Cadillac's Big Step Backwards - 1971 Eldorado (Reworked)

[@AeroGuy07]

My grandpa started driving Eldorados in 1967, right before he turned 60. He bought a new one every year and in the mid-70s started buying my grandma a new Sedan DeVille after she got tired of her aging Bentley breaking down. He stuck with the Eldorado until production ended, then switched to whatever sedan they built. When he died in 2006, at 98, he still owned a Cadillac.

[@ShadeIsLikely]

All of that yakkity yak, and yet if someone wants a vintage Eldorado today, they almost always seek out a ‘70s model. I have a ‘76 Eldorado convertible that was made the last day of production. My grandfather owned a Cadillac dealership and ordered the car for my grandmother. She gave it to me when I finished graduate school and I have cherished it ever since. It always gets lots of attention when I take it out for spin.

[@UberLummox]

Doesn't make it that great of a car. After 1970, Eldo's are just DeVilles with different body & FWD. Same basic frame, cowl, etc., as the DeVille series. Really floppy cars.

[@bobpierce115]

@@UberLummox To take it a step further, wouldn't that include the 4 lower division full-size GM's too?

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Every male in my family, aged 35 and over, either had an El Dorado or Mark 5. A couple had a Grand Prix, but those guys were the rebels 😂 At any get together, it was like a fleet of warships docked in a port. To this day i can't fathom how anyone drove cars that massive. Tell you what though, three tons of Detroit steel kept you safe in any accident not with a tractor trailer.

[@JTA1961]

Or a =====## train😅

[@markst.germain9286]

I had a Eldorado

[@MarkWG]

I can't imagine going through life without owning at least one Cadillac. I've owned 6 throughout my life and loved everyone of them. Best luxury cars on the road in their respective days.

[@dj_efk]

@@MarkWGyou should experience the equivalent Mercedes then!

[@jamesthurber4730]

Well done! I have fond memories of my mother's 1975 Eldorado, which I drove often, especially on long road trips, where it really excelled, fully loaded and with 5 adults on board, motoring through the Rockies at speed. It was a better ride and drive than many modern "luxury" vehicles.

[@jd9689]

The late seventies Eldorado will forever remain my favorite american luxury barge, followed closely by the Mark V and fourth generation Continental. Still holding a bit of hope that Cadillac will one day return to their days of lavish design and recapture the beauty of their old models. Happy new year, Ruairidh!

[@hoodagooboy5981]

Happy Rhubarb to you too

[@bobpierce115]

Are you talking about the (then) all-new 1979 Eldorado? The basic '71 Eldo model lasted through 1978, with the main difference of no convertible option on the '77 and '78.

[@MarkWG]

I can not imagine going through this life without enjoying at least one Cadillac model. Including an Eldorado, I've owned six Cadillacs throughout my life. Each one like a child to be treasured. Some of the Cadillacs I kept and preserved for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they stopped building REAL Cadillacs over 30 years ago.😢

[@drstevenrey]

People age. They really do. I lost Cadillac by design in 1970. Good thing, that today we have a massive vintage car scene. I need not feel bad driving a 1966 Fleetwood.

[@johnmoorefilm]

Thank you for another great year or excelling educational work❤

[@davidsauls9542]

1971 Lincoln MKIII was wonderful. The fit and finish was excellent. At 65 mph, it got about 17 mpg, not bad. It drove very well, very tight, yet plush ride. Brakes, steering, seats, all were wonderful. I traded it for a 1973 Eldorado convertible. It was the opposite. Fit and finish was horrible. It was a big, fat, lazy, thirsty, wallowing PIG ! Mid 60's Cadillacs were indeed excellent. GM was making wonderful cars in the early and mid 60's. So was Ford. A Lincoln and Cadillac differed from RR and Benz, in that the US product could be depended on. The "fine" European cars needed constant fiddling. American cars were the best in the world from a value and reliability point. My mother's Bentley was handsome, but a royal pain in the rear. Even the glove box would pop open. Always in the shop. A museum piece, yes. A good car, no way. For decades America was very much on top. It made me very sad to see the best wither and die.

[@UberLummox]

Never buy a full-size GM past 1970.

[@davidsauls9542]

@@UberLummox Agreed !

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Happy New Year from Canberra everyone! 🇦🇺

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

And here in Sydney, too.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

@Your.Uncle.AngMoh ah, Canberra's seaport lol.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

@@UncleJoeLITE heh heh heh

[@RapperBC]

​@@Your.Uncle.AngMoh@UncleJoeLITE thanks fellas, but reading this thread, I'm beginning to suspect that- despite much Aussie propaganda to the contrary- Bob might not, in fact, be my uncle after all.

[@忠鳥パチ公]

78エルドラドの大ファンです！キャデラックに栄光あれ❤

[@herseem]

I think you nailed it with the phrase about it being almost a parody it was so excessive. I think that's why i love them so much. If i ever get one, I'll have it fitted with a Peugeot diesel though.

[@JTA1961]

You'll need 2 of them

[@100cele]

@@JTA1961 Indeed, because only then, it has the 8 cylinders it deserves.

[@john1703]

Everything, including fashion, changes. Before the rise of Cadillac post WW2, there was Packard, with glorious straight 8 engines, but they did not last either. In the 60s Cadillac did adopt the innovative FWD transmission from the Olds Toronado.

[@MikeSamuelsII-ve8gp]

I owned a '72 ragtop. The Eldogs had a tendency to rot their floorpans out under the back seat and eventually the hot exhaust would set the rear seat lower cushion on fire. Had it happen to a friend's coupe and my convertible. In all honesty I preferred my '72 Coupe DeVille as it was a better driving car, especially in the snow and had better looks plus a trunk big enough to stuff a family of four and their dog.

[@davidk2906]

Excellent video! Very fact based and professionally presented.

[@richjames2540]

The 1976 Eldorado has always been my favorite US car for its lack of compromise. I think it has a style that makes it a classic which Lincoln only achieved with their last town car. Although I own a much more modern Cadillac, I will always have a secret desire to buy a 76 Bicentennial convertible.

[@billst.1044]

Seeing the red Eldorado convertible with the plate DLM 77 makes me wonder if the car is a 1977. In 1985, I saw a 1977 Eldorado convertible for sale. The owner said that after the 1976 model year was done, Cadillac had components to make several convertibles (about 10). I don't remember the real number. Anyways, after the cars were made, people who bought the 76 convertible sued Cadillac because they were told 1976 was going to be the last year for the convertible. The seller said that Cadillac didn't acknowledge the 1977s as being built. I truly enjoyed this video. It was very interesting.

[@TomSnyder-gx5ru]

I think the '71 Eldorado is beautiful myself!

[@UberLummox]

'71/2s are sexxxy! But as the title says, it was a huge step backwards compared to th '67-'70....though he totally missed the real reasons why!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Good show as always. Happy new year!

[@scofab]

That pink Eldorado ragtop looks like it's made out of Bondo... lol. Thanks as always and regards, and a Happy New Year to you.

[@JTA1961]

James "Bondo"

[@dma124]

“Performance-oriented” is how it should be phrased. OrientatED is NOT a word.

[@JTA1961]

Thanks for the "ted" talk 😂

[@dj_efk]

American telling an Englishman what is and is not a word in English. And gets it wrong - it is a word on this side of the pond 😂

[@dma124]

@ Then my apologies are extended. There were just so many other inaccuracies is his assessment of the Eldorado that I took notice.

[@desertmodern7638]

Aside from the prominent inclusion of the hideous, bastardized, dilapidated (I really can't think of enough negative adjectives) pink car show convertible, this is a wonderfully enjoyable video.

[@jamesjohn834]

The 61' Continental was designed to last 8 years to save Lincoln money. Good video. Thank you.

[@brentfairlie9159]

I loved the 67-70 Eldorado. But from 70 onwards I would be a Continental fanboy.

[@bobpierce115]

One thing I've long noticed is that the all-new for 1971 Eldorado convertible seemed to look a lot like the also all-new for '71 Caprice, Grandville, Delta 88 and Le Sabre convertibles. I suspect they may have shared more tooling commonality than the regular 2-door coupes of the lower GM's I just mentioned.

[@stewy62]

We’ve never had a car with automatic dipping headlights until we bought a new car a few months ago, it’s marvellous ! So I was dumbfounded somewhat when you mentioned the autronic eye fitted to the ‘59 Cadillac ! A little bit of investigation showed that GM first fitted this system in 1952. I often think that we are not as clever today as we think we are and this is another example 🇬🇧

[@jonnyc429]

Happy new year!

[@godblessamerica99]

Glad to see Cadillac is doing the right thing today by being the only GM brand to continue building powerful RWD sedans. When they stop, it'll be the end of them. I hope the auto industry as a whole comes to its senses.

[@fredschriks8554]

Happy new year.

[@BXXification]

Very well written. actually quite humorous. Talks a little fast. subscribed.

[@bobpierce115]

The 1967-'68 Eldorado's actually had tail fins also, albeit in a different 'disguised' form. The 1969 and '70 De Ville's also. In the decades since, Cadillac has often tried to create the essence or flair of fins when/where they could. Even their new Lyriq SUV has them.

[@davidcomtedeherstal]

My dad almost bough an Eldorado, finally settling for a Jeep Wagoner 1976 which is not only better than the Caddy but also cross-country able.

[@joellamoureux7914]

I love all Cadillacs. Even the cimmaron. Well not the first one. There is a hardly one I can think of I don't like the styling of. Especially the Eldo. Now the reason they have almost died repeatedly. THE ENGINES. The biggest mistake they made. Had they just stuck with powerful reliable powerplants instead of the tech heavy, trendy and utterly disastrously UNRELIABLE plants they chose, they would decidedly be in a better place today. Now there's a run on sentence for your new year! Came up with myself!

[@JTA1961]

Northstar gone South

[@sc1338]

I’m sorry but anyone who takes the top gear line and acts like these cars were terrible just show their ignorance. All the modern conveniences come from American vehicles. So good were they that Mercedes, rolls Royce, jaguar… used them on their cars for many years. American cars were the most innovative during the peak years. I really wish these cars got more love and appreciation. Top gear really did influence a lot of sheep

[@mfrsr]

the issue really is that in isolation they were indeed great cars. it's just that compared to the standard fare of overseas markets, they're excessive, impractical, and unsuited for conditions outside their home market. it's extremely short-sighted of you to give credit to Top Gear for bringing that reality to the masses. They were simply another in a very long line of popular motoring journalists who gained a following by mocking American vehicle's excesses.

[@TheInstructor66]

@@mfrsr I agree. Here in Europe we like “drivers cars”. I rented a Lincoln Town car in the US in 1987. The lack of roadfeel thru the steering and suspension is was ridiculous compared to european and asian cars. And i don’t want to sit in a sofa while driving. That is for my livingroom. It was ok on the freeways tho. Best US-car i ever owned, was a Chrysler Neon. It was more “european”. I owned a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. Bad roadfeel there too. And this is what was a “sporty” car in the US. Even dangerous because of the bump-steer issues those cars had. The Z-28 was better tho. I now own a 1969 Alfa Romeo Gt1300 Junior. Its a whole different car from the same year/era. 5-speed, dohc, disks all around, hugging seats. The road and steeringfeel are amazing. And the sound from the engine with 2 dubble Weber’s are like music.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

I had to giggle when I heard 'pimpmobile'.

[@JTA1961]

Black in the day...or night 🌙

[@SMichaelDeHart]

US Land Yacht's!!

[@The_Penguin_Overlord]

lovely 🤩

[@Rom3_29]

1969 was the best year for American made cars.

[@scotpens]

6:21 -- Correction here. The 1963 and '64 Cadillacs still had fins, though they were considerably toned down from earlier models. The fins were eliminated altogether for 1965. Also, you keep showing footage of the two-seater 1955-1957 Thunderbird while talking about the second-generation, four-seater 1958 T-Bird. As for the Cadillac Eldorado, the 1967-1970 model was one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The '71 Eldo was a bloated, garish, overstyled pimpmobile.

[@emaheiwa8174]

Boats disguised as cars

[@ConversionCenters]

Thanks for the video. I don't think the 1971 was a step back, it addressed what the Cadillac buyer was looking for. The 1967 Eldorado was extraordinary and Cadillac didn't really ever go back to that. I owned a 1972 Coupe Deville and now I own a 2010 DTS after owning different cars in between. Cadillacs are big and quiet and have plenty of power....what's wrong with that?

[@m.streicher8286]

what up with the sped up audio...

[@JTA1961]

ZERO to 60...

[@dma124]

You’re incorrect when saying that in 1971 the Eldorado was the last drop top available. Go back and do your research. Several other GM models were available then, as well as Ford and Chrysler. Cadillac did claim that the 1976 Eldorado would be the last convertible that GM would ever make; however this changed after the car’s dramatic 1979 restyle. Both the Eldorado and the Buick Riviera were available in convertibles when built on the GM E-body platform.

[@alancrisp1582]

🤔 Yes ,but this is KZbin not the real world, rather the Disney version of it !..

[@fotonovella]

@@alancrisp1582 Gosh, that's so deep.

[@jeffmiller3150]

Those later convertibles were built by outside custom body companies.

[@thekidfromcleveland3944]

Surprised it didn't come with a mailbox and property taxes😂😂😂

[@Mauscmkwk]

These eldrodos were good cars

[@joeseeking3572]

There's enough mistakes and mis-matched video in here that the final product resembles what I would imagine I'd come up with as an American doing a 37 minute video on the Ford Scorpio and why it failed despite its long historical antecedents, the Consul/Zephyr/Granada. Would I get the basic facts? Yeah, probably. Could I go and make sweeping authoritative statements about the British car industry, societal trends and economic conditions? Yeah, that too - I've read enough. Would the average Brit shake their head in mild bemusement? Yep. Amusing nonetheless.

[@joesmithjoesmith4284]

I wonder if the Eldorado lost sales to the Coupe DeVille? The best selling Cadillac in 1974 was the Coupe DeVille, which sold more than the entire Lincoln line up combined. If you took total Cadillac sales vs total Lincoln sales, Cadillac outsold Lincoln 2 to 1 in 1974.

[@gregorylenton8200]

MAN What a Bunch of Gas guzelling BEASTS

[@JTA1961]

Got one...70 wi 7.7L can beat most anyone...to the next... gas station... & only 16 gal tank

[@randyfitz8310]

Sadly, you feature many poorly modified cars which are not representative of the factory products. Let me know if you desire clarifications.

[@commandertopgun]

💙💙💙💙SIMPLE STUNNING

[@pcno2832]

16:29 The '71, despite looking bigger to most people's eyes, was almost exactly the same size as the '69-'70 models. But increasing bumper requirements (5 MPH in front, for the pink 1973 car shown) forced GM to add about 3" to the car's length by 1975 and that, combined with anticipated rollover standards drove the incredibly ugly re-styling of the 1975-1978 coupe models, with those gaudy caps on the front forefins and the trapezoidal opera windows. As this clip shows, the car lost a lot of leg room because GM insisted on a perfectly flat (rather than almost flat) floor and by 1978, it had become a major anachronism. The 1970s was not kind to the types of cars that had been the most profitable for GM. PS: At 17:21, I want to reach across the ocean and push the corner of that hood down. Those hinges are spring loaded and are supposed to be self adjusting, but rust or hardened grease can cause them to stick, making the car look more sloppily assembled than it actually was.

[@bobdavis3357]

I actually like this car

[@duncancurtis5108]

Lady Penelopes pink monster, with Parker at the wheel mlady.😊

[@wsaut]

I had a 1982 way back when. It was a beautiful car and turned a of of heads but unfortunately it was a dog and couldn't get out of it's own way. Kept it till about 75,000 miles and the transmission went.

[@eswyatt]

@ 17:00 With fender-hood gaps you could fit a child's fist through!

[@jameswaltersdorf2783]

Your narration is fine but while you're talking about the 59 models you have the 64 models showing or something like that. Do you know what you're talking about or are you just reading some script?

[@peterfinucane8122]

There are some background audio issues??

[@KarlHamilton]

The audio is always really wrong on this guys videos, but there's something extra wrong with this one.

[@EyesWideOpen61]

Pink car is a nightmare, Liberace estate sale?

[@The_Penguin_Overlord]

clyde, scrap the caddy. 😁

[@UberLummox]

Tons of little mistakes, but "big step backwards" is a great way of putting it. Although you never said the *real* reasons why. Needs reworked again apparently. Maybe shoulda stuck to Eldo history alone and why it turned to garbage in '71.

[@AraCarrano]

Lost me when all the Landau tops were shown.

[@itsthatsebguy93]

Mr Lahey!

[@NormanAllen-ps9ju]

The announcer spoke too fast without drawing a breath! Not pleasant !!!

[@alancrisp1582]

Because this channel is aimed at the American audience !. And KZbin demands this......

[@JTA1961]

Robots don't need to "breathe" 🤖

[@chuckselvage3157]

They ruined that car.The 67-68 was gorgeous and a well engineered car. But after that it became bloated and ugly.

[@Dan-tf1zq]

Lots of errors!!!

[@scottyg7284]

Unsubscribing due to the AI voice.

[@jasonyu6649]

This is his true voice. His voice has been like this before the age of AI

[@alancrisp1582]

😮 Warning ⚠ we have a Karen ALERT ⚠.

[@andrewrussell4707]

Truly nonsense cars.

[@sc1338]

You don’t know anything

[@alancrisp1582]

Well, you keep driving your Toyota Corolla !...🥱

[@ernestomorales2487]

Can't stand the AI voice. Im out

[@RaspberryWhy]

US vehicles after the mid 60's are truly wank. I am a service brat and when I lived on a UK/US airbase me and my friends used to laugh at the US personnel trying to drive around the West Wales roads in their imported land barges. They are excessive, horrible to look at, poorly designed, poorly built, inefficient, incapable of navigating corners.... just crap. Awful. The world is better off without them.... I dare you to disagree

[@2006gtobob]

Those cars were what suited American roads. Wide open and straight. As far as quality is concerned, for the most part, GM was a crap company, from 1971 forward. Management only saw RIGHT NOW money, trying to capitalize on the good name they had developed during the 50's and 60's, instead of developing a long-term legacy of excellence. It may not have been AS profitable, but the embarrassing crap they put out in the 70's and 80's wouldn't have happened, which eventually led to bankruptcy.

[@alancrisp1582]

Maybe so. But it was also a truly fun time to own and drive these large vehicles. Driving 🚘 a Toyota Corolla is simply no fun whatsoever !...

[@JTA1961]

My 70 caddie convertible deville will be 55 tomorrow (2025) & with Arizona body & merican roads should have a few more years left.