The timing was right. In 1976, the US celebrated its Bicentennial, and Cadillac had decided to cease production of the Eldorado Convertible. The company chose to combine the two unrelated events by producing the Eldorado Convertible Bicentennial Edition. Cadillac only made 200 of these cars, and they were the last Convertibles to roll off the company’s production line until an all-new Eldorado Convertible was introduced in 1984. Our feature car is number 196 of those 200 cars, making it close to the last that was built. It is in excellent condition, and it is also looking for a new home. Located in Tarpon Springs, Florida, you will find the Convertible listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $30,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
As is the case with so many limited edition cars, the Bicentennial was only offered in a single color combination. The panels were finished in Cotillion White, while the exclusive red and blue pinstripes added a patriotic touch to the exterior. The paint on this car shines beautifully, while those pinstripes are crisp and clean. There are no dings or blemishes on the panels, and the damage-prone hubcaps are immaculate. All cars featured a White power top, and this one is in excellent condition. There is also a White parade boot, and this is immaculate. The trim looks as spotless as the rest of the exterior, and there are no visible issues with the glass. The whitewall tires that grace this car provide the perfect finishing touch to the exterior.
When you climbed aboard a Cadillac Convertible, you were hardly going to find yourself confronted with a spartan interior. Air conditioning was a good starting point, but there were plenty of other luxuries to make life pleasant. These include power windows, power front seats, power locks, power mirrors, an AM/FM radio with a power antenna, cruise, and a tilt wheel. The interior of this car generally presents well and only has a few minor issues. Some of the woodgrain on the doors has deteriorated, and I think it will need to be replaced. The leather upholstery is free from stains and yellowing, but I think that it might need an application of conditioner. It looks dry and cracked in a couple of places, so the conditioner might be enough to prevent further deterioration. That’s really about it, apart from the new owner climbing behind the wheel for a spot of luxurious top-down cruising.
The Bicentennial was an equipment and appearance package, and it brought no performance upgrades to the Eldorado Convertible. That means that the 500ci V8 under the hood still produces 190hp. This finds its way to the front wheels via a 3-speed automatic transmission. Driving duties are made easier and safer by the inclusion of power steering and 4-wheel power disc brakes. The Eldorado Convertible was a car that Cadillac designed for relaxed and luxurious cruising, not for scaring the life out of people at the local drag strip. The car tips the scales at a whopping 5,236lbs, making the 19.2-second ¼-mile ET easy to understand. This Caddy is in sound mechanical health, and it has a claimed 34,000 genuine miles on the clock. The owner says that it runs and drives like new, which makes it a turn-key classic.
While Cadillac built 200 examples of the Bicentennial Edition, only 199 of those found their way into the hands of eager buyers. The company chose to retain car number 200 for themselves. At the time, they had no intention of ever producing another Eldorado Convertible, so they intended to preserve the car for posterity. Today, these cars are highly prized and will generally command a 25% premium over a regular Convertible. It isn’t unusual to see above-average examples sell for $35,000, although significantly higher figures have been paid for pristine cars. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one threatens $40,000, and with values continuing to rise dramatically, it could be a sound investment at that price.
I love these cars. I worked at a body shop in Miami, Florida in the mid 80’s doing frame straightening, front end repair and alignments. The owner had a black 76 Eldorado that he allowed me to use on numerous occasions. He had a cell phone in that car when they were new and expensive. It was beautiful and drove like a dream. It had four wheel disc brakes with the emergency brake set up with small drums inside the rotors. This special edition model is far to wonderful to be allowed anything less than to be held in great honor and be protected for generations to come.
God bless America
Do you need white pants & a white belt to drive this?
Just don’t wear them after Labor Day. Oh, by the way…cousin Eddie has some white loafers for you.
“Now this was a superior machine. Ten grand worth of gimmicks and high-priced special effects. The rear windows lit up with a touch like frogs in a dynamite pond. The dashboard was full of esoteric lights and dials and meters that I would never understand.”
if this is a 390 he doesn’t say what year it is, since the 390 was never offered after ’71. It could be a 360, which was offered in ’76 and is an FE motor too.
Understated is not a word that I would normally associate with this car but the red and blue pinstripes definitely qualify.
Currently sitting right around $40K. Worth every penny in my book but the $50K ask may be a slight stretch.
1976 was a great year for all of us who were alive back then. And last year of the true land barges.
When Cadillac began making a convertible again, an owner of a 1976 sued GM, saying they had destroyed the value his car. He lost.
There is probably a good reason for the low mileage. Even for the time, it would be very expensive to fill them up. Something like a 30 or 33 gallon gas tank. Horrible gas mileage. The lady in the credit union, at the hospital I worked at, had one. She loved the car.
A lot of these “last convertibles” were put away as future investments, for a long time even super-low-mileage ones were dirt cheap. Even at 33 grand (as of 8:30 Sunday night) this hasn’t kept up with inflation as defined by the MSRP of the closest modern equivalents.
Man Boss Hog would love that one Just add a set of big horns on the hood
Jim…. Arnold Schawtenegger drove one with the big “Texas” bull horns on the hood in the movie “Twins” with Danny DeVito
Lance White (Tom Selleck guest star of the Rockford Files) wants his car back.
Did they fix the glove compartment door? It was never meant to hold a .38 revolver attached to it. Rockford called it a parade float.
beautiful cruising beast only drawback sadly the curse of the 70’s no real power in that gigunda engine