1972 Cadillac Eldorado - 8.2 Liters of V8 Power! | AutoMoments
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- Опубліковано 24 лис 2024
- Few cars are as "American" as the Cadillac Eldorado. On this Time Warp, we're going to back to 1972 and experiencing the open air in an Eldorado drop top. Thiis car may be an incredible example of American excess, but it's also a blast to drive.
Well done. The days when a Cadillac was a Cadillac.
Thanks for watching!
True.
@@mrdaykurutakuchannel too true bro, toooooo true
6:00
Cadillac made even Breshnew and Nixon best friends ;)
without those ginormous wheels.
"Several acres of hood" LMAO classic.
let's play ping pong!
Cadillac needs to take some notice of its own heritage and inject some glamour and luxury back into its range by taking inspiration from the past. But not fake wood. leave that in the past
Haha. Fake wood belongs in the 70s. Thanks for watching!
Nice one!
new Caddies don't have fake wood
hydorah fake wood is alive and well and is as tacky as ever.
I wish they'd bring back putting names to their cars. CTS, ATS and the other letter designations lack personality and identity to an automobile. At least Chevrolet and Buick still name their cars. ;)
One of my best car memories : driving a 1976 Eldorado convertible through Las Vegas and the desert at 16 many years ago. It was so cool. My aunt lived there and that was my transportation when I visited.
Your story reminds me of the Cadillac in the music video of Ted Nugent, called Little Miss Dangerous. It was filmed in Vegas, and he's driving a white Cadillac of the 1970's.
Fear and Loathing style
These cars rode like dream, and if you put it on cruise control you could just sit back, and it was like sitting in your living room on the couch, smooth and easy!. My boss at that time and I drove a convertible like this one from St. Louis to Sacramento in just two days, and when we got to our destination we were perfectly rested and fresh.
I absolutely love the land yachts from the 70's.
We do too!
My brother bought one today :D
1972 8.2 Litre :D
It´s blue convertible with a white roof and it just blew my brain when I saw it.
It is HUGE! I mean in the videos they´re kinda big but to see it in real life is just unbelievable.
As he turned the ignition key I giggled, laughed and clapped my hands like a little schoolgirl haha
I love everything about it. I have such a passion for American cars.
In Europe, especially in Austria where I live, you barely see American cars.
And that´s why I love the Cadillac. It is the complete opposite of our cars :DD
And the seats :´) they....are soooooooo comfortable.
I love American cars...probably America too.
After I´m done with my school I´ll visit the US.
Anyways thanks for this video. It was beautiful. Have a nice day.
Thanks for watching! Old American cars really are something special, especially in Europe. We loved hearing your story, and we would love to see a picture of your brother's car!
I will remember that and make some pictures on the weekend :)
MrSockenloch thank you!
Lou did you ever come and visit the u.s.?
Daniel D. I bet he ended up in some European opium den
That car is never going to rollover....haha.
Probably not! Haha. Thanks for watching!
U mean literally or the odometer
Only if it went off a cliff...
It might float!
Nope stuck to the ground...
What a wonderful video and narrated so well by a young man, too young to have experienced the auto in real time, yet who has such a great appreciation for a caddy, in an era when cars were cars....well done indeed.....
+daniel lack Thank you very much! We're glad you enjoyed it. Please share the video with your friends!
AutoMoments : El Dorado ? It should be "EL Orado" ( THE GOLDEN ONE ) would be the "PROPER SPANISH " in terms of the language. Any way, that is the dialect we used at home. Thank You! Beautiful automobile!
El Dorado was originally El Hombre Dorado. The man of gold. Dorado is “of gold”.
I owned and operated a 1973 model. I absolutely loved it and really loved long trips in it. I felt like I drove to the next state in my recliner sipping on coffee. To this day, I judge all cars' ride and comfort based on that classic. As far as fuel economy went, not as bad as you think. Cruising at highway speed usually netted 18 mpg. Many pickups today cannot get that. Thanks for the nostalgic look back and reviving a favorite memory.
My father had a '72 Eldo. That thing was a beast!! It was fun to drive also!!
I think the Engine has more Torque than Horsepower. You can easily go past the 120 MPH on the speedometer. In fact you have plenty of pedal left after you have pegged the speedometer.
400 horsepower, 550 lb.ft. of torque. It gets it done easily.
it couldn´t hit 120. roughly 200 bhp
@chris younts Yeah exactly. It's hard to know where all those horses go, until you look at the hundreds of lbs of steel body, chrome trim and leather, all being pushed along through a poor ol' 2-speed transmission.
@@blahblahblahblah2837 umm no in 72 was a 3 speed auto
@@charlesparr3296 Those were the 1970 stats
I remember taking my father’s 73 Eldorado out and of course flooring it. It would snap your head back, and the rumble that huge engine produced I have never seen or heard since then. And what a smooth ride!
that was sure a better time.... When did you drive your father`s Eldorado?
@@bennyhilla2558 When it was new 1973
@@algorel4763 OMG it was new. thats so cool !
Still gorgeous car even on today
🐛
So true. When Cadillac was Cadillac! It just doesn't get any better than this. Pure Americana through and through 100%. Miss the good old days.
パンツにウんコついちゃっ汰 but a few years later they streamlined it better and eliminated the obsolete wheel skirts and fake side vents.
It used an anchor to hold it in place when you parked it.
No park gear hold it
@@nikond-vp9wt it was a joke
@@nikond-vp9wt not very smart, are you?
@@nikond-vp9wt there's no park gear on a boat.
I had a 73 rag top. I remember a really pissed off driver of a 5 liter Mustang, that I smoked from light to light for about 5 mi. I had that car for 15 years. Favorite car ever
Finally I've bought a 72 eldorado Convertible... The Golden one!!!!!!
Nothing says '70's pimp like an Eldo...
Especially if it’s done up like in Superfly.
Continental Mark IV is a close second, only because they're pimpmobiles basically from factory. They come new with the rolls Royce grille, spare tire, round porthole window, side vents, etc
James Wood played a sleazy pimp in casino. This was his ride.
@@Lincolntowncoupe the Lincoln Mark IV was the car in the TV show Cannon with William Conrad.
Pimps and mafia
Greetings from Russia. I like American cars.
That's good to hear! American cars like this are awesome!
AutoMoments
Hello from Canada! We dig Russian cars too! We had Lada's over here by the millions. I would love to find a Chaika if I could.
Message to Joe ligo.......i see that you are driving......this eldo,with the steering wheel in the wrong position........
фок ю))
I like Russian volgas
3:10
Government regulations did a pretty good job of slowing that car down. The 8.2 L Cadillac V8 went from 400 hp and 550 ft*lbs in 1970 to 190 hp and 360 ft*lbs in 1976.
@Russ Gallagher most of it was probably the oil crisis and the skyrocketing oil prices. Oil basically tripled in price between 1972 and 1976.
know as Corporate Average Fuel Economy and TWO 1970s energy crisis. EXAMPLE, fuel $4.00 gallon and car 10 MPG.
Russ Gallagher So if you got the mid 70’s restricted model, and then put a larger correctly jetted carb, headers-full exhaust, high-compression pistons, and open low restriction air filter, you likely have 450+ gross hp?
Maybe the government got tired of hearing all the Talking Heads saying that it represented the worst of America and decided to clamp down on it with some regulations that would reduce the horsepower and torque. Maybe that in their minds brought some appeasement.
The HP ratings changed in 1972. It went from gross HP to net HP. Gross HP is HP at the flywheel, with no "accessories", water pump, alternator, A/C, or stuff like that. Net HP is measured at the wheel, with accessories factored in. There is also losses from the transmission. It was power "where the rubber meets the road", as they used to say.
What a wonderful tribute to this bygone era. I happen to have a 76 convertible with 48k original and I still marvel at how it drives and looks. It seems to put a nostalgic smile on people's faces whenever I take it out for a drive. This car is the epitome of style and grace. It was the last of a truly American Convertible. Sadly, they are never coming back. To build a car like this today I am sure it would be well over 150k.
Great review. My dad had a new 1974 Eldorado that I got to drive in 1977. It was a handsome car with outrageous excesses even in the 1970's. It did not feel underpowered with the 502.
+BorisW150 Thanks for watching!
Pssst - what confuses people who aren't old enough to remember these is, there is a part number on the engine emissions and tuning spec decal that says "502" - it is not the displacement (as we both know) but some part number. This is how I can tell the knowledgeable Cadillac people from the newbies. The 472 engine had a similar sticker under the hood that really confused people.
@@alanmaier Spot on Alan.
That ca would feel seriously underpowered by today's standards.
@@peteshea8010 no it really wouldn't. It's perfectly adequate for cruising
This is easily my favorite car of all time. Nobody can convince me otherwise.
Why??
Centorea, I cannot agree with you more. It's my favourite car of all time too!
@@paulthomson9709 cause it lasts forever, its a tank, you can hit anything and not even a scratch, it holds 6 adults doesn't break down. and its not a piece of shit like this junk they make now. THATS WHY. anymore stupid questions?
"roll over protection"
Has anyone actually rolled over one of these beasts?
If so, they're still trapped under it.
Yes, my friend's Dad was killed in a 76 Eldorado Convertible when he fell asleep at the wheel and it rolled over .
The world would roll first
😷
Probably Elvis could afford that, he had quite a few of them.
japanjack62 Dang that’s sad
Great color. Tracing back to a camping trip, my favorite Cadillac will always be the 67-70 Eldorado, especially the 68.
For those of us born on the tail end of the 1960s, early 1970s, today's generation has NO IDEA on what they missed out on as far as cars go. In those days, when you pulled up at Church, a restaurant, bank, etc. in one of these babies, people stopped what they were doing and looked at you with awe and with envy. It was such a status symbol to own and drive those magnificent cars. Today it would take a Rolls Royce to feel that kind of presence driving a car.
To get a similar reaction, you'd have to pull up in a riced civic. And I'm positive people won't look in awe. I guarantee that.
Genesis g80 is what you need today to turn heads and get panties wet😁
This car has gigantic power. At any speed, at any rpm, at any incline in any gear.
"a few remaining enthusiasts will still share the legend of a long lost car rumored to be grander than all the rest: the legend of el Dorado, "the golden one". Now that's poetry. Beautiful.
+Martin Karlsson Thank you! We don't like to brag...but we're pretty proud of that line. :)
Motoramic indeed,back then if you drove this you've made it🎩to the executive level or president💼
I used to have a 1971 Eldorado. Same body style as this. I brought it when I was 23 yrs old in 1988 for 600 dollars. I had it painted black and vogue tires put on it. I felt so cool with that thing. I was living in LosAngelas at the time. So got a lot of awesome cruise time at Venice Beach and all over LA. People really seemed to get a kick out of seeing it. Oh and it got 23mph on the highway. It was amazing
1137rr That's awesome! We love hearing stories about people who owned these cars. Thanks for sharing!
1137rr how the hell did you get 23 on the highway?
koovidsrcool When I brought the car it ran like crap. I had to license it and you have to get a emissions test on it before you can get your tags. I took it to a emissions station that was in my neighborhood at the time. (West Covina) He couldn't get it to pass emission's. But he was trying to help me to get it legal. He leaned out the carb a whole lot. But that didn't work. He just gave up and wrote a emissions result by hand and sent me on my way. I found out it needed a couple valves replaced and a couple push rods were bent. The carb settings were left like he had adjusted them. I pulled the heads and had them rebuilt. Put them back on the car. And the thing ran super hot. I didn't know why at the time and was struggling like hell. Some of the electrical items weren't working. By luck I found this electrical shop in Pomona CA. And was getting the electrical items repaired. One of the techs there new it wasn't running right and asked if I wanted him to fix the engine. I agreed. It had points ignition and he suggested upgrading to a HEI system. He installed the HEI ignition on the car and readjusted the carburetor. "It was running hot because it was so lean from the emission guy". I believe when the electrical shop readjusted it they did it kind of lean. He didn't have a diagnostic tool to dial it in. just did it by ear and how it came down in temp. When they finished the car ran great!So it was a little on the lean side. How I figured it was getting this type of mileage. I was moving from Rialto CA to Inglewood CA. They are about 70 miles apart. I filled my tank up in Rialto and reset my odometer. The trip was about 80% freeway driving. I set my cruise control at 65 MPH the whole way. When I arrived did the math and I was impressed. Oh My car was a convertible too!!!
+1137rr ....I believe you got 23 mph on the highway.....but you probably got only 11 mpg. XD
J.P. Craven My dads truck didn’t exactly do 70 at 1500 because of the gearing, but 70 at 1700 wasn’t that bad compared to 70 at 2300-2800 on most modern v6s and i4s.
Parking these Eldorado’s and even the Toronado’s back then was fun! With those six acre hoods, it could be intimidating for some. I used to Love both of these cars. Nothing like smoking the front tires on these old front wheel drive cars!
8.2 Litres... you cant kill that motor, never!
What would kill it would be trying to afford the enormous cost of filling 50 gal gas tank every week
@@foxtrot312 not if you're filthy fucken rich, at that point you just don't care
Two points somewhat overlooked: 1. American luxury cars were designed to ride like sitting on your sofa in your living room for a reason. The prevailing idea was to ISOLATE you from EVERYTHING. This meant as little noise, harshness, and vibration as possible, and no worthwhile road-feel/feedback from the steering or brakes. "Video game" steering, I call it. 2. Because the Toronado and Eldorados were heavy AND FWD, they were among the best American cars to drive in the snow.
I put 4 studded snows on mine and that beast could have climbed a tree.
That's what a lot of people said! My neighbor had a series of Eldos in the '70s. He claims he cleared the way from the street to one of his stores when the plow truck couldn't. That sounds MOST unlikely to me, but that's what he said.
snowrocket exactly
snowrocket Rolls Royce is the same way. Except they still follow their values unlike America’s big three. All the three do now a days is sell “luxury” cars that are nothing but cheap parts bin specials that are all about maximizing profits.
Will RC they follow their values...and sell cars nobody but the ultra rich can afford.
That's the problem with all the European cars. Talk shit about US made cars until you compare cars of the same value...then you see how much better dollar for dollar US stuff is.
Even the performance stuff. Know the difference between a US and European sports car? Actual people.can afford US sports cars. Europeans just buy a poster of them and dream about it while we drive.
I drove a 72 Eldo back in the day. That 500 inch plant would pick up that big barge and throw it down the road like it weighed 3 lbs.
That's quite the engine, for sure. Haha. Thanks for watching!
@chris younts The vintage road tests from the era don't support your claim about beating 383 roadrunners and Chevelles.
Allow me to elaborate:
1970 MOTOR TREND Cadillac Eldorado test:
cadillacinsouthernontario.com/index.php?topic=855.0
0 - 60 MPH: 8.8 seconds; Quarter Mile: 16.37 seconds @ 85.87 MPH
1968 CAR AND DRIVER 383 Road Runner Test:
wildaboutcarsonline.com/members/AardvarkPublisherAttachments/9990483153465/1968-01_CD_1968_Plymouth_Road_Runner_Test_1-4.pdf
0 - 60 MPH: 7.1 seconds; Quarter Mile: 15.0 @ 96 MPH
Assuming properly running cars and decent drivers, the Road Runner would easily walk away from the Cadillac. No contest, really.
With a whole 235 HP in a 5,000 pound car.
Get real.
I don't think it's possible to buy a new car in the US that's this slow.
@chris younts Not true. 1972 was the first year for the SAE Net ratings, as mandated by the Federal government.
Why argue against readily verifiable facts?
Indeed, Cadillac published both gross and net horsepower (and torque) figures for the 1971 model year in preparation for the 1972 federal mandate. The biggest "tanking" in ratings was in 1971 (gross vs. net).
PROOF: 1971 Engine Specs
www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/cadillac/71cad/bilder/19.jpg
Similarly, the Gross ratings prior to 1971 were all bogusly high.
Cadillac stopped publishing ratings altogether in their 1972 sales literature.
PROOF: 1972 Engine Specs
oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Cadillac/1972_Cadillac/1972%20Cadillac%20Prestige%20Brochure/b_1972%20Cadillac%20Prestige-26.jpg
PROOF: 1973 Engine Specs
oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Cadillac/1973_Cadillac/1973%20Cadillac%20Prestige%20Brochure/image25.html
And according to this information, 1972 and 1973 Cadillac Horsepower ratings were identical:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine
Have you got anything else to tell me or are you done now??
@chris younts So then the historical record (a host of vintage road test data) is wrong, but you're right.
LOL
Show me your "different specs."
Here's a good start. This is from the 1971 Cadillac Brochure, wherein both gross and net ("as installed") horsepower figures were published:
The 500 CID Eldorado made just 235 SAE Net HP, which shows how laughably over-rated the old Gross figures were::
www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/cadillac/71cad/bilder/19.jpg
Plymouth put the high performance 383's net HP at 250 (15 more than the 500 CID Cadillac) in that same model year:
www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/cadillac/71cad/bilder/19.jpg
What seems like 100 years ago to some, or my College years to me... I was piloting what I later learned was an excruciatingly rare car: a 1968 Chrysler New Yorker.... 2 door hardtop. At the time, I was also lucky enough to be dating the girl I should have married; a lovely Geordie lass from Newcastle-upon-Tyne England. In one of very few phone conversations I ever had with her father, one of the few things we had in common was a passion for cars. He rambled on for what seemed like days about his Triumphs. Once, I mentioned what I was driving and, not surprisingly, he had no idea what I was talking about. He also didn't know the formula for converting 440 cubic inches into litres.
When I explained that was 7.2 litres, he choked, spit up his tea and shouted: "Bloody Nora! That must gobble the petrol!"
I was in stitches. I was not expecting that kind of reaction from such a staid man. I suspect he'd have had an aneurism if I'd have been driving an Eldorado.
Hahaha. That's a great story. It really is amazing when you think about how enormous these old American cars were.
AutoMoments What's scary is to see how large they've become again! Even a Hyundai Elantra dwarfs my Hornets or my Gremlin!
Harold Lloyd
Yeah! You're really right about that.
Alfred Neuman had 55 Chrysler.300 conv with 2carbs slo at first top speed 160 .
Alfred Neuman great story!
I had a coworker who had 5 1977 el dorados and would drive a different one for each day of the week. Her husband collected them and they lived and parked them all in her apartment complex.
I had an uncle who owned a 1975 Eldorado, and I remember it being a gigantic vehicle. i also remember it being a blast to drive, but a little tough to maneuver in an urban setting. Tons of room inside, and no transmission hump in the front floor, just a small hump for the exhaust pipe. I could sit 7 of my friends in it! My Dad had a 1973 Ford Galaxie, and another uncle had a 1976 Olds Delta 88. Cars were like tanks back then!
It would be great if GM brought back these old body style and equipped them with the latest technology.
Yes. An LS engine.
@@tpcoachfix Nope keep the 8.2 and make it multi port injection with a ECM running that motor nothing would touch it. The torque that thing can produce is amazing. Plus if you changed the oil in them they would last.
If the 500 C.I.D. was engineered the way they do engines today, I'd be racing it at the 1/4 mi.track, which you could actually do even then, but now it would be a Mega-Monster. Supercharged!! Hell Yes!!!
@@mrelectron6220 actually the 8.2 litre did have a multi-point fuel injection option for 1975 and 76
Even with all the mods done to an 8.2L, it still wouldn't pass EPA fuel economy regulations
I had a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Sixty Special with the 8.2 Liter with Electronic Fuel Injection. 5300 pounds curb weight. It passed everything on the highway except a gas station. (Old joke, sorry).
'Rollover protection' - how on earth would you ever roll an Eldorado? :-)
Timeless for sure!! To say this car "stands out" in a crowd is an understatement! Love,love,love it!
I had the '84 "reboot" of the Eldorado convertible back in the day and as eye catching as that car was........ it can't hold a candle to this one!😉
Dad had a '68 DeVille, white with a red leather interior and black top (red boot). Still had some of the old tail fins. It was like driving an ocean liner down the freeway. First class all the way. Power everything and two full sized leather couches that could accommodate six people without violating the social distancing protocols. Unfortunately it had other characteristics of an ocean liner, namely turning radius and fuel economy. You needed an eight lane highway to make a U turn. But you could float over a pot hole the size of anti-tank ditch and not notice it. And while the engine was unbelievably powerful, it came at a cost. I am pretty sure that car was individually responsible for at least a few feet of that hole in the ozone layer. The fuel economy was around 10 mph on the highway (if you had the wind at your back). That car could pass anything on the road, except a gas station. It was absolutely decadent. In an age when A/C was still an often expensive option for most cars, and many people went without, that car had some of the coldest A/C I can remember. And in 1968 having air conditioning in a convertible was like telling the entire world that you had money to burn. Dad paid somewhere north of $8,000 for that land yacht. He could have bought a smallish house for the same money.
4:00 “ ....But in this? I didn’t feel anything.” Car swerves, tires squeal, almost dies.
LOL I almost pissed myself at that part.
David M that is a sign of a front end that needs alignment and some new front end parts its age. I have one of these and was like that before rebuilding the front end now its solid.
Not any bigger actually then the full size pickups everyone drives to go shopping
Your right, and my 1990 ford LTD crown victoria is longer, just as wide and weighs 200 Lbs more.
The engines in them are about half the size, though.
5Rounds Rapid yea half the size and more powerful lol
Everyone drives those full-size pickups because it's just about the only thing left that has decent size, engine options, and RWD.
@Benjamin Slayton... which is actually pretty funny considering most modern pickup trucks are lousy at just about everything.
They can’t haul because they have a tiny 6.5 foot box that’s open to the weather-unless you get a tonneau cover (which means you can’t haul oversized stuff) or canopy.
They aren’t very fast. You may think they are fast... until an cheaper but top spec family sedan with a “tiny” four cylinder engine blows them away. (Displacement was replaced a long time ago).
They aren’t comfortable. You have to climb up and climb down and the rear seats are usually upright.
They are absolute death traps in RWD when roads are anything except perfectly dry. Unless it’s one with AWD and a centre differential.. your only other option is 4WD which wears out tires and stresses drive components.
Of course there are also the huge liabilities of size, weight, high unsprung weight, high center of gravity, poor suspension geometry, poor visibility, and often substandard rollover and even collision protection (watch some IIHS videos... it’s amazing how unsafe some of these “huge” trucks actually are).
Railroad crossing - „What was that? I didn’t feel anything!“
Almost got thrown out of the car.
Haha I laughed at that
Good one! LOL
Tires chirped too lol
Ahhhhhh, the memories of my youth. My mom's butter cream yellow '73 Eldorado hardtop, optioned to the gills - these cars had a ride and road presence that is hard to convey. That massive engine (my mom averaged 8 to 12 mpg, maybe 15 or 16 on the highway) underneath that acre of hood with the Cadillac hood ornament is amazing. Several friends had '72 and '73 convertibles, either metallic powder blue with white leather interior or white over red or red over white. Nice to see the proper air suspension stance of this vehicle - the rear wheels SHOULD be exposed past the upper center of the hub caps or else the air bladder self leveling suspension system is on its way out. These cars floated their way down the road but were suprising agile and very fast for such an immense vehicle. These are the American equivalent of the British Rolls/Bentley Park Ward Miliner drop head coupes but in their own matter of fact, gosh darn it American way. Love it, love it love it.
Thanks for watching!
How refreshing to hear a representative of a much younger generation speak intelligently about something that was made way before he came to be! Kudos!!!
Damn, that's a bigger engine than most motorhomes
‘70 was the only real “500”, when it had hi-compression w/400hp + 550lbs torque!
That was the gross rating, without any accessories, air cleaner or exhaust system. Net rating in 1970 was closer to 250 - 260 hp and 400lbs. Apples to oranges.
MoultrieGeeks, I’m talking about advertised, stated hp, not what hp you THINK it has.
MoultrieGeeks if you put a high flow filter, LT headers/full catless exhaust, good carb and electric power steering/remove A/C pump, would you have 400 hp at the flywheel? Or would there still be differences due to measurement
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Easily. Cadillac exhaust systems were notoriously restrictive during that time (can't have the blue-hairs hearing exhaust rumble over their Frank Sinatra) and that explains the large difference between gross and net power ratings. A modern low restriction exhaust with headers and a high flow carb would yield fairly impressive gains.
No convertible option though.
I love the old Eldorados and have been a great admirer of them. GM continued to use a large V8 in them until 1982. They downsized the chassis from the size it is in this video in 1979, then switched from the 368 to the disastrous 4.1 liter "HT4100". Yes it tripled the fuel economy from what the behemoth with the 8.2 liter in this video was getting, but that engine suffered manifold gasket, head warpage, and valve sludge issues terribly, until the 1985 model year when they had worked out the issues. My Grandfather had a 1985 Eldorado which was the last year they were body on frame and "full sized". It was the car I learned to drive on. In '86 GM cut about 3 feet from it's length, 500 pounds from it's weight, and switched it to a unibody chassis. Sales dropped sharply too, and realizing their mistake, for the 1993 redesign GM enlarged the Eldorado again and made it very handsome and attractive. Then in '94 brought out the 32 valve Northstar V8, which brought up to 300 hp and made that last generation of Eldorados faster than any previous, yet returned 22-25 mpg. The last Eldorado left the assembly line in 2002, and to this day I wish GM would bring the name back on a worthy coupe.
Some of the 10th generation E-body 1979-1985 Eldorados were equipped with 5.7 Liter Rocket V-8 or 5.7 Liter Diesel V-8 engines by Oldsmobile
My old man had a 69 a 73 and a 78. Bought them all new. What smooth riding cars. Watching this video reminds me when I was a kid sitting in the back seat without a seatbelt 😋
I love the way he narrated this i want this guy at my funeral
It's not about the money why the car was huge, but instead about the nature of American roads, towns, ect compared to the Europeans and Japanese. Something like that would be a nightmare to try and park in London, Tokyo, or Frankfurt.
.
Still some found their way even to very, very crowded places in Europe like the Netherlands. I never drove one, but I drove in a Ford LTD County Squire of the company my father worked for. It was a rare occasion. He did not like it much unfortunately. So he stuck to the other European company cars like Mercedes Benz, Saabs, Jaguars, BMW's....... My favorite car (the LTD) drove only 10000 miles in 10 years and was sold for almost nothing just before I got my driver's licence..... Shame, but as a student I would have never been able to afford that kind of American Battleship.
We've never been to Europe, but if we had the money to ship this Cadillac over there, it would make a pretty cool (and expensive) road trip!
Early 70s london was no where near as crowded as it is today. In the early 70s it was under 7 million today it is pushing 9 million. SO that is an extra 2 million people.
But the problem is that the city has not got bigger so is an extra 30% growth in people squeezed into the same size city.
These things were monsters even by American standards. In suburban Chicago there are still some roads that can barely accommodate a modern midsize sedan, let alone one of these beasts. In Europe? I can't even imagine how or where you could drive one, except maybe in the countryside.
vioscios that car would be easy to park. You just tap the accelerator and push those little shit boxes out of the way till you have enough room.
I remember the print ads for that car: "For the discerning gentleman who does not want to be shown up by a punk"
Matted with a six speed automatic GM transmission and holley dual four barrel carb this car would be a beast.
It's fwd though so a 6 speed might not work well
@@wildcat6669 Educate me. Speak on that.
Top of the line for it's day At the time built none better "Caddillac The Standard of Excellance"
Now it wouldn't. The cylinder heads and cam were designed to make adequate power below 4,000 RPM. A "holley dual four barrel carb" would do virtually nothing to improve this engine's performance. Indeed, the engine would be over-carbureted with such a set-up.
This was a low compression smogger rated at 235 SAE Net HP. A real dog by modern standards , regardless of carburetor and transmission.
Hot Rodders would have been installing Cadillac 500s with "a holley dual four barrel carb" back in the day if doing so resulted in a fast car. These engines were plentiful in junkyards by 1980 or so. And yet, engines such as the Chevy 350 were far more commonly adopted for high performance applications because they could easily be modified to make a low more power than this Cadillac boat anchor.
I owned a 72 Eldorado back in 1990 thru 1995. Same color as the one in your video. Wish I was still the owner, gave it away to a needy family. You have no idea how much I miss that ride. Thanks for the video.
my dad had one of these it's amazing how that front-wheel drive with a giant V8 on top would go through deep snow the thing was absolutely a tank
Now that's a car. Thank you. Love it. Happy new year. God bless.
Give me one of these, a few friends and a cooler of goodies and Route 66 here we come.
Count me in! ....lol
I got choked up ...great show
Thank you for watching! We're glad you enjoyed it!
Over ten years later and your closing statement still brings a tear to my eye. What a beautiful video on a beautiful car.
Awww thank you! That means a lot. Although this is one of our oldest videos, it's also one of our favorite.
This is THE car. I got mine this year after years of saving. I live in Germany and I drive a lot of modern and luxurious cars at my job, but this is truly the golden one
I love that. Congratulations! It truly is the golden one! I'd love to see a photo of your car.
Back then when you had to move your steering wheel to keep the car straight.
Iñigo Zapata and when you did turn the wheel it didn’t turn
@@tommys_chopshop9432 Thomas, I drove many of these..... large cars.
They would turn when the steering wheel was turned.
It just took a moment or two.
The steering had ZERO feel.
That is not entirely true. While these cars were not as nimble as the newer cars, on the highway, you could set it up on a straightaway, place both arms on the armrests and not have to worry about turning the wheel until you got to a corner. You can't do that with any of today's cars. You could actually sleep in these cars on a long trip too. Try that in even the most expensive Mercedes of today.
@@tommys_chopshop9432 They turned just fine. When you owned one of these cars, you didn't drive it like a Ferrari. It was not a sports car. You slowed down for bad humps and dips that you think nothing about with today's cars.
my ones go straight today. never had such a problem
New safety laws for rollover protection? It would take 4 elephants to roll this car over!
I'm partial to big cars - '92 Crown Vic with 18k miles.
That 92 Crown Vic must feel like a Asian econobox compared to this.
Scott Krafft Vic ain't nothing small...so that's saying something...lol...
+rANDOMdDUDe I should know... I have an 89 myself. But a couple days ago I parked next to a beat-up old 74 Chrysler Newport. (Here in Chicago there's old 70s barges everywhere) And it did feel like I was driving one of those tiny Ford Fiestas.
Scott Krafft yeah been in tht boat...I once had a panther body...my child's mother's uncle had a old Continental coupe...made my Merc look midsized...😂
That crown vic will last you a lifetime! Is it a retired police interceptor? Asking because it would be a hell of a lot of fun to drive a black P-71 and never get cut off or sped past.
"I didn't feel anything" as the car lurches like a drunken sailor and you hear the tyres break traction. 😂😂
It's not the 8.2 litre bit that's the most shocking part. The fact that it's front wheel drive gets me!
I drove one of these beauty's back in the early 70's this car was a true land yacht. This car was so huge you actually had to compensate for the extra space that in encompass on the road. And it had such a smooth ride it actually felt like it was floating. It was awesome. The 70's actually had some incredible moments. GF1 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁😎
Love the video. Had the same car. But please put the tilt wheel down it would be much more comfortable. lol
Tilt and telescoptict
Those were the ultimate of it's day.
William Dorsey Yes sir! One can only imagine how awesome it would be when new.
We had a 76 Fleetwood with the 500c.i..It would bury the speedo at 120mph at 600 rpm in top gear and you could set the cruise control..lol It had a huge transmission and two drive shafts.
What kind of car was it,only 600rpm,two drive shafts?I had a 72 Eldorado and it turned a lot more rpms than that,and mine didn't even have a single drive shaft,it did however have two front drive axles!!!!!!!
@chris younts My Dad had a 55 Caddy with a 110 mph speedometer. I saw it at 108 personally.
I remember when these cars were new A neighbor of mine bought one in Oct 71 Black with a white roof & red seats I miss the styling of those days
in 77 my first car was a 72 eldorado coup. same green with white top and interior, when i first saw it on the used car lot, i went around the block and back home where i went to my mom and told her i NEEDED that car, my family has alway drove caddys.. from a 37 v8 coup to lasalles up to the 70s, i put 4 inch white walls from j.c. whitneys, and put cut down springs in back and lower the torshion bars in front. i put 2, olds 442 bucket seats in the front and they spun 360, perfect for the drive in.. yes to remember your first car... thanks for the vid..
We use to have a couple on our property..We'd rent out the trunks and passenger compartments to small Chinese families.
You are small
You are stupid may my day iam laughing hard here
U fukken wot m8
Any space avail as of now and if so does it still smell like fish?
I wish we had these in Europe, the golden era of American cars
you could buy them here, in west europe at least. but almost nobody wanted one, because fuel prices were 4-5 times as high here with taxes.
@@Blackadder75 So true. Although you can fork in a modern drivetrain, and run it on LPG. But then again: rebuilding sets you back 10 grand, and you´ll lose another 5 on resale for not being original anymore.
My answer to that is driving a mid 80´s Colony Park. Not as much fun as the Caddy, but practical, cheap, safe and twice the MPG.
beautiful commentary! i hope that, one day, cadillac will find a way to return to its true identity; they MUST get the poor reliability shit under control immediately, then focus on actually building fabulous cars, like the Escala concept.
I am not an american... But i don't know why this video made me emotional at the end.... Earned you a subscription
8.2 litre and front wheel drive? so crazy !!!
Hey, GREAT writing on this video! Most of these type vids all say the same old thing, but you really put some time and effort into the narration. "The Eldorado is an embodiment of the best and the worst of American excess....." and I didn't know Nixon gave one to Brejnev (sp?). Keep up the great work!
+Moses Berkowitz Thank you! We try really hard to say something ORIGINAL about every car we drive. It's nice to see our viewers noticing that. Thanks for watching!
This is why I want to relocate from London to a quaint little city somewhere in the US!
I hope you can get used to LHD and right-laned roads!
The UA-cam Phantom Official I'm sure I will learn how to drive in the correct manner!
America is overrated. I know I live here.
Don’t, the US is highly overrated, fun for a visit, not great to live in
N S Don’t listen to them. Living in the country is amazing.
these were very nice cars but they just cant beat the 65-66 eldorado in luxury and quality
My grandfather had one ,it was beautiful ,special ordered it in 1971 for 1972.
Exceptionally brilliant video, with the highest cinematic standard and superb voice/over. This is a GREAT American car. I have seen one a few times in our town, it's owned by an older couple who leave it parked with a "crook lock" on the steering wheel ! 8.2 litres! And I thought my R-R with a 6.75 litre engine was something, ha!
very well writen text
Thank you very much!
I know right, it's clever writing that manages to stay friendly to the viewers.
I had one of them in the eighties, low rider dual exhaust with glass pack muffler and the cop's hated it!!!!!!!Boy talk about a burnouts!!!!!
You could pass anything but a gas station,hahaha!!!!!!!!
It's a thirsty fella I would imagine. You have to make sure there is a gas station in between your grocery run to fill up on the way there and back.
easy to park,you keep a can of white paint and a big brush in the trunk,just pull up somewhere and paint the white line around your behemoth of a car!
When I went to Dubai several years ago I got a privilege of attending a car show run by local enthusiasts. Cars at that time included modern super cars and classic cars. But one car absolutely caught my eye. It was a Cady Fleetwood. Boy, I never seen a car that huge up that close. It looked so cool and the huge bonnet was too heavy to be lifted. Though I didn't get a chance to drive it, I'm extremely honored to atleast experience the beauty of this baby up close.
I stumbled upon this. The spotted tear of both sadness and joy to my eyes. Best review on the best car ever!
I had one of those cars back in the eighties,dual exhaust with glass pack muffers!I thought it sounded
Great but the cops in the next county didn't like the way it sounded,thought it was to loud!
My Mercedes S600 over those railroad tracks would have knocked a tooth filling loose.
depends on the year. since the late eighties they would have had air suspension like citroën and be much smoother
You know your engine is big when you can use Honda civics as measurement
Could probably fit a couple of Honda's in the
trunk
When I was a kid this was what the pinnacle of a automobile was. My grandfather was a Cadillac man.
Love these old Caddies and Lincolns so much. They're like tanks on wheels. And the size. Oh the size. I remember seeing a 66 DeVille parked next to a 93 Chevy 2500 extended cab; it was surreal to see this fairly large truck being dwarfed by this absolutely massive tank of a vehicle. LONG LIVE CADILLAC AND LINCOLN.
I absolutely love it. 1972 the best year
It's funny, the minor styling changes throughout the years really do make a difference. 1972s really do look the best. Thanks for watching!
I would say 1959, its a very special car. Considered by many to one of the most iconic cars of all time.
Bigwoo Yes, the '72 is a nice one for sure! By the way, nice name...My mom used to always say "oh big woo" when she was underwhelmed and feeling sarcastic about some big bragger. Haha! : )
Front wheel drive is just wrong for a v8 :'(
Junk smasher Audi did it aswel. Their mark 1 A8 3.7 was also fwd. Before the later one of the D2 went all Quattro.
Maybe. But at the time in America, everything was rear wheel drive, so this was exotic.
You cant drift with 4600 pounds, 230hp and 3 gear automatic anyway, so why not front wheel drive... Plus The wheelbase..
actually handling in not winter time is really better with RWD. It has to do with interaction of steering and accelerating, but FWD saves fuel and u need less maintenance. I doubt its important in such a big US car :D
David Mezentsev understeer
The 502 is basically a modified 454... Big block. One of the most legendary blocks ever made. You could still get a 454 in New suburbans up till a like 6 or so years ago. I think the US government still gets 454s in their war wagon suburbans for the secret service etc. Because of sheer durability. You aren't taking that block out with a 9mm or emp.
blackhawks81H the 8.1l was used in trucks on the 2000 and still is used
The 454-502 are Chevy style motors, the 472-501 are totally different. The Cadillac motors made more power and weighed about 75lbs. less.
I had a 71 eldorado, essentially the exact same car.. With all the engine weight on the front wheel drive, you couldn't get it stuck if you tried. I could back up really steep gravel drives starting from a stop in reverse and didn't even skip a stone.
I've never owned one. But I rode in one. My friend picked me up in his dad's car. What a memory. But later on I owned a 75 Lincoln continental. G model. What a ride.
Can't get over the FWD
All stuff like this should be RWD
😷
YES
Yeah that was a real *record scratch* moment, hearing that it's FWD... wtf?
Why
@@metroboomin3990 because I said so, jog on.
FWD was viewed as a luxury feature back then. It was assumed the car would ride better and have more interior room.
My favorite car is Cadillac and favorite model by it is Eldorado.
+Nilde693 That's awesome. Thanks for watching!
Nilde693 CADILLAC was my second favorite luxury car, behind the Oldsmobile 98 Luxury Sedan and later the super luxurious Regency Brougham. oh boy, THOSE TRULY WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS AND I GREW UP DRIVING THOSE BAD ASS 98 AND CADILLAC DE VILLAS AND FLEETWOODS. DAMN I MISS THEM!!! Hiway cruisers extrodinaire and will never go out of demand for the true collector.
Cadillac needs to make elmiraj
Man I'd love to watch this channel when im smoking marijuana cigarettes. Love the car. The fender skirt just doesn't flow like the later ones like a Pontiac Parisenne.
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Had one, triple red convertible. Dang, what a beast!
Magnificent! what a beautiful and poetic video, thanks a bunch!