Description
Cadillac Eldorado 1968, 472ci, 7. 7 litre V8 This car has to be one of the best looking Eldorado’s with no vinyl roof or bump strips along the sides, it really allows the sharp lines of the bodywork to show and if you are going to have a Eldorado is has to be in gold, this car literally looks like it was carved from a block of gold. The fact this was the last year of the hideaway headlights, that just adds to its appeal.
This not to be confused with with later 1970s emissions restricted cars, it has the full fat 7. 7 litre V8 with 375bhp and an incredible 525 ft lb of torque. It was designed by the legendary GM stylist, Bill Mitchell who was also responsible for the 55 Chevy Bel Air, 1960s Buick Riviera the fore mentioned front wheel drive Toranado and the C2 & C3 Corvette Stingrays to name but a few.
This car has not been restored, it is nearly completely original with just some of the panels re-sprayed, no rust anywhere which is pretty good for a 56 year old car. The car was first purchased by a US Airforce Colonel and was supplied by Rickenbaugh Cadillac of Denver Colorado in late 1967. It was then sold in 1970 to a couple from Tularosa in New Mexico, who kept it for 35 years, before being sold to Palm Springs, California in 2005, being owned by a Hollywood restauranteur before being shipped over here in 2019, so before the UK, spent all its time in dry states. In fact the story is it was destined to appear in Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in America, as Sharon Tates sisters car, but he insisted he wanted a 1967 car , so it got replaced by the light green one that appears in the film, not sure if it’s true, but it makes a good story. The cars major claim to fame is a 10 page spread in Octane magazine in March 2011 where it truly does look fantastic in the moody night shots. We took this car to the Isle of Man for the American car rally last September and then on up to Edinburgh to visit relatives and back home to Suffolk, a total of 925 miles, all in pure Cadillac luxury of silence and wafting ride, not one single problem in-countered and a fantastic road trip. Tax and ULEZ free as historic vehicle.
It has the front wheel drive system developed by GM for the Cadillac and the Oldsmobile Toronado, which gives it fantastic handling and a flat floor due to the lack of transmission tunnel. These Eldorado’s were developed to be the sporting version of the Cadillac, to appeal to a younger buyer, so it really does handle rather well and has very substantial anti roll bars and a slightly stiffer suspension.
Specification List
Finished in Fire-Mist Gold with a Covert Gold Diamond Pattern Cloth and Vinyl Interior, options added to this car were Automatic Climate Control $516, Fire-Mist Paint $132, Cruise Control $95, AM/ FM Stereo Radio $288, Guide-Matic Headlamp Control $51, Twilight Sentinel Auto Lights $37, 6 Way Power Seat $83, Power Door Locks $47, Tilt & Telescopic Wheel $90, Rear Trunk Remote Release $52, Rear Centre Belt $11, Front & Rear Mats $20
All those options on top of a purchase price of $5500, makes the total cost with purchase tax of nearly $8000 dollars in 1968, when I highly recommend spec Dodge Charger would have only cost $4000
Production for 1968 totalled 24, 528 cars, all two door coupes with standard equipment on these personal luxury cars included, automatic transmission, power windows, power steering, powered brakes with discs at front, retractable headlamp covers, rosewood dash and door cards, electric aerial.
Design notes of this car are the broad hidden headlamps, eggcrate grill, very distinctive Vee back-end, that runs from the roof line all the way down through the glass to the reverse shark bumper, the knife edge fender lines and rear lights and the small rear sliding quarter light windows.
The Cadillac has a original spec exhaust system, with the only modification being to give it twin visable tail pipes, both working and I do think suit the highly sculpted rear end of these Eldorado’s
Everything works on this car including the Climate Control A/ C, Autodip Beam headlamps, radio, electric aerial, headlamp doors, soft close boot, electric 6 way seats, electric windows, it has a Lear Jet 8 track player in the glovebox that just about works, but certainly looks the part with some period cassettes.
I have replaced the tyres with white walls, new drive shafts, rebuilt the 4 pot front brake calliper's, new brake hoses, oil filters, fuel hoses, bottom swivel joints front suspension, anti roll bar bushes, all new door seals, new logo mats, auto oil and filter changed, new spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm, coil, plug leads, air filter, radiator hoses, new starter motor and wiring harness, new radiator fitted in the states. This car does not disappoint and is one of the best looking Cadillacs from any angle and a car you can drive all day and smile all the way. Happy to drive it to delivery anywhere, as long as there is a contribution to fuel costs. Also comes with a big box of spares and items you would want to travel with.
This car was purchased new by US Airforce Colonel Robert A Garber in 1968 and he chose every option you could on a car that was already very highly specified, this being the top of the line Cadillac model. We still have the original Owners Manual and Certi Card for Col Garber as supplied with the new car.
