Ultra-rare triple black 1976 Eldorado. 37,440 original miles. Everything works, including fiber-optics. Beautiful black leather interior. New tires, recent exhaust, runs and drives great!
It was repainted just a few years ago and the front and rear end caps were replaced with fiberglass reproductions, as is common on these cars so it’s in excellent shape overall. The red pinstripes are a little bit more flamboyant than the original design, but it’s hardly objectionable and a little flash never hurt anyone. This has never been a rusty car and given its mileage and overall condition, we’re guessing that it has never been out in winter weather despite spending most of its life here in Cleveland. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any major flaws aside from a few polishing marks that are all but inevitable in black paint, although our detail shop was able to erase almost all of them. Likewise, the chrome and stainless trim appears to be original and in good order. Heck, even the filler piece below the rear license plate is intact and not cracking, suggesting great preservation and a lot of time out of the sunlight.
What make this Eldo truly special, however, is the black leather interior. The hides are supple and in excellent condition, with only minor signs of use that are well in line with its age and mileage, but there are no splits or tears anywhere and the back seat looks virtually new. As you’d expect as Cadillac’s flagship, this big land yacht is loaded, including a power driver’s seat, automatic climate control, tilt/telescope steering column, power windows and locks, cruise control, a power antenna, and delay windshield wipers, which, oddly enough, were an option. The beautiful woodgrained accents are plastic, of course, but the textured surfaces and intricate designs, particularly on the door panels, look very attractive and not at all cheap or cheesy. Plush black carpets make it feel luxurious and there are custom embroidered floor mats up front and a rather rare original carpeted 1-piece mat in the back. A newer AM/FM/cassette stereo replaces the original AM/FM/8-track unit but the installation was tidy and remarkably enough, it operates the automatic antenna just like the original did. Everything is operational, including the A/C and the fiber-optic light monitors out on the front fenders, although the black convertible top and rear window have been replaced at some point and the rear window glass no longer has a defroster. The black convertible top is not original but it’s not new, showing well and powering up and down without incident—the only issue is a small split just behind the driver’s rear quarter window, a common place for these tops to fail, but it’s all but invisible once the top is up and secured and has no effect on weather-tightness. The trunk is 100% OEM, including the rubber mat and it includes a full-sized spare with cover as well as an original jack assembly.
For effortless cruising, it’s hard to beat cubic inches, and for sheer cubic inches, almost nothing beats Cadillac’s 500 cubic inch V8. With just 37,000 miles on the clock, this one has never needed anything major and has received the kind of maintenance that is right for a hobby car like this. Turn the key and it starts every time, it settles into a gentle idle after a few seconds, and simply goes about its business unobtrusively. The engine bay is clean if not perfectly detailed for show, reflecting that it’s been driven over the past 40 years. On the other hand, there are no issues, plenty of fresh parts, and 100% original specifications, so it runs and drives as intended. It never gets hot or cranky and if you’re gentle on the accelerator, you can probably eke out fuel economy in the mid-teens without much trouble.
Front-wheel-drive in a 5200-pound convertible is made possible by GM’s extraordinary TH425 3-speed automatic transmission and drive train system. The transaxle up front has 2.73 gears inside, so it’s a fantastic highway vehicle and with all that torque on hand, you really don’t need a lot of gear to get it rolling. It is not detailed for show underneath, but it’s very well maintained and shows no critical issues. Four-wheel disc brakes were introduced for 1976 and make a noticeable difference in stopping this massive ragtop, and they live behind correct black hubcaps that were unique to 1976 Eldorados. Recent 235/75/15 Firestone radials have exactly the right whitewall width, so they look right and handle great.
This is the ultimate ‘70s luxury cruiser in a color combination that will never, ever go out of style. This is a great opportunity to own a rather rare Eldorado that’s ready to enjoy and needs no excuses. Call today!
