El Dorado was a mythical city of gold that prompted numerous parties to conduct searches to prove its existence. It has never been found, although this 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham could be considered automotive gold. The company only produced 400 of these classics, meaning they rarely hit the market. The seller claims that this car is a survivor apart from an older repaint. It presents extremely well, with only a few minor functional faults for the winning bidder to address. If you prefer your classics with equal helpings of rarity and luxury, this Cadillac is worth a close look.
Cadillac released its Third Generation Eldorado range for the 1957 model year. The four-door Brougham was the range-topping variant, and with a sticker price that was twice that of any other vehicle within the model range, it is little wonder that only 400 of these handbuilt classics rolled off the line that year. Apart from quad headlights, its defining features were the Hardtop body, suicide rear doors, and a stunning brushed stainless steel roof. Our feature car contrasts the stainless with rich Copenhagen Blue paint that retains a mirror shine. The seller confirms that a previous owner performed a repaint in the 1980s, and the lack of deterioration suggests that the work was performed to a high standard. The panels are laser-straight, and rust isn’t a worry for the new owner. The trim is spotless, the glass is crystal clear, and with no cosmetic needs or apparent shortcomings, this Eldorado is sure to draw crowds and positive comments wherever it goes.
Luxury motoring always comes at a cost, which isn’t confined exclusively to a buyer’s wallet. This Eldorado tips the scales at a whopping 4,980 lbs. Cadillac enjoyed a reputation for providing potent engines during this period that provided excellent performance, and the story is no different with this Brougham. Its 365ci V8 sends 325hp and 400 ft/lbs of torque to the road via a four-speed automatic transmission. It almost goes without saying that the driver will feel the benefits of the standard power-assisted steering and brakes. The company focused exclusively on luxury with the Brougham, but these cars are surprisingly energetic off the line and can top 120mph if the driver feels so inclined. The seller states that while the odometer shows a reading of 7,088 miles, they believe it has rolled over. They supply no information regarding how it runs or drives, but their emphasis on the car’s overall condition suggests the news should be positive.
The exterior wasn’t the only aspect of this Cadillac to receive TLC in the 1980s, with its interior receiving some unspecified upholstery work. Its presentation is extremely tidy for its age and is dominated by a classy combination of Blue and White leather. There are no significant trim faults, and the overall condition is comfortably acceptable if potential buyers view it as a survivor-grade classic. The seller confirms there are a couple of functional shortcomings for the buyer to tackle, including the inoperative dash lights, dimmer, and air conditioning that doesn’t blow ice cold. None of the faults are severe, and none will prevent the buyer from indulging in immediate classic motoring fun. Apart from A/C, the new owner receives power windows, a memory seat, cruise control, an automatic open and close function for the trunk lid, a transistorized radio, and part of the Vanity Kit that was a standard inclusion on the Brougham.
When any classic reaches a certain price bracket, it is fair to expect the auction action to be fairly restrained. Such is the case with this 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. It has received a mere three bids since the seller listed it here on eBay in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This has pushed the price to $57,099, which is below the reserve. Surprisingly, the seller supplies a BIN option that isn’t much higher, meaning you could score this classic immediately by hitting the button at $66,500. I won’t be surprised if someone yields to temptation during the auction’s dying minutes. Time is running out, so are you tempted to be that person?
1957 seems a high water mark for GM design and this stunner is at the top of that list IMHO.
But then again, I’ll gladly take the ‘57 Olds seen earlier, a nice Buick wagon of the same vintage or for that matter ANY decent ‘57 American iron anyone felt a need to push my way.
My late friend John Phillips had an exact copy of this car. He was a prominent member of The Freewheelers Classic Car Club in San Francisco. Among his prized collection was a White ’75 Pontiac Grand Ville with a Wide Trk license plate. A ’63 Studebaker Avanti R1 in Avanti Tourqoise. A Pierre Cardin Edition Javelin.
I’ll never forget how down to earth and kind John was. One day our club met for lunch and he tossed me the keys to his Coppenhagen Blue ’57 Eldorado Brougham to drive into the Castro. Although I’m more of a personal luxury man, I felt a definite sense of grandeur behind the wheel.
Hi Derric! In 84 🎵Left My Heart 🎶in SAN FRANCISCO on my first of many visits until early 2000s. Sounds like your friend had a golden heart like so many great friends I made easily in the Castro. At one point I had an 87 Town Car rental. Cruisin The Castro was great, but going up a steep hill, I felt as if I was about to be Iaunched into space! Driving that Big Boat down Lombard Street was not an easy trick! 😉. My last visit was in 2003. Since then, I’ve often thought of returning to MY City by the Bay, but age and health won’t allow that. Memories light the corners of what’s left of my mind!😁 😲. Still my heart will always recall 💔 the great friends (mostly gone) and times in San Francisco, WAY over the Rainbow 🏳️🌈 . AS for your driving the Eldorado, a car with a golden name by the Golden Gate, that’s really great 👍.
Folks just don’t realize how quiet and smoothca ride this is. Yes, its a Army Tank going down the road and don’t except decent gas milage but who cares with this classic Caddy. Congrats to the guy that got to cruise the Castro in SF in one of these head turners. The market value has not yet gone insane of these super rare Broughams, Cadillac back in the day was a status of success and man-men greed.This boat clearly personifies that message.
jv smashpalace
I’ll never forget the Friday evening some of us Freewheelers Classic Car Club members decided to drive to San Jose for the weekend to party and check out a new club. On the highway, we each took turns “leading”. When it was John’s turn our jaws dropped. Literally, we blinked and his Coppenhagen 🔵 ’57 Eldorado Brougham was G-O-N-E! No black smoke. No hesitation. No crazy noises and no squat L-E-V-E-L Baby! I was in my 54k original mile, 460 V8, ’69 MK III. None of us used AC because we didn’t need to.
To this day, I’ve never seen any ’50’s vintage Cadillac move out that swiftly. All John did was smile and say thanks when we met up in San Jose. He was just that humble of a man. His Brougham had all its toys including a corner of Arpege perfume by Lavin.
Had one of these in the early ’70s. And while it wasn’t as nice as this one, it still screamed cool in an understated kind of way. It was a used car when I bought it for $500 in
the fall of 1970. As I said earlier, in my teenage years, when I wasn’t playing music, I was helping my Dad
fix up old used cars and sell them. The car I bought was cirulian blue with that brushed steel roof. The interior was in fair shape save for some splits in the seats and cracking
and discoloring of the leather on them. And yesh, mine had that God
awful air suspension system that was
a real pain in the ass with a lot of owners back then as they tended to
leak. In fact, we had to run the engine
20 minutes to inflate the air bags just
to drive the car back to our house after buying it. It was original and very complete– down to that vanity set you mentioned. It came with an
atomizer for Milady’s favorite perfume, a high end leather wallet for
her cash and credit cards, a solid gold
cigarette case with a matching lighter,
and a high end case for her makeup
too. The gentlemen made do with a
solid silver cigarette case, a solid silver lighter, a solid silver drinking flask complete with 2 silver cups so
you could share a drink with someone
special. These cars were over engineered to the point they befuddled the average backyard mechanic that bought one used. Dad
and I wound up selling ours to the local Cadillac dealer who used it as a
display prop for several years. I never
saw it again after that. I hope that it
either wound up in a museum or in the hands of a caring owner. Who knows, it might even wind up here on
BF someday.
The Brougham IMO was so much better than the Seville. Seems Eldorado often was the preview of Cadillacs next lineup, especially this 57. For me, the 58 Sixty Special was one of the best Cadillacs EVER. Has anyone else seen the Chevy based EL MOROCCO? Wonder if we’ll ever see one of those in the BARN?
More importantly…how do you pronounce this? Bro-ham, Broff-im, Broff-Ham?
“Brom”, like in brown.
Chingawa! This is The King of the Jungle Cruisers! What a beauty!
You call this luxury? The poor guy had to go to Auto Zone to buy some aftermarket cupholders. But seriously…. Is that car phone period correct? It looks like 1960s vintage. Also, the seat recovering is incorrect. The seats were tufted. However, 66k for this seems like a steal.
These cars were selling for an astounding $15k in 1957,you could buy a really nice house for that back then.And i believe they lost money on these,the production cost exceeded the sale price by about a thousand dollars on each one
Bob Hope owned a ’58 for 26 years. It was featured on the old “Dream Car Garage” show out of Canada. The segment can still be found on YouTube.
Lou Costabile just posted an indepth video of Bob Hopes car, on YouTube.
“My Car Stories” with Lou Costabile.
A well-done video with a lot of interesting detail. Thanks for the heads-up.
There was NO Cruise Control period!
The price for all ’57’s and ’58’s was
$13,074.00
No comments on the factory air ride suspension, if its there, and if so, does it work. ????
Many were converted back to springs at the dealer.
If its gone, a significant cost to return to original stock.
The e-bay description says it is on springs.
Also it is supposed to be #354
Ended at $57,099.
Reserve Not Met.