The brand new 1957 Eldorado Brougham, inspired by the Orleans, Park Avenue, and Brougham show cars of 1953 to 1955, was an exclusive, elegant, and stylish vehicle. With a list price of $13,074, it was nearly three times the cost of a base Cadillac Coupe, and over $3000 more than a new Continental, and more expensive than a 1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. The four-door pillar-less hardtop had a brushed stainless steel roof and center-opening doors. The large rear fender skirts were formed from stainless steel. Wheels are deep-dish forged aluminum with low-profile tires and one-inch wide whitewalls. In the back were Eldorado tail fins with slender vertical taillights. The tops of the front fenders used air intakes. In the front were dual headlights, which was a first for an American car, albeit matched that same year by Lincoln.
Production lasted two years with a total of 704 examples made. It is reported that Cadillac lost $10,000 on every car built. Just 400 Eldorado Broughams were assembled for the model’s initial 1957 production year, plus 304 more for 1958. Another 99 and 101 followed on a longer wheelbase for 1959 and 1960.
These cars were given nearly every available option, and even the glove box came filled. Cadillac provided a lady’s vanity case with a compact, powder puff, lipstick, comb and holder, and coin holders, as well as six drink tumblers, a tissue dispenser, and a cigarette case. In the back, the seat armrest opened to reveal a notepad and pencil, a mirror, and a perfumer atomizer, which came with a complementary ounce of Arpège by Lanvin. The trunk lid and rear doors not only opened with the push of a button, but they closed with one too. The doors locked automatically when the transmission was put in gear. A memory front seat was a first for a production car, as were the forged aluminum wheels.
Cadillac’s Eldorado Brougham was the world’s most luxurious and advanced automobile, and it backed up those claims with elegance, style, exclusivity, and luxury.
