Rare Rides Icons: The Cadillac Eldorado, Distinctly Luxurious (Part LXX)

We rejoin our Eldorado coverage today at a turning point for Cadillac’s lineup. The brand’s first downsizing effort in 1977 worked wonders for sales and proved to be exactly what consumers wanted: A slightly smaller yet still grandiose vehicle with a large V8. The second downsizing effort embarked upon in 1985 would be looked upon much less fondly after the fact. But is that hindsight feeling reflected in the sales figures? 

The project for downsizing began years earlier, with a newly installed design leader at the helm (Irv Rybicki) who was more friendly to the boardroom, to GM management, and to the suggestions of accountants than his predecessor Bill Mitchell. Additionally, General Motors’ leadership were incorrectly informed by analysts that fuel prices would soar by 1985.

And so, The General introduced a downsized lineup across the board in 1985, with most models swapping to front-wheel drive if they weren’t already. For Cadillac the changes were drastic. The Cimarron was untouched as it remained the compact entry in all its J-body goodness, as it already complied with GM’s new product methodology. Worth noting, starting in '85 Cimarron was excluded from some marketing materials entirely as we see above.

The DeVille was newly front-wheel drive in 1985, and seriously downsized. DeVille from ‘85 through ‘93 was based on the C-body platform, albeit with several revisions over time. Shared with the largest front-drivers from Buick (Park Avenue) and Oldsmobile (Ninety-Eight), the differences between the three models amounted to front and rear clip swaps, and interior changes. Cadillac also offered its HT4100 V8, unavailable from other brands. The DeVille was again offered in two-door coupe and four-door sedan formats.

Beginning in 1985, an additional model wore a Fleetwood badge. Separated from the Fleetwood Brougham was the less expensive front-drive Fleetwood. Based on the DeVille, the Fleetwood added niceties like improved interior upholstery and real wood trim, as well as vanity mirrors in the ceiling and (later on) fender skirts at the back. 

Known as the “more formal” DeVille alternative, the Fleetwood was marketed to the older or more traditional customer who wanted front-wheel drive. Worth noting, in 1985 the Fleetwood was a trim package on the DeVille, and not the separate model it was afterward. Perhaps it was GM testing the waters on how much a customer would pay for the new smaller DeVille. In 1985 and 1986 there was a Fleetwood coupe in addition to the sedan.

Elevated in its status by its size and price, the Fleetwood Brougham became the largest rear-drive car available from Cadillac. Now a separate model in its own right, it changed very little and was true to the form it took in 1977 when it downsized and served as replacement for the Sixty Special. For one final time in 1985, both a coupe and sedan version of the Fleetwood Brougham were offered.

Seville had its final outing in bustleback format in 1985 and must have looked simultaneously old and stately against the new front-drive models with which it shared a showroom. As the brand’s prestige product, it was spared for one year before accepting another downsizing. It was the same strategy Cadillac employed with the Eldorado in past instances, and used for it again in 1985. 

Eldorado was available one last time in its well-liked tenth-gen form. Again it was available mostly as a coupe, and in limited numbers as a last-of convertible. Cadillac had another much more complicated convertible cooking, but it wasn’t time to reveal that just yet. 

The Fleetwood Limousine and Fleetwood Formal Limousine bowed out in 1985 and were replaced by a new limousine wearing the once-proud Series 75 name and a Fleetwood prefix. In what was definitely the saddest vehicle in the showroom in 1985, Fleetwood 75 was a stretched version of the C-body platform used for the DeVille and Fleetwood. The 110.8-inch standard wheelbase was stretched to an impressive 134.4 inches for limo usage.

Series 75 was created from the Coupe DeVille as a base. Unlike the prior limousines, the 75 was not built by GM. The work was contracted to Hess & Eisenhardt, famed maker of funeral vehicles. 

The coachbuilder took the front ¾ of a coupe and cut it in the middle, then stretched the wheelbase. Once it was long enough they inserted Sedan DeVille rear doors in the middle. This made the 75 easier to construct and meant it had the smaller rear side window from a Coupe to appear more formal.

That made for an overall length of 218.6 inches, which was 23.6 inches more than a standard DeVille sedan. However, the company’s limousine was three inches shorter than a standard Fleetwood Brougham sedan. It’s unclear who the customer was for this car. There was no partition like a typical limousine, yet brochures identified it as a “Car of the stars!” Cadillac also identified the 75 as the flagship of the fleet; Seville and Eldorado were pushed by the wayside.

Though there was extensive downsizing and issues with the HT4100 V8 were already known, one might be surprised to learn Cadillac trounced its 1984 sales figure of around 300,000 with total sales of about 387,000 (sources disagree). An all-time high for the company, besting what it managed in 1979 by over 3,000 units. At the least expensive end of the lineup, the Cimarron moved 19,890 sedans as sales were down across the J-body portfolio. Commonly equipped examples that year asked $13,200 ($40,535 adj.) Reagan dollars.

The DeVille (and Fleetwood trim) managed big numbers in 1985, though the Coupe versions continued to move less often and sold 37,485 times. The Sedan DeVille and Fleetwood were the stars of the lineup and sold 151,763 examples for a yearly model total of 189,248. DeVilles asked around $19,500 ($59,881 adj.), the line started with the cheapest Coupe DeVille at $18,855 ($57,901 adj.)

Fleetwood Brougham had its first sales year as a standalone model no longer lumped in with DeVille and performed respectably. Customers purchased 8,336 coupes and 52,960 sedans, 61,296 in total. Befitting its large size and traditional reputation, the Fleetwood Brougham asked about $22,000 ($67,559 adj.) depending on options.

Customers weren’t so against the Seville as it aged, and on the occasion of its last outing it managed 39,755 sales, nearly tying its best-ever total in 1984. Original pricing for the 1985 Seville is not available, but we can assume it was roughly the same as the Eldorado coupe. Eldorado had a stellar year, with customers and dealers aware of what would occur in 1986. Eldorado sold 74,101 coupes and 2,200 convertibles, making it the best Eldorado sales year of all time.

In an interesting twist of fortune, the Fleetwood Brougham was more expensive than the Eldorado coupe in 1985. The Eldorado coupe was priced at $21,355 ($65,578 adj.), and its special convertible was $24,455 ($75,097 adj.). Priced above either was the Series 75, but specific pricing is not available. It sold in small numbers given its niche customer.

The following year, both Seville and Eldorado would put on new, much smaller suits and wade into the market once more. If Cadillac’s first year of Eighties downsizing was any indication, the new Eldorado was sure to be a smash hit! We’ll pick up there next time.

[Images: GM]

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