Happy 4th of July everyone! Today is a very special day here in America and we wish everyone a happy holiday. In 1776 the United States declared its independence and 200 years later we celebrated the country’s bicentennial. We also built some special edition cars to commemorate the event and this 5,000 mile Cadillac has to be one of the most special. Find it here on eBay where it’s listed with an equally special price!
Spirit of ’76 fever had hit America and manufacturers were covering everything with flashy patriotic color schemes. Cadillac took a more subtle approach. If you look closely at the hood on this car, you will notice that the pinstripes are red and blue! The interior is red and white and includes a special plaque that identifies this as one of last 200 Eldorado convertibles produced.
Not only was it the last of the big droptop Caddies, but it was also the last to use the huge 500 cubic inch engine! The following year everything was downsized. This Bicentennial Edition really was the end of an American tradition so it was fitting to send it off with a bang.
Maybe it didn’t leave with fireworks, but there’s no denying that this was a classy way to celebrate the bicentennial and the end of an era all at the same time. People knew that these were going to be collectible so many were stashed away. This has to be one of the best though. We hope you enjoy it and all of today’s finds (we have a great lineup)! Happy 4th of July and God bless America!
From the ad:
“This spectacular example has been with the Klairmont Kollection since December 1993 where it was largely preserved with minimal use. It arrived here to be fully serviced for comfortable road use once again. This included installed all new radial whitewall tires, new convertible top, air conditioning service with conversion to R134a refrigerant, and engine valve cover gaskets, new engine oil/filter, and rear brake calipers & pads. Just prior to being sold to the Museum, it received a new radiator, portions of the exhaust system, and new shocks. With exception to the dash clock, every single component on this car is 100% functional! The climate control system blows cold due to a recent service, all power accessories, trunk operation, factory radio and antenna, convertible top operation, etc! The original dash, door panels, all window glass (except top glass), and wonderfully soft leather are in remarkable condition! It has traveled just 5,433 actual miles!”
All that needed for a car with 5000 miles? Sounds like poor storage. Very poor.
Long term storage can still be tough on a car.
This is the vehicle that collectors stashed away before they heard of 25th Anniversary Corvettes!
Hi Jesse, I don’t believe that the “drive wheels” were ever swapped on the Eldorado. They were introduced with front wheel drive and stayed that way until the end. BTW my Dad owned a 1974 Eldorado back in the day.
http://automotivemileposts.com/eldorado/prod1977eldo.html
You’re right. Sorry about that. The post has been updated.
I remember thinking back then there would be no more convertibles ever made! :) PR is PR.
Back then I thought this Eldo was a giant boat. Time has shrunk it.
A friend of the neighbors had one of these. I would’ve been ten or eleven. He only took it out once every so often, and I remember him telling me it was a “special ride”. Having not seen one again until now, forty-plus years on, now I know why! Indeed what a special ride! Ain’t America great?!
Too bad the 500 engine was down to 190 hp by ’76, which can hardly be considered adequate. The car is certainly attractive, but a ’69-71 is sooo much more fun to drive…
And $69,000??? Maybe they meant 69,000 Venezuelan Bolivars. Yeah, that must be it…
JP i agree. Show me the last a 1976 eldo sold for 69k. I agree that this is a nice collectable , but you can buy a lot nicer and better car for 69k…
Yeah… the thing about cars like these is that they’re so huge, so gas-hoggish, so impractical, and so hard to justify that if, in addition to all those negatives, they’re also weak, sluggish, and ridiculously priced it’s a little tough to understand why anyone would fork over even a fraction of the asking price. The older models shared these shortcomings too, but at least they had some power…
That is American optimism at its finest! Continue building a 500 CI engine to produce 190 HP.
American stupidity perhaps. Still, better than a Cimarron…
I worked for a guy in Buffalo who gave his wife one of these for her birthday in 1978. He invited us to the big bash. He had this rolled out at the party which happened to be a week after he told us business was bad and he could not afford to give us raises. Their house was on a hill overlooking Lake Erie. They were lucky we did not roll the car into the lake.
They lost me at $69,000. Plus, the doors look to be sagging already.
The asking price is a tad “optimistic”…by about 55k. But it’s nice. I like the ’73’ s better. A little sleeker…no plastic end caps…a lot more horsepower.
Jesse Mortensen, Jack M. – OG Eldos (which looked like DeVilles) were RWD, switched in ’67 to FWD; per Wiki:
Manufacturer General Motors
Also called Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado
Production 1952–2002
Body and chassis
Class Fullsize luxury car
Layout rear-wheel drive (1953 – 1966) front-wheel drive (1967 – 2002)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Eldorado
Happy 4th!
-g.
Yep, the post has been corrected. Thanks.
Do people price these things just to get attention.
I remember a time when lots of hard working people could have a cool car now unless you’re rich you can forget it
You still can, depending on what you consider cool and affordable There’s a ’71 Cad. convertible on CL right now for around $16k, which is still a bit pricey but in comparison to this relic a real bargain. Plus it’s a MUCH nicer car. Lots of cool stuff in the $3-5k range as well.
https://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/d/cadillac-eldorado-convertible/6630158894.html
What are you talking about Matt? There are tons of awesome cars out there for under $5k. If you can’t afford a couple grand, then you need to focus more on making money and less on cars for a while. We live in America and anyone can make it if they are willing to work hard and save!
Agreed! I just picked up two vehicles this week:
A 1988 Corvette Z52 package for $4,000 and a 1976 Ford F150 SuperCab short bed for $1,700. Plenty of stuff out there and lots of variety if you look around and are patient.
I’m looking for my auto themed pom poms, hold on…..
The price? Must have been owned by Boss Hogg.
Or Big and Little Enos.
Happy 4th July everyone!
Just imagine what America might be like if you didn’t get your Independence?
You might be driving on the right side of your cars and have the Queen’s heads on your dollars :)
Back to the Caddy … lovely car … it wouldnt fit on the roads over here. Nice colour combo.
I have a 1976 American over here … my wife.
Numbers matching?
She has a few faults! ;)
What a lot of folks might have missed is this is 1 of 200 Bicentennial Editions.
Hagerty has a #1 Concours condition priced at $71,200.
So, this might not be as far off as people are making it out to be.
Why not shoot for the moon and see what happens?
What, no bulls horns on the hood?(I thought that was standard equipment with these) America! Freedom! YEE-HAW!! ( firing pistols in the air)
I love these big land yachts, especially this gen Eldo. In 82/83 during my Junior/Senior years in HS I worked doing odd jobs for a doctor. One of the “odd jobs” was to drive his Silver 75/76 Eldo to do his errands. I was never so happy to run errands! I lusted after that behemoth. I wonder whatever happened to it, as he had no children to leave his estate.
This drop top is a very special car in history, but $70k? IMO, $25K is about top money, and that’s adding $5k for ‘personal affection” toward this generation Eldo. They’re ponderous to drive, impossible to park, anemic as hell, and “thirsty” is an incredible understatement. Still … I want one!
The Bi-Centennial edition adds about 20% to the value. It is worth what someone will pay for it when someone wants/needs to sell it. As for horsepower, torque to move the 5100lb car is plenty adequate. If you insist, becuase it is over 25 years old you can remove all the smog garbage and give it a poroper exhaust system. That will add a lot to it.
Point of clarification from the article: “The following year everything was downsized” apparently refers to the engines (425 CID replacing the 500 CID). Yes, the standard DeVilles and Fleetwood sedans were downsized (body and engine) for 1977, but the huge, lumbering 1971-generation Eldorado continued on basically unchanged for the 1977 and 1978 models years, although with the 425 CID engine and in closed coupe bodies only.
Fairly common mistake thinking 1976 was the last of this generation. This body style continues on thru 1978, tho in coupe form only, no drop tops were made [by GM anyway] after 1976
Is no one going to mention Boss Hogg? Really?
Boss Hogg was referenced earlier. Tho Hogg’s Caddy was a 69/70 DeVille
I wouldn’t worry too much about the hp rating of the engine; I think it will perform just fine. I drove a 70 Imperial for a few years, The 440 (with 10:1 CR) performed just fine but it did drink a lot of high octane fuel. I always like the styling of the 74/75 Imperial but stayed away from then because I figured that the smogged, low CR 440 would make them unable to get out of their own way. Then I worked on a friend’s 75 and was very pleasantly surprised to find that the performance was A-okay. Between the hp rating difference that took place for the 1971 model year (gross hp vs. net) and the amount of torque that the smogged 440 put out, I was more than happy and bought the next nice 75 that came along. I still have that 75 and enjoy it immensely. The price on this Eldo is stupid high but the cosmetics are beautiful and it’ll move along quite nicely. Here’s a shot of my Imperial. I still enjoy in spring, summer and fall.
Picture didn’t show up. Let’s try again: