The Cadillac Eldorado that debuted in 1992 would end up as both the model’s final generation, and the longest lived. Both of those data points were driven by the consumer’s lack of love for the personal luxury coupe: It was a segment well in decline by the mid-Eighties. The ‘92 debuted to very mixed reviews of its mishmash exterior styling, and its interior included strange design choices and was not up to par with the competition. Starting in 1993 Cadillac began making strategic updates to keep the Eldorado limping along before it headed off into the sunset. Did you know there were three Eldorados in 1993?
First up was a quick rework of the models in the Eldorado line. In what seems to be forgotten history, 1993 saw the Eldorado split into three trims. At the base was the standard Eldorado. In the middle was a new Eldorado Sport Coupe. The sportiest and most expensive version was still the Eldorado Touring Coupe. Even reputable sites mislabel a base model Eldorado as an ESC when it isn’t.
The nomenclature revision was Cadillac setting up a future where it would drop the prefix names entirely (eg. Seville STS became STS). The ESC trim seemed to be an ETC-light: A center console with floor shifter was standard like the ETC, but power door locks were optional (weird). Auto dimming mirrors were also optional on ESC and standard on ETC. The ESC was the cheapest way to get the new 4.6-liter Northstar, as the base model still made do with the 4.9.
Visually, it would take a keen eye to spot an ESC. An ESC had a chrome grille while the ETC was body colored. At the back there was more chrome on the ESC, as it had quad chrome-tipped exhausts while the ETCs were black. Wheel options were the same between the two models, but tires were different: The Sport received Michelin XW4 low rolling resistance tires, and the Touring Coupe received Goodyear Eagle GA all-seasons.
As mentioned, the biggest news in 1993 was the late arrival of the new Northstar V8 engine, specifically in L37 guise. Rated at 295 horsepower (dropped to 290 all other years), the engine powered the Eldorado ETC, Seville STS, and the final year of the Allanté in its first outing. Other changes included the adaptive suspension which was renamed to Road Sensing Suspension.
Inside, the only Touring Coupe received the two-spoke steering wheel from the Allanté, which meant designers could recycle an existing wheel design that few people had seen. The Sport Coupe’s full-length console was not covered in wood like on the Touring Coupe. A passenger airbag was added as standard equipment on all three models. And in the correction of an oversight, the matte black side mirrors of 1992 were replaced with body-colored versions in 1993 for all models.
In 1994 the model lineup was reworked again, and the unpopular Eldorado Sport Coupe trim was eliminated and became a one-year affair (Wikipedia is wrong about the ESC). The new lineup was again the Eldorado and Eldorado Touring Coupe. The special two-spoke wheel for the ETC proved another one-off as the Eldorado adopted the standard four-spoke wheel of the entire front-drive Cadillac lineup (the rear-drive Fleetwood kept the old two-spoke wheel from 1990 Cadillacs).
Both the base and Touring Coupe trims of the Eldorado now featured quad exhausts, as the models would gradually merge over time. Optional on the base Eldorado was the Sport Appearance Package which granted many of the visual cues of the Touring Coupe for a small fee. Both the Touring and base models now featured a Northstar V8, as the new LD8 version arrived for the lesser base model. Designed to offer more torque than the L37 version, in Eldorado usage it offered 275 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque.
In 1995 the Eldorado received its only exterior visual refresh during its 11-year run. At the front there was a revised grille with a thicker surround. It had a chunkier egg crate design, with a wreath and crest that looked more integrated into the grille than applied to it. The chrome trim that wrapped around both corners had its thickness reduced by about 50 percent and looked much cleaner.
The trim strip no longer wrapped around the full width of the front end, but instead ended at either side where the bumper dipped down to accommodate the grille shape. Lower indicator lamp housings were made rounded at either corner, and the lower air intake was also rounded and shrunken. Along the sides, body trim was smoothed somewhat, and its chrome was also cut in half. What previously was a thick chrome bar was now a body-colored trim strip with a chrome applique across its upper section.
At the rear, the lesser chrome made a big visual difference. The flat surface area of the bumper was no longer completely covered in chrome. Much like the front, the new chrome spears were thinner and wrapped around the corners. The chrome pieces terminated at either side of the license plate and highlighted one other small change: the rear lamps.
From 1995 the rear lamps had a black perimeter section that was thicker on the outside edge and thinner on the inside. This made the view from the rear look more modern than the pre-refresh cars. At the lower section of the bumper, the plastic that was previously black was now body colored and made the whole rear look lower to the ground and more substantial.
In retrospect, 1995 was an interesting year for the Eldorado. There were revised exterior looks, but nothing had changed in its interior since debut apart from the steering wheel. Meanwhile the model continued to age against the competition.
Because it was a dying segment, Eldorado would soldier on as the more popular sibling Seville (SLS/STS) received an entire new generation in 1998. GM couldn’t see spending that much money on a dying model, so Eldorado buyers would have to make do with interior and tech updates for the rest of the run. We’ll pick up there next time.
[Images: GM]
Become a TTAC insider. the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
