The Eldorado TC would have been awesome if they would have put the same Buick 3.8 V6 Turbo they put in the Grand National. Instead they gave you the 4.1 Liter boat anchor.
@@jayson657 Something like it was available at your Buick dealer. It was called the Riviera T-Type. Of course, that turbo wasn't up to GNX levels of power at the time...
"We need a sporty Cadillac gentlemen! How much more per unit would it cost to put in the 350 TPI corvette motor?" "$140 sir" "What!?!? Nevermind! Just paint the trim moldings."
Rick James have you not seen any of the CTV models? also GM put a Cadi body on the Vette chasis and motor. I forgot what it was called tho. only made it 1-2 years. bad ass too
+frankbergmanII Yeah, the number of lighters and ashtrays declined along with smoking rates. I remember in 1999, seeing new American cars that required an optional ashtray that took up space in the cupholder. My mom bought a new Honda CRV then, there was still an ashtray, but there was a dust cover where the lighter would have been.
I encouraged a car full of classmates to light up back there. We called it "the emphysema cruiser". I picked it up for 50 bucks and drove it til knocky the rod bearing eating 4.1 decided to let go. I miss the Eldorado more than any other car. It was built in a time before the nanny state had a firm grasp on everyone and everything. When men were men and women were good cooks, and you could drive a car with a bench seat and a column shift without offending somebody. RIP knocky
I have been laughing my ass off at 2:49 for 25 years whenever I would see it on your blooper/outtake reels in the anniversary shows, & it is GREAT to finally see the test that it came from!!!!
Funny, my dad owns an 84 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz with only 60k orig miles. He's made it completely cherry with restored upholstery, a new vinyl top, new paint and whatnot. It's definitely a smooth cruiser and an eye catcher on the road
I've always loved square cars with quad headlights, grill, and slanted rear. It feels as American as Peterbilt or Harley-Davidson. Square car looks formal, beautiful, business like. Just like suit, tie, and aviation sun glasses. Curvy and sensual might be okay at times, but not all the time.
Hear hear! Love this look. Learned to drive in a 76 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. 2 door, black with deep red leather interior. Over 5300 pounds. Absolutely LOVED that car and would like to find one.
Here's a fun project. I know because I got it most of the way there. Take an 84 Eldorado with a bad HT4100 and swap with a 350 from a 78 Olds 88. Use a front engine mount from an early 80's Toro or Riv that had a 307 V8. The 350 blick was already tapped and threads were goid. Bolts right to the transaxle so no worries there. Possible downside: Divorce. This project wasn't the only factor, but didn't help. Hope y'all have better results should you choose to attempt it.
I had an '81, Black with Burgundy interior. I LOVED that car and wish I never sold it. I've owned many beautiful cars since then, but this is the only one I regret ever selling. A beautiful, timeless design, and I never could duplicate the feeling I had when driving it!
This reminds me of when my aunt bought my uncle his "dream car". He'd been a Mopar guy and had always talked about wanting a 70's Mopar muscle car. Well, in 2002 my sweet aunt drove by a local dealer that had the Chrysler, Dodge and Mopar sign outside. In the lot was a used 74 Cadillac Eldorado. Not knowing anything about cars and only seeing that it was at a Mopar shop, she bought it. It was really clean and she paid way more than she should've. Anyways, no one else had seen the car and we were only told she bought him muscle car. So my brother and I drove over one day and took him out to lunch like we did sometimes (He was in his mid 60's at this point) and while we were gone she had it brought over and put in the garage. When we came back and hit the garage door opener, there it was... a 74 Eldorado and a proud aunt with an ear to ear smile. My uncle didn't know what to do and stood there sooooooooo long. He hated GM. And it wasn't even a muscle car. He ended up coming clean later that day and told her it'd be best if they sold it. It sure was funny for my brother and me.
Took many road trips in an 82 Eldorado and 82 Toranado. Just amazing road cars very comfortable. Took my driving test in the 82 Eldorado and passed the parallel parking.
No need to jump 30 years ahead. You could get 110 hp from a 1,6 liter 4 pot in 1976 in the Mk I Golf GTI. Mid 80s, you could get 136/129 hp from a 1.8 16V in the Mk II GTI 16V or 150 hp from a 2.0 in the Opel Kadett GSI 16V.
I walked into Patrick Cadillac in 1984 and wrote out a check for $24k at the age of 28 and bought an Eldorado. One thing I remember is Cadillac went to an aluminum hood to save weight. Only problem was the aluminum expanded and contracted with changing Chicago weather differently than the paint so the paint started to spider web.
I remember my pastor bought a new Eldorado in the early 80's. My folks had an old dodge diplomat. I remember riding in back seat of that comfortable caddie, the smell of the leather and the smooth ride. That's when my love for Cadillacs began. Nothing beats the feelings that an old Cadillac stirs up.
Thank you for posting more GM videos like this. I look forward to more GM stories and tests from the past, They did the Eldorado Touring Coupe again in 1988-1990 again and then in 1992 with the redesign it was the high end Eldorado. At the end it was Cadillac ETC.
4:59 Those were some slippery seats! I remember when my pocket book slid off the seat and became entangled in my high heal causing a crash in to a concrete pillar. Fun times!
You (we all) can make fun of the motors a bit, but my father had this car and it was the bomb. When he brought it home it was the first electronic digital dash ever seen. I used to pretend it was KITT lol. Drove like a dream in a cloud too. Very reliable even the engine and cool style.
The El Dorado was interesting, if you pushed the buttons on the climate control in a certain sequence it would display trouble codes in 3 numbers. You needed to have a shop manual to decipher the codes though. It was an early OBD.
These Caddys had bad brakes, under performing Engines, suspension that a water bed would be envious of, but if you drive it, there's just a feeling of nostalgia, the smell of real leather, steering with my pinky, it just takes me back to a chill time.
@@carlosg1165 My Regal GS goes 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Superchargers > Turbos on the 3.8 motors. Come to think of it, Superchargers are better on anything with more than 4 cylinders.
They sounded good, but were terribly unreliable. My father had a similar radio in a Pontiac 6000, but instead of the Bose amps and speakers, it had a five band EQ as well as AM stereo. After a year, FM stopped working in stereo. We could still get AM stereo, but FM, except on cold mornings, would only play in mono. The Blaupunkt sourced cassette transport started having tracking issues and ate tapes regularly (probably why Audi and VW radios have always had Panasonic sourced transports). All in all, a great sounding radio, when you could get it to work properly.
+Kevin MacNutt I don't recall having that many radio problems with my 80's GM delco radios. By the time they started having problems, the were atleast 10 years old and the car had well over 100,000 miles by then.
Power and Speed are irrelevant when it comes to cars like this. It's all about style and saying to other mere mortals "Hey, see this, it means I'm better than you.".
We had a regular 85 Eldorado........dealer left over, for some reason had every single option offered by Cadillac, even the rare ones......dual power recliners, memory seats along with all the other popular options.
My dad had the 79' Eldo navy blue leather tufted , navy blue paint, stainless roof, car was striking everyone loved that car when it pulled up my mom practically cried when dad came home with it ! The key on this design was the 79' 80' had the Oldsmobile rocket 350ci with at that time amazing TBI fuel injection gave it reliability and good for time power yhose are the one's to get!
I absolutely love the '79 - '85 Eldorado. Saving up so I can get myself one as a college graduation present. If anyone at GM's reading this, just know that there is still a market among young buyers for stylish, comfortable cruisers.
@@LearnAboutFlow I've never seen a really good one for less than 6. It's not a lot, but also just because I have that much doesn't mean I can afford to spend that much.
@@saladbucket2528 Well, good luck, keeping in mind you're buying an unreliable 40 year old car that may not even have replacement parts available anymore. So if you're stretching to buy it in the first place, you should also take into consideration ongoing maintenance. But if you are a mechanic or mechanically inclined then it could be worth it. I say this from experience as I bought a very cheap German car owned by a mechanic but it still became a money pit.
the slant back Seville of 1980 was quite a sight to see in the dealership when it came out. Penske Cadillac in Menlo Park CA had the fanciest showroom you ever saw!
These had amazingly well behaved suspensions for being such big cars, especially for their time. You could slam on the brakes, and there was almost no nosedive. Then from a dead stop you could stomp on the accelerator and the rear end wouldn't crouch down. Except when you think about it, the engine probably wasn't powerful enough for that to happen. Eldos a few years earlier had a huge problem with the brake booster failing, among other things.
+scdevon I changed the head gaskets on my 4100 at 110K miles. They had been changed once already under warranty at 27K miles. The HT4100 was a great idea that was implemented poorly. Look at the aluminum V8 engines today - big difference. And look at what Cadillac is doing today! It's not really my cup of tea but they've made some excellent cars in the last ten years or so. My 4100 (in a Coupe de Ville) provided acceptable performance when it was running right. Highway mileage was pretty good too. Another advantage of the 4100 over the usual land yachts of the day is that they were lighter than the boat anchor blocks, which translates directly into better handling.
I got rid of it. It ran for 6 years and 80K miles more and it was knocking badly. I know what you're talking about because I changed the head gaskets and oil pump myself. The block is supported by a girdle and ridiculously long head bolts. It really sucks.
+scdevon So true! That awful engine 4.1 was an aluminum block with cast iron heads and was only 251 cubic inches and Cadillac had the gaul to put that little engine in the full size devilles even. Now that Eldorado and the full size were good cars by 1985 when they began using the 307 oldsmobile cast iron V8
My god, I don't usually like American cars but I can only wonder about the storm this would have created if it had come over here to the UK in 1984!!! Would have looked so futuristic for it's time.
Imagine how futuristic it would have been if they had this package available in 1979 when this platform came out. Unfortunately, They ended up dumping this platform in '86.
My grandfather was a Cadillac dealer back in the 70s & 80s. My dad had an Eldorado Touring Coupe. It was a unique vehicle that was a bit un Cadillac like. I think a bit ahead of it's time & not quite on par. My dad always preferred a firm European type vehicle. He always equipped his Cadillacs with HD suspension and/or touring suspension.
I'm a Mopar guy but its impossible to resist not looking at GMs. this is my favorite Cadillac I don't rightly know the years this body ran but I'm sure it was running in 1979 because HB halicki used two in the junkman. I especially like this sleek black 84 model with those white letter tires. thumbs up.
+71 Plymouth. Yes this was 1979-1985 Eldorado. I have a 1985 Eldorado Biarritz coupe finished in canary yellow. Take a look at my channel and you will see it.
+71 Plymouth. My favorite years for Mopar's are mostly the 50's and 60's era and my top favorite model is hands down the Chrysler Imperial from 1955 - 1968 only.
+AMCNorthstar 93 Hey,thanks for the reply,I'll be sure to check your 85 out,ought to be real interesting with that color combo on it,I see you like the BIG Mopar: imperial,yep that is the real definition of the word boat, hahaha,its a real big car. I'll check your video right now,see you in a second.
71 Plymouth. Yes I love the old Chrysler from the 50s and 60s. Those Imperials I would have to say are my top favorite even more than Cadillac and Lincoln during those years. I thought there was such great styling, options and performance from these cars that never really came back. Chrysler tried bringing back the Imperial nameplate at least twice and failed both times. But I also love most of the other model mopar's during the same years as well. To me they were the best years for Chrysler. I love the 50s/early 60's era!
Can someone please tell me what that beautiful area is that you were in at the beginning of this test?!!! I have also seen it in the '86 RX-7 test you uploaded a few weeks ago as well as briefly in your Detroit New Car Previews that I have on DVD. It looks like some sort of lumework or grist mill.
Scott Witkowski Yes its funny you should say that because I'm wanting to drop a Northstar V8 into an 84 Seville. I have been wanting to do it for a while now. I had an 85 Eldorado Biarritz but I recently sold it. But my 84 Seville is starting to develop some internal engine problems and its a perfect time to do an engine swap and have it remain Cadillac powered. :)
+AMCNorthstar 93 Awesome!!! If you get it done, please post a vid. My neighbor is working on a 472 swap in a 88 fleetwood, I'll try to post a vid when he's done.
Scott Witkowski Oh yes believe me I will post some vids. Apparently no one else has done this kind of swap before on an early 80's FWD Eldorado or Seville. I really want the modern day power and efficiency of the Northstar V8 in it instead of any of the older engines like the 307, 350 and such. But I am determined to somehow do it. And that's great that your neighbor is doing the same in the 88 Fleetwood.
That was only for the 1979 model year. The 6.0L was also a good engine. But even those two engines were very underpowered like the 4100 V8. But again that was the era and most cars were very slow during those years.
***** Yes that was a good engine the 8.2L or 500 cubic inch V8. Originally available only for the Eldorado beginning in 1970 and ending production in 1976. The power ratings dropped drastically beginning in 1974 as they were cut across the board on all passenger vehicles. The 425 engine would be its replacement starting for the 1977 model year. Good engine but low power ratings. In my opinion, one of the better Cadillac engines from the older era would be the 390/429 engines from 1959-67. I have a 1961 Cadillac with the 390 V8 and its much better in several ways than the later 500 and 425 engines. Its more powerful and also much much more fuel efficient.
Cadillac's for yesterday all should have a V8 engine and nothing less. The GM 3.8L V6 would not have the power to pull these big cars around very efficiently. These were just not good years for engines across the board except for only a couple models.
@@lamontmcdaniels322 Mine had the Olds 307 (vin Y). Slick as glass, durable, but definitely not fast. I may have the year wrong, but it was the last year of the 307 Riviera I believe.
That opening shot is at the Union Mills Homestead north of Westminster MD. I've seen that sundial a many a time, and watched the grist mill water wheel go around since I was a kid l'm 41 now. I was 8 when they did this review I'd turn 9 on Dec 28th 1985.
+Birdcall24 Why does that suck?? That's one of the top reasons why they were so popular and stood out from the rest and from its rival the Lincoln Mark coupe.
AMCNorthstar 93 Personal preference, no burnouts, no fun, the car seems out of proportion, all the weight of the drivetrain over the front end, wears tires fast in the front, torque steer . It's just my opinion, I own a lincoln mark viii (96) its front engine rwd layout, and it's a blast to drive. I could have gotten the fwd 1996 eldorado but it had the shit northstar in it. rwd is they way the original american personal luxury cars were back in the day and thats the way they should stay. If you like the 80s fwd eldorado, more power to you, but id get the fleetwood coupe or the coupe deville if i were so inclined to buy a cadi, again, just my opinion
That Eldorado is fucking sweet. That blacked out trim won me over so I guess it does appeal to the younger crowd. I love these kinds of old land yachts. They're just so damn manly. This is the kind of car that will make you want to start smoking. Also for some reason I like the weird design it has with a transversely mounted v8 in this fwd car. I'd like to try to hop up that poor choked smog era engine to see what it can do. I think it would look bad ass with a big supercharger ,mounted transversely with the motor, sticking out of the hood.
I looked it up and yup you're right. I got it mixed up with the 9th gen '86-'91 models. A newer caddy with the transverse engine layout and a massive supercharger would still be cool though.
0-60 in 13 seconds. Wow I'm underwhelmed. Of course the speed limit across the country was a ridiculous 55mph. No wonder people switched to Mercedes , BMW and Audi.
These are great looking cars except in Touring Coupe trim. White letter tires and blacked out trim are the equivalent of a four-wheeled mullet, but I like the interior and wheels. If they had retained the 1980 Cadillac 368 or 1979 Oldsmobile 350 throughout the 79-85 run I think these would be remembered more favorably, but there's no excuse for the poor, noisy performance and miserable reliability of the 4.1. My favorite Eldorado generation is 1967-1970 because of their styling, engines and build quality.
I wouldn't call the 4100's noisy. In fact these were pretty smooth quiet engines at the time. the reliability was terrible on the early engines and improved quite a bit by 1985. The biggest thing was to follow the maintenance schedule by the book. Owners that did that generally had better luck from what I have seen and quite a few of these are still driving around at car shows and Summer drivers with the original engine.
@@ponchoman49 Compared to the 425 and 368, I consider the 4100 noisy because it lacks the torque to get up to speed and the power to stay there, so it's downshifting a lot. I worked in a Cadillac service department in the 90's, and people who had been there in the 80s remember a constant row of 4100 cars awaiting Goodwrench engine replacements. While I worked there, a woman with a beautiful 1986 Coupe deVille in a purple/mauve color came in for engine noise. Her car needed new main bearings, lifters, and cam at 25,000 miles due to coolant leaking into the oil via a leak in the intake manifold coolant passage; she was the original owner, and all of her services had been done at the correct mileage/time intervals at the dealer. It's a shame Cadillac allowed this engine to production in the state it was in because I think it resulted in a lot of lost customers, although luckily the 4.5 and 4.9 engines largely remedied the 4100's problems and drove considerably better. I love the appearance of most of the cars the 4100 came in, and like the look of the 4100 with their nice chrome or aluminum valve covers. I just wish they were more durable.
I surely do missed this generation Eldorado, '79-'85 model. Too bad you don't see hardly any of them on the streets anymore. This Eldorado is not my favorite generation of Eldorados but it had road presence at that time.
LOL Cadillac-" Let's make the Eldorado sporty!" Then puts the emasculated 4.1 V8 that achieves 0-60 in 13.1 seconds. That's pathetic even for the performance dark ages of the early 80's. I do like the body style though! So much wasted potential....
In all fairness nothing was even remotely fast in the early 1980's even Mustangs and Corvettes. Mileage, drive-ability and emissions were more important at the time but power was starting to make a comeback by the mid 1980's.
+ChemicalNBC Wrong, born in 1981. Like I mentioned in my comment, I realize it was a dark time for performance, but there were bigger and better engines GM could have used. The 84 Hurst/Olds put out around 180hp in the 5.0, and even Buick's Turbo T put out around 200hp. The Eldorado was one of GM's most expensive cars you could buy at the time and G.M. called it sporty. Instead of using some clearly better engines available, they instead went with one of the weakest V8s they had......BTW I'm a lifelong GM buyer and love these old sedans, just saying they deserved and could have gotten better....
+ponchoman49 Exactly why I said in my comment that this was the performance dark ages. If you watch the video it said Cadillac was wanting to lure younger buyers. See my comment to " ChemicalNBC. I actually love these old coupes. My original comment was blasting GM for calling something "sporty" and then giving it one of the weakest V8s in the company's lineup. You have to admit GM could have done better even with the emission and fuel economy concerns.
That 251" 4.1L V8 should have been putting out 250 HP instead of a wimpy 135 HP... the automakers were just punishing us consumers for allowing the Govt to put emissions standards on them... And also pleasing the insurance companies that wanted less power...
sonnywitdamoney There are always exceptions to any rule, of course. But yes, I would consider all of those "fails". The C4 Vette was awful, as was the TA, Monte and Camaro. The Grand National was the exception.. Though even it still suffered from ugly 80's shoebox syndrome.. I notice you only mentioned GM products, some sort of GM fanboy are ya?
sonnywitdamoney Yeah, there were some improvements made.. But I don't think the Vette became a seriously balanced performance contender again until the C5's arrival in 97' : )
Not a good period of time for cars. Makers must have been clueless in how to build power with reasonable economy and long term reliability. Also, 3800lb really isn't a VERY heavy car. At the time car makers still believed that a luxury ride included a suspension made from gummy bears and so the car dives and rolls and like a submarine.
+scott l Makers weren't clueless, as the 50's and 60's saw great strides in power, economy, and reliability. Some of the most well regarded engines came out of those years. But by 1984 they were still struggling to meet the emissions regulations of the last ten years without detuning the hell out of all the engines which is what they all resorted to. This is when a new Corvette made 205 horses… Some systems which addressed fuel economy like Cadillac's V-8-6-4 cylinder deactivation were not very reliable. But you can chalk that up to growing pains, as deactivation is just now coming into it's own in recent years.
+Mista Butterworth I probably should have been more specific. The latter 70's through the mid 80's was the time I was referring to that did not produce notably good cars. When I saw the transverse 1985 GM 3.8 with Sequential Port Fuel injection I began to get a feeling that things were coming around. My parents ending up getting 3 cars with the same engine (gradually more hp). Not a single engine issue. Air con, fuel pump sure those had issues. But going back to say 1979, hydraulic valve lifters needing replacement on a GM 350 in a Bonneville boat at 30,000 miles now that's junk...and the fit and finish was terrible.
scott l Fit and finish issues in the 70's and 80's would have been the result of years of cost cutting in Detroit. For example, it took 58 years for Cadillac to build their three-millionth car, and only 13 years to build their 6 millionth. By the 1970's, emphasis in Detroit was definitely on cost-cutting and production volume over quality. With the proverbial budget bean counters dictating what even the most talented engineers could offer. Naturally though, with import brands coming to the forefront with higher quality products, taking advantage of Detroit's complacency, that could not continue. That's the good thing about market competition, everyone has to bring their best. Which is why GM and the other US automakers gradually regained their edge, which they're still fighting to keep.
+scott l Yes the 70's and 80's were not great years for cars in general. However of all of them only the Cadillac's and Lincoln's were your best choices for these years. Not every model was great but most were good like this generation Eldorado. These years was also not great years for engines or performance either. Not until the 90's did cars start changing for the better and the power and performance coming back full swing once again like in the 60's. I have an 1985 Eldorado Biarritz and its an excellent car overall. Believe it or not it still feels new and still has that expensive look and feel even though its 30 years old now. Not many cars you can say that about.
These cars were good with the 6.0 engine,when they put in the 4.1 it killed the car,i had 2 with the 6.0 and loved it ,then I bought an 85 with he 4.1 and hated,it was ridiculously slow,impossible to drive
Yes I gotta say this is probably my least favorite engine by Cadillac. But then again that was the era and not much better choices of engines during these years. I recently sold an 81 Sedan Deville with less than 50k with the 864 engine and ran beautiful.....but it too was underpowered and slow just like the 4100. I have an 84 Seville and I so badly want to swap in a Cadillac Northstar V8.which would make that car the ultimate sleeper Cadillac!
Older engines,425,500,368,or go the Oldsmobile way,350,307,i believe Oldsmobile 350 will be the cheapest to rebuild,with an intake of a 79 Eldo the 4100 injection will work,there's also the issue of the trans,the only 4sp is 1981
peter455sd Oh thanks man but I'm actually planning a custom setup using a 32V Northstar. I already have a 350 from a 79 Eldorado but I want the newer technology and performance. Believe it or not, the best older Cadillac engine was the 390/429 that was used on 1959-67 Cadillac's. My oldest Cadillac is a 1961 Fleetwood 60 special and it performs much better than later big blocks of the 70s era. It is more fuel efficient as well than later engines. Just a FYI for you. :) I been around Cadillac's all my life. I had family that worked at the Cadillac plant in Detroit.
Авто/Мото
That bow at the end of that spin just made it perfect
The Eldorado TC would have been awesome if they would have put the same Buick 3.8 V6 Turbo they put in the Grand National. Instead they gave you the 4.1 Liter boat anchor.
I love the workers on the early Motorweek...they were characters
@@jayson657 Something like it was available at your Buick dealer. It was called the Riviera T-Type. Of course, that turbo wasn't up to GNX levels of power at the time...
Love the way Stig's granddad jumped out of the car and took a deep bow.
I love Cadillac Eldorado 1980s, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 is my favorite
Grandpa
"We need a sporty Cadillac gentlemen! How much more per unit would it cost to put in the 350 TPI corvette motor?"
"$140 sir"
"What!?!? Nevermind! Just paint the trim moldings."
LOL! must have been a bunch of noodle spined nerds running GM back then. Scared to try anything different.
This is so true. GM was building some real crapboxes in the early 80's but that '84 Corvette was awesome at the time.
Rick James have you not seen any of the CTV models? also GM put a Cadi body on the Vette chasis and motor. I forgot what it was called tho. only made it 1-2 years. bad ass too
osp80 CTS-V yes. what was that "Vette" styled one Cadi had? that was a bad ass mama jamma!
XLR!!!
My '85 had 5 cigrit lighters and ashtrays. If you push them all at once it blows the fuse.
Lol. You tried?
That's awesome.:)
LOL
+frankbergmanII Yeah, the number of lighters and ashtrays declined along with smoking rates.
I remember in 1999, seeing new American cars that required an optional ashtray that took up space in the cupholder. My mom bought a new Honda CRV then, there was still an ashtray, but there was a dust cover where the lighter would have been.
+frankbergmanII Today evey passanger can charge their mobile phone if they don't smoke
I encouraged a car full of classmates to light up back there. We called it "the emphysema cruiser". I picked it up for 50 bucks and drove it til knocky the rod bearing eating 4.1 decided to let go.
I miss the Eldorado more than any other car. It was built in a time before the nanny state had a firm grasp on everyone and everything. When men were men and women were good cooks, and you could drive a car with a bench seat and a column shift without offending somebody. RIP knocky
I have been laughing my ass off at 2:49 for 25 years whenever I would see it on your blooper/outtake reels in the anniversary shows, & it is GREAT to finally see the test that it came from!!!!
Funny, my dad owns an 84 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz with only 60k orig miles. He's made it completely cherry with restored upholstery, a new vinyl top, new paint and whatnot. It's definitely a smooth cruiser and an eye catcher on the road
The pimps choice of 80's transportation.
And Lincoln!
And chain wearing grease-balls in the NJ, Philly, New York area.
scdevon woooah. Easy there
Most pimps were still pimpin boat tail Rivs well into the 80's.....
The pimp at 5:50 would def rock this caddy with two D's for a double dose of the pimping.
I've always loved square cars with quad headlights, grill, and slanted rear. It feels as American as Peterbilt or Harley-Davidson. Square car looks formal, beautiful, business like. Just like suit, tie, and aviation sun glasses. Curvy and sensual might be okay at times, but not all the time.
Chrysler had the firsts Quad headlights Caddy copied them but Chrysler s was upside down.
I know exactly what you're saying.
what I'd give for a first gen. mint condition black Town Car...
Hear hear! Love this look. Learned to drive in a 76 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. 2 door, black with deep red leather interior. Over 5300 pounds. Absolutely LOVED that car and would like to find one.
Here's a fun project. I know because I got it most of the way there. Take an 84 Eldorado with a bad HT4100 and swap with a 350 from a 78 Olds 88. Use a front engine mount from an early 80's Toro or Riv that had a 307 V8. The 350 blick was already tapped and threads were goid. Bolts right to the transaxle so no worries there.
Possible downside: Divorce. This project wasn't the only factor, but didn't help. Hope y'all have better results should you choose to attempt it.
After the 'controllable spin', I loved how the driver got out to 'take a bow' at the 2:56 mark! Purposeful and well done sir.
I had an '81, Black with Burgundy interior. I LOVED that car and wish I never sold it. I've owned many beautiful cars since then, but this is the only one I regret ever selling. A beautiful, timeless design, and I never could duplicate the feeling I had when driving it!
This reminds me of when my aunt bought my uncle his "dream car". He'd been a Mopar guy and had always talked about wanting a 70's Mopar muscle car. Well, in 2002 my sweet aunt drove by a local dealer that had the Chrysler, Dodge and Mopar sign outside. In the lot was a used 74 Cadillac Eldorado. Not knowing anything about cars and only seeing that it was at a Mopar shop, she bought it. It was really clean and she paid way more than she should've. Anyways, no one else had seen the car and we were only told she bought him muscle car. So my brother and I drove over one day and took him out to lunch like we did sometimes (He was in his mid 60's at this point) and while we were gone she had it brought over and put in the garage. When we came back and hit the garage door opener, there it was... a 74 Eldorado and a proud aunt with an ear to ear smile. My uncle didn't know what to do and stood there sooooooooo long. He hated GM. And it wasn't even a muscle car. He ended up coming clean later that day and told her it'd be best if they sold it. It sure was funny for my brother and me.
That stunt/test driver looks like he's having a fucking blast!
Took many road trips in an 82 Eldorado and 82 Toranado. Just amazing road cars very comfortable. Took my driving test in the 82 Eldorado and passed the parallel parking.
That opening statement could have been for the next 20 years with regards to Cadillac.
The art & science models, starting with the CTS in 2003, was the beginning of Cadillac's resurgence.
Yay.. Exactly, I found in my mind before I found it here in the comment section.
I thought it was the 2000 Deville with the Night Vision and Touch Screen Navigation. It wore the most recent Cadillac Badge.
dstarks80 I love those 2000 DeVilles. Such beautiful cars, I hope to own one one day.
30 years later, you can get 130 HP from a 1.0 liter 4 cylinder.
+Cristian Nicolae Amazing how technology has come and what it can do. Remember this was the 80's and wasn't known for great engines or performance.
Ford Ecoboost 0.9l 3 cylinder has 125hp, so yes, 135hp from a 4.1l V8 is just pathetic. It was even in the 80's though.
Janne Väätäinen Its an old school luxury car, speed and efficiency was not the priority with these vehicles.
No need to jump 30 years ahead. You could get 110 hp from a 1,6 liter 4 pot in 1976 in the Mk I Golf GTI. Mid 80s, you could get 136/129 hp from a 1.8 16V in the Mk II GTI 16V or 150 hp from a 2.0 in the Opel Kadett GSI 16V.
Cristian Nicolae Lol--Yeah, with the A/C on fullblast! Lol
who cares if its slow? this thing is pimpin'!
It would be fine with a ctsv engine now lol.
135hp even for 1984 was bollocks.
+daz samuels 4100 V8s were bog slow in these 3800 lb. sleds even by 1984 standards.
+paradoxdesigns I haven't heard something referred to as (pimpin) in 20 years.
That's right! The engine will get us from point A to B.
Right..
I walked into Patrick Cadillac in 1984 and wrote out a check for $24k at the age of 28 and bought an Eldorado. One thing I remember is Cadillac went to an aluminum hood to save weight. Only problem was the aluminum expanded and contracted with changing Chicago weather differently than the paint so the paint started to spider web.
I remember my pastor bought a new Eldorado in the early 80's. My folks had an old dodge diplomat. I remember riding in back seat of that comfortable caddie, the smell of the leather and the smooth ride. That's when my love for Cadillacs began. Nothing beats the feelings that an old Cadillac stirs up.
Fuck off
Scott Witkowski So he did huh?
You sound like a real jerk JAY DEE
Philip Brown How am I a Jerk? I just asked a question.
+Jay Dee you sound like a real bitch Jay Dee
Such great uploads. LOVE these Retro Reviews!
Thank you for posting more GM videos like this. I look forward to more GM stories and tests from the past, They did the Eldorado Touring Coupe again in 1988-1990 again and then in 1992 with the redesign it was the high end Eldorado. At the end it was Cadillac ETC.
4:59 Those were some slippery seats! I remember when my pocket book slid off the seat and became entangled in my high heal causing a crash in to a concrete pillar. Fun times!
Blanca W Did you have any injuries.
Blanca W 👀👀👀
Unfortunately, she broke a breast implant in that accident.
You (we all) can make fun of the motors a bit, but my father had this car and it was the bomb. When he brought it home it was the first electronic digital dash ever seen. I used to pretend it was KITT lol. Drove like a dream in a cloud too. Very reliable even the engine and cool style.
I like how 2:31 through the slalom is the most watched moment. It's pure comedy! 😂🙂
The El Dorado was interesting, if you pushed the buttons on the climate control in a certain sequence it would display trouble codes in 3 numbers. You needed to have a shop manual to decipher the codes though. It was an early OBD.
And, the codes for OBD-1 were NOT stored in memory!
Hand cut dashboard from genuine 3/8" plywood.....
Edward Bernard it was plastic
@@troyp9485 it's irony
Simulated lifelike plywood.
Awesome video motor week. Gorgeous Cadillac!!! Please make more videos!! Your the best!!
These Caddys had bad brakes, under performing Engines, suspension that a water bed would be envious of, but if you drive it, there's just a feeling of nostalgia, the smell of real leather, steering with my pinky, it just takes me back to a chill time.
A Buick 3.8 turbo would go great with this caddy
It would depend on the gearing ratios of the Transmission and front diff.
That would make a fun sleeper
Front wheel drive? no thanks
Riviera had 3.8 turbo goes to 60 mph in 8 seconds .
@@carlosg1165 My Regal GS goes 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Superchargers > Turbos on the 3.8 motors. Come to think of it, Superchargers are better on anything with more than 4 cylinders.
Love the Kenny Rogers on the Delco/BOSE stereo!
The gambler right?
@@gages9061 sure is
"The 4 wheel disc brakes did a splendid job!" He says as the car loses control and slides sideways lol
These are the cars that I own myself. I glad someone finally posted a motor week video on this car. Thanks!!!!!!
Love the body style of this era Eldorado, although I prefer the more traditional look of the formal models. Lovely cars from a bygone era!
Those early delco radios were no joke! Even the non bose radios kicked butt.
They sounded good, but were terribly unreliable. My father had a similar radio in a Pontiac 6000, but instead of the Bose amps and speakers, it had a five band EQ as well as AM stereo.
After a year, FM stopped working in stereo. We could still get AM stereo, but FM, except on cold mornings, would only play in mono.
The Blaupunkt sourced cassette transport started having tracking issues and ate tapes regularly (probably why Audi and VW radios have always had Panasonic sourced transports).
All in all, a great sounding radio, when you could get it to work properly.
+Kevin MacNutt I don't recall having that many radio problems with my 80's GM delco radios. By the time they started having problems, the were atleast 10 years old and the car had well over 100,000 miles by then.
Just bought an '84 Eldorado. White with a VERY red interior. So far I'm loving it.
Keep us updated on how well it ages. Good luck!
That dashboard looks so amazing!
A traditional Caddy body with "blackout" trim just looks wrong, like it was a cheap repaint without any masking tape!
I agree, and those muscle car tires have to go, nothing like them belongs on a Caddy!
Power and Speed are irrelevant when it comes to cars like this. It's all about style and saying to other mere mortals "Hey, see this, it means I'm better than you.".
How is 13 sec 0-60 times ok?I had a diesel Chevette that was faster!
@@231gnx I agree... luxury to me includes power, or at least reasonable performance, which these cars didn't have.
My dad back then had an 85 Eldorado Biarritz white with red leather. It was a beautiful car.
The brakes did a splendid job ...Magnificent straight line !
When the guy jumped out of the car after he spun it around, I thought he was gonna vomit as fast as he jumped out.
the olds 307 would be a great option for this car
Love the bow, power plant problems quickly? Like the piston sleeves dropping out the bottom of the block.
We had a regular 85 Eldorado........dealer left over, for some reason had every single option offered by Cadillac, even the rare ones......dual power recliners, memory seats along with all the other popular options.
A "big whale"? by 1984 standards it's a mid sizer. When it was new at the end of the 1970s, it wasn't much bigger than a "compact" Chevrolet Nova.
ITS A GORGEOUS CLASSIC AND WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS A KEEPER RARE BARN FIND
My dad had the 79' Eldo navy blue leather tufted , navy blue paint, stainless roof, car was striking everyone loved that car when it pulled up my mom practically cried when dad came home with it ! The key on this design was the 79' 80' had the Oldsmobile rocket 350ci with at that time amazing TBI fuel injection gave it reliability and good for time power yhose are the one's to get!
I absolutely love the '79 - '85 Eldorado. Saving up so I can get myself one as a college graduation present. If anyone at GM's reading this, just know that there is still a market among young buyers for stylish, comfortable cruisers.
saving up? Aren't these like $1,000?
@@LearnAboutFlow I've never seen a really good one for less than 6. It's not a lot, but also just because I have that much doesn't mean I can afford to spend that much.
@@saladbucket2528 Well, good luck, keeping in mind you're buying an unreliable 40 year old car that may not even have replacement parts available anymore. So if you're stretching to buy it in the first place, you should also take into consideration ongoing maintenance. But if you are a mechanic or mechanically inclined then it could be worth it. I say this from experience as I bought a very cheap German car owned by a mechanic but it still became a money pit.
this guy and his mustache 5:48
The legend that IS Craig Singhaus right there.
Perfect pimp mobile.. i would love to have one in pristine condition..
it's not expensive thank god I'm 16 now I'm tryin save up for one so I want have to take the shitty azz bus anymore
Easy to fix to....
the slant back Seville of 1980 was quite a sight to see in the dealership when it came out. Penske Cadillac in Menlo Park CA had the fanciest showroom you ever saw!
These had amazingly well behaved suspensions for being such big cars, especially for their time. You could slam on the brakes, and there was almost no nosedive. Then from a dead stop you could stomp on the accelerator and the rear end wouldn't crouch down. Except when you think about it, the engine probably wasn't powerful enough for that to happen. Eldos a few years earlier had a huge problem with the brake booster failing, among other things.
Think this car has aged really well.
Joseph Rogers Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Compared to what? Soviet cars of the same era?
+Kevin MacNutt Have you driven a Lada?
+Joseph Rogers The styling but not the drive train. I agree.
+Dan Buker I agree, all Caddy's should be RWD
"How many 4100 engines does a Cadillac Eldorado have"?
(As many as the owner can afford).
+scdevon I know that's right ... LOL ...
+LENOVOVO You are so right! lol
+scdevon
I changed the head gaskets on my 4100 at 110K miles. They had been changed once already under warranty at 27K miles.
The HT4100 was a great idea that was implemented poorly. Look at the aluminum V8 engines today - big difference. And look at what Cadillac is doing today! It's not really my cup of tea but they've made some excellent cars in the last ten years or so.
My 4100 (in a Coupe de Ville) provided acceptable performance when it was running right. Highway mileage was pretty good too. Another advantage of the 4100 over the usual land yachts of the day is that they were lighter than the boat anchor blocks, which translates directly into better handling.
I got rid of it. It ran for 6 years and 80K miles more and it was knocking badly.
I know what you're talking about because I changed the head gaskets and oil pump myself. The block is supported by a girdle and ridiculously long head bolts. It really sucks.
+scdevon So true! That awful engine 4.1 was an aluminum block with cast iron heads and was only 251 cubic inches and Cadillac had the gaul to put that little engine in the full size devilles even. Now that Eldorado and the full size were good cars by 1985 when they began using the 307 oldsmobile cast iron V8
Love these old cars
Those caddys had junk motors, they should have kept the olds 350 in production.
mcqueenfanman the gas crisis stopped all that.
Despite the fact that those engines sucked just as much gas as the Olds 350.
I had the 79 Baritz with the 350ci Olds engine and no engine problems ever!
Or Chevy 350 V8. 5.7L
@@ephraimfink9010 Wouldn't be an easy swap with the fwd transmission, oil filter and starter are on the wrong side.
"Quick, but controllable spin" hahaahahhahahaa
Aleksandar Andreev :imagine that “controllable spin” in traffic...
The dude testing the car is CRUSHING it with that mustache!
My god, I don't usually like American cars but I can only wonder about the storm this would have created if it had come over here to the UK in 1984!!! Would have looked so futuristic for it's time.
Imagine how futuristic it would have been if they had this package available in 1979 when this platform came out. Unfortunately, They ended up dumping this platform in '86.
+RetroGamerVX It's still futuristic in Cuba, LOL ! ! !
The tires and rims do not look right for that car.
My grandfather was a Cadillac dealer back in the 70s & 80s. My dad had an Eldorado Touring Coupe. It was a unique vehicle that was a bit un Cadillac like. I think a bit ahead of it's time & not quite on par. My dad always preferred a firm European type vehicle. He always equipped his Cadillacs with HD suspension and/or touring suspension.
Drop a modern LS in a well-preserved example of this, and we can talk. I love the looks.
I'm a Mopar guy but its impossible to resist not looking at GMs. this is my favorite Cadillac I don't rightly know the years this body ran but I'm sure it was running in 1979 because HB halicki used two in the junkman. I especially like this sleek black 84 model with those white letter tires. thumbs up.
+71 Plymouth. Yes this was 1979-1985 Eldorado. I have a 1985 Eldorado Biarritz coupe finished in canary yellow. Take a look at my channel and you will see it.
+71 Plymouth. My favorite years for Mopar's are mostly the 50's and 60's era and my top favorite model is hands down the Chrysler Imperial from 1955 - 1968 only.
+AMCNorthstar 93 Hey,thanks for the reply,I'll be sure to check your 85 out,ought to be real interesting with that color combo on it,I see you like the BIG Mopar: imperial,yep that is the real definition of the word boat, hahaha,its a real big car. I'll check your video right now,see you in a second.
71 Plymouth. Yes I love the old Chrysler from the 50s and 60s. Those Imperials I would have to say are my top favorite even more than Cadillac and Lincoln during those years. I thought there was such great styling, options and performance from these cars that never really came back. Chrysler tried bringing back the Imperial nameplate at least twice and failed both times. But I also love most of the other model mopar's during the same years as well. To me they were the best years for Chrysler. I love the 50s/early 60's era!
AMCNorthstar 93 Yep,you're exactly right up to a tee on everything you said.
I wished they tested the 1971 to 1978 generation that was my favorite
Can someone please tell me what that beautiful area is that you were in at the beginning of this test?!!! I have also seen it in the '86 RX-7 test you uploaded a few weeks ago as well as briefly in your Detroit New Car Previews that I have on DVD. It looks like some sort of lumework or grist mill.
Cadillac Eldorado 79-85, 85 is my year favorite
Bravo to the driver from 2:50 to 3:00. Hahaha
Craig's bow was perfect
Modern engineering with old-school style, would be make cars interesting again. Most cars look like fancy toasters these days.
That stunt driver is awesome. I like him! lol
I drove lots of those in the 80's, nice cars
The darkest era of Cadillac...
Both 70s and 80s were not the best years for Cadillac or the other brands.
+AMCNorthstar 93 Yeah, but it's beautiful and rides great. Imagine a Northstar under the hood, and that would be a dream car.
Scott Witkowski Yes its funny you should say that because I'm wanting to drop a Northstar V8 into an 84 Seville. I have been wanting to do it for a while now. I had an 85 Eldorado Biarritz but I recently sold it. But my 84 Seville is starting to develop some internal engine problems and its a perfect time to do an engine swap and have it remain Cadillac powered. :)
+AMCNorthstar 93 Awesome!!! If you get it done, please post a vid. My neighbor is working on a 472 swap in a 88 fleetwood, I'll try to post a vid when he's done.
Scott Witkowski Oh yes believe me I will post some vids. Apparently no one else has done this kind of swap before on an early 80's FWD Eldorado or Seville. I really want the modern day power and efficiency of the Northstar V8 in it instead of any of the older engines like the 307, 350 and such. But I am determined to somehow do it. And that's great that your neighbor is doing the same in the 88 Fleetwood.
Probablly needed head gaskets after the track time!
Ha ha I was thinking the same thing lol!
I had a white 83 Biarritz model with the Astro Roof. Total pimp ride.
Classic! Wish I could own one now
I love these but would take a Mark VII over this any day of the week
Oscar Ogg I used to own a MK vii would take one of these over it any day of the week!
5.7 v8 350 Cadillac Eldorado was the best
That was only for the 1979 model year. The 6.0L was also a good engine. But even those two engines were very underpowered like the 4100 V8. But again that was the era and most cars were very slow during those years.
***** Yes that was a good engine the 8.2L or 500 cubic inch V8. Originally available only for the Eldorado beginning in 1970 and ending production in 1976. The power ratings dropped drastically beginning in 1974 as they were cut across the board on all passenger vehicles. The 425 engine would be its replacement starting for the 1977 model year. Good engine but low power ratings. In my opinion, one of the better Cadillac engines from the older era would be the 390/429 engines from 1959-67. I have a 1961 Cadillac with the 390 V8 and its much better in several ways than the later 500 and 425 engines. Its more powerful and also much much more fuel efficient.
they should have used the 3.8 V6 which was a great engine bulletproof and good mileage. None of these cars needed a V8
Cadillac's for yesterday all should have a V8 engine and nothing less. The GM 3.8L V6 would not have the power to pull these big cars around very efficiently. These were just not good years for engines across the board except for only a couple models.
AMCNorthstar 93 are you kidding? I had a 86 Olds Regency 98 same size as Eldo 3.8 pulled it with lots of power and 25 mpg to boot
I had an 85 Riviera.. In 1997 lol. I loved that car. Slow as hell but dang was it slick.
What type of engine you remember?
@@lamontmcdaniels322 Mine had the Olds 307 (vin Y). Slick as glass, durable, but definitely not fast.
I may have the year wrong, but it was the last year of the 307 Riviera I believe.
Thank god for progress...
Ahhh the 80s. When that guys hairstyle and glasses were still acceptable. Such a depraved era
Don't forget the guy's Tom Selleck/porn star mustache.
ScaryGhost1 And he was quite proud of it too! 5:48
Don't worry, in 30 year's time today's disheveled look and scraggly beards will look bizarre and funny......
05gtdriver got that right
13.1 0-60
That thing is a dog.
+jezuzfreek777 True that. Chevy Aveo feels like a Ferrari compared to this boat.
But it has a VEEEE8888 LOL
Especially a V8
Slow, isn't it?
Givanni what do you mean? shame on you
I have an 85 Biarritz classic mint no scrape or anything love it with 42 thousand miles
That opening shot is at the Union Mills Homestead north of Westminster MD. I've seen that sundial a many a time, and watched the grist mill
water wheel go around since I was a kid l'm 41 now. I was 8 when they did this review I'd turn 9 on Dec 28th 1985.
I didn't know this was a FWD vehicle. Wow, what a blow to my fantasy!
+Jason Hupfer Likewise
+Jason Hupfer The eldorado has been FWD since 1967 which sucks because the look of the seventh generation cadillac is my favorite look.
Whoa! I did NOT know that!
+Birdcall24 Why does that suck?? That's one of the top reasons why they were so popular and stood out from the rest and from its rival the Lincoln Mark coupe.
AMCNorthstar 93 Personal preference, no burnouts, no fun, the car seems out of proportion, all the weight of the drivetrain over the front end, wears tires fast in the front, torque steer . It's just my opinion, I own a lincoln mark viii (96) its front engine rwd layout, and it's a blast to drive. I could have gotten the fwd 1996 eldorado but it had the shit northstar in it. rwd is they way the original american personal luxury cars were back in the day and thats the way they should stay. If you like the 80s fwd eldorado, more power to you, but id get the fleetwood coupe or the coupe deville if i were so inclined to buy a cadi, again, just my opinion
Love the looks of this series. Yeah, they have their issues (4.1) but the styling transcends time and space
Never really liked this generation of Eldo, but in this trim it looks damn good. I'd like to get one and drop some modern power in it!
I love the all black Touring Coupe. I wish I still had one. Hard to find now.
That Eldorado is fucking sweet. That blacked out trim won me over so I guess it does appeal to the younger crowd. I love these kinds of old land yachts. They're just so damn manly. This is the kind of car that will make you want to start smoking. Also for some reason I like the weird design it has with a transversely mounted v8 in this fwd car. I'd like to try to hop up that poor choked smog era engine to see what it can do. I think it would look bad ass with a big supercharger ,mounted transversely with the motor, sticking out of the hood.
+damagingspark7
the v8 was not mounted transversely, it faced forward as normal
It is mounted longitudinally.
I looked it up and yup you're right. I got it mixed up with the 9th gen '86-'91 models. A newer caddy with the transverse engine layout and a massive supercharger would still be cool though.
0-60 in 13 seconds. Wow I'm underwhelmed. Of course the speed limit across the country was a ridiculous 55mph. No wonder people switched to Mercedes , BMW and Audi.
What do you think was rolls royce 0-60 back then
I like when they gave the opinions of other MW staff on the early episodes.
Loved the bow!
These are great looking cars except in Touring Coupe trim. White letter tires and blacked out trim are the equivalent of a four-wheeled mullet, but I like the interior and wheels. If they had retained the 1980 Cadillac 368 or 1979 Oldsmobile 350 throughout the 79-85 run I think these would be remembered more favorably, but there's no excuse for the poor, noisy performance and miserable reliability of the 4.1. My favorite Eldorado generation is 1967-1970 because of their styling, engines and build quality.
I wouldn't call the 4100's noisy. In fact these were pretty smooth quiet engines at the time. the reliability was terrible on the early engines and improved quite a bit by 1985. The biggest thing was to follow the maintenance schedule by the book. Owners that did that generally had better luck from what I have seen and quite a few of these are still driving around at car shows and Summer drivers with the original engine.
@@ponchoman49 Compared to the 425 and 368, I consider the 4100 noisy because it lacks the torque to get up to speed and the power to stay there, so it's downshifting a lot. I worked in a Cadillac service department in the 90's, and people who had been there in the 80s remember a constant row of 4100 cars awaiting Goodwrench engine replacements. While I worked there, a woman with a beautiful 1986 Coupe deVille in a purple/mauve color came in for engine noise. Her car needed new main bearings, lifters, and cam at 25,000 miles due to coolant leaking into the oil via a leak in the intake manifold coolant passage; she was the original owner, and all of her services had been done at the correct mileage/time intervals at the dealer. It's a shame Cadillac allowed this engine to production in the state it was in because I think it resulted in a lot of lost customers, although luckily the 4.5 and 4.9 engines largely remedied the 4100's problems and drove considerably better. I love the appearance of most of the cars the 4100 came in, and like the look of the 4100 with their nice chrome or aluminum valve covers. I just wish they were more durable.
2:44 That is one of the worst handling cars I've seen. It's a death trap...
lfsracer79 😁😁😁
I surely do missed this generation Eldorado, '79-'85 model. Too bad you don't see hardly any of them on the streets anymore. This Eldorado is not my favorite generation of Eldorados but it had road presence at that time.
My friend Master P is in love with this car.
LOL Cadillac-" Let's make the Eldorado sporty!" Then puts the emasculated 4.1 V8 that achieves 0-60 in 13.1 seconds. That's pathetic even for the performance dark ages of the early 80's. I do like the body style though! So much wasted potential....
You were born after 1995 right.
In all fairness nothing was even remotely fast in the early 1980's even Mustangs and Corvettes. Mileage, drive-ability and emissions were more important at the time but power was starting to make a comeback by the mid 1980's.
+ChemicalNBC Wrong, born in 1981. Like I mentioned in my comment, I realize it was a dark time for performance, but there were bigger and better engines GM could have used. The 84 Hurst/Olds put out around 180hp in the 5.0, and even Buick's Turbo T put out around 200hp. The Eldorado was one of GM's most expensive cars you could buy at the time and G.M. called it sporty. Instead of using some clearly better engines available, they instead went with one of the weakest V8s they had......BTW I'm a lifelong GM buyer and love these old sedans, just saying they deserved and could have gotten better....
+ponchoman49 Exactly why I said in my comment that this was the performance dark ages. If you watch the video it said Cadillac was wanting to lure younger buyers. See my comment to " ChemicalNBC. I actually love these old coupes. My original comment was blasting GM for calling something "sporty" and then giving it one of the weakest V8s in the company's lineup. You have to admit GM could have done better even with the emission and fuel economy concerns.
That 251" 4.1L V8 should have been putting out 250 HP instead of a wimpy 135 HP... the automakers were just punishing us consumers for allowing the Govt to put emissions standards on them... And also pleasing the insurance companies that wanted less power...
That body roll though... Damn cars of the 80's failed!
vector6977 Seems like the 80's were like the dark ages for the auto industry.. So many slow, boring boxes that drive like shit.
bliglum Grand National..Corvette...iroc Z...TA...SS monte.. are they concidered fails?
sonnywitdamoney
There are always exceptions to any rule, of course. But yes, I would consider all of those "fails". The C4 Vette was awful, as was the TA, Monte and Camaro.
The Grand National was the exception.. Though even it still suffered from ugly 80's shoebox syndrome.. I notice you only mentioned GM products, some sort of GM fanboy are ya?
+bliglum I agree that the 80s c4's were pretty bad..I got a 94 zr1 and alot changed from 84 to 94. I think the lt1 was a turning point for the c4.
sonnywitdamoney
Yeah, there were some improvements made.. But I don't think the Vette became a seriously balanced performance contender again until the C5's arrival in 97' : )
THE EMERGENCY MANEUVER HAD ME DYING
A vertical engine installation for a front wheel drive?
Not a good period of time for cars. Makers must have been clueless in how to build power with reasonable economy and long term reliability. Also, 3800lb really isn't a VERY heavy car. At the time car makers still believed that a luxury ride included a suspension made from gummy bears and so the car dives and rolls and like a submarine.
+scott l Makers weren't clueless, as the 50's and 60's saw great strides in power, economy, and reliability. Some of the most well regarded engines came out of those years. But by 1984 they were still struggling to meet the emissions regulations of the last ten years without detuning the hell out of all the engines which is what they all resorted to. This is when a new Corvette made 205 horses… Some systems which addressed fuel economy like Cadillac's V-8-6-4 cylinder deactivation were not very reliable. But you can chalk that up to growing pains, as deactivation is just now coming into it's own in recent years.
+Mista Butterworth I probably should have been more specific. The latter 70's through the mid 80's was the time I was referring to that did not produce notably good cars. When I saw the transverse 1985 GM 3.8 with Sequential Port Fuel injection I began to get a feeling that things were coming around. My parents ending up getting 3 cars with the same engine (gradually more hp). Not a single engine issue. Air con, fuel pump sure those had issues. But going back to say 1979, hydraulic valve lifters needing replacement on a GM 350 in a Bonneville boat at 30,000 miles now that's junk...and the fit and finish was terrible.
scott l Fit and finish issues in the 70's and 80's would have been the result of years of cost cutting in Detroit. For example, it took 58 years for Cadillac to build their three-millionth car, and only 13 years to build their 6 millionth. By the 1970's, emphasis in Detroit was definitely on cost-cutting and production volume over quality. With the proverbial budget bean counters dictating what even the most talented engineers could offer.
Naturally though, with import brands coming to the forefront with higher quality products, taking advantage of Detroit's complacency, that could not continue. That's the good thing about market competition, everyone has to bring their best. Which is why GM and the other US automakers gradually regained their edge, which they're still fighting to keep.
+scott l Yes the 70's and 80's were not great years for cars in general. However of all of them only the Cadillac's and Lincoln's were your best choices for these years. Not every model was great but most were good like this generation Eldorado. These years was also not great years for engines or performance either. Not until the 90's did cars start changing for the better and the power and performance coming back full swing once again like in the 60's. I have an 1985 Eldorado Biarritz and its an excellent car overall. Believe it or not it still feels new and still has that expensive look and feel even though its 30 years old now. Not many cars you can say that about.
scott l I must admit gummy bears sounds about right my 1992 deville handles like that.
These cars were good with the 6.0 engine,when they put in the 4.1 it killed the car,i had 2 with the 6.0 and loved it ,then I bought an 85 with he 4.1 and hated,it was ridiculously slow,impossible to drive
Yes I gotta say this is probably my least favorite engine by Cadillac. But then again that was the era and not much better choices of engines during these years. I recently sold an 81 Sedan Deville with less than 50k with the 864 engine and ran beautiful.....but it too was underpowered and slow just like the 4100. I have an 84 Seville and I so badly want to swap in a Cadillac Northstar V8.which would make that car the ultimate sleeper Cadillac!
Better put some other engine
peter455sd What do you mean?
Older engines,425,500,368,or go the Oldsmobile way,350,307,i believe Oldsmobile 350 will be the cheapest to rebuild,with an intake of a 79 Eldo the 4100 injection will work,there's also the issue of the trans,the only 4sp is 1981
peter455sd Oh thanks man but I'm actually planning a custom setup using a 32V Northstar. I already have a 350 from a 79 Eldorado but I want the newer technology and performance.
Believe it or not, the best older Cadillac engine was the 390/429 that was used on 1959-67 Cadillac's. My oldest Cadillac is a 1961 Fleetwood 60 special and it performs much better than later big blocks of the 70s era. It is more fuel efficient as well than later engines. Just a FYI for you. :) I been around Cadillac's all my life. I had family that worked at the Cadillac plant in Detroit.