1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz - Top of the Heap, King of the Hill

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz -
The Eldorado name first appeared in 1953 as part of a special program conceived by GM to produce top line, very limited production convertibles meant to highlight their design superiority. Three cars that were born of this program: The Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta, Buick Roadmaster Skylark and the Cadillac Eldorado. All three carried special bodywork and a wide array of equipment and options. Of course, the Cadillac was far and away the most expensive of the three and GM was aiming at the likes of Rolls Royce and Mercedes for their competition. In its original guise, the Cadillac Eldorado cost nearly twice as much as a fully equipped Series 62, demonstrating just how special the “Eldo” was when compared with its stablemates. As the 1950’s wore on, GM’s styling department grew more and more flamboyant. Cadillacs gained tremendous fins and massive swathes of chrome and stainless trim. The pinnacle of this trend, and perhaps the most iconic of all 1950’s American cars, is the 1959 Eldorado.
Under the auspices of Cadillac’s design director Chuck Jordan and GM’s design chief, Harley Earl, the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible became a symbol of 1950’s excess. While some may have criticized it in its day for being too outlandish, time has revealed it as a tremendously successful design -flashy yet elegant, sweeping yet finely detailed, and all done on a massive scale, at over 18 feet long. This is a car quite unlike any other. Of course it was also massively expensive, and while over 138,000 Cadillacs were built in ’59, a mere 1,320 of those were Eldorado Biarritz.
Rarity, history and style are all part of the Eldorado experience, but sometimes a car comes into our possession that is of such exquisite quality that it stands head and shoulders above the rest. Our featured example is just one of those cars. This 1959 Biarritz convertible is quite simply one of the finest and most stunning examples extant. Given the complexity of the Eldorado, few have been treated to such a lavish, concours quality restoration as this.
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#Tailfins #TwoGuysandARide #CaddyEldorado #Eldorado #BigTailFins #Chrome #Biarritz

[@marcoserafini3534]

Absolute pure class. Cadillac at their finest. The standard of the world.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Couldn’t agree more, thanks for watching!

[@yiannishayabusaofficial]

SIR THIS IS NOT A CAR THIS IS A DREAM SIR THIS IS A DREAM MAGICAL I LOVE IT

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

It was a Dream cool me true too as we got to film it, ride in it and drive it. Yes!!!!

[@yiannishayabusaofficial]

I love it sir thank you very much for the amazing videos thank you sir ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️

[@eddym5532]

No doubt my dream car. If I had an aladdin lamp I will have all the 1959 Cadillacs in the world.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

It’s a beautiful car and the pinnacle of GM design. Thanks for watching

[@DanTheManIOM]

I'd be happy with a convertible, just one ! WHere would you store 50K cadillacs ?

[@dieseldog00]

@@DanTheManIOM They would all rust away. 😞 😞

[@DanTheManIOM]

@@dieseldog00 I know a guy with 70 Volkswagens, all under roof !! No, not me.

[@MisterMasterShafter1]

What a beauty!

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Oh boy is it. Thanks for watching

[@marcushokkanen9211]

This is the coolest car

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching!

[@thyslop1737]

The car is unreal like a mirage.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

It was amazing to see in person. Thanks for watching

[@vernwallen4246]

Cadillac sez:"You want fins,we'll give you fins".

[@viciouspoodle5543]

This was the top of the line convertible model; however, the top of the line Cadillac for 1959 was the custom built Eldorado Brougham. That was over $13K with the body hand made in Italy! (And another correction, all Eldorado models had 4 Speed Automatic Transmissions, not 3.)

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching

[@TheXJ12]

6:59 and the cruise control unit has been removed (to accommodate the modernized power brake booster I guess)

[@aarsir1961]

beautiful car old is GOLD

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Truth!

[@galil_6863]

BEST CAR EVER MADE

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

She's a beauty too! Thanks for watching

[@cezar7740]

Awesome!!!! Looking good! 😎

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rmx77]

this car is so perfect. for me i prefer the 4 dr top of the line like this in the round/bubble top. this is the right color for me black on pimento red or just pimento as gm had called the red for the interior. shame its harder to find the same stuff on a sedan then the convertible. i have always been a sedan guy just like my late father had been. growing up there had only been one 2 dr car around and never again was there another 2dr.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching

[@haroldmclean3755]

Eldorado 🌟 Biarritz Top Of The Line ♥️

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Sure was! Thanks for watching!

[@richardsoffice9176]

Thanks! A real beauty! I `only' had a 1970, very powerful, sedan. Still, very nice, felt like a, `big shot!,' for several years! Four big, thirsty ports, no fuel injection, today in California, gasoline would be VERY Expensive! 😁

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Sweet ride. You were definitely a big shot if you drive a Caddy! Thanks for sharing

[@dieseldog00]

First thing I would do is change the exterior to white(I live in Texas). Biarritz is top class in this segment.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Black or white on this car is classy either way

[@darploin5071]

Yeah those are a GM trademark the pockets in the back of the seat I remember 1980 my dad bought eight Buick 225 estate wagon and driver and passenger seat had pouches in the back but my dad's 74 LTD didn't have that

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for sharing

[@ryanhudson5643]

That thing literally has more creature comforts then my moms old 2005 cavalier.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

It sure does! Thanks for watching!

[@darploin5071]

Until June chittle to nurse came out in cars around a tree or 84 I remember my dad's 74 LTD it had a AM radio and you can pull the button down and push it back into set your channel

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Ok

[@RAYMONDBOGERT-up9hs]

NOW THATS A CADILLAC BEAUTY STYLE CLASS I LOVE THEM OLD CADILLACS BUILT STRONG HEAVY AND BEAUTIFUL TODAYS CADILLACS WHAT A JOKE THEY LOOK LIKE SPACESHIPS🛸

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Agreed 100%

[@jaquarda]

It has a four speed Hydramatic transmission, not three speed. Also, horsepower is 345 since it has tri-power.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for the info

[@Eldorado-lq7pk]

The car had a/c vents on the dashboard , but look at the controls. To the left of the steering wheel are the open/close controls for the front vents. To the right are the heater/defrost controls. This is the typical setup for a non air conditioned car. Where are the switches for the a/c?

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Good question. We’ll try to ask the owner if they know the story

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

My Dad, a welder, paid $4500 for the base two door black hardtop. I learned to drive in it and passed my driving test in it, including parallel parking, on the first try.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

OMG you had to parallel park that boat???

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

@@TwoGuysandaRide Yes. It was easy. I learned to drive by backing it up a two track gravel driveway past a gate and chimney. Fins provide excellent guidance about position of the wheels and end of car. The trick is to crank the wheel hard right at first and when the right corner passes the car ahead, crank it hard left. Hard both ways. No in between. It parks itself if you do so. DMV guy opened the passenger door and it was 6 inches from the curb. Pass! We had a VW beetle at the time, but I wasn’t sure about manually shifting it; hence, I preferred the Caddy for the test. I was good at lots of things in my teens. It’s been downhill in the decades since…

[@m4_patriot374]

What year did you do this??

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

@@m4_patriot374 1968. We had a VW Beetle but I opted for the Caddy. Easy to park actually. You have to know when to turn the wheel hard right, then left to straighten it out when it’s backed in. Fins helped to sight rear corners and bumper. I was an expert backing it up, as that’s how I learned…backing up a narrow driveway from the garage to the street. I kept it immaculate, inside and out. Base, series 62 model was hard to distinguish from others, except for extra chrome trim on El Dorado and Fleetwood models.

[@m4_patriot374]

Lucky man you are to drive such a cool car, The 1959-1960 Cad is my dream car... One day.@@FrankGutowski-ls8jt

[@darploin5071]

I just noticed you had the spoke wheel option on your 59 eldorado convertible does it also have cruise control to self dimming light and air? You guys have an excellent day🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Yes it does

[@user-mr1ln4jx2j]

this car was in the mondo trasho movie by john waters (not the same car, but who knows lol)

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching!

[@darploin5071]

So was seat belts available option back in fifty-nine and a second mirror on the passenger side without another option you can get or those were not available yet

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Not sure

[@brober]

Could have picked one up in 1970 for 1K.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching!

[@markburch5851]

what was the purpose of the thing on the dedestal in the middle of the dash - an automatic high beam controller?

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for the question. Yes it is the automatic high beam controller. Thanks for watching and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button!

[@MartinD9999]

@@TwoGuysandaRide Wait, that bicycle headlight looking thing on the center of the dashboard is an automatic High-beam controller?

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

@@MartinD9999 Yes it is

[@manfredpeters4936]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching!

[@FrankGutowski-ls8jt]

Trunks were not lined with red carpet. All models were finished in a grey houndstooth-patterned vinyl. Practical. Easy to vacuum and keep clean.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Ok

[@carllavell8673]

👀...👍🔥😎🔥👍

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Right I n! 🕺🏻🇺🇸

[@Hrozen31]

I have same car, but name is Cadillac DeVille 1959 Convertible Serie 62... Why this is called Eldorado?

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Eldorado was the model and Biarritz was the trim level

[@James_Bowie]

US$7,400 is about US$ 68,897 today

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thats a base level Caddy in today's dollars

[@markburch5851]

And that says so much about 2022 - a base caddy which is most likely a real POS is more than this piece of artwork - think that base caddy will be around in 60+ years? And you would think with the mass manufacturing they could make it better for less - sigh - so much for progress eh?

[@lindaeasley5606]

The Braugham was the top of the line. In '57 and '58 GM only made 704 total Eldorado Brougham s and the 1958 model was more expensive than a Rolls Royse Silver cloud costing $13,000 ,more than a house at the time. GM lost $10,000 making each one

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for o

[@lindaeasley5606]

​@@TwoGuysandaRide👍

[@buckystarfinger2487]

Who buys a black convertible? Hottest color you can get.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

With red seats! OUCH

[@jw77019]

Hanging anything from your rear view mirror makes you lose class quickly. Also that is a four speed transmission. The three speed transmissions started in 1964 when they switched to turbo hydromatic which used a torque converter.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

.

[@stevenminor2241]

AIRPLANE ✈ ON WHEELS...

[@richardgoulden579]

This car, while extremely straight and beautiful, has many things incorrect. I believe it is a series 62 convertible with Eldo trim, added.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

He is in possession of all the original paperwork showing the cars authenticity but it’d be interesting to know what it is that you see as incorrect. Thanks for watching

[@ron101346]

Not correct. The Eldorado marques are all over this car. It would be too costly to replicate them in a series 62. Also the true Eldo does not have side trim. Pulling the trim off and sealing the sides would be very apparent.

[@darploin5071]

So it sounds like it could have really benefited from an overdrive gear or two

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching

[@walterulrikschreck9687]

😢😢Bei den meisten Auto fehlt der rechte Aussenspiegel,,schade!!!

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

In den 1950er Jahren war das eine zusätzliche Kostenoption

[@yogibear2k220]

$7400 in 1959 is $74,027.91 in todays money! Incredible car though. They just don't make them like that anymore. Now it's all horrible looking cars like BMW, Porsches, Mercedes Benz. Nasty. And, of course, here in the UK, we never got anything like this anyway.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

This car was so big and long it wouldn’t have fit in the UK. It would’ve hung off the White Cliffs of Dover! Thanks for watching!

[@anthonybianchini5144]

You guys are ridiculous. No actual facts, or stats. Car is missing the tri-power carburation set up.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Thanks for watching

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

I find this car ostentatious.

[@TwoGuysandaRide]

Yep, that’s the idea it supposed to be. Thanks for watching!