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Review: 1976 Cadillac Eldorado -- 'the last American convertible'
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Driving a classic Cadillac gives you an idea of a bygone automotive era, and your fellow motorists can't miss it either. See more photos of this 1976 Eldorado in today's slideshow. (Photos by Brady Holt)
The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was a dinosaur even in its day – it was massive and it was nearing extinction.
This car stretches nearly 19 feet from end to end – close to a foot and a half longer than the year’s best-selling Oldsmobile Cutlass – and weighs over 5,000 pounds. It gets around 12 miles per gallon from its 8.2-liter V8 engine. Its $10,000+ price tag was also substantial for 1976 – inflation alone adjusts that to $40,000, and the prices of luxury automobiles have risen faster than inflation.
But although one may think of the era of huge cars lasting beyond 1976, it was the last year of the monster drop-top. Cadillac billed this Eldorado as “the last American convertible” as it prepared to discontinue the car.
And although Detroit went on to build open-top versions of future vehicles over the years – including three Cadillacs, one of which using the Eldorado name – they were not iconic all-American cars like this 1976. Throughout the 1970s, tiny Japanese cars were gaining in popularity and American cars were beginning to downsize rapidly. The 1976 Eldorado convertible was seen as something of a last hurrah for good old fashioned American automotive excess, and the market snapped up 14,000 of them.
Four of those 14,000 – three reds, one white – are part of a collector’s fleet in suburban Virginia. Their owner, Craig, said he had been in the market for a new luxury convertible, was underwhelmed by the idea of a $40,000 compact BMW, and then came across something twice as big for half the price. Craig generously offered use of the Eldorado driven for this review as a taste of history for someone who hadn’t driven a car from before the 1990s. It’s an experience unlike in any new car.
The experience begins with the first sight of the car’s exterior, which has proportions that are unremarkable for 1976 but distinctive on the road today. This Eldorado isn’t as tall as Chevrolet’s subcompact Aveo, but it’s longer than the brand’s full-size Suburban SUV. The passenger cabin itself isn’t vast by today’s standards, but it’s sandwiched by massive overhangs to the front and rear that house the jumbo engine and trunk, respectively.
Note, however, that to refer to this car as a “pimpmobile” – several observers did – is incorrect. Per the most reliable internet source, a pimpmobile by definition “has been customized in a garish, extravagant style.” This car is stock and original, with hubcaps instead of massive rims and a radio that works only when it wants to instead of an elaborate and powerful stereo system.
Some might look at the inside of the car and say that no “garish” or “extravagant” add-ons were needed, as the interior certainly came eye-catching from the factory. The front and rear bench seats and the door panels are upholstered in bright red leather, the dash is red plastic with woodgrain accents, and the red carpeting covers the floor as well as parts of the doors and the back of the front seats. There’s stretch-out space on the wide, flat, cushy bench seats, which have the look and feel of a sofa. The front seat once adjusted fore-aft on this Eldorado, but its motor gave up at some point over the last 34 years. The car technically fits six, and those six occupants would certainly be more comfortable than four in any modern convertible, but Craig elected to go with a Honda Odyssey minivan for family-hauling duty. Sliding rear doors instead of just really long front doors do make things more convenient for rear-seat passengers, especially when the seat-adjustment motor is gone. There are three lap-only safety belts for the front-seat passengers, none for the rear.
You get another reminder of days past even before you get into the car, with its key. Rather, its keys; there is one for the doors and trunk and another for the ignition. Both are simple, rather small, flat pieces of metal. There’s no large rubber- or plastic-coated grip, no electronic fob, no big Cadillac logo.
You won’t forget what you’re driving, however. From the driver’s seat, you have an excellent view of a massive hood that’s topped with the traditional Cadillac large wreath and crest, which also adorns the steering wheel, floormats, dash, and even some control knobs.
But it’s the driving experience that truly separates this car from anything Detroit or anyone else is offering today.
Given the car’s size, specifications, and intent – lavish luxury and lots of comfort – one might expect driving this Eldorado to be something like driving a full-size luxury truck today. That’s only a first step.To get a better sense of what it’s like to drive a 1976 Eldorado convertible, mime driving a car as you read this: hold your hands out in front and turn the imaginary steering wheel back and forth. Just by moving your arms as you sit in front of a computer, you are changing the Eldorado’s direction as much as you would if you were driving it – not at all. It takes nearly 45 degrees before anything starts to happen, and even then, you probably don’t want to be pushing it.
Surprisingly enough, the turning circle isn’t all that unmanageable. It takes time to get used to where the car is – “it’s always narrower than you think and longer than you think,” advises Craig – but there are current cars that are much smaller that take even more than this car’s 40.4 feet to turn around. Perhaps the credit goes to the spacious engine bay; when a big engine isn’t wedged into a fairly small car, there’s space for the wheels to turn at a sharper angle. (Alternative theories welcomed in the comments section below the article.)
Another aspect of the Eldorado’s driving dynamics that one might not expect is the ride, which was not nearly as boatlike as the steering. There are modern cars that suffer nearly as much ride float, in which the body of the car gently shakes back and forth slightly out of sync with the shape of the road, yet on the other hand it’s not as serene on the highway as one might have been conditioned to expect. There’s a steady growl from the engine at cruise – a plus for some, a minus for others – and a fair bit of jostling even on a fairly smooth interstate.
Coming to a stop does elicit a distinct rocking motion; you can count three rocks even from the most gentle braking. Panic stops were not tested, but despite an impressively firm brake pedal, panic is probably required, as the braking distance would likely be long and avoidance maneuvers difficult.
The power is certainly what you would expect from a heavy car with a huge engine – throaty but not zippy. The 8.2-liter engine is rated at just over 200 horsepower – not high by today’s standards, especially for a 5,000-pound vehicle – but the 400 lb-ft of torque is a specification more likely to impress. Apparently, flooring the car will allow for a tire-shredding front-wheel burnout, but testing this theory on someone else’s car is generally considered poor form.
There’s certainly plenty of punch and a pleasant roar when it’s called for, but the engine is also very responsive when you may not be asking it to be. Steep engine braking as soon as you lift off the throttle also complicates stop-and-go driving.
Most of the above characteristics are functions of the driven car’s era. Over the course of a day, the Eldorado also demonstrated a few characteristics of its age. It stalled repeatedly, particularly but not exclusively when coming to a stop or making a slow turn soon after a cold start – a characteristic that appeared midday but cured itself after a few hours. (It always started up again without any fuss.) The driver’s door also refused to close at one point after the latching mechanism on the door became locked in place; it released only when it was pushed as the interior door handle was pulled and the issue did not repeat, but the heavy door's slight sag necessitated continued slams.
Craig is happy to take these issues in stride as he uses the Cadillacs – mostly the white one – as his daily drivers, but his wife and daughters are less enthusiastic about them. And after a day in the car, it’s easy to see both perspectives.
On the one hand, it’s impractical to drive a 19-foot-long automobile that gets 12 miles per gallon, that may need to be restarted in traffic, and that takes practice to park or drive smoothly in the stop-and-go conditions of Northern Virginia. But on the other hand, a classic car has a novelty factor that few new reasonably priced cars can ever hope to match. Admiring looks, waves, and even conversation from strangers are the norm. People will want their pictures taken with it, or ask you to pull it around the corner so their neighbor’s Prius-driving parents can have a look at it. And for yourself, you get a driving experience unlike any modern car, and loads of luxury at prices far below those of any new Cadillac – with a car you can call “classic” instead of “used.”
It’s hard to say whether the novelty of driving a classic car would wear off and leave you only with the inconveniences. But Craig is living proof that it doesn’t have to.
And any car that’s happy to stall out but that doesn’t make you any less eager to drive it must have something going for it.
Vehicle tested: 1976 Cadillac Eldorado
Vehicle price (original MSRP): Approx. $11,000
Test vehicle provided by: Craig Dykstra
Key specifications:
Length: 224.4 inches
Width: 79.9 inches
Height: 54.3 inches
Wheelbase: 126.4 inches
Weight: 5,092 pounds
Engine (as tested): 8.2-liter V8 with 204 horsepower
For more info: The Last Great American Whale: Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
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