The Eldorado debuted in 1953 as a sporty convertible coupe with show car styling at the pinnacle of Cadillac's lineup.
From then on, it remained as Caddy's sports-luxury coupe, and often debuted new tech for the company. The '53 had been the first Cadillac with a wraparound windshield, and the '67 Eldo was the first front-wheel drive Cad. The '76 Eldorado was the first with the fuel-injected 500, and the last Cadillac convertible until 1984.
The Eldorado in the picture, I think a '95 in Pearl Red, would be from the twelfth… and final …generation of the Eldorado. While the sportier Eldorado Touring Coupes had the 300hp version of the 4.6L 32V DOHC Northstar V8 along with a silly "ETC" decklid badge, this base ESC model would have had the lower-revving 275-horse LD8 variation of the Northstar.
While the higher-output L37 and the LD8 shared the same variable valve timing 32V architecture and 10.3:1 compression ratio, the LD8 had five more lb/ft of torque, at 300, that peaked lower in the rev range so that it didn't require as much pressure on the gas pedal from an orthopedic loafer to summon up.
While 275 horsepower may not seem like a lot by modern standards, or by those of the ‘60s Muscle Car Era, the LD8 Northstar was a big bump over the ‘93 Eldo’s 4.9L pushrod L26 port fuel-injected V-8 that only put out 200hp. The ESC ("Eldorado Sport Coupe") could squeak under the 8.0 second mark in the sprint to sixty, and the ETC was quicker. The price on the 1995 ESC started at $38,220, which is eighty grand in today's money.
Alas, Eldorado sales numbers had been on a steady glide slope toward oblivion since 1986 and the Eldorado nameplate went to that Great Country Club Parking Lot in the Sky after the 2002 model year.
While 275 horsepower may not seem like a lot by modern standards, or by those of the ‘60s Muscle Car Era, the LD8 Northstar was a big bump over the ‘93 Eldo’s 4.9L pushrod L26 port fuel-injected V-8 that only put out 200hp. The ESC ("Eldorado Sport Coupe") could squeak under the 8.0 second mark in the sprint to sixty, and the ETC was quicker. The price on the 1995 ESC started at $38,220, which is eighty grand in today's money.
Alas, Eldorado sales numbers had been on a steady glide slope toward oblivion since 1986 and the Eldorado nameplate went to that Great Country Club Parking Lot in the Sky after the 2002 model year.
This one was photographed in November of 2023 using a Fujifilm X-T2 and a Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR zoom lens.
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