Cadillac Eldorado - 1953

The top of the line 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado was one of three specialty convertibles produced in 1953 by General Motors, the other two being the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta and the Buick Roadmaster Skylark. The Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible (532 units in total). It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car, and borrowed bumper bullets (aka dagmars) from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car. It featured a full assortment of deluxe accessories, including wire wheels, and introduced the wraparound windshield and a cut-down beltline to Cadillac standard production, the latter signifying a dip in the sheetmetal at the bottom of the side windows. These two touches (featured on one or both of GM's other 1953 specialty convertibles) were especially beloved by General Motors Styling Chief Harley Earl and subsequently were widely copied by other marques. Available in four unique colors (Aztec Red, Alpine White, Azure Blue and Artisan Ochre — the latter is a yellow hue, although it was shown erroneously as black in the color folder issued on this rare model). Convertible tops were available in either black or white Orlon. There was no special badging on the car, other than the "Eldorado" nameplate, in "gold", in the center of the dash. A hard tonneau cover, flush with the rear deck, hid the top in the open car version. Although technically a subseries of the Cadillac Series 62 and based on the regular Series 62 convertible, sharing its engine, it was nearly twice as expensive at US$7,750. This car was 220.8 inches (5,610 mm) long and 80.1 inches (2,030 mm) wide. It had windshield washers, a signal seeking radio, power windows, and a heater were standard.

Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, Eldorado was General Motors' styling leader, and since GM led the industry in the mid-1950s, where the Eldorado went, everyone else would tend to follow. It made up only .50% of Cadillac's sales in 1953.