very* few id any ordered such a suspension. Nowadays, though, some collectors with a lot of cash do swaps with some of those cars, which is fine since they were designed to accommodate such suspensions. Still can't trust balloons, though; they still spring (no pun) holes, which is inevitable with road debris. Sure, one can counter with "Why would you drive such a car on debris-laden roads in the first place?"
Well, why ask why?
@@beatglauser9444 Nearly all of them, actually, if not all. The Series 70 outdid the Mark II in pricing only, not in build quality.
13:48 Passes glove box test with FLYING COLORS !!
Jay; I think this is the first Eldorado Brougham I have seen with an all leather interior instead of silk brocade. You mentioned that sitting in the car felt like lead. These cars were pretty much hand built and the bodies contained a LOT of lead filler. Another great video with plenty of close up detail.
@@Dan-tf1zq I was disappointed by the seats I've since got a better camera would love to the Cadillac again sometime
I have always been a fin and chrome sort of guy. To me a car wasn't complete without outrageously sized fins and large slabs of chrome - these are the cars of my childhood. The Eldorado reminds me of the classic cars seen from the old Perry Mason television series and the films of the glamorous movie stars and celebrities of the 50s. This is a car that Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe should be popping in and out of! What a car! I can just imagine the deep cushion seats, the ride floating over speed bumps and potholes, and the muted deep gurgle of the engine that is gently assuring you that it is up to the task!
These fins where idk kinda disappointing 59 now that’s a fin =)
Thank you so much for sharing that story
@@What.its.like. - The most tasteful fins of the late 50’s, IMEO, were on the ‘57-‘58 Plymouth Furys and Belvederes.
The ‘58 GM and FoMoCo cars were getting too bulbous and glitzy, but Chrysler did their finned-era cars tastefully.
Remember the world’s first truly self-driving car? Christine!! Now she was a beauty.
Jay, you need to find one of those and do an extended review …
@@sking2173 I think AMC did fins nicely too.
They were cars of my childhood too, but that doesn’t mean I cared for them. Beginning in the 1960s those were my favorite cars when they got over the fins and the chrome. I didn’t care for the early 70s models either. They were just too big. Like the Chevy ad said with the 1977 models “That’s more like it!”
I’ve been looking I saw a 59 fury at the classic auto mall unfortunately I didn’t get to do it because there wasn’t enough space to get in the car but the next time I go I definitely want to do that car
12:47 I actually dig the sun visors.
I'd love to have this in my collection
I owned an Eldorado Brougham for 7 years and drove it daily. That is when it wasn’t being repaired at one shop or another. I spent $70,000 on restoration and it still needed to have the air suspension reinstalled. That would have been another $15,000. You can’t drive them safely without the air suspension as the car was made to ride at a certain height and if it doesn’t you can lose the axle. You will not be able to find anyone who can work on one. At least not knowledgeably. You will waste more $$$ having someone work on the car who doesn’t know how than you will spend on getting it restored. A few have been fully restored at a cost of $200,000. I drove mine 34,000 miles but it cost plenty to keep it on the road.
WOW, thank you so much for sharing your experience with this car with us definitely an eye-opener for anybody that’s interested in getting this car, that’s why this channel exist to put information out there so people know exactly what they’re getting into before they get into it.
Yeah kudos for your effort$ at keeping such a bomb on the roads ( and daily driver to boot) for so long. The gas bill alone (these got like 8 mpg in city esp with AC on!) Must've been a pain in the arse to have those suspension problems. And no one to fix it properly. GM made a few rich peeps upset back then.
How were the gauges illuminated and how did they display the level?
@@markw208 they were lit up in the usual way but they were not powered like Cadillac gauges on any other Cadillac.
I and a friend would go to the auto show every year to see what was coming out that year. I first saw the brougham centered at the show floor with spot lights all over it. The one I saw was a dark blue with that stainless steel top. The interior was dark blue and the carpet seemed to be at least 1" deep pile. When I saw the window sticker, I almost fainted. I thought, "A car costing more than a house, absurd!" Yes it had air ride which was available in other GM cars. It was very expensive and many didn't last and were changed to springs. The view of this car has never left me even to this day many, many years later.
I never saw a blue one like the one for the thumbnail but that is my favorite color combination that car would be absolutely stellar. I saw midnight blue one at a car show last year and I couldn’t get anywhere near to ask the guy if I could shoot his car there was at least 300 people around it it was insane. He had all of the trinkets the tumblers i’m pretty sure he had all of the accessories and I wanted to go back but by the time I had a chance to get back he was gone.
@@What.its.like. As they say, "Those were the days" . I think that even that the price of gas was around $.30/gal. Yea, I said $.30 maybe $ .35/ $ .37. My '66 Riviera had a huge 425 cu. in that got about 10 MPG in the city and maybe 14 MPG. on the highway. Oh but what a ride that was. At 80, you might have turn the stereo FM radio up but that's all.
8:28 I have to admit, I _love_ the stainless steel roof.
Me too The crazier thing about this car is the people that know about it or like gushing but the people that have no idea what it is it’s just another Cadillac to them.. there are a lot more people who haven’t a clue what that car is versus the people that do
Thank you my friend, keep up the great work.
=)
I seem to recall reading somewhere that Cadilac lost money on every one of these luxo-barges. The cost of manufacture vastly exceeded what they could charge.
Just from an artistic design standpoint it was beautiful. No idea how it delivered mechanically. But it looks to have been an amazing item to sit in and use.
Haha sweet
Gorgeous, the designers back in the old days design cars with character, not like today with every model looking the same. Quality was more better in the old days then now, just seats alone, and carpets just an example. You will never see thick vault like closing doors ever again. I been a car enthusiast all my life, and luxury cars is my favorite type of vehicle. The '59 Deville or Fleetwood is my dream car. I know for sure if I had the money, I will own a lot of classics. One will definitely be one of the most iconic vehicles of all time is the Volkswagen Beetle, early to mid 70's model to be exact. Thanks for keeping a smile on my face watching your videos, when auto designers and makers put more effort in materials, character, and a identity for cars.
Thank you so much for watching and digging this channel =) I will try and cover a 59 Cadillac this year =)
You're welcome, and thank you.
MAN, those are some MAJOR Dagmars !!
Major that name escaped me while I was shooting that car
About a 36FF! 😂
Very well built automobile !
All 1957 to 1960 Eldorado Broughams are so rare that they are often individually identified by their production number.
According to my reference material, the following are the only differences between the 1957 and 1958 models:
1.) interior upper door panels finished in leather, rather than metal finish
2.) new wheel covers
44 trim combinations and 15 special monotone paint colors (in reality a customer could still choose a unique paint color and unique upholstery for additional cost, but black or white paint were overwhelmingly popular)
Thank you so much for sharing all that insight =)
You missed the most glaring difference.
'57 had two four barrel carburators.
'58 had three two barrel carburators.
Can you install a 500 cubic inch into a 1958?
@@markremy4946 sure...
🤷♂️ If you're against the car being worth something.
@@eat_a_dick_trudeau Just a technical question.Who can afford one of these, other than clowns like Jay 'the Chin' Leno, anyways???
One of my all time favorites. I saw one at the Gilmore museum in Michigan a few years ago. My favorite color is blue with a cloth interior. Beautiful!
Who would want a Rolls Royce over this? Rolls Royce was so old fashioned, this thing was modern, beautiful, it had a V8 with a 4 speed auto. One of the things I'm surprised not to see, because I've seen a 1957 Eldorado up on a lift is the the 57 had fully independent suspension with a trailing arm rear suspension and four wheel disk brakes. So these were very advanced cars. I'm also surprised to hear about the fuel economy. My dad was born in LA in 1941 and his uncle was Casey Stengel because his aunt edna had married Casey, and Casey had no kids so my father was like his kids. Casey Stengel was a very nice man, and my dad remember Casey would come and hang out with them in the 50's and they would all get in his 1957 Cadillac Eldorado. My dad said it had automatic windshield wiper, headlamps and he said the car got like 25-30 mpg. I think that's one of the misconception was Cadillacs got bad fuel economy, from what I understand once they got up cruising on the open road they were actually fairly aerodynamic, had low rolling resistance and actually got pretty good fuel economy, but maybe not, who knows. My family like cars, in the 60s my grandmother got a BMW 635 with the batwings, so she was the fastest thing on the Freeway of LA in the 60's. In the 80's my uncle got a BMW Alpina. In 1982 a Chevy corvette had maybe 150hp and that little 2500lbs BMW 3 series had 250hp, did 0-60 in 6 second, and got over 160mph! A small little 3 series could take a Ferrari, you needed at least a Porsche Turbo to get it.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories =)
I don't know what you thought you saw on that lift but the '57 Cadillac most definitely did NOT have independent rear suspension (though it did have trailing arms, it still used a live rear axle), and it did NOT have disc (not "disk"--that's a computer term) brakes.
"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells. Just watched this one from a year ago and did not see the song pinned so I thought why not mention it. Amazing car that I've not seen close up. Thanks for covering it.
I think somebody already got name that tune for this one, but it won’t let me pin it for some reason, but that is the song and band. I believe this car was incredible. I want to do another one and be more in-depth with it.
Glad you dig this episode
15:12 I have to agree, I've never seen such a small and elegant doorpost, EVER.
Thanks Jay, for an amazing 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham video! 🙂
Thank you so much for digging this episode =)
For those wondering about the gear shift quadrants in this car (many cars equipped with hydramatic transmission, notably GM and some Crystler cars from this era until the early 1960s) are Park, Neutral, Drive, Low, Reverse. The problem with this, is it was very easy to overshoot from Low to Reverse, and because cars of the time had no sensors to prevent reverse from being engaged while the car was traveling forward, the result was typically a catastrophic failure often resulting in loss of control and possibly a crash. by 1971, it had become part of federal law in the form of U.S. Department of Transportation Standard No. 102: “Location of transmission shift positions on passenger cars. A neutral position shall be located between forward drive and reverse drive positions. Hence the P-R-N-D-(manual) on all modern vehicles regardless of make or model.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that information and insight =)
Cool, nice caddy. Thanks for sharing Jay.
Thanks for watching it was a cool car 60s tomorrow 70s the day after we’re gonna try this format for a week maybe a week or two because I have enough in the pipeline that I can do one day 40s next day 50s somebody said to try to do it that way in the comment section so I’m going to give it a try =) it will only work for two or three weeks because I’m gonna run out a 60s and 70s material lol
Jay can dig up almost anything. Maybe, someday, even a Broadmoor Cadillac Stationwagon Limo from the 1950's, which were 2 feet longer than today's Escalades!
Who knows maybe I’ll find the car one day =)
This is in my book the greatest American car of the Fifties and probably Sixties as well!
I was lucky enough to see a over the top restored example, talk to the owner and even touch it! It is so BEAUTIFUL and absolutely classy.
A friend of mine travelled to a car seller for hours two times just to admire the beauty of the thing! That was over fourty years ago and it was absolutely unobtainable for a normal young guy.
To me this car has a vibe that makes me shiver with joy. I is somehow like seeing a Ferrari GTO or an Iso Grifo: A dream car!
I would love to see an iso grifo I have seen a Ferrari GTO 250 GTO before those are very stunning cars but with them priced as high as they are I got to vibe that I wasn’t worthy of being in the same county as it
@@What.its.like. I have been around expensive cars. They are common here in Switzerland.
My Dad used to restore Ferraris, Astons and GM cars (in a bodyshop) and of course everything else. My Grandpa even owned a 1958 Maserati 3500 Granturismo Superleggera Coupe made by Touring Milano.
The closest to exclusive that we own in our family today is the 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider of my father and my 1965 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, a survivor with less than 70 000 miles.
I have seen a Grifo only once through a window of a classic luxury shop. They were rare ever since and unfortunately they rusted away very quickly. The more exclusive an Italian sports car was, the worse the rust problem. Handmade cars that were very beautiful, but had absolutely zero rust protection.
Cool.
=)
Hey JAY! You found one of my All time Favorite over the top 50’s Cars. I can imagine these were electrical nightmares to keep running smoothly. Awesome Stuff Jay
I’m glad you like this one I can’t convey how heavy the door was it was the heaviest door that I ever move to get into a car the crazier thing yeah it was that was the only door that was that heavy all the rest of them were pretty light
Hi from Sydney, Australia. We have 4 of these stainless-steel roofed beauties in our New South Wales chapter of the Cadillac La Salle club, there are more sprinkled around the country in other states. Three are owned by friends of mine, 2 were decent non restored excellent cars one RHD & one LHD. The third was a restoration and the original elderly owner had a matching black 1957 Eldorado Seville for his wife, my mate bought both and restored them over a 10year period. The electrics are more than most old cars, but well-made and did not give Graham any woes at all. I have a 1974 Fleetwood Talisman with every option except a sunroof and thermometer in the driver's mirror. It has a MASSIVE electricalsystem by comparrison with the "humble" lot in the 57 & 58's. It has the TWO most rare options in it, Trackmaster ABS brakes-traction control system, and ACRS, GM's early airbags, Air Cushion Restraint System. Additionally, it has a factory Dictaphone system, the garage door opening system etc, etc the list just goes on and on. However, I have owned it now 40 years & 4 months. As a GM Holden Aust delivered CKD Kit car (completely knocked down) it is also Right Hand Drive. 1974 was the year we nationally went metric so it's also a kilometres car. When I bought a mere 102,700 ks were on the odometre when nearly 9yrs old, now 4 decades later, it has 704,000 ks on it or about 445,000miles its electrics have given me ZERO issues, NONE. I have had staff with new company cars that have been from zero to five years old with massive issues, melted systems from the Aussie heat in open carparks for 9 months of the year. I have registered business use & used my 1974, and 1972 Fleetwood's daily for decades, fully serviced and claimed back against tax returns. Both have been flawless, everything works perfectly.
Seeing this luxury Caddi, makes me want to watch _North by Northwest_ again soon.
I liked this particular tour of this Cadillac very much.
The styling and the appointments are pretty spectacular!
Tootaloo ooooooooo
Glad you liked this episode 1967 Plymouth barracuda today
I think we’re alone now, Tommy James and the Shondells. My dad had a Gold 58 with black leather. It had a record player? He got rid of it 55 years ago. I was 5.
Great memory, you got the song and band someone beat you to it =)
Imagine even to form and fabricate Steel in such utter Way to produce a Car like this is astonishing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even the Quality is withstanding a nuclear blast......
This car was awesome I really wanna compare the continental mark two and this one day.. that is a super tall order tho
And GM lost $10,000 on every one they sold. They would need to sell quite a few Chevrolets to cover those losses!
Jay, these are the kind of high-end luxury cars I like to see on your channel. I like that it has power wing vent windows and I especially like the rotary dials for Cadillac's early 'memory' seat adjustments. Great job showing us around this beauty. I missed seeing how big the trunk looks in this huge behemoth.
I’m sorry I should’ve put a picture in there of the trunk I didn’t have keys to any of these cars so the only trucks that you can get into are the ones that don’t lock . This wasn’t the only Cadillac I did while I was there I did an epic 1936 Cadillac that I honestly wouldn’t mind owning one day.. I love the 30s cars I love the fenders i’m a huge fan of the 50s because of the tailfins IDK which one I like better fenders or fins =)
@@What.its.like. I like what you like... but luxury cars with power everything are my true love. Take care, Jay.
=)
My Grandmother's 2 door '53 Imperial, had power vent wings, I think electro-hydraulic. I was in grade school, and the doors were so heavy, I couldn't pull them closed without assistance.
Smoking a Chesterfield & drinking some brandy from the glovebox bar----very acceptable in 1958.
Could you imagine that happening now see you like a company like Tesla with auto pilot and just kick back and have yourself a drink as you’re not driving down the road.. lol I want to feature a Tesla on here one day I’ve gotten to drive 2 but that was years ago I was thinking about renting one maybe..
so happy i was able to drive this care when i was 14 in Texas, my best buds grandmothers car!
What an awesome treat that would have been
What did it ride like
Golden years.
Agreed =)
Hey Jay, this year of Cadillac is my ULTIMATE Favorite year for the Cadillac! Thanks so much. I've seen a '58 Series 60 Fleetwood, down in Mexico, but never able to find the owner....... Dam! I could get that car and make it near NEW! I know people in Mexico that can do ANYTHING, and EVERYTHING!
This car was epic and the feeling inside was like you made it, felt solid but the crazy thing is people either know or they don’t. When I was shooting this car there was a bunch of people there that day and I made a comment to somebody and said this is the most expensive car Cadillac made in the 50s and he came up to get a better look and couldn’t believe what he was seeing stainless roof and all
@What.its.like. Yep, 20 years before DeLorean had brushed stainless steel panels.
I spotted a Brougham at a lakeside restaurant in Austin several years ago, white with light blue interior. The owner noticed my interest and let me crawl all over and under the car. He had all of the vanity items intact, including the Cross pen and note pad, perfume, etc. He had converted the car to springs (the same as my mother's 1958 Buick Roadmaster). I have been studying the changes in the cost of living over my 73 years, and I will argue, pleasantly, that there is no 1:10 increase in price from 1957 to 2023. For cars, the ratio, especially for these models, is 25-30:1, more along the lines of a Mercedes Maybach or Rolls Royce at today's prices.
That is a beautiful car!
People know me as a car guy and am often asked what my favorite car is, and I say 'Eldorado Brougham'...of course none of them know what it is. Love the black and white interior on this one, like a tuxedo. As others have mentioned the air suspension was standard on the Brougham, although a warranty recall caused most to be converted to coil springs. I have a '58 Fleetwood with air suspension, and also was converted, but have the complete setup for air if I ever decide to go back. interestingly, none of the air suspension parts are shared between the Brougham and the other models...in fact, other than the engine, trans, rear end, and a few other bits like some dash controls, nothing is shared and is the reason these cost so much and the reason Cadillac lost thousands of dollars on each one. great road cars, i regularly drive mine 80mph over the mountain pass just down the road from me.
Awesome information and story, when I was shooting this car I was talking to some people that were also there and I told them could you believe that this is the most expensive car produced by a major manufacturer in the 50s.. it’s a great car not sure I’d ever want to own one because of electrical and mechanical complexity.
@@What.its.like. same...you have to have buckets of cash as they are one of the most expensive post-war cars to restore. I have seen a couple custom Broughams, which were awesome, but probably custom because the restoration is $$$$. def one of my lottery cars.
I have seen one of these at a local car show. The Blue color with stainless roof. Absolutely Mint condition. Had all the trinkets in the glove box.
Seeing all the trinkets would be a real treat considering that’s the rarest part of these cars =) The smaller stuff tends to get lost in time
I saw a mauve one in the Whittier, CA civic museum years ago. The wouldn't let anybody sit in it, tho. ☹
Ditto - I'm in MD. Guy had paid a mint for it too - but it's funny these are not always selling in the stratosphere (that might be the asking, but not all of those find a buyer)
My father had one of these. A black one. He bought it used in 1963 or 64. He sold it in 1967. I remember different carpeting. It had a very deep pile shag like carpeting that would change color depending on the direction that you rubbed it with your hand. Cool cars and one of my favorite childhood memories of the many cars he had.
Great story thank you for sharing that awesome memory =)
9:40 I believe that's not a third hinge in the middle, but merely a stamped cover for the wires that come into the door, to protect them from getting chewed up. A similar, but simpler design was used on the more plebeian cars as well. Regardless, thank you for showing this very rare, basically one-off car ! A gorgeous design with so many fine details.
Thank you so much for pointing that out =) I want to find a mark ii and compare them
Mind boggling!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you....................
Thank you for watching and digging this episode =)
FANTASTIC!!! These old cars fifties and sixties bring back so many memories of my childhood. It is a fantastic presentation. Did you do one for the 59 Cadillac? Beautiful car ! Thank you very much and keep up the great work.
Thank you so much I’m glad you totally dig this episode =) I haven’t done a 59 Cadillac yet but I’ve been looking.. =)
Super nice!
13:58 I remember some of the early '60s Fords had "4-way flasher" switches in the same location as these trunk switches.
Starting your year at the top
I guess you could say that we started with a 46 Desoto then went to the 58 Cadillac tomorrow it’s going to be a 60s Mopar product.. i’m excited for 2023 I can’t wait to see what is in store for this year
@@What.its.like. me too!
=)
@@What.its.like. question for you Jay? Are you allowed to say how much these cars are listed for on the video? Just curious what they go for now.
Jay, I just discovered your channel about a month ago and have enjoyed all the videos I have watched. I like American iron from the 50's and 60's including the orphan makes. Do not worry about negative comments from people that seem to comment on most of the other channels I watch. You are very complete in your description of each vehicle and love it when you are able to drive them. Happy New Year!
I honestly can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store, it’s going to be cool that is for definite sure I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be able to drive Classic Car it’s winter time here and that’s kind of a no go .. but I do have some goals I really want to drive a Packard next year a proper one from the 30s that has a straight eight
This car is so sick. Like new these cars are the nicest cars that exists. The finale of the 50's.
Totally agree =)
Beautiful car and one of my all-time favorites. The rotary seat controls were outrageous! "HORIZONTAL, FORE and AFT!" A nautical reference to remind you that you were driving a boat, just in case you'd forgotten. Any idea what those chrome circles below the headlights are? Loved every second, Jay!
Glad you liked this episode =)
From Sydney, Australia, the chrome circles ate the horn sound outlet points as the car had 4 yep four horns. I own both a 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, and a super rare 1974 Fleetwood Talisman both also have four horns, the 4th horn is an electric trumpet horn that makes a Fleetwood sound like a GM Diesel railway locomotive is about to run you down, a decent BLAST from it will wake up a whole suburb. My staff at work can hear me make a warning blast at an intersection a mile from our office building, INSIDE the sealed airconditioned building. No one can say they did not hear it, as it's the most aggressive horn on anything but a railway locomotive.
Thanks for answering my question. I knew someone who owned A '74 Fleetwood Talisman, Diplomat Blue inside and out. Unforgettable car!
This is a very cool car. You can't get much more 50s than this Eldorado. The 59s were almost parodies of themselves. But these Eldos scream money.
Super cool car the crazy thing is the regular people don’t know what this car was
@@What.its.like. I believe it. The cars are somewhat rare.
Primary differences between the 1957 and 1958 Brougham were limited to carburation (3 -2's in 1958, 2-4's in 1957) and the change to leather-lined door panels (which was a running change in late 1957) The two years are visually identical from the outside. There were also other very minor mechanical parts updates and upgrades during production.
Thank you so much for the correction
Right but what gm needs to do. Add a racing thing to that with the same. Cubic inches high rise lifters overhead cam fuel injection on their Cadillac to compete with electric vehicles.
Hey Jay, great video of a great car!!! The 58 Eldorado Brougham was General Motors answer to the Continental Mark ll. Those bumpers with the rubber tips are called Dagmar Bumpers. They are named after a very chesty actress named Dagmar, she was very popular in the fifties.
I'm not sure but I think that if it had the stainless steel roof it was called an Eldorado Biarritz Brougham!!! I could be wrong about that. Thanks for sharing your review of this beautiful & expensive Cadillac!!! 👍👍🙂
The coolest thing is this car is priced about half of what it was when it was new so you could good things come to those that wait right.. I knew the torpedo spears were called Dagmar’s but I couldn’t think of the name when I was there I just kept drawing a blank so I didn’t say anything at all lol =)
60s car tomorrow and a 70s car the day after that then we’re probably going to go to 1929
@@What.its.like. I always look forward to seeing what is next!!!
All 57 and 58 Eldorado Broughams had stainless steel roofs. Eldorado Biarritz was the convertible and Eldorado Seville was the two door hardtop with a vinyl covered roof.
@@danielulz1640 Thanks for sharing this information!!! Much appreciated 👍
Absolutely gorgeous car! 🤩 One of my favorite '50s dream cars! I love seeing these in motion when they were new, in some of my favorite old movies, North by Northwest is one of them, if I'm not mistaken it's the Fleetwood limo in that movie.
I saw one drive into the vintage Grand Prix for those that knew what it was just stopped in absolute aw of it.. it’s so elegant when it’s moving
That was a Fleetwood 75, not the Eldorado.
@@desertbob6835 yes
@@tigre7739 Owned by the dastardly Phillip Vandamm played by Yorkshire-born James Mason. Superb Hitchcock epic film.
Great video.
=)
Great video!!
Thank you =)
You don't disappoint. You find a one of a kind car and every video you have something you say you don't know what it does. Can you take someone with you that knows cars? That engine bay portion of the video was very short. The air compressor for the air ride could have been explained. Show us the Carb setup.
This is a car community not everything can be found on the internet, people in the comment section lived with these some have even owned these help out a lot with the blanks, and it gives them a voice. it’s impossible to know everything about everything, and it’s a fine line I couldn’t show the carbs it’s not my car, and don’t work for the dealer make these episodes to keep the information out their so if the younger generations what it it’s there.. information for this car is hard to find not in on place. The information in this episode is priceless to someone looking at getting one of these and to add to it a few have owned this car commented and said how expensive they are to restore and keep running. Mechanical and electrical complexity.
I think the air suspension was standard but was problematic and many were converted to standard suspension.
Awesome I couldn’t find any information pertaining to it I saw a couple Cadillac ads saying that air suspension was available across the board.. you would think that if it wasn’t expensive car that there will be advertisement about it but there wasn’t that much advertising bits on this car
@@What.its.like. It came standard on many 58 GM cars and was a FLOP! even when it worked! I drove a 58 Buick limited with air suspension and it was like driving the good ship lollop! And it was working correctly.
I drove a car with air ride this summer I’m not fan
There were no options available on this car other than paint color or interior fabric. The "self-leveling air suspension" which replaced rear springs with inflatable rubber bags was highly problematic and frequently taken out and replaced by owners. This car had the coolest "suicide doors" ever!
Thank you so much for sharing all of that information =) totally agree this has the best suicide doors
"I think we're alone now."
Tommy James and the shondells.
You just missed it somebody beat you out by literally a minute
@@What.its.like. Well, crap....
Very nice🥰
=)
14:20 I don't know that I've _ever_ noticed _triple_ hinges on an automotive door.
Very interesting. Some (especially GMs with LONG doors) would "droop" over time, so this _seems_ like a _good_ idea.
The El Dorado concept car was shown in 1956 it looked like the production version except it had a removable roof over the driver's seat like an old fashioned Town car limousine it was designed to be driven by a chauffeur.. and yes air suspension was standard. Due to service and warranty issues Cadillac dealers replaced most air suspensions with coil springs.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing the information and insight =)
Continental mark ll was the most classy and glamorous car that was....way way ahead of its time !!
I want to compare the two
Good,you do that
It’s super hard to find two of them in the same location
I like the fins on a '58 better than '57 or '59.
Also, Liz Taylor had a Continental Mark II the color of her eyes.
Elvis also had one he bought from a dealer in Miami when he was playing there in '56 or '57. Sinatra also had one.
Hello Jay, Air Ride was standard for all 1957/58 Eldorado Broughams but it was very problematic, so Cadillac converted many of them to springs. Cruise Control was not available for the 1957/58 Eldorado Broughams, but it was standard equipment for the 1959/60 "Italian" Eldorado Broughams(Series 69).
Thank you for that correction I found the cruise control in a Hemmings article so I took it for face value here’s the article, I was having a really hard time finding what was standard on that car or what options it had apparently it didn’t have any options but everything was standard but I couldn’t find a list of all of the standard features
www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/10/06/a-dream-realized-with-a-rare-example-of-gms-ultimate-in-1950s-luxury
I'm glad it passed the glovebox test...but that dash might be worth sending out to Just Dashes in Los Angeles.
They rebuilt the pads on my '62 and my "58 Seville. Top notch work.
@@desertbob6835 Terrific!
The Continental MkII was one of the cars that "ELVIS" owned, back in '56
I think Elvis had one of each both this series 70 and the Continental Mark II
@@What.its.like. That, I didn't know. This was the 1st year of the "TWIN" headlights in all of the different brands of cars.
@@What.its.like. '58 was also the "MOST" Gaudy, and Chromey of all of the years of cars.
@@What.its.like. Elvis was a car nut they say. He brought back a BMW 507 and a Messerschmidt bubble car from Germany after he got released from the Army...those would be two interesting collectors items for What It's Like! The 507 almost put BMW into bankruptcy in 1958.
I just read an article on this car & it did say that air suspension was standard & was a first for any GM car. My dad had a friend that had one, it was black. The guy had it from new and in 1974 and it still looked new! Tommy James, I think we're alone now.
Awesome thank you for that information =)
Nice🥰
=)
Hi Justin, good video! Thank you for mentioning the Lincoln Mark II also, two great cars! The compressor you see above the generator is the air suspension compressor. Please reply. Dave...
I want to compare the two so bad Classic got them all unfortunately doesn’t have a continental Mark II but if they do get one and they still have this car I am going to try my best to compare them
Just FYI, the black & white interior was popular in the late 50’s early 60’s. It was usually called Tuxedo. Very popular in Chryslers. Also, that car cost as much as a house in 1958
I’m a huge fan of the black and white color scheme it’s one of the most classiest looking color combinations out there.. I know this car cost a fortune the only other car that was built in America but it was in the early 50s was the Cunningham and I saw that they were anywhere between 8000 and $14,000.. they are super rare though not that many being built I was surprised to find out they only built 704 of these I thought that they made 1500 or right around that maybe that’s how many Continental Mark There are.. I wonder if the classic auto Mall gets a continental mark II and this car is still for sale I would love to compare the two =)
@@What.its.like. , Honestly, the price of an average new house in the U.S. of A. in 1958 was $10,000
So it was more than a house it cost more than the 1957 RoLls Royce Silver cloud
Which is crazy
Yeah, my family bought a 3br 2ba house in 1962 for $11000
@@What.its.like. , Jay, just FYI . . Out of curiosity about the gauges I searched for other videos of these Cadillacs and found one by Lou Costabile. Those cars had some other interesting features. You might want to check it out
The Lincoln Mark ll I believe cost about $1000 more at the time than a Rolls Royce
Keep in mind , these were the cars that statesmen traveled around in ( Cadillacs ,Lincoln's ,Mercedes ,Rolls Royce)
Terrific review, Jay. What, no Bluetooth option? 😅
I know right but this car came with a portable bar
Our family had a 57 in 65. Single headlights and tail lights, hard clothe type top, aluminum wheels, all the goodies plus factory 2 four barrel carbs. Engine wiring caught on fire and it was junked. If I wasn't a mid teener I would of found a way to keep this rare jewel
Wow your car sounded awesome
@@What.its.like. My father got it from his lawyer. Only got about 7 mpg but fun to drive.
Great video!
Also, the first car to come with narrow band whitewall tires, other cars would not have them until 1961. Only car other than later Continentals & Thunderbird convertibles that you could close the trunk electrically & originally the rear seat center armrest compartment would have come with a bottle of women's Arpege Perfume.
Enjoyed this video love the 50's Cadillac's. Could you do a video on 1974 Chevy Malibu?
I will add that to the list I didn’t do that car when I was there really cool 61 Pontiac Ventura coming this week =)
@@What.its.like. When you do the Malibu, I hope its blue with a black vinyl top 👍
My grandfather (who also owned a textile mill) owned a black one. At the time you could buy a nice little cottage in Westchester County New York for less than this car cost which makes me distrust your inflation numbers.
My grandfather's one comment about the car that I remember was "The transmission is garbage." I liked it because I could sleep on the shelf above the rear seat
This is the inflation calculator used
www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1952?amount=795
It’s on the last thing I converted
Jack Benny had an Eldorado Brougham in Palm Springs.
The 'Drive' positions are 4-speed on the left divot and in the right divot 3rd gear is held.
I've always thought the seats in this car are among THE most epic of the 1950's-1960's
The bumper protrusions were referred to as 'Dagmars' for their resemblance to part of a Hollywood Star's upper body features.
...and the Imperial Ghia was as costly.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that =)
Bob Hope also had one which was recently featured (Oct '24) in a video on TH-cam. The current owner has had it for 20 years and it's in his massive collection in Canada.
I heard that this was a prestige project for Cadillac. The production costs of the vehicle were about twice the asking price.
I think I heard that the day before the car was introduced to the world it fell from the pedestal and some specialists had to work like crazy in order to fix it. I am not sure but I think this was in Detroit.
Don't forget the left foot actuated radio signal seeking station finder!
Kinda like "don't talk and text" of the day!
Thank you fir mentioning that feature =)
2:46 The La Espada was my favorite Motorama car.
Too many I like I really like the pinna frinna Nash Panama that car to me is gorgeous you can see attributes from the dual Ghia in that design
Just so you know, the bumper guards are also called Dagmar bumpers, because they are a tribute to Dagmar, who was a tv actress back in the 50s. I think she died in 03. I might be wrong.
Thank you for sharing that information =)
It's nice. I think I'd rather have the '58 Buick. Nothing wrong with this deluxe Caddy though.
Hey Jay... I'm late to this party, but I'm pretty sure that the '57-'59 Eldo Broughams were THEE MOST EXPENSIVE American production cars ever sold up until the mid 2000's , considering for inflation... I think that the Cadillac Escalade ended up taking the honor.
I'm certain that they were the most expensive production cars in the Universe, back at the time...
I know it’s the most expensive car offered in America that was a mass produce model the Cunningham might’ve been more money.. but they didn’t make that many of those..
Thank you so much for sharing all that information I really appreciate it and you’re never late to the party man.. it’s youtube it goes on forever =)
notice...seat belts weren't even an option...they just didn't exist
There's a local here with 6 Cadillacs including this one in blue. Not sure if the air ride was standard. They were optional on other full-size GM cars, and they seldom worked anyway. One rare, and cool ride!
I wasn’t sure if it was standard somebody mentioned in the comments that it was standard on that car everything was standard on that car.. I was a little bit bummed out that there wasn’t any hardly any advertisement pieces about this car I thought for sure there would be a commercial that I could tie into this episode but there wasn’t and I did watch a couple commercials Cadillac did say Air suspension was available as an added option across all model lines so that added to the speculation I wasn’t sure..
This was the most amazing luxury car of that era, it cost the same as a Rolls Royce.
=)
There would have been a distinct difference between 1957and1958. all cars from all manufacturers were mandated to have dual headlamps in 1958. where as 1957 models had single headlamps. the dual headlamps lasted for two years, when the manufacturers had their choice to produce cars with single or dual headlamps. a lot people think that they used chrome in the fifties, when actually they used stainless steel nickel steel on the outside of the cars. the reason that the previous owner rerouted the tailpipes? is it would stain the bumper black over a long period of time. a lot GM vehicles shared a number of parts less so with Cadillac they were more parts specific. the group that sang that song was Tommy James and the Shondells.
Thank you so much for all of that information =)
Tail light lens looks similar to the '57 Chev El Morroco tail lights.
That is because El Morroco was a conversion to make your 57 Bel Air look like a 57 Eldorado Brougham.
@@danielulz1640 Yup.
The Park Avenue was the 1954 show car, the 1955 was called the Brougham.
Back then cars sold on looks. Today they sell on technology and headlights.
I inherited same Like,Cadillac when I was 10 YEAR'S OLD 😂, from my grandfather... only need a battery and fix a flat,, i was to young to drive, my father refuse to have it, he said to Big,. Instead end up, a uncle's, hand's 😔, , Free., Now at almost AT 70 year's young. ,😆Memory LANE. GORGEOUSMACHINE., thanks for sharing.. from Florida.👍
Thank you for sharing that awesome story =), I was giving my first car at 12 and but my parents wanted me to have a Monte Carlo ss ( 1985 ) but I kept the car grandpa gave me, big maroon land yacht that I passed my drivers test in first try.. I’ve been looking for one to review but haven’t been able to find one just like the one I owned
@@What.its.like. excellent story, i also, have my first car at 12 , was A Dodge Belvedere 😆, with push bottoms , drive, was different than other's love it,, i, drove to town, i was stop by police, , chief,, i had no drivers license 😆, , i read his name tag, zuares,, , WAS MY UNCLE.😂, , he Let me go..,i never went back again., Don't tell Dad he killme..he never did, otherwise,, , i couldn't be here telling you my TRUE story.. instead, i use my 🐎, had 3, ..😂was lot of fun, THOSE days,no coming back 😔, , blessings 🙏👍 LOL.
The only car that is the equal of this car in its time period is the MB 600. Both shared many common features. But, the MB is an old school sedan meant to be chauffeur driven. The cadillac is future oriented, streamlined and is supposed to be self driven
"PERCHED at the top --- overlooking all of the peasants . . ." That's what we're talkin' 'bout!
---- the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham
Thank you for pointing that out you’re the very first person that pointed that out I said all of it on purpose.. =)
Except for the whole Fleetwood thing I apologize for that I couldn’t find any information on this car unless I typed it in Cadillac Fleetwood brougham I knew it was called the Eldorado brougham that’s what all the slides say but for whatever reason I kept saying it wrong and for that I’m sorry
I think we're alone now, Tommy James and the Shondells?
You just missed it somebody just beat you out by one minute
I would love to see a side-by-side comparison of this car with the same year Rolls.
I’ll see if I can make that happen I want to compare this to a mark II
DANG !! I'm not "starving" by any means, but $134,000 for a car !?!?! Just WOW.
It’s a lot but worth it people pay that for a Mercedes AMG and then 2 years later it’s worth half
A model kit of this just came out (Again) from Atlantis, but I don't have one for a review.
Cruise Control did not appear on any Cadillac until 1959, and was standard on the 1959 and 1960 Eldorado Brougham
According to this Hemmings article It had cruise control
www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/10/06/a-dream-realized-with-a-rare-example-of-gms-ultimate-in-1950s-luxury
Love it, but the Mark II more. I love 2 door luxury coupes.
I want to do a comparison video of the Mark two and the El Dorado that would be epic