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1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

Details of car above: One of 304 units built in 1958. The stainless steel top was the Brougham signature. These cars were built fully loaded with all options including memory seat.

History

Manufacturer Cadillac
Parent company General Motors
Production 1953–2002
Class Full-size personal luxury car

The Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2002. The Cadillac Eldorado was the longest running American personal luxury car as it was the only one sold after the 1999 model year. Its main competitors included the Lincoln Mark Series and the lower-priced Buick Riviera.[citation needed]

Although cars bearing the name varied considerably in bodystyle and mechanical layout during this long period, the Eldorado models were always near the top of the Cadillac line. Nevertheless, and except for the Eldorado Brougham models of 1957–1960, the most expensive models were always the opulent, long wheel-based Series 75 sedans and limousines, not the Eldorado.

The name “Eldorado”

The name was proposed for a special show car built in 1952 to mark Cadillac’s Golden Anniversary; it was the result of in-house competition won by Mary-Ann Marini (née Zukosky ), a secretary in the company’s merchandising department. Another source, Palm Springs Life magazine, attributes the name to a resort destination in California’s Coachella Valley that was a favorite of General Motors executives. However, the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California was not founded until 1957 – five years after Cadillac’s naming competition. In any case, the name was adopted by the company for a new, limited-edition convertible that was added to the line in 1953.

The name Eldorado was derived from the Spanish words “el dorado”, “the gilded one” or “the golden one”; the name was given originally to the legendary chief or “cacique” of a South American Indian tribe. Legend has it that his followers would sprinkle his body with gold dust on ceremonial occasions and he would wash it off again by diving into a lake. The name more frequently refers to a legendary city of fabulous riches, somewhere in South America, that inspired many European expeditions, including one to the Orinoco by England’s Sir Walter Raleigh.

1955-1958

Production 1955-1958
Assembly Detroit, Michigan, United States
Body style(s) 2-door coupe
2-door convertible
4-door coupe
Layout FR layout
Engine(s) 365 ci 310 hp (230 kW) V8
331 ci 270 hp (200 kW) V8
Wheelbase 126 in (3,200 mm) (SWB)
129.5 in (3,290 mm) (1957-58 LWB)
129 in (3,300 mm) (1955-56)
Length 223.4 in (5,670 mm) (1958 LWB)
216.3 in (5,490 mm) (1957-58 SWB)
222.1 in (5,640 mm) (1957 LWB)
222.2 in (5,640 mm) (1956)
223.2 in (5,670 mm) (1955)

For 1955, the Eldorado’s body gained its own rear end styling with high, slender, pointed tailfins. These contrasted with the rather thick, bulbous fins which were common at the time and were an example of Eldorado once again pointing the way forward.

For 1956, a two-door hardtop coupe version appeared, called the Eldorado Seville.
1957 saw the Eldorado (in both Biarritz convertible and Seville hardtop bodystyles) with a revised rear-end design featuring a low, downswept fenderline capped by a pointed, in-board fin. The rear fenders were commonly referred to as “chipmunk cheeks”. This concept was used for two years, but did not spawn any imitators.1957 was chiefly notable for the introduction of one of GM’s most memorable designs, the Eldorado Brougham. This four-door hardtop with rear-hinged rear doors was an ultra-luxury car that cost an astonishing $13,074 — more than the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud of the same year. It featured a stainless steel roof, air suspension, the first memory power seats, and every other comfort and convenience feature available at GM at the time.

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