1974 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (RHD)

The Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado was billed as the only American-built luxury convertible to be offered in 1974 and retained the smooth, lean styling introduced the previous year with only minor changes, including a new grille with cross-hatching in place of the eggcrate look of 1973. New tail-end styling helped distinguish the 1974 edition of the Eldorado, along with a curved instrument panel. Powering the not insubstantial mass of the Cadillac - which had an overall length of 224-inches - was a suitably robust V8 displacing some 500 cubic inches and developing a lazy 210bhp (SAE net figure). Cadillac had always stood out by offering more in the way of luxury features and the 1974 range was no exception, with the introduction of an in-dash digital clock along with options like air bags, steel-belted radial tyres, electronic ignition and enough gizmos to keep everyone happy. As the oil crisis began to bite, sales of full size Cadillacs began to suffer, making the 1974 Eldorado Convertible a rare bird indeed and just 7,600 left the factory that year. As the 1970s revival continues, more and more cars from the era are becoming collectible and the 1974 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible represents the pinnacle of open-topped luxury motoring from an era when bigger was most definitely better.