The Final Cadillac Eldorado Design: Walkaround

As Wikipedia points out, the Cadillac Eldorado was in production for 50 years.  Today's post features the 12th (and last) generation's design.

I dealt with the 11th generation Eldorado and its shared-platform models here, and the classic 1966-67 Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Cadillac Eldorado here.

Images of the 1992 Eldorado below are via Bring a Trailer Auctions.

Gallery

1986 Cadillac Eldorado - unknown photo source
The passenger compartment greenhouse dominates this side view.  It's really proportionally too large, making the car seem smaller than a Cadillac should be.  It was designed when Irv Rybicki was General Motors' Design Vice-President.

1992 Cadillac Eldorado
Designed under GM Design VP Chuck Jordan, this Eldorado and the one above share a 110.8-inch (2743 mm) wheelbase, but the 1986 version was 10.8 inches (274 mm) shorter due to less front and rear overhang.  The beltline here is higher, reducing the greenhouse.  The increased C-pillar and sloped backlight window also contribute to making the greenhouse less prominent.  The horizontal side trim retains the'86 Eldo theme--good marketing, if the Eldorado was a strong brand.  Which it really wasn't by 1992.

The design is very clean from this perspective.

Simple shapes.  The trademark Cadillac Vertical tail lights are given a 90-degree echo by the reflectors on the bumper.

I suppose one might characterize this design as "tasteful" -- but not exciting, like the classic 1967 Eldorado was.

One design integration problem was the height of the trunk compared to that of the beltline.  Jordan's stylists chose not to blend.

The hood and front fender slope downwards strongly, creating a grille/headlights zone that seems too delicate compared to the visual massiveness of the car abaft of the A-pillar.  That slope might have been dictated by aerodynamic considerations, but the result was less "presence" for a luxury item.

Frontal design, like that of the rear, is simple compared to today's fashions.

That chromed band wraps entirely around the car with time-outs for wheel openings.