Hubba-Hubba! It’s huge, with a gargantuan engine and a top that goes down, how could it get any better? Love them or hate them, the ninth generation (1971-1978) Cadillac Eldorado, like this 1973 example, makes a statement! Of course, the statement can be debatable depending upon where your preferences lie. This beast of a ragtop is located in Lebanon, Indiana and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of  $12,100 with 35 bids tendered so far.

Front-wheel-drive still had not caught on with domestic autos by 1973. And there really wasn’t a reason for it to have done so at that point as it was more of an exotic engineering feature than a design need. By the end of ’73 however, the view of all things that consumed gasoline changed dramatically. Auto engineers started to sound like the Japanese sailor in Steven Speilberg’s film, 1941, who steals an American Victrola-sized radio and can’t get it to fit through the hatch of his submarine. He mutters to another sailor, via subtitles, “We got to figure out how to make these things smaller!” Same with domestic cars and FWD would eventually become part of that down-sizing effort.

By 1973, the engine power equation got turned on its head. Horsepower was on the way down as mandated emission controls made gasoline engines less efficient, so auto designers upped the displacement to compensate. In the case of this Eldorado, big enough was big enough and there was really no reason to increase its powerplant from an already outsized 500 CI (8.2 liters). The problem was output, as the 400 gross HP ’70 version became 365 gross in ’71 and then 235 net HP in ’72 and ’73 thanks to tightening air quality standards and the gross to net HP rating change. As the ’70s continued, the power would decrease until the 500 V8 was deemed too large to be socially acceptable.  Torque (385 net pound-feet) was affected too but not as extensively as HP, so these 5,100 lbs. bodacious boats would still get up from a standstill and go adequately. The seller of this Eldo claims, “Drives Great!” The transaxle employed is a Turbo-Hydramatic 425, a three-speed automatic unit that was introduced by Oldsmobile in ’66 for their Toronado, and is essentially a chain-driven, reverse mounted Turbo 400 attached to a differential.

This Caddy was repainted seven years ago and it still looks pretty good, it’s hard to tell with certainty under fluorescent lights. This car bears a respectable appearance and it’s nice to find one that is not fire-engine red with a white top. The bump strip on the passenger side fender is missing its rubber insert, and the rocker panel molding looks a bit off but other than these minor items, nothing else looks out of place. The convertible top is claimed to be new but there are no images of it in the down position, we’ll have to assume that it works.

The white leather upholstery is stated to be five years old and that seems logical – it looks too good to be original. White has a tendency to yellow with age as well as darken within the cracks that eventually develop (dirt) but the images included here align with the claim of age. The seats actually look too comfortable as the driver might be inclined to take a snooze while floating along at expressway speeds. The instrument panel, specifically the speedometer, is a bit moldy looking but it should be easily resolvable. Of note are the rear seat ashtrays, they are actually positioned in the armrests of the enormous front doors!

Mob trunk and all, it’s ostentatious. Yes, but it would be that much more so if it were finished off, as previously suggested, in bright red with a white top, so this car gets points in my book for being more subdued, as subdued as a 5,100 lb., 18.5 ft convertible can be. This is another vestige of a disappearing component of American automobilia. It’s funny how things change over time, considered pretty outrageous in the early ’70s, it has a certain chicness to it today, wouldn’t you agree?