To some of a certain age, this 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarrtiz epitomizes what a Cadillac should look like. However, even the most ardent of its fans had to admit that it had gotten too too damn big. Stretching approximately 227 inches long and weighing nearly two and half tons, the call for a reduction in size was more than just to get better gas mileage - it was to make for easier to handle automobiles. For certain, even folks who were over six feet tall had difficulty maneuvering such large vehicles.
Eldorado's first crash diet came for model year 1979. Eldorado losing nearly two feet of length and a good half ton of curb weight. The design was generally well received as it had as much if not more usable interior space, handled much much better, got better gas mileage and although it looked nothing like what came before it, was still unmistakeably "Cadillac". That connotation being as mixed back then as it is today.
Cadillac claims it was a consultant's projection of gasoline prices hitting $3.00 a gallon that prompted the 1986 Eldorado. Nearly a foot and half shorter and a good 350 pounds lighter, whereas the 1979 model looked fit and dare we say athletic, the 1986 model looked gaunt and out of proportion; not unlike a fifty something year old who takes a doctor's orders several steps too far and looses more weight than they have. Eldorado sales dropped by almost half of what they were in 1985 and more than 60% less than what they were in 1984. Blame tooling issues at Cadillac's assembly plant for part of the decline in sales but by and large sales were down because buyers rejected the new car's truncated design. Sales of the nearly identical 1987 Eldorado's were even worse.
Like a a yo-yo dieter, for model year 1988 Cadillac added three inches to Eldorado's front end in an attempt to appease disenfranchised buyers. What's more, Cadillac redesigned their infamous HT4100 V-8 increasing displacement to 4.5 liters giving performance a significant shot in the transaxle.
Unless you experienced the travesty that was the 1986 downsizing, it's difficult to appreciate just how seismic a redesign the 1988 Eldorado was. It was, after all, the first time in more than a decade that GM sold a new car that was larger and more powerful than what it was prior. However, while sales nearly doubled for the 1988 Eldorado, they still weren't half of what they were in 1984.
There were several reasons why. By the end of the '80's typical Cadillac buyers were swayed by import luxury makes and models as well as the market began shifting away from two door cars. Cadillac didn't update the little Eldorado again until a total redesign for model year 1992.
For 1992 Eldorado started binge eating again. 1992 Eldorado's were more than 10 inches longer, 3 inches wider and 300 pounds heavier making them nearly as big and big bulky as 1979 vintage Eldorado's. That said, the redesign was a dramatic and welcome departure from the stubby and (still) gaunt looking 1988 vintage Eldorado. Aside from a interior redesign for 1996, Cadillac did little updating on this car through 2002 with sales declining sharply almost every year.
Today, if someone has the means to show off or wants to appear as though they're something, rarely do they choose a two door luxury car like they did in the past. Rarely do people make aspirational automobile purchases because they find their performance far superior to lesser models. Cadillac sells but one two door automobile these days - a non descript BMW wanna be version of their ATS series. No doubt a fine driving and riding appliance, in my opinion, it lacks the verve, elan or je ne sais quois that even the half starved 1986 Eldorado had. It's also, irony of ironies, significantly smaller. That's another significant market shift; it's not the size of the car that shows off the size of the wallet it's the nameplate.
No comments:
Post a Comment