| 1982 CADILLAC ELDORADO Page two |
|
|---|
The come-on reeked of seduction:
"The leather wrapped steering wheel tightens under your grip
as you turn toward the sky. Wide blackwall tires grip the
pavement. And for a fleeting moment, you, the road and your
Eldorado become one." Eldorado? Indeed. By 1982, sporty
European luxury coupes were selling in numbers large enough to
goad Cadillac into building a "road machine" of its
own. Younger, up-market buyers were overlooking-or just plain
ignoring-"The Standard of the World" at a rate that
alarmed Cadillac marketing experts. Although devotees of
traditional luxury cars still eagerly lined up to purchase their
next Cadillac, the average age of Cadillac buyers was increasing.
The implications seemed obvious: younger buyers weren't coming
into the fold quickly enough to replace the old timers as they
died off. If the situation persisted, what would become of
Cadillac when its last customer went to his or her last hurrah?
Cadillac thus embarked on a two-stage offensive to ensnare the
young blood it would need for its long-term survival. One effort
resulted in a hastily conceived baby Caddy, the Cimarron, a
spin-off of GM's J-body Chevrolet Cavalier. Targeted to sell in
what Cadillac called the "near-luxury" market, it went
out to do battle with well-established and respected European
sedans such as Saab and Volvo. That success eluded it is another
story.
Stage two called for a luxury touring coupe much in the mold of
the BMW 633CSi, but priced more in the vicinity of BMW's Three
Series coupes. Cadillac's only car remotely close to that area of
the market was the Eldorado, but its image and breeding catered
to the carriage trade. It was not, on the face of it at least,
the type of vehicle that would appeal to rising young
professionals looking for a "driver's car."
It had not always been so. The first
"personal-luxury" Eldorado coupe of 1967 exuded a
sporty image in addition to the obvious -- and expected -- luxury
amenities. It borrowed much from the Riviera/Toronado chassis,
and all three pursued the market niche originally pioneered by
the four-seater Thunderbird in 1958. The Eldo was large as cars
go, but a 120-inch wheelbase made it a small
Cadillac. Aggressive styling centered on a bold egg-crate grille,
and large wheel openings gave it an athletic, road-going look.
The 1967-70 Eldorado created a legend for itself while filling
General Motors' coffers; 89,633 were built during its four year
run.
The second-generation Eldorado completely forsook any sporting
pretensions. A bloated body now rested on a wheelbase stretched
to 126.3 inches, while curb weight topped two-and-a-half tons.
Overnight, the Eldorado had been transformed into a huge luxury
barge best suited to easy boulevard cruising. America loved it,
however, and showed its appreciation by snapping up 353,542
samples of the 1971-78 models.
Planning for the third-generation
Eldorado got underway in the aftermath of the late-1973 Arab oil
embargo. GM top brass dictated that henceforth all General Motors
products would be downsized to conserve fuel. No car line was to
be spared - not even Cadillac. Thus it came to be that GM's
full-size offerings appeared in a new, trimmer format for 1977,
followed by smaller intermediates for 1978.
By 1979, it was time to redo the E-body cars: Riviera, Toronado,
and Eldorado. What emerged must have startled many an Eldorado
owner at the time, for the new Eldo represented a complete break
with the past. Its wheelbase had been slashed by more than a foot
to 114 inches, giving the body a close-coupled look. Overall
length shrunk by 20 inches, width by eight inches, and over half
a ton (1200 pounds) of body fat melted away in the process.
Cadillac rather immodestly referred to
the new Eldorado as "One of the world's best engineered
cars." In many respects that was true, because the chassis
of the new Eldorado had taken on a great deal of sophistication.
In an effort to maintain ride quality, the suspension was totally
revamped to include torsion bars up front and independent rear
springing, via semitrailing arms, coil springs, telescopic
shocks, and an anti-roll bar. In the process, the new E-bodies
became the first American front-drivers to feature four-wheel
independent suspension. An electronic load-leveling system
automatically adjusted the rear suspension to maintain proper
ride height under all conditions, and four-wheel disc brakes with
staggered vane construction provided rapid heat dissipation for
added safety. Cadillac chose Oldsmobile's 350 V-8 with electronic
fuel injection to power the Eldo. In this guise it developed 170
horsepower. A 350 diesel V-8 could be ordered as well, but its
120 horses really weren't up to the job of propelling a
3800-pound car.
Style-wise, Cadillac designers did everything within their power
to give the downsized car a traditional Eldorado look, even
though the proportions were different: relatively larger cabin,
shorter front, and smaller deck. As it turned out, passenger
space actually increased (except for width) and trunk space was
enlarged. Most importantly, the stylists succeeded in maintaining
a continuity of design so that the much smaller new car still
looked every bit an Eldorado. Taut, crisp lines gave it a formal,
elegant look perfectly in keeping with Cadillac's up-market
image.
The 1979 brochure enthusiastically noted that "Inside
Eldorado, there's a new breed of luxury." That meant 50/45
Dual Comfort front seats, with optional "leather seating
areas" in 11 shades. Alternately, a pillow-style interior in
Dante knit cloth could be had. "The luxury runs deep to
include such fine details as a new functionally co-ordinated
instrument panel with simulated burl walnut. New AM/FM
electronically tuned stereo radio with signal seeker, scanner and
digital display of radio frequencies and time of day. And since
the floor is flat with front-wheel drive, there's added
roominess, too." If that wasn't enough, the Eldorado
Biarritz, "The Ultimate Eldorado," stood by, ready to
please. It was decked out with exclusive styling accents, like a
Cabriolet roof treatment and cast aluminum wheels, and a special
interior, highlighted by "the elegance of one-piece plush
Tangier carpeting which simulates fine fur." A living room
never had it so good!
From a driver's vantage point, the car had improved in every way.
It felt far more nimble, especially around town where the lighter
weight and five-foot-smaller turning circle came into play.
Whereas the big Eldo plowed through corners even at modest
speeds, the new edition would do so only when pushed much harder.
It was now an easier car to park, too. Performance with the
gasoline engine, while not neck-snapping, rated as more than
adequate, zipping from 0-60 mph in 11-12 seconds. Meanwhile, the
engineers not only succeeded in maintaining ride quality, but
managed to better it significantly by eliminating the wallow of
the old car. They also maintained the legendary bank-vault quiet
on which Cadillac built it's reputation.
Overall, the third generation Eldorado stood out as a
significantly better automobile than its predecessor in virtually
every respect. Motor Trend was enthused enough about the
new E-body cars to say they were "simply delightful pieces
of machinery." But that's not to say the Eldorado had become
an enthusiast's car-at least not yet. It was still too soft for
that. Meanwhile, BMW and Mercedes continued to go from strength
to strength in the American market.
The 1980 Eldorado could be distinguished mainly by checking out
the serial number, but for 1981 Cadillac debuted its
fuel-injected "variable-displacement" V-8-6-4 engine,
installed an On-board Computer Diagnostic System, and gave the
grille a finer texture. A Touring Suspension hit the options
list, and its popularity surprised Cadillac officials.
Unfortunately for Cadillac, the new engine proved trouble-prone.
Cadillac's reputation suffered for it, so it was soon discarded.
The 1982 model year found Eldorado sporting three horizontal bars
in the grille and wearing an extra-cost full-length cabriolet
top. A new HT 4100 V-8 replaced the ill-fated V-8-6-4. But that
wasn't all-the Eldorado Touring Coupe had arrived. Cadillac said
it was "Created for the person who loves to drive." The
heart of the Touring Coupe, or TC as Cadillac sometimes called
it, could be found underneath in the Touring Suspension. It
featured stouter stabilizer bars front and rear (32 mm and 26 mm,
respectively), 20 percent stiffer front torsion bars, 15 percent
firmer rear coil springs, vastly stiffer shocks, and recalibrated
SuperLift air shocks for the automatic level control. Even the
suspension grommets were made of 70 durometer rubber, rather than
60 dm as on the standard coupe. The power steering kept its 14:1
ratio, but required more effort, which resulted in increased
feedback to the driver. The standard P205/75Rl5 steel-belted
radials were upgraded to P225/70Rl5 for tauter handling. Cadillac
said the changes helped result in "a firm 'feel-the-road'
responsiveness."
Cadillac's new 4.1-liter HT 4100 engine featured a light-weight
aluminum block, 90-degree design, and Digital Fuel Injection. It
provided 10 more horsepower and 10 lbs/ft more torque, bringing
the ratings to 125 bhp at 4200 rpm and 190 lbs/ft at 2000 rpm.
The engine was mated to a fourspeed overdrive transaxle with
lockup torque converter, running through a 3.15:1 final drive
ratio.
Styling touches for the Touring Coupe included ribbed rocker
panel moldings, aluminum wheels with center hubs, and three
cloisonné medallions (one for the hood, in lieu of the stand-up
hood ornament, and one on each sail panel). Black paint replaced
bright metal on reveal moldings and headlight and taillight
bezels, and the solid black bumper rub strips lost their chrome
trim. Inside, the driver and passenger sat on gray reclining
leather-faced bucket seats with lumbar and lateral support, while
enjoying the convenience of a front seat console. The seats, by
the way, reportedly came from the Cimarron. The 1982 TC was
offered only in Sterling Silver paint, accented with red over
black striping. And to prove that Cadillac meant business about
the Touring Coupe, whitewall tires and vinyl roofs were not
part of the package, nor were they available even at extra cost.
The Touring Coupe package listed for $1950 in 1982, on top of the
$18,716 list price for the base coupe.
For 1983 and 1984, the Touring Coupe went largely unchanged, but
was offered in two colors: Sonora Saddle Firemist and Sable
Black. A saddle-colored interior complemented the exterior. For
1985, the colors were changed to Bordeaux Red and Sable Black,
with Sandalwood interior.
Reaction to the Touring Coupe was
mixed. Motor Trend declared it "a truly impressive
handler for a car of its mass," and that with it "the
sheer fun of driving is way up." Popular Science
disagreed, commenting that the suspension felt only
"slightly" firmer, and that "it was difficult for
us to detect any real handling advantage." However,
everybody agreed on two points: the Touring Coupe was
exceptionally quiet and smooth-and slow. A 0-60 run, for example,
took about 15 seconds. And complaints occasionally surfaced that
the overdrive automatic transmission tended to "hunt"
for the right gear, especially on inclines and in 35-40 mph
suburban driving. The interior also came in for criticism for
having too much brightwork. But when all was said and done, the
majority agreed that the Touring Coupe was likely the best
Eldorado yet, and a step in the right direction for Cadillac in
the Eighties.
In terms of collectibility, one has to
remember that Cadillac built a total of 454,405 third-generation
1979-85 Eldorados. Nonetheless, the Touring Coupe offers
excellent possibilities as a future collectible. Consider the
production figures: 1982, 1700; 1983, 1197; 1984, 815; 1985, 585.
That means only 4297 Touring Coupes were built during its
four-year life span. And since the TC disappeared with the
introduction of the even-further-downsized 1986 Eldorados, there
won't be any more. Richard M. Langworth, in the Illustrated
Cadillac Buyer's Guide, speculates: "... it seems
obvious that the low-production Touring Coupe will have a strong
following among collectors ten or twenty years down the line ...
although these cars are still in the depreciation stage, and it's
difficult to say when they will bottom out in value and start
rising." Nonetheless, it seems inevitable that they will
begin to appreciate after a certain point, and that they will
become legitimate collector cars somewhere down the road. The
only question is when.
Moral? If you have one, keep it. If you want one, buy it while
you can get it at used car prices.
View My Guestbook
| 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|
May 12/00; March 8/03