Cadillac—which was famous for its dreamy brochures—decided that it in 1975 it would be a good idea to showcase its cars showing off their overwhelming dynamic qualities, starting with a Fleetwood 75 Limousine with an attached 5th wheel. To measure its blazing acceleration in case of an attempted kidnapping? Or its braking power, to see how far forward the chauffeur can hurtle his invariably unbelted passengers? Or maybe its for a skidpad test, as every buyer of a 75 limo wants to know how many G’s it can pull.
And there’s more:
Here’s the hot rod Eldorado getting its turn with the fifth wheel. Will it be able to keep up with the blinding acceleration of its 190 hp 500 CID (8.2 L) V8? I’m sure the published times I found for a ’75 Eldo—0-60 in 11 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 18 seconds—must be a fluke.
Or maybe it’s for measuring the Eldo’s stellar fuel economy. That was of course a big issue in 1975, right after the energy crisis, and it was time to rehabilitate the 500 V8’s rep as being the W.C Fields of engines. Sure, it can break into the double digits, by adding an integer to the right of the decimal point.
Here’s the Eldorado Convertible ripping—or is it sashaying—through the cones in the slalom test. It was the key vital statistic that every Eldo convertible owner asked about first when pondering whether to buy one. This is a sports car, right? And on the weekends it’s going to be autocrossed, so it better be up to the job. Maybe a thicker sway bar might be in order though?
And here’s the Sedan DeVille shown being tested for its most outstanding ability: canyon carving. Yes, the 1975 Cadillacs were the best handling cars on the market, able to leave a BMW, Jaguar or Mercedes in its dust on a balls-out run through a curvy canyon. Look, the competition is so far behind, they’re completely out of the picture.
Quantifying its attempts to outrun Stagflation.
I remember those wheels to check MPG on all cars. But if you saw one on the back of an overpriced, over rated BMW, Jaguar, or Mercedes, I am sure you would be drooling all over it, telling us all of how wonderful those overpriced snob mobiles are. It was 1975 Cadillac, over 40 years. SMH.
#stopthewheel
Fifth wheels aren’t used to check fuel economy.
You don’t see the humor in Cadillac publishing a picture of an Eldorado folding its sidewalls on its own brochures? Thing looks like a heifer trying to dance in stiletto heels. What were they thinking putting that in there?
Maybe it was sort of akin to “Barbarella”: nobody had any illusions about great art; they all knew it was cheesetastic industrial-strength camp.
First 10 minutes of Barbarella are still epic movie making!
The appeal actually makes sense for the era.
In the mid-70s the Current Panic was Commie Terrorist Gangs, soon to be replaced by RadicalIslamicTerrorist Gangs, then Virus Gangs. There’s always an Official Panic.
In response to Commie Terrorists, many new buildings looked like forts. Chauffeurs for rich dudes attended Bondurant to learn handbrake turns and evasive dogfight maneuvers.
There was an episode of The Rockford Files with Tom Selleck guest starring as a clueless private eye who tailed suspects in an inconspicuous red Eldo convertible. Usually there was a car chase scene in every ep of Rockford, but I can’t remember if Tom got to do any tire-scrubbing, wheel cover-shedding 180 degree turns or not. A missed opportunity if he didn’t.
He probably felt more at home hooning in his Ferrari 308 GTS from that other show. ;o)
“… an inconspicuous red Eldo convertible…”
Now THERE’S an oxymoron if I’ve ever seen one.
Dan Tanna was even more inconspicuous in his red T-bird convertible with TANNA on the license plate. Not to mention the cannon for a handgun he carried…
5th wheel — too funny! I recall print ads for the 1974 Cadillac models touting their fuel efficiency. As if!
I remember their TV commercials touting a Cadillac’s ability to do 15mpg at a “steady 55 miles per hour’.
Yeah. Right. I’m picturing I-70 in western Kansas for that measurement.
That commercial reeked of desperation.
I don’t think averaging 15 mpg while maintaining 55 mph on an interstate highway is an unrealistic claim for even the worst gas guzzler, but I also think the average would plummet quickly with some stop and go driving or elevated speeds.
Have you ever had a car with an instantaneous fuel consumption display? I have had a couple that would indicate between 30 and 60 mpg while maintaining 55 mph, depending on slight gradients. Sure, the reading could fall to 20 or less on a steep hill, but there aren’t many on interstates. Overall, those cars averaged 20 to 32 mpg, so a Cadillac that averaged 8 to 11 in regular use might well have covered 15 miles a gallon at a steady 55 mph.
There’s no question that low speed limits save fuel. What they waste is time, and that means life.
I remember those ads. It wasn’t 55.
It was 45.
With the AC off.
“No need to sacrifice comfort or safety for efficiency” was the tag line.
That wasn’t too far-fetched after 1974, when Cadillac adopted the catalytic converter and High-Energy Ignition System, retuned the engines for greater efficiency and made steel-belted radial tires standard.
The catch was that the car had to be driven at a steady 55 mph on a fairly level interstate highway. Of course, very few people, even back then, plodded along at 55 mph on interstate highways.
The limo looks like it’s doing a brake stand. The 7000 pound smoke show has got to be fake though. Cadillacs did out handle Lincolns back then.
Agree, there’s a “BRAKE TEST” sticker on the trunklid.
While we all agree that this shot is staged, such a test could’ve been performed to ensure that whatever brakes were fitted were adequate for the extra weight of the limo body.
The 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five series did not weigh 7,000 lbs. More like 5,800 lbs.
Did the 5th wheel come with baseball cards and spring loaded clothespins?
They made for such a cool sounding bicycle, I’m sure they would do the same for the Caddy!.
LOL
Whadda yoo, nutsa sumpthin’? Naw, it don’t come with no baseball cods or spring-loaded clothespins, it comes widdits own leathuh-padded footrest and its own ashtray with cigaah lightuh.
I like the photo of the green Sedan de Ville in the twisties. A modern drone shot showing the Caddy up in the mountains far from the city would be effective. It would demonstrate that the car could whisk you far from the hectic city to the peaceful realm of Nature. Just keep the tank topped off! I found an old picture that conveys a similar idea.
That engineer had better be wearing a tie.
This isn’t the ’75 brochure that I got at Lindsay Cadillac. Perhaps this was for a special event, or they gave a different one to pre-drivers.
After the mob ordered hit on Ulysses the Unicyclist was carried out, and with the trunk full of bodies, his unicycle had to be disguised as a fifth wheel on the Cadillac in order to dispose of the evidence.
Dare I say this sounds a more likely scenario than the attempted measurement of performance?
Say what one will about the rest of it, that lower photo of the silver Fleetwood really shows the car off in a good way. Nice angle, which puts all of that size into proper proportion, and the way the light and shadow play with the silver paint is well done.
It is much less absurd when the 1975 Cadillac brochure is seen in its entirety. In the introductory page, Cadillac notes its relative efficiency and its engineering; that fuel economy has improved in two years, largely due to the catalytic converter which permitted more energy-efficient engine operation. The page also describes the background illustrations as showing the extensive testing that went into the development process of these Cadillacs. Yes, this is all advertising and promotion. One thing I noted when reading is the claim that more than 44% of all Cadillacs ever built (since 1902) were still on the road. This, too, should be taken in context, as far more Cadillacs were built in recent years than previously. But it all makes more sense in context.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Cadillac/1975_Cadillac/1975_Cadillac_Brochure/dirindex.html
“44% of all Cadillacs ever built (since 1902) were still on the road.”
The rest made it to their destination safely.
Brutal…
“Sashaying”!
Hilarious!
Maybe a saunter as well.
Lumbering. Waddling.
As someone who keeps ducks, waddling conveys all sorts of unflattering images, which may be appropriate.
This brochure marks a shift in tone for Cadillac, in response to the first fuel crunch, accelerating inflation, and the increasing inroads by luxury imports (specifically, Mercedes-Benz) among younger, affluent buyers. There is more copy devoted to specific engineering improvements designed to increase both efficiency and durability. In that environment, even Cadillac buyers were concerned about getting their money’s worth.
Touting the handling prowess of these cars does seem a presumptuous, given that they only sported cosmetic changes and detail improvements compared to previous models. But beginning with the 1977 models, the handling capabilities of standard Cadillacs did greatly improve. The Eldorado would offer much better handling with the debut of the downsized 1979 model.
So, depending on one’s perspective, either Cadillac was jumping the gun, or hinting at better days to come.
Could we have some more of this, please?
Who dares call that the malaise era, and not the current overwrought yet blah black, gray, or tan leather interiors?
Nine leather colors, 5 bordello velour, 3 knit fabric colors.
It looks like rear fender skirts have been obscured in the testing photo of the convertible. Perhaps their deletion in the production Eldo was a late decision–by about 5 years.
I can tell you from first hand experience that I have never felt more isolated and detached from from the act of driving and road feed back than the time I drove a 1976 El Dorado convertible, the “last convertible.” It felt like sitting in a recliner while I sighted down the long,long hood using the hood ornament to aim with. It was so long and fat that including the battering ram bumpers it was impossible to gauge with precision how close you were to anything. The suspension was jelly-like and the thing wallowed even at low speed in a parking lot. The steering feed-back was numb and combined with the suspension travel it gave a delayed response to any effort I made with the wheel. Fortunately the power brakes were touchy and stopping resulted in some nose dives until I got used to it but it continued to be annoying at low speed.
It was one of the worst driving experiences of my life. It was strange to say that about something almost brand new, about 1,200 miles, and so expensive. It was owned, like most of them at the time, by a collector who was speculating that some day people were going to want a big red Cadillac convertible again. Where are all of those El Dorados now?
“The steering feed-back was numb”
It was telepathic compared to a 70’s Ford/Lincoln.
“Where are all of those El Dorados now?”
Showing off in Hemmings nightly for $20k+ a dance. Pretty bad investment and they didn’t get to enjoy the open air motoring experience.
I wouldn’t want the exterior size again, but I wish someone made a car that rode like my hoopty ’74 Fleetwood and ’76 Eldo. What’s the point of modern technology and 57 brands if all cars ride like a truck?
Woody Allen used a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado for comic effect in Annie Hall.
Sounds like my experience driving a then brand new Ford LTD.
Mercury Marquis here, exactly the driving experience.
Clickbait! I was hoping to see one pulling a large camper or a trailer load of livestock, but I see you meant the other kind of 5th wheel. Bummer.
Yep. I had visions of a fifth wheel mounted on the trunk lid, so it could pull its own fuel tanker – giving it a 50 mile range.
Yes, incongruity to the point of absurdity. GM in Australia picked up the motif in 1983, having the Statesman DeVille run a ¼ mile. This was at a time when Holden was unique in offering a V8 in a locally-made car, Ford having ceased production of their Cleveland derivative and Chrysler, which always imported the LA, having withdrawn from that market. In fairness, the WB Statesman/Caprice was a capable road car by the standards of the time.
I don’t know, Paul, add a 2″ lift, some shocks from a Cimarron, a set of snow tires and I think you might be all over it for a Nevada desert runner 🙂 No need to add a mattress, just lay down sideways on the back couch.
Say what you will about the cars, the 1975 Cadillac brochure was my first Cadillac brochure I ever got in 1975.
It will always hold a special place in my childhood history.
When you think about it, it’s only slightly less absurd than the limo being in the main brochure with the rest of them rather than having its’ own, spec-heavy/picture-light (possibly B&W) sell sheet.
By 1975 it was basically a commercial vehicle, sold to corporate VIP fleets, car services and the funeral trade. But the old aura of the limousine still held, making it a halo car in image as much as it was a vocational model in reality, so in the main brochure it went.
When you think about it, it’s only slightly less absurd than the limo being in the main brochure with the rest of them rather than having its’ own, spec-heavy/picture-light (possibly B&W) sell sheet.
I’m not sure what your point is. The 75 Limo was consistently included in all Cadillac brochures, previously and afterwards. It was a standard production Cadillac.
If I recall correctly, Consumer Reports(as a part of their testing) used a 5th wheel setup with a 5 gallon container to measure mileage when EPA estimates were first implemented. Was this Cadillac’s way of a backhand to that testing?
I am no friend to this generation of Cadillac but must give the devil it’s due – these were pretty good handling cars for what they were. But this advertising is ridiculous.
This comes form the same school of thought as Ford’s “Ride Engineered”. These aren’t mass produced dinosaurs, we actually have guys with white lab coats doing road tests we swear!
Television shows popular at that time had Ford and Lincoln sponsorships. Streets of San Francisco, Starsky and Hutch, Cannon and Hawaii 5-0 are just a few off the top of my head that showed famous movie and television starts darting away through crime ridden streets in fleet-footed Mark IV, Marquis, LTD, Gran Torino, and other fine Ford products.
There was always an episode with a car chase, showing how awesome those two ton tanks could fly around hills, beaches, and capture the bad guys. More than one baddie found themselves trapped by William Conrad rolling out of the wide driver’s door of his Lincoln Mark IV after it screeched to a sliding halt throwing dust and sand into the air.
Karl Malden had those LTD cop cars flying airborne over those Streets in San Francisco, right?
GM needed to address these hour-long weekly Ford product car ads showing that Ford made quiet, solid and quick-handling beasts. This is what they came up with, right?