1957
Eldorado Biarritz, Seville and Brougham

The Biarritz

This year and in 1958 the Eldorado models had entirely different rear-end styling compared to the standard line. Their bulbous rear-end resembled chipmunk cheeks. Short, curved fins were set inboard of the fenders. The name Eldorado appeared in small, block letters above the traditional Cadillac gold V on the rear deck and the names Biarritz or Seville appeared in script on the upper leading edges of the front fenders. The two Eldorado models were further identified by the dual fins mounted on the front fender peaks. Again, front grilles and cast alloy "sabre spoke" wheels were available in chromium or gold finish.

Priced at $6648 [7286 ???], 1800 convertibles and 2100 coupes were built.

The photos of the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible released in conjunction with the Motor Show this year read as follows:

ELDORADO BIARRITZ [now one word] - Styling remindful of the "dream cars" appears on this 1957 Eldorado Biarritz Convertible. Not only are the fins set inboard on the smoothly contoured body but the bumper is built in and wraps around to the rear wheel openings. Biarritz owners have a choice of two engines; the high performance 300 horsepower Cadillac engine or a modified version which develops 325 horsepower.

   
These two rows:  The 1957 Eldorado Biarritz
[artist's views from 1957 merchandising brochures ]

   
Above two rows: survivors at the 2003 CLC Grand National
[ Photos: © 2003, J. Scott Harris ]

   
Left: Front clip
Right: beautiful red leather trim

   
1957 Cadillac ID feature (front fender corner trim), left
1957 Eldorado Biarritz ID script on front fender (right)

The Seville

       
Lower row: The 1957 Eldorado Seville [ Photos: © 1957, GM/Cadillac ]

   
Here are two unusual views

   
Above three rows: Eldorado Seville survivors

(Above 2 rows) This is a very rare 4-door Eldorado Seville sedan, style 6239SX,
of which only four units were built, purely as a styling experiment - NICE !

The Brougham

1957 also saw the first production Eldorado Brougham come off the line. You can read all about it in the Database section devoted to that model.

The 1957 Eldorado Brougham
[ Photo: © 1957, GM/Cadillac ]

Trivia:

-  1957 saw a number of custom Eldorado designs. The first one in my collection is a 1956 prototype of the 1957 Eldorado, with the 1956 grille texture.

-  GM Canada built an Eldorado Biarritz "bubble top" for the 1957 Royal Tour by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II; photos are to be found in ELD, pp.3-31 and McC p.322.

-  I have another [poor] photo of a special custom 1957 Eldorado convertible sans fins and with a completely modified grille; that car is hardly recognizable any more as a Cadillac [cutting from classifieds].

-  In Kingston, PA [near Wilkes-Barre] I admired and photographed, in 1982, a strange-looking 1957 [???] Eldorado Biarritz convertible that had the rear end of the 1955-56 Eldorado models. The car was red with a white top and white leather [???] interior. I saw it at the Reilly collectible car outlet.

-  That same year, in June, in Tulsa, OK, I took photos of a custom, dechromed Eldorado Biarritz convertible sans fins; this was at "Mac" McCord used car dealership.

 

1958
Eldorado Biarritz, Seville and Brougham

The 1958 Eldorados had the same bulbous rear as the 1957 models but were distinguished by their different rear bumpers and trim. In 1958 a narrow, gold V and the name Eldorado appeared in small, block letters at the lower left of the trunk lid. Front fenders now featured a single low fin. Additionally there were ten vertical louvers on the rear fenders just ahead of the skirtless rear wheel openings and five similar louvers on either side of the rear license plate holder. Again, front grilles and cast alloy "saber spoke" wheels were available in chromium or gold finish. Priced at $7410, this was a low production year with only 815 convertibles and 855 coupes being built.

 

The Biarritz

       
The 1958 Eldorado Biarritz
[ artist's view from 1958 product catalog ]

This superb survivor belongs to enthusiast, Aaron Weiss
[  Photo: © and courtesy of the owner ]

This survivor has the "gold package" (grille and sabre-spoke wheels)

Trivia:

Shown at the 1958 Salons was a special Eldorado Biarritz, automatic convertible. Like the 1951 Le Sabre, the top and all windows closed automatically if a rain drop fell on a special sensor on the rear deck. Five or six production units are said to have been built [McC says five]; I have seen none, [other than factory photos] although one of these was reported offered for sale by Kruse in August 1996. I have also a factory photo [double-exposure photo (light-line photography)] showing the operation of the top. Photo McC p.328

A barely visible 1958 Eldorado Biarritz crosses
the block at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ
[ Photo: © 1999, Yann Saunders ]

The Seville

Left:  The 1958 Eldorado Seville [Photo: © 1997, Yann Saunders]

The Brougham

The 1958 Eldorado Brougham
[ artist's view from 1958 product catalog ]

1959
Eldorado Biarritz, Seville and Brougham

This year, as in 1954, the Eldorado models retained the same sheet metal as the cars of the standard line. Decorative trim differs from the regular line; a broad stainless steel molding runs from the "A" pillar back to the tail-light housing, down then forward to the front wheel opening. The rear grille has three rows of "bullets", repeating front grille motif. There is a decorative V across the center of the circular tail-light housings. The name Eldorado appears in block letters on the lower front fenders behind the wheel openings, and across the aft section of the stainless steel trunk lid molding. The Eldorados have same "turbine vane" wheel covers as the Series 60 Special model. The names Biarritz or Seville appear on an oval name badge on the upper door panel just behind vent wings. Prices: $7401 [for both the convertible and the HT coupe]. 1320 convertibles and 975 coupes were built.

 

The Biarritz

[ Line drawing by Bob Eng - Self Starter annual, 1998 ]

      
The 1959 Eldorado Biarritz [ left and center: artist's views from 1959 product catalogs ]

   
A fine survivor in the most popular color (Persian Sand)

   
Here's another beautiful survivor in an unusual, non-metallic color;
it belongs to enthusiast Aaron Weiss who kindly supplied the photo

   
This one was spotted on an Internet Web site in 2007

This survivor belongs to Quentin Hall,
former editor of "La Cad" the magazine of the Australian CLC

       
This fully-optioned, rare beauty in triple Persian Sand belongs
to Paul Zanetti, a well-known Australian cartoonist
[ Photos: © 2006 and courtesy of Mark Bean and Unique Cars Magazine ]

Here's an unusual bird's eye view of a bucket-seat Eldorado Biarritz

And here's an unusual destination for a '59 Biarritz:  Damascus, Syria !

Trivia:

-  Fleetwood built a special Series 62 convertible with Eldorado Biarritz interior and bucket seats. I have a factory photo showing it in the background of a Cadillac Cyclone photo. Was this a special order for a Cadillac or GM executive (???).

-  There was another custom Eldorado convertible [possibly by George Barris] with modified fins, Eldorado/60S rear grille and continental kit [have poor photo in Dream Cars section for 1959].

-  I picked up in a French specialized auto weekly, a photo of 1959 Eldorado Biarritz in the former Yugoslavia, fitted with a diesel engine, LVA, 15.10.1987, p.4

 

The Seville

Left:  The 1959 Eldorado Seville
[ Photo: © 1983, Yann Saunders ]

   
A beautiful survivor in "Hampton Green"

Trivia:

-  Fisher built a special Eldorado Seville landau for Egypt's former King Farouk, at a reported cost of $100,000. The car featured cut down "half-fins", continental kit (metal cover) gold-anodized (???) sabre-spoke wheels, gold accents including landau irons. The car is currently (1995) fire-engine red with white leather interior; it was in Chicago’s Historical Museum from the late seventies to the late eighties (with Leland's Osceola). It was sold at a Kruse auction in June 1990 (???) for an estimated $130'000. It was owned in the Nineties by Ernst and Claude Fuchs (father and son), restaurant owners in Montreux, Switzerland. The father is an artist, the son sold Gruno boats imported from Holland. Both suffered major financial problems in 1993/94. The Eldorado was sold to a man in Bienne for circa SFr 30,000 (info from Roger Zimmermann - 21.2.1995). Roger reported that the car was a poorly restored original. It has lots of Italian made electric relays (purpose unknown). The rear roof is full custom; there is flimsy cover over the front seat, tied down with a couple of press studs. The interior seems original. There are no ELDORADO signs anywhere on car; the front V and crest are missing. The original color was probably green. Roger will send me body tag information. The car's full history is not known. An article in the German-language, Auto Illustrierte (10/90) says Farouk ordered the car by phone from Fisher Body, from Rome, where Farouk was exiled at the time. It was restored (poorly) in 1987 and sold to E. Fuchs ???) at a Kruse auction in June 1990.]

-  I have photos also of a special custom-built Cadillac Eldorado Seville "El Camino" pick-up wagon. Its owner (in the early eighties) was Joe Padilla of Denver, CO.

 

The Brougham

The 1959 Eldorado Brougham
[ Photo: © 1998, Rik Gruwez ]

1960
Eldorado Biarritz, Seville and Brougham

1960 Eldorado front clip
[ except Brougham ]

Trim again differs from the regular line. Two narrow stainless steel moldings run from the "A" pillar back to the tail-light housing; the lower molding drops down then forward to the front wheel opening; there is a broad, stainless steel rocker panel molding. The rear grille is decorated with small "bullets", repeating front grille motif. The name Eldorado appears in small block letters on the upper front fenders ahead of the wheel openings, and in larger block letters across the aft section of the trunk lid molding. The Eldorados sport same turbine vane wheel covers as the Series 60 Special model [they have three concentric black rings - the 1959 cover was plain]. There is no Biarritz or Seville name badge on these cars. Prices: $7401 [for both the convertible and the HT coupe]. 1285 convertibles and 1075 coupes were built. My Seville had bucket seats, as did my Biarritz [except that the latter were replaced by a bench seat before I ever got the car]. I saw in a Kruse auction catalog [Auburn, 1997] that only 120 of the convertibles had bucket seats; I have no idea how many of the Sevilles were thus equipped.

 

The Biarritz

Gita and I were fortunate to own and enjoy one of each 1960 Eldorado Seville and  Biarritz]. We imported our Biarritz from Portland, OR. Baby blue when we bought her, we had her re-painted the original Siena Rose [code #98B]; she had white leather upholstery and [in her past] the rare bucket seat option (the vendor omitted to point out that the buckets had been sold - he delivered the car to me with a replacement bench seat ...and no Fiberglas top boot).

   

   
Left: Factory promotional shot of the new Biarritz
Right and below: Our car was painted the same color [Siena Rose, #98B]

       
From baby blue (left and center) the Pink Lady was stripped to bare metal (right) ...

       
... and re-painted her original color
[ All photos:  © 1983 and 1985, Yann Saunders ]

  
Another survivor in "Persian Sand"

   

       

       
This one is the same color as our former Eldorado Seville;
it lives in Sweden and is the property of aficionado, Christer Hansson
[ Photo (top row, left): © 2005, Christer Hansson ]

   

       

           
This lovely survivor belongs to Steve Smith; he is offering it for sale at auction, through RM Auctions, in Feb., 2008

 

The Seville
I have no control over You Tube video clips on the Internet,
so this one may not always be available for viewing here
[ it tells the story of ill-fated Maurice Gagnon's low-mileage "murder car"]

Our Seville HT coupe was a beautiful original, low mileage car which I acquired from the second owner in the early seventies. Imported to Switzerland in 1963 by the first owner, Ms Elsie de Reuter, it was painted Heather Poly [metallic lilac pink], code #99B [the "B" indicates the rare bucket seat option], and had matching lilac pink interior trim, upholstery, dash and even carpets. It had also the original [and problematic] air suspension; but I loved that car; it was our wedding car (below). I was sorry to let her go, but Gita told me I couldn't have children AND still keep the Cadillac! As you will see, below, our car was painted the same color as the factory promotional Seville. Coincidence?  Perhaps, but so was our 1960 Biarritz !

As a matter of interest, in 1997 we had contact in 1997 with  Larry Hibbert of  L&R Tool & Machine Co., Sterling Heights, MI.  Larry had a "Seville" like ours that I would have liked to buy ...why I bought a '42 Fleetwood limouisne instead, I'll never understand !

   
Factory promotional shot and artist's view of the year's lovely Eldorado Seville

       
Left and center:  Gita arrives at the village church in Trélex, Switzerland
with dad Frederick and two small train bearers [ both now married with children ! ]
Right: the newlyweds head for the reception in grand style; Tony, the best man, is at the wheel

   
On honeymoon in Brittany, we visited a place called Quedillac !

   
Left:  Jamie at the wheel; he may have come from too much kissing and cuddling on the back seat...
[ Photos: © 1972 and 1975, Yann Saunders ]

This interior view, with front bench seat,
is from a mailer catalog of that year

   
I wonder if the car on the lefts could be the Larry Hibbert's car; it was
offered for sale in Hemmings Motor News, Dec. 2007 ...for $100,000

[ Photo courtesy ConceptCarZ.Com ]

 

Trivia:

-  George Barris built a custom conversion on the 1960 Eldorado Seville coupe ["half-top"].

The Brougham

1960 Eldorado Brougham
[ Photo found on the Web, 1999 ]

1961

There are few noticeable differences between the standard convertible and the Eldorado. The two-door Seville model was no longer available. On the only Eldorado model for 1961, a narrow molding runs from the leading edge of the front fender all the way to the rear of the car [just above door handle level].

The name Eldorado appears in small block letters in the center of the trunk lid molding; the name Biarritz [retained from previous years although no distinction with any other Eldorado model was needed] appears in script on the upper front fenders, ahead of the wheel openings.

The car differed from the regular Series 62 convertible in having more luxurious interior trim. Price: $6477 [1450 units built].

The 1961 Eldorado Biarritz
[ Photo: © 1961, GM/Cadillac ]

   
A survivor sporting a non-original but protective trim spear along the central body crease

   
Another survivor (sorry for the poor image quality)

Trivia:

-  Prototype XP727 was a Concept Eldorado CA 12/91, p.9.; ELD, p.76-79

 

1962

Again, there are few noticeable differences between the standard Series 62 convertible and the Eldorado. There is a small Cadillac crest just below the windshield post and a narrow molding runs back to the tail-light housing and down to the extremity of the lower skeg fin.

The name Eldorado appears also in small block letters in the center of the trunk lid molding. The Eldorado has more luxurious interior trim than the standard convertible. Price: $6610 [1450 units, exactly the same number as last year].

The 1962 Eldorado Biarritz - artist's view from 1962 product catalog

1963

The main difference with the standard line is the plain, unbroken expanse of sheet metal from front to rear [like the Fleetwood 60 Special]. Trim differences include full length rocker panel, wreath and crest on the aft portion of the rear fender; ELDORADO  in small block letters at the right of the trunk lid molding and on the lower front fender, just behind front wheel openings.

As usual interior trim is more luxurious than in the standard convertible. Price: $6608 [1828 units built].

Illustrations from factory archives,  ©1963, GM/Cadillac

The 1963 Eldorado Biarritz (a survivor)
[ Photo: © 1997, Yann Saunders ]

 

Trivia:

-  This year Cadillac built a special Cadillac Eldorado Colt convertible coupe.

-  There were possibly also three Eldorado coupes built on the Series 62-63 chassis (perhaps the chassis listed in MH book). One CLC member, Elliot Fried, apparently bought one (photo, CLC, 5/90, p.13)

-  Also built in 1963 was the Stallion, a prototype of the future Eldorado for 1967. (CA, 12/91, p.24).

 

1964

With its new 429 cubic inch motor and Turbo-Hydra-Matic transmission, this year's Eldorado was a lively performer. Again, the main difference with the standard line is the plain, unbroken expanse of sheet metal from front to rear [like the Fleetwood 60 Special]. Trim differences are similar to those found on the 1963 Eldorado model. The big difference: no fender skirts on this year's model. Price: $6630 [1870 units].

The 1964 Fleetwood Eldorado - artist's view from 1964 product catalog

A lovely survivor
[ Photo:  © and courtesy Richard Stanley, owner ]

Richard Stanley is the owner of this MINT 1964 Eldorado survivor named Marian.   He writes: The '64 is an original car (even the top) with 50K miles (doesn't show). I inherited it from the original owner who bought it new from Hillcrest Motors in Beverly Hills. She hardly drove it the last 25 years of her life. Not to brag, but I have never seen a better one--restored or otherwise.

Beautiful car, Richard!

 

1965

Gone this year were Cadillac's traditional tail-fins on all models save the Series 75 sedan and limousine, which retained for one more year - in an effort to reduce re-tooling costs - the obsolescent tail-fins and the outmoded and much older [1959] "dog-leg", wrap-around windshield.

The Eldorado, like the Fleetwood Sixty Special was again bereft of side trim, setting these two models aside from the standard line, as in 1963 and 1964, while making those huge, smooth door areas much more vulnerable to parking lot damage. Fender skirts came back this year on the Eldorado model. Price: $6604 [2125 units]. A press release for the 1965 Eldorado models, dated September 15, 1964, reads thus:

Cadillac's rear view in the Eldorado Convertible is characterized by familiar vertical bumper ends that house tail, stop, directional and back-up lights. The 1965 models feature crisp lines along the sides, tailored by three distinct planes that emphasize length with a clean, unbroken expanse of metal.

   
The 1965 Fleetwood Eldorado
[ Photos: © 1965, GM/Cadillac ]

1966

The end was near for the traditional rear-wheel drive Eldorado which went out this year with a bow. Sales of 2250 were topped only by the 1955 model. The ‘66 Eldorado was very similar in appearance to the 1965 model; again a wreath and crest were affixed to the rear fender and small Eldorado block letters were in the usual position just behind the front wheel openings. The final rear-wheel drive Eldorado was priced at $6631.

Yes, the Eldorado convertible had done its time. America needed something new. And once again Cadillac took the industry by surprise in 1967 with the new front-wheel drive Eldorado coupe, born out of a tradition of comfort, elegance and luxury. It was so enthusiastically received that sales in the first year exceeded 17,000 units, that is four times more than the combined sales of the previous Eldorado coupe models, built from 1956 through 1960, and about half the combined production of Eldorados, including the Brougham, in the fourteen years from 1953 to 1966.

Two surviving 1966 Fleetwood Eldorado models photographed
in Zurich, Switzerland
[ Photo: © 1990, Yann Saunders ]

   
Above 2 photos: This survivor, photographed at the exclusive Bonmont Golf Club in Cheserex,
Switzerland, was bought from a preacher in the USA and imported by my friend Phil Petrucci;
Phil's wife, Marie-Claire, and my own Gita drove it home from the port of entry (Antwerp, Belgium)

       
Close-up of rear clip
[ Photos at left and center:  © 2000, J. Scott Harris ]

Eldorado 1957: Biarritz, NIT 97, p.5, pp.70-73; Seville, NIT special M1602-2, p.53; B. toy, NIT 43, pp.10-11; Biarritz, SIA 26, cover + pp.12-18, pp.53-54, p.56; details sabre-spoke wheel, tail-fins, "Biarritz" fender script, engine., "bird's eye" view, inst. panel, steering wheel, bumper "bullet", frt. grille, specifications; painting of rear view of Biarritz. by contemporary artist, Nicola Wood, CC&CC 7/1991, p.62; article on Belgian survivor [No. 529.ZU]

Eldorado 1957-58: CC&CC 8/1985, pp.52-53 and 6/1985, p.34-411957-58 Eldorado models : Car Collector, 8/1985, p. 52-53 and 6/1985, p. 34-41

Eldorado 1958: Biarritz article in SSA 1980, pp.14-19 + rear cover;

Eldorado 1958-1960: story & photos of Biarritz models, CC&CC 6/1987, cover + pp.30-35, incl.

Eldorado 1959: Biarritz story and photos "Nothing Succeeds like Excess", SIA 88, pp.14-21, pp.66-67; Biarritz w/ Jayne Mansfield [in Jayne Mansfield book received from Jerôme Desvaux, p.31]; Eldorado Seville "murder car", in OCW, special issue, 27.8.92, p.19; "El Camino" flat-bed Seville [cutting from Bill Pozzi, '59-60 Cad club]; details: specifications, gas-filler, tri-power, instrument panel, coupe boot, bucket seats, rear, wheel cover, trunk, SIA 88, p.16; Seville "bird's eye" view in Corvair collection, SIA 4/1980, pp.18-19; Biarritz that drove through pile of burning TV sets, AF, p.106, pp.130-137.  MONOGRAM make a fine 1/25 scale model of "Series 64" Eldorado convertible [#No. 2957  -  info from J.-M. Roux, June '93] SIA125, pp.40-47;

Eldorado 1960: fashion photo using our former car ('60 literature drawer); Biarritz  (like ours) sold for 190,000FF, MK, 7/1990 (HW coll.) {***};

Eldorado 1962: story & photos, CC&CC, 7/1991, pp.18-21, details incl. top up, top down, 1953 Eldorado wire wheels, inst. panel;

Eldorado 1964: MK, 12/86, p.93 (HW coll.) {***};

Eldorado 1966: cost $7277 ???