With Jeeps apparently going up in flames left and right your options for a non-flambé four by four are somewhat limited. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Eldorado Off Roader may be fire retardant, but will its price prove it to be hot stuff?
With an overall length of 221 inches and a curb weight of over 6,200 pounds the 8th generation Cadillac Eldorado, along with its Olds Toronado E-body platform mate, was one of the world’s most massive front-drivers. I mean Pluto has been deemed too small to warrant planet status, but the jury's still out on the front drive Eldo.
Today’s 1971 Caddy Convertible will double your driveline pleasure as it has all its wheels turning, and the tires attached to them have just as much presence as does this mighty mighty Caddy.
Usually if you wanted to go topless in the bush you’d have to go with something along the lines of a CJ Jeep, old Scout, Bronco or the like. Or perhaps if you’re into smaller fare a Suzuki Samurai would be your cup of sake.
All of those pale however in comparison to this Caddy that amounts to a personal coup d’état. Rocking three-quarter ton Chevy axles and a New Process transfer case, the underpinnings seem to be pretty stout.
Powering the beast is Caddy’s 500-CID V8, the company’s largest mill at the time and, in 8.5/1 compression ratio form, good for 365-BHP and a titty twisting 535 ft-lbs of torque. Backing that up is a THM400, the one tranny to rule them all.
Considering the monster under the hood, the car's well over three-tons of mud-slinging weight and the need to spin those massive meats, one would expect that this vehicle's annual fuel costs would rival that of Southwest Airlines - if you only drove it on weekends.
If your only goal was to stare at it and marvel in its audacity then the bodywork does look to be in good shape, as does the lurid red interior. The wide as a politician’s grin front bench admittedly exhibits some crazing in its leather surface, but that’s to be expected considering its age. And after all, wouldn’t anybody have to be a little crazy to be in this thing?
One of the cool features of the car - I mean on top of the fact that it’s a jacked up four-by-four Cadillac El-do-rad-o - is that it's a wind in your hair, mud in your eye, drop-top. The ad notes that the canvas roof is in good shape, and that the glass rear window is new. The only thing left to do is to figure out how to fit a gun rack in there and still look classy.
The seller is asking $5,800 or the odd suggestion of “trade cash and ?” where the question mark could be anything from a snuggly puppy to your wife for the evening. By the way, I normally go on a rant about ads written in ALL CAPs but for some reason, for this car at least, having the caps locked and loaded seems totally befitting.
What do you think about that price - barring the cash and trade option. Is this amazing Caddy bog-mobile worth the straight up $5,800 the seller is asking? Or, is this an Eldorado that even Sir Walter Raleigh wouldn’t have wanted to find?
You decide!
Prescott AZ Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to sgosik for the hookup!
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