1970 NART Zagato: A Cadillac Eldorado Transformed into an Italian Exotic

[@vdel9036]

Incredible how this car looks like a Renault Alpine A310, released one year later.😳

[@herbertwilliams1608]

What insight,,Thank You Sir.

[@10zoll]

Monteverdi Hai 450

[@LemmyKBrinkwood]

it looks like a Bitter CD had a n illegitemate child with a renault alpine and fed it with sweetened lard

[@stejer211]

On first sight, yes, but if you look closer it's only the tail...

[@selenelacaze9883]

That what I said to myself too ^^ .

[@hagerty1952]

So, basically a Cadillac X 1/9. I'm amazed at how well the hubcaps work with this design.

[@tasaab]

When I was a kid, I sat in this car at the Ferrari dealership in Greenwich Ct.

[@nathanchristopher6121]

OMG, never heard of this car. Really nice. Looks very similar to the Bitter CD with the back end of the Alpine 310. Again,. very nice

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Same.

[@1258-Eckhart]

This car is such a "sign of the times". I was 14 in 1970 and crazy about car design. All my designs were a version of this car (and none of them were a version of the GM Cadillac Eldorado).

[@jamesportrais3946]

I immediately thought: Gerry Andersons new Lamborghini Espada! Have to say that 10 years kater, doing exactly the same as you in my school jotter, my designs were very Miura enspired.

[@christophecamus3295]

Another very interesting car that I never heard about it before. Cool looking car ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@rodneynoriel1528]

It has a De Tomaso Mangusta vibe. I love the Mangusta.

[@lefroy1]

Very cool. Like the lovechild of a Citroen SM and Lotus Europa.

[@BillLaBrie]

That’s a great comparison.

[@johnsparozich6839]

I do like the design

[@ultimateformulations]

Another interesting find! I don't know how you keep coming up with such obscure, interesting cars.

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Remines me of the Monteverdi 450 Hai. I like it.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Looks like a mix of Oldsmobile Toronado, Saab Sonnet III and Renault Alpine A310

[@mizake01]

Knew NART. Didnt know NART fooled around with Caddy! Awesome vid!

[@herbertwilliams1608]

I admire the creator of NART. What a biography.

[@ivantuma7969]

Beautiful piece of engineering and style - hard to say if it's truly a mid-engine, rear-engine or something in between :) My dream has been to drive an original Oldsmobile Toronado (the Eldorado's sibling) through Europe (at least through places it would 'fit')

[@UberLummox]

Haven't seen this car in a while. Zagato is my favorite coach builder, but his isn't its best work. Also, looks more like a Toronado that's been chopped & channeled. Unique though. Thanks!

[@MikeSamuelsII-ve8gp]

It would look better without the whitewalls. It would also look better if the car had a shorter length and wheelbase.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

What a gorgeous pig.

[@ironkcoony]

yes, white walls give that car a goofy look

[@alida4790]

"...shorter length and wheelbase" Alpine A310: "Allow me to introduce myself"

[@outsider7658]

Hello Chris. I just like Your enthusiasm for these beauties! From my, biast vantage point, it "kind of" reminds of the "Love of my car favourite: De Tomaso Pantera, somewhat. Like those flowing lines. This would have been a seller for Cadillac. from a Finn in Diaspora

[@rjung_ch]

Nice one Chris 👍💪✌️

[@NigelMarston]

Styling similar to a Lotus Excel/Eclat/Elite except it seems far better resolved. That said, it's mid-engined which is more like the Lotus Europa although the styling of the Europa was always awkward to my eyes. I really like this. It's a shame it was never put into production.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

WOW, what a comparison I was not thinking Lotus Europa but now I see the simolarity. Also, agree with your last comment on this car's beauty.

[@UberLummox]

I saw Europa as well.

[@paulbriozzo4895]

Future vehicle designers please note, designs like this did not have to happen and please forgive the use of white wall tyres.

[@marciocarvalho8975]

So much of incredible that is still a secret! Bath tubs dont need weels

[@geewhiz3588]

...Valuable

[@loualiberti4781]

Very Interesting Car !!

[@nickcarter5320]

these eyes behold a masterpiece caddy slept on this one

[@herbertwilliams1608]

This beauty was developed in 1958. MIND BLOWN

[@herbertwilliams1608]

Totally, agree. Totally captivating now in 2025 would an Italian immigrant build a Ferrari with a Cadillac electronic powerplant?

[@craig3916]

mechanicals derived just like the a310 utilising the drive motor n gearbox of the front mounted fwd Renault 30 placed in the rear mounted rwd alpine. both this zagato n alpine look rather similar too

[@mikebell2750]

If it had just a little shorter wheelbase, it might be better looking. But overall it’s a pretty cool concept…

[@UberLummox]

Right, looks too long & at the same time the glass area looks too tall. Very un-Zagato-like.

[@cdjhyoung]

The layout of the Eldorado engine/transmission package had the center line of front drive axle roughly under where the #1 cylinder was on the engine. If that is the drive set up used in this car, that massive engine would have been hanging well behind the rear drive axle giving a weight bias even Porsche would struggle to mitigate. To be honest, it looks like a well polished 70's kit car to me. And not that well styled either.

[@CraigLandsberg-lk1ep]

Good video 😅 I like the front end, but not the rear

[@bowi73]

mmmm looks like the guy's at renault alphine had a good look at this one for their design of A310 alphine

[@Flies2FLL]

400 GROSS horsepower. That works out to about 280-300 net horsepower, the way it is measured today. These engines were all about torque, and while I bet this drove just fine, it still wouldn't be as fast as a Porsche or Ferrari of the period. And with a 900 pound iron block/heads V8 + transmission package positioned that far rearward, you can bet it had tricky handling at the limit. It is still a nice design, but it looks to be fiberglass and it would likely be expensive to produce. Great video!

[@GSX455s]

Well, it looks like someone at Cadillac might have looked at this for the design of the celestiq.

[@gruntherblendin388]

Check out the Frua Faena

[@GSX455s]

@gruntherblendin388 Hah, that's dead-on there. Also, another cool one off I didn't know existed.

[@gruntherblendin388]

@GSX455s Faena would've been a formidable competitor for the Maserati Quattroporte. Altho Frua styling can sometimes be a bit hit or miss, they're always creative and uniquely Frua.

[@mattycharles3284]

I see Olds Toronado insproation.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

This former Buick salesman lust found this treasure

[@UberLummox]

I thought it looked Toronado-like as well.

[@stephensowell9578]

It looks like a cross between a limo and a sportscar. I understood Eldo was built on the Toronado chassis from 66, and the big deal was front-wheel drive. Caddi eventually abandoned FWD, but much later.

[@rs3096]

This is how a YUGO Coupe would look like 😂

[@kjt1944]

Seville obviously influenced by rear qtr of this stunning piece of unique art

[@izzdee]

I’d like to see kyza rework one of these

[@99thDimension]

It's so ugly it's beautiful.

[@aidansmith1354]

The design is not for me, but geez that’s a lot of horsepower for a car of that age and those looks!?

[@herbertwilliams1608]

But, Sir what millionaire back in 1961(?), would not have wanted one?

[@positrondesign6514]

Interesting. I never knew NART made a car. I tihnk if they sold NART Zagato at Caddy dealers (much like Pantera sold at Lincoln dealers) they would have sold them all. The Zagato had the advantage of being a grand Tourer, as opposed to the He Man Pantera.

[@genespell4340]

American auto manufacturers have managed to screw up and pull the run from beneath their own feet on numerous occasions. John Delorean, a former employee of general motors did it to himself by not putting a European drive train in the Delorean. General Motors didn't want any competition for the Corvette is probably the number one reason they backed out of the deal.

[@artoodiitoo]

The Cadillac CRX xD

[@henriquesalvatti544]

This car isn't that pretty compared to the competition (honestly looks like a Chevy Monza). But its such a great proof of concept, impossible not to find endearing.

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

I wonder if it had Cadillac’s FWD V8 platform transplanted mid-rear driving the rear wheels the same way.

[@ShaunHensley]

Almost certainly

[@coolruehle]

So Cadillac WAS into performance cars back then

[@saikumarkhan]

it's extremely rare

[@herbertwilliams1608]

Hope this beauty is being loved and admired in an Italian museum?

[@UberLummox]

Most one-off creations are fairly "rare". 😁

[@peterdagley3549]

Extremely similar to the 1960's Lotus Elite

[@wonyankeesays5661]

A Ferrarillac or Cadillari,,that is the question😂

[@AtomicBuffalo]

While it's a very interesting experiment and must have been bananas to drive at 8/10ths, I'd much rather have the 68 Eldorado.

[@IcelanderUSer]

The only thing they used from the caddy were the hub caps. The name alone is unsexy.

[@rjung_ch]

GM pulled out too early, they messed up.

[@UberLummox]

I don't understand "8th generation Eldorado". I count 1st Eldo was '53-'56, 2nd '57-'60, 3rd '63 & '64, 4th '67-'70. Great content however!

[@juergenstange6844]

Not a real Coupe, not a real limousine. They tried something like one size fits all. The wheel base is much too wide for sporty driving and I think it would go good around corners. Look for the Monteverdi Hai Speed 450 from the 70s. With a short wheelbase it's much better. A big American V 8 with 450 HP is nearer to a good sportscar. And it looked real good !

[@kevinjokipii4260]

Looks like a speed bump would turn it into a teeter totter.

[@Jeff-cf8xv]

I thought I saw a Ferrari symbol.

[@seanpalmer2050]

Wrong Cadillac logo for the time...

[@cesarmarciani7509]

I disagree with you. 400bhp is far from "too much" power. would've been nice to see onthe market though.

[@manoman0]

I prefer the Pontiac Farago.

[@mrdebris1217]

Looks like a rear engine to me, not a mid engine.

[@gustav_a.mozumder2011]

It looks like a longer version of the VW Sirocco! 🤦🏻

[@Chris.Davies]

VALUEBLE, huh?

[@welles28]

Zagato was the only Italian styling house which consistently produced cars that were uglier than their donor vehicles - and the Toro/Eldo were pretty ridiculous examples of GM excess to begin with...

[@hectorberlioz2634]

C'est une Alpine qui est passée dans une lessiveuse! Ou alors, c'est une Alpine passée par la sécheuse alors qu'il ne fallait pas l'y mettre!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@salvadorbarcelo4857]

Mucho mejor el Cadillac Eldorado

[@RA-uj3nm]

Lotus Europa looking rear end.......not necessarily a good thing.

[@andresyver3334]

It does look similar! One does though grow to love Europa’s nethers, especially from inside 😊

[@herbertwilliams1608]

The Genius of Colin Chapman.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

​@@andresyver3334when one in 2025 looks back at earlier cars of Lotus and Porsche. Take for examples the VW 914 and 924 along with Lotus Caterham, Europe and Esprit.

[@andresyver3334]

@@herbertwilliams1608 A neighbor friend stuffed in the 70’s a Ford 351 into a 914. Nothing came close. So much grip.

[@ovekarlsson777]

It looks like an amateur attempt at copying an Alpine A310 and getting the proportions all wrong. The A310 is not the best looking car either.

[@johnfields4414]

2 years to end with THIS? Hideous. Literary everything is misproportioned.

[@michealfigueroa6325]

Possible the ugliest Cadillac ever made ///I owned a front wheel drive Cabfrom from1970 and believed it to be one of best that I ever owned

[@imp81]

sorry, this doesnt work for me on so many levels. just awkward...........

[@luvr381]

This is so much uglier that the Eldorado.

[@kentbeck5015]

That thing is ugly looking. They can have it!

[@stevemehanmusic]

Omg that’s just UGLY 😅

[@jmsjms296]

AI generated junk?

[@ChrisVSCars]

No human generated junk i guess😂

[@billm83army]

NART horrible name

[@ericbrammer2245]

Looks like, after the A-pillar, the Italians asked GM/US/1975 to "finish" the thing ?! Yikes that's just ugly/Angular and weird... By then, I was in 4th grade, and could've done better.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

When one considers that and I am remembering the announcer saying that this car was develpoed for two years starting in 1958. I am stinned.

[@UberLummox]

@@herbertwilliams1608 I don't know how that could be since Cad didn't come out with (or Olds) the FWD until '66/7.

[@rogermiller2159]

American power and strength , Italian design , A wolf in sheep’s clothing . Although (sadly) none of Italian’s classic style and detail found their way into this project. Looks like a shop class project.

[@nick2128]

your right after the A pillar it just goes wrong 😂

[@MyThai1612]

No idea from building cars but talking. You are the master here!

[@bruzagroves3651]

How do you spell valuable? Tardy mistake.

[@TamTran-vw7zm]

A Monteverdi Hai with an uninspired engine. A waste of sheet metal.

[@herbertwilliams1608]

Montroverdi respect.

[@UberLummox]

I thought Hia as well. But you sound like a Nationalist.

[@rogerdalton1549]

Ferrari Toronado. Cool.

[@outsider7658]

Hello Chris. I just like Your enthusiasm for these beauties! From my, biast vantage point, it "kind of" reminds of the "Love of my car favourite: De Tomaso Pantera, somewhat. Like those flowing lines. This would have been a seller for Cadillac. from a Finn in Diaspora

[@TamTran-vw7zm]

A Monteverdi Hai with an uninspired engine. A waste of sheet metal.

[@howardmckenna]

This could be the MK4 if it had continued.