Here's a Tour of the Most Expensive Cadillac From 1977

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This is a 1977 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz -- one of the quirkiest cars I've ever reviewed. The 1977 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz was also the brand's most expensive model 40 years ago -- before BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus stole the show.

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[TJDiBella]

Doug, those little lights behind the rear quarter window were "opera lamps" as Cadillac called them and were a throwback to the thirties from which they were rescued by the surface detail department of GM design. The whole Cadillac line offered them and on some of the DeVilles they were extra, about $86.00 if I recall correctly. The added vinyl areas on the front and rear were what allowed the car to meet the five-mile an hour no damage requirement that the government instituted. The bumpers were on hydraulic cylinders and could compress but the bodywork had to flex so it would not be damaged. As you can see the paint discolors on the vinyl after a time. Great review. I still love the car and the convertible which was made up until 76 was also awesome. They had the great advantage of being able to have your girlfriend ride right next to you up close with no console or bucket seats to stop the fun. In fact, there was a whole protocol for how much a girl was interested based on where she sat when she got in the car. But that's another thing entirely.

[jamesl]

Lol - that horn. "Mommy I hear a train coming."

"No Timmy, it's something even bigger, a Cadillac ElDorado.

[johnnyq]

The strangest feature of this car for me, is that it's actually front wheel drive (FWD). A massive V8 that spins the front wheels! haha

[nachvidal]

As a Brit, I've always loved this era of cars made in the USA. They have a real presence and it's such a shame that they don't make them like this anymore.

[BaltimoreAndOhioRR]

The hood ornament wasnt designed like that due to theft, it was a safety feature for any pedestrian who may be unlucky to have been hit - the ornament would bend out of the way instead of slicing into the persons guts :-(

[diablocls]

Those are the most comfortable looking seats I've ever seen

[toob]

Up to the 1980s, owning a Cadillac was a sign you _made it._ You were an Important Person. It didn't matter that these cars were slow or maneuvered like ocean liners, because other drivers got out of your way. This was a Cadillac, and you damn well better respect both it and its driver.

My grandpa was one of the higher-ups at the local mill when they were going strong. He drove Cadillacs, and that's why I have a soft spot in my heart for this era of Caddies. He preferred the sedans like the Fleetwoods and deVilles.

[tommyt]

One thing to point out about how huge cars like this went obsolete: in 1990 my grandfather bought a brand new Buick Roadmaster, right after it’d been revived and the thing was gigantic! It was longer than his brother’s Caddy at the time! The Roadmaster was a beast but very luxurious. I went with my grandparents on a trip from Rochester NY to Ft Myers FL to help them drive it down there and even tho it was 3 days of them bickering most of the time, that car was a smooth ride. It wasn’t at all like driving south for Spring Break in a car half the size, it was like a hotel on wheels.

[sparkmemes]

My grandmother passed away two weeks ago and she was the biggest fan of the El Dorado and owned one, she was the kind of person you would think would have driven one, a get out of the way I'm coming through kind of lady I really loved her and this video really reminded me of her.

[frazzledwizard]

For anyone wondering, the lights on the side of the vinyl roof are called "opera lights" or "coach lights". They're a symbol of luxury. Lots of limos have them.

[every]

I never used to like these huge boxy designs, but in recent years I've started to really appreciate the imposing look of them. They're actually stylish. No one will want to own a modern car in 40 years time.

[AlexGray]

Doug is the type of guy to give honest reviews with zero clickbait and is soon to surpass vehicle virgins in subscribers.

[kennethburton]

I worked at a Cadillac dealership in the early 80's and I had the pleasure of driving many of those old land ships from the 70's and a few from the 60's. To date they are still some of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven.

[zachgeo]

I had a lot of fun watching this! I learned to drive on a '76 Eldorado - it's still sitting in my father's garage, unmoved for about 10 years. You seem a bit baffled by things that were normal back then, like the bright switch and the placement of the A/C controls (though many cars back then did have them in the center or the dash, many also had them off on the left). You missed some more weird and/or ahead-of-their time features - tail and brake light indicator in the back of the car where you could see it in the rear view mirror, flip-0pen lit makeup mirror on the passenger side (a real luxury back then!), little removable trash can on the passenger side, front wheel drive, hidden button the the glovebox to open the trunk, power antenna, are a few I can think of. Our family's California model had electronic fuel injection, because that was the only way Cadillac could get any power out of it when topped with CA's extra emissions requirements of the time, but it actually had some pretty good get-up-and-go in a pinch - I used to love punching the accelerator to get it into passing gear, and I used to get it up to 100 pretty frequently. I didn't realize how underpowered it was for a Cadillac, though, until years later when I drove a '64 Fleetwood and couldn't keep it under control. Amazing how much power was sapped out of huge V8s in the early days of emissions requirements...

[ohguy]

Doug's the kinda guy to clean the house before the cleaning lady comes

[clintonseaman]

This car's exterior curves are so much cooler than newer Cadillacs. That is such a beautiful shaped car.

[canadagood]

I was just reminded of one of the weirder experiences of my life. I was standing by a secondary highway somewhere in the Netherlands in summer of 1975.
I had a small Canadian flag on my bag. I had my thumb out looking for a ride.
What would stop in front of me? Why it was a big white Cadillac sedan with Ontario license plates!!
Almost certainly the only such car cruising around Europe that summer. Cadillac rides are always memorable.

[sdingeswho]

This is actually the prettiest “modern” (post-WWII) Caddy, if you ask me! I saw them in-person (I’m a bit older than Doug). It’s especially cool that it’s white, making an already-huge car look even larger!

[KR-shrm]

Back in the 80's my best friend's mother owned this car. Occasionally, we were allowed to take it out on Saturday nights. Just imagine 6 or 7 teens cruising in this bad boy! Best times and best car ever! 😀

[ilib]

I had an 1982 Fleetwood. Like driving your living room.