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Sep 4, 2008 09:00 AM
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today we're going to look at one of the many reasons that Cadillac has had to struggle so mightily to build a coherent brand image- ideally, one that attracts buyers who might otherwise buy European machinery- in the Post Malaise Era: the 1984 Eldorado Biarritz. These cars weren't built for the long haul, but The General built them in sufficient numbers that you still see one now and then. This example parks near the high school, just down the street from the '69 Lincoln and the '76 Buick Donk; while it rarely leaves its parking place, the current registration tags indicate that it has moved under its own power in the not-too-distant past.
In '84, the base engine in the Eldorado was the 135-horse 4.1 liter V8, which was good enough to haul the car's 3,748 pounds. The disastrous Oldsmobile 350 diesel engine was also available… but let's not go there. The '84 Eldorado Biarritz sold new for $23,737 before options, which was $52,422 in 2008 dollars. That's about 800 bucks less than a new '84 BMW 528e, but who's counting?
With the $3,395 Biarritz option package, you got a vinyl landau top for the rear part of the roof and a brushed stainless steel section on the front. The stainless part on this car has laughed off the effects of 24 years of California sunshine, but the vinyl hasn't fared quite so well.
You also got fine "button tufted" leather upholstery with your Biarritz; in this case, the green interior goes well with the Autumn Maple Firemist exterior paint.
Send an email to Murilee Martin, the author of this post, at murilee@jalopnik.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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