| 1958 Cadillac Brougham |
The 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was a General Motors dream car brought to life. The most prestigious Cadillac out
of Detroit since the V-16 seventeen years earlier, the Brougham started life at the 1954 Motorama as the Park Avenue, a
four-door town sedan which looked like, but wasn’t a hardtop. It was a minor hit, and in May 1954 Harley Earl, all-powerful
GM design supremo, began holding discreet meetings about a super Eldorado, a production version of the Park Avenue for
1956.
The 1955 Motorama Cadillac was the prototype Eldorado Brougham. Curvaceous, almost tasteful for this gaudy period, it
had pillarless claphandles doors, restrained knife-edged fins and a 90-degree wraparound in the front screen. Its stainless-
steel roof, narrow white sidewalls and twin headlights were industry firsts. It say on a new X-frame chassis with air
suspension. A 6.3 litre 325 bhp V-eight engine was hitched to GM’s Hydramatic transmission as standard.
The Brougham had power steering, seats and windows and dripped with electric baubles: automatic headlamp dipper,
cruise control, signal seeking radio, electric aerial and door locks, a drum-type electric clock and an automatic bootlid
opener. Other ultra-luxuries included polarized sun visors, magnetized drink tumblers in the glove box, cigarette and tissue
dispensers, special lipstick and cologne, ladies’ compact and powder puff, mirror and matching notebook and comb and an
Arpege atomizer with Lanvin perfume. The buyer could choose from 44 trim combinations and between karakul and
lambskin carpeting.
The Brougham was Cadillac’s response to the 1956 Lincoln Continental Marl II, nothing short of a passion play for Cadillac
which spent $25,000.00 building a car that could only sell for $12,500.00. Only 704 Broughams were built. Nonetheless, the
Eldorado Brougham was the most luxurious automobile of the 1950’s.
of Detroit since the V-16 seventeen years earlier, the Brougham started life at the 1954 Motorama as the Park Avenue, a
four-door town sedan which looked like, but wasn’t a hardtop. It was a minor hit, and in May 1954 Harley Earl, all-powerful
GM design supremo, began holding discreet meetings about a super Eldorado, a production version of the Park Avenue for
1956.
The 1955 Motorama Cadillac was the prototype Eldorado Brougham. Curvaceous, almost tasteful for this gaudy period, it
had pillarless claphandles doors, restrained knife-edged fins and a 90-degree wraparound in the front screen. Its stainless-
steel roof, narrow white sidewalls and twin headlights were industry firsts. It say on a new X-frame chassis with air
suspension. A 6.3 litre 325 bhp V-eight engine was hitched to GM’s Hydramatic transmission as standard.
The Brougham had power steering, seats and windows and dripped with electric baubles: automatic headlamp dipper,
cruise control, signal seeking radio, electric aerial and door locks, a drum-type electric clock and an automatic bootlid
opener. Other ultra-luxuries included polarized sun visors, magnetized drink tumblers in the glove box, cigarette and tissue
dispensers, special lipstick and cologne, ladies’ compact and powder puff, mirror and matching notebook and comb and an
Arpege atomizer with Lanvin perfume. The buyer could choose from 44 trim combinations and between karakul and
lambskin carpeting.
The Brougham was Cadillac’s response to the 1956 Lincoln Continental Marl II, nothing short of a passion play for Cadillac
which spent $25,000.00 building a car that could only sell for $12,500.00. Only 704 Broughams were built. Nonetheless, the
Eldorado Brougham was the most luxurious automobile of the 1950’s.