1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado

The 1971 Cadillac Eldorado wore all-new styling, was built atop a wheelbase that measured 126.3 inches, and had an overall length of 223 inches. It had gained six inches in wheelbase size and two inches in length over the 1967 through 1970 Eldorado. The Eldorado was part of the Cadillac lineup for half a century, from 1952 through 2002, and would receive twelve major styling revisions during that time. It was positioned at or near the top of the Cadillac line for much of its existence and would carry the 'Fleetwood' designation from 1965 through 1972.

1971 saw the introduction of the convertible styling to the Eldorado line, having been absent since 1966. It joined the two-door coupe body style and both used the E-body platform with a front-engine, front-wheel-drive configuration. The Eldorado had been among the first in the industry to adopt the front-wheel-drive layout, first using it in 1967 and promoted as a 'personal' Cadillac, sharing its E-body platform with the first-generation Oldsmobile Toronado (FWD) and the rear-wheel-drive Buick Riviera.

The 1967 Cadillac Eldorado had been equipped with a 429 cubic-inch V8 engine with overhead valves, but a year later it was swapped for a 427 CID V8. A year later, the displacement grew to 500 cubic inches, the same unit powering the 1971 through 1976 Eldorado. It had a cast-iron block, hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, 9.0:1 compression, a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 365 horsepower at 4,400 RPM, slightly less than the 375 bhp produced from the 472 CID V8 powering the rest of the line. Compared to the previous year, the 500 CID V8 had a lower compression ratio and offered 35 fewer horsepower.

In the styling department, the door glass remained frameless, the vertically textured, rectangular grille was new, as was the stand-up wreath and crest hood ornament. The hardtop rear quarter windows were replaced by a fixed 'opera' window in the widened 'C' pillar. The front fenders had an elegant but aggressive appearance with a chiseled cut-off appearance. The grille was flanked on either side by round headlights in square bezels, and the wraparound grille followed the contours and dip of the grille, with dual chrome bumper guards in the center. The front fender skirts were a new feature on the Eldorado, and Fleetwood wreaths were placed on the deck and hood. The Eldorado script could be found on the lower front fenders. Brightwork included short horizontal beltline moldings along the front fenders and doors. in the back was a large bumper, a large backlight, and vertically wraparound taillights on either side.

Standard equipment included Automatic Level Control, new rear coil springs, dual rear cigarette lighters and twin front cigarette lighters, twin front and rear ashtrays, front and rear center armrests, two-way horizontal front seat adjuster, an electric clock, power steering, dual power brakes with discs in the front, remote control left-hand outside rearview mirror, visor vanity mirror, and interior and exterior courtesy, safety, warning, and convenience lights. The interior housed redesigned seat configurations and a new curved instrument panel with a fiber-optic 'lamp monitor' system, which displayed the functionality of the taillamps, brake lights, headlamps, parking lamps, and turn signals.

The hardtop sport coupe body style had a base price of $7,380 and the convertible coupe listed for $7,750. The coupe was the most popular of the two body styles, with 20,568 examples sold compared to the 6,800 examples of the convertible. The combined 27,368 examples sold in 1971 set a new sales record for the Eldorado. In comparison, Cadillac produced 23,842 units in 1970, 23,333 in 1969, and 24,528 in 1968. Granted, the 1971 model year introduced the additional 'convertible' body style. The sales records would continue through the 1970s, with 40,074 units sold in 1972, and 40,412 units the following year.

Among the Eldorado's market rivals were the Lincoln Continental and Continental Mark III. The Continental was offered as a hardtop coupe and sedan with a combined production total of 35,551 units for 1971. An additional 27,091 examples of the Mark III hardtop coupe were built, bringing Lincoln's 1971 total production to 62,642 units.

The Lincoln Continental was priced at $7,170 for the hardtop coupe and $7,420 for the sedan. The Mark III tipped the scales at $8,420. The Continental had a 127-inch wheelbase and the Mark III measured 117.2 inches. Both had rear-wheel-drive configurations and were powered by a 460 CID V8 that offered 365 horsepower. The Eldorado's wheelbase of 126.3 inches fell between the measurements of Lincoln's two models, and it produced the same 365 horsepower, but with 40 additional cubic inches. Its price was slightly higher than the Continental but less than the Mark III.

While the Eldorado production was 8,183 units fewer than the Continental, it surpassed the Mark III by 277 units. Cadillac's overall production was curtailed by labor disputes, yet was able to reach 188,537 units, helped along by its DeVille sales leader which remained popular with over 135,400 units built. Cadillac's 1941 model year production surpassed Lincoln's by 125,895 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2021