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

We close out the fourth generation Cadillac Eldorado and second (and final) Eldorado Brougham sedan with a discussion on sales figures and pricing. The figures set the stage for a time of decline in the Eldorado’s fortunes, while the pricing (particularly of the Brougham) meant General Motors would never attempt a halo Eldorado ever again. Adding insult to injury, it was the last time Eldorado was an independent model for some time.

The 1959 Cadillacs were bedazzled with a raucous optimism. Their fins reached for the stars, as Bill Mitchell allowed for one glorious final outing prior to general restraint in 1960 and onward. And that was true for the entire Cadillac line, not just the fanciful and more garish Eldorados.

For context, prior generation Eldorados were introduced while Cadillac was flying high and trouncing Lincoln in every way. Cadillac sold 146,481 cars in 1957. That figure fell to 121,778 in 1958, down to recession woes. But even though the brand was down, keep in mind that in 1958 Lincoln sold 17,134 cars total. 

Cadillac bounced back in 1959 with a total of 142,272 sales. The most popular line was the base model Series 62, with its two- and four-door configurations, and convertible. Total 62 production of 70,736 proved the six-window four-door was the most popular with 23,511 sales. The two-door hardtop was the next most popular, and sold 21,947 units. Less popular were the more formal four-door four-window sedan with 14,138 sales, and the convertible brought up the rear with 11,130. 

The DeVille (technically Series 63) also sold well, with over 50,000 examples in 1959. The most popular variant was the Coupe DeVille with 21,924 sales. The six-window proved more popular in DeVille guise as well, with 19,158 sales compared to the 12,308 of the four-window.

The standalone Sixty Special was popular in four-door hardtop guise, and sold 12,250 times that year. Stepping up to the Eldorado (and down in sales), the Seville and Biarritz changed places in 1959. The convertible Biarritz proved more appealing with 1,320 sales, while the Seville coupe sold only 975 times. 

Rounding out the upper end of Cadillac that year, Eldorado brougham reached only 99 sales. Potential customers were put off by the parts commonality with other four-door Cadillacs, and the shoddy, lead-intensive Pininfarina build quality. Series 75 fared much better, with 710 standard sedans and 690 Imperial Sedan limousines. And one of the 2,102 commercial chassis sold in 1959 later became the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. 

Part of the Eldorado’s problem at the end of the Fifties was the waning of the “halo convertible” market, and a Sixties personal luxury coupe segment that hadn’t yet arrived. Remember, at the time the Thunderbird had only just gained four total seats, and the Buick Riviera was four years away. And the other part was down to pricing. 

In 1959 the Eldorado Seville and Biarritz asked $7,401 ($80,019 adj.). That was a considerable sum of money when one considered the two-door Series 62 convertible that was identical except for trim and badges was $5,455 ($58,979 adj.). Recall this was the first generation where the Eldorado wore a body that was identical to other Cadillacs in the lineup.  

But if the regular Eldroado was too much, the Eldorado Brougham was ludicrous. At $13,075 ($141,367 adj.), it was the most expensive domestic car on offer, and eclipsed even imported luxury options like Rolls-Royce in price. And when customers saw the build quality, the math wasn’t mathing for the Brougham. 

Despite revised styling that swept the Cadillac lineup in 1960 which saw a reduction in chrome, smoother and cleaner body lines, and much smaller fins, sales stayed put: 142,164 sales in total. The Series 62 was again the most popular model on offer, though sales slipped a few hundred to 70,824. The six-window sedan was the fastest selling body style (26,824) followed by the two-door hardtop (19,978). The convertible increased its sales to 14,000, but there was a big hit for the four-window sedan as only 9,984 sold. There were also two bare 62 chassis sold in 1960.

DeVille stayed strong with 53,389 sales. The six-window (22,579) and coupe (21,585) were nearly identical in sales, while the four-window with its more conservative vibe moved 9,225 examples. Sixty Special retracted slightly, but still managed 11,800 sales all on its own. 

Both variants of the Eldorado improved their fortunes slightly in 1960: The Biarritz remained on top with 1,285 sales, while Seville trailed with an improved 1,075. Perhaps the rest of the lineup’s correlation with the Eldorado Brougham’s looks made it more popular in 1960, as Cadillac managed to sell 101 on its final outing. The largest Series 75 segment also fared better in 1960, with 718 Series 75 sedans, 832 Imperial Sedan limousines, and 2,160 commercial chassis. 

Surprisingly, Cadillac matched its pricing from 1959 to 1960 across the lineup. Perhaps selling restyled cars at the same price was a marketing tactic, but the strategy worked to bump sales. What did not improve to a satisfactory level were sales of the Eldorado. 

The 1960 model year marked a recession point for Eldorado, and it was reshuffled lower into the brand’s offerings. Its name became less prominent, less luxurious, and available in only one shape. We’ll pick up there next time with the relatively forgotten fifth-generation Eldorado.

[Images: GM]

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