<<So you are ignoring the '67 Cad Eldo? And it's Toronado>> The 1967 Eldorado was unlike every previous Cadillac not only in that it had front-wheel drive but in style and attitude. Cadillac had never before made a coupe with no accompanying sedan (there wouldn't be a four-door front-drive Caddy until the 1980 Seville), and the '67 Eldorado was also the only coupe that wasn't offered as a convertible. And no Cadillac had ever looked like the hidden-headlight, aggressively modern '67 Eldorado, either. Credit GM designer Bill Mitchell for the truly gorgeous, almost arrogant '67 Eldo.
Beneath its skin, the '67 Eldorado had at least as much in common with the Oldsmobile Toronado as it did with any other Caddy. The Toronado had ushered in front-wheel drive to the General Motors lineup the previous year, and most of that car's structure and drivetrain carried over to the Eldo. Most prominent of the shared pieces was the Turbohydramatic three-speed automatic transaxle, which essentially put the transmission beside the longitudinally mounted engine, with power transmitted by a chain. Also coming over from the Toronado was the A-arm front suspension incorporating long torsion bars instead of coil springs and the solid rear axle with leaf springs. Obviously, though, the Eldorado needed Cadillac power, and it used the same 340 horsepower 429-cubic-inch V8 as other Caddies with changes in the exhaust manifolds, oil pan and accessory drive system to accommodate the peculiar drivetrain. Priced at $6,277 (more than any DeVille, but less than a Fleetwood), the '67 Eldorado carried all the luxury equipment of a Fleetwood and, despite its two doors, had room for six passengers. It was instantly the most popular Eldorado ever and sold 17,930 units that first year (only 2,250 '66 Eldorados were sold). It was a bold, confident step forward for Cadillac. Except for moving the front parking lamps to the leading edge of the fenders and extending the hood's trailing edge to hide the windshield wipers, the 1968 Eldorado was barely distinguishable from the '67. Under the hood, however, were some substantive changes as the engine grew to 472 cubic-inches and its output increased to 375 horsepower. Additionally, the suspension was softened somewhat. Except for a new front grille with exposed headlamps, the 1969 Eldorado pretty much carried over from '68. For 1970, Cadillac revived the tradition of the more powerful Eldorado when it bounced displacement on the engine up to a full 500 cubic-inches and output to 400 horsepower, while other Cadillacs stayed with the 472 V8 with 375 horsepower. The grille was revised again, and for the first time metric engine measurements were heralded by an "8.2 litre" badge in that grille. It would be a long time before the Eldo would again be as athletic as the '70 model. RLE
