Rare Rides Icons: The Cadillac Eldorado, Distinctly Luxurious (Part XXXIX)

Cadillac implemented a shakeup for the 1965 model year in its lineup, styling, and approach to the market in general. The two-year modernization effort of the sixth-generation Eldorado was immediately cast aside as Cadillac surged forward into modernity with a new stylish prow, new model names, and further shrinkage of the iconic tailfin.

Bill Mitchell and his design team turned a page in 1965, as the tailfin was reduced to an integrated part of the rear fender on all Cadillacs apart from the Seventy-Five Sedan and Limousine. Body lines were smoothed and even more creased than in 1964, window lines were cleaner, and there were pointier front ends. Wire wheels made a return from their Fifties hiatus on some models. And for the first time ever, there were stacked quad headlamps. A special feature not found on any other GM car (except on the Buick Riviera)!

Change began at the foundational level, with a new name for the brand’s entry-level product. The long-standing “Series” nomenclature that dated back to the Series 60 of 1936 was no more. The subsequent 61, 62, 63, and 65 names used here and there for various lengths of time were supplanted by a new and exotic French name: Calais. 

Calais models slotted in under the DeVille lineup, and were the most basic car one could buy from Cadillac. There were fewer body styles this year, as consolidation of Fifties optionality occurred. Gone were the six-window sedans, short deck sedans, and the convertible option. Remaining were a four-door hardtop, four-door pillared sedan, and a two-door hardtop coupe. Calais were distinguished by the appropriate script badging on the rear fender, and the fact they used the old style crest and V-shaped badging.

Similarly slimmed was the DeVille line, which distinguished itself from Calais by providing more standard equipment, trim that was generally nicer than Calais, and (at least to start off) access to more exclusive options. Certain trims, finishes, features, and metallic paint were all excluded from Calais build sheets. If the customer wanted any of that, they’d pony up for DeVille. DeVille models of 1965 wore the same older badging as the Calais.

Deville’s body styles mirrored Calais, plus the convertible which appeared in 1964 as it separated itself from the Series 62. Differentiation between hardtop and sedan variants took a bit more observation than the four- and six-window differentiation of prior models. It was dependent upon how conservative and formal the customer wanted to appear.

Sedans had a softer roofline, and the roof at the C-pillar turned more gently down to the rear fender. In the middle was a body colored B-pillar, marking a clear delineation between front and rear passenger area. Windows were still frameless, like the hardtop.

The hardtop version was pillarless, and used only a chromed weather strip between the front and rear windows. The roof angled more sharply from the B-pillar, both at the rear side window and at the rear windscreen. The visual illusion created was that the rear side windows were more square than on the sedan. There was an additional scalloped styling detail on the edge of the B-pillar next to the window, which cut down into the door slightly and made for a more dramatic side profile.

As the popular upmarket non-limousine of the brand, the Fleetwood Sixty Special elevated its position in 1965. Though it remained on the C-body with the other standard Cadillac models, Sixty Special used a wheelbase extended by 3.5 inches to an even 133”. This meant four additional inches in body length over the prior year, a span of 227.5”. The Sixty Special was coming with considerable length for 1965. In addition to more restrained chrome use, Fleetwood models used the new Cadillac crest and wreath in various places.

Again limited to a four-door, four-window sedan style, Sixty Special adopted the basic looks of the DeVille sedan. But there was a new feature that year as the Brougham trim arrived. Cadillac resurrected the name from the failed 1959 to 1960 Eldorado Brougham sedan and made it a Sixty Special trim. 

Brougham netted a full vinyl roof for the sedan, with Brougham script on the C-pillar. It was the beginning of a marketing technique that would eventually cause sales and image headaches for Cadillac executives about two decades later. Until then, it was time to lean ever more heavily into the Brougham theme. 

Returning as part of the Fleetwood family was the seventh generation Eldorado. But now, the illustrious convertible wore Fleetwood marketing in addition to its upscale assembly line location. Biarritz was removed from the branding, a name to be resurrected later. 

Biarritz was from a prouder time in the Eldorado’s history, where it arrived in 1956 to differentiate the convertible version from the hardtop Seville. By 1965 the Eldorado was no longer one of the main events in the Cadillac brochure. It was consigned to appearances with the other Fleetwoods, and did not receive its own page like the DeVille convertible.

At the top end of the brand was the Fleetwood Seventy-Five. For one final year, it remained with the old front and rear styling, with traditional fins and traditionally horizontal quad headlamps. Lagging behind the rest of the brand, the Seventy-Five still used the four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. Sales dropped as customers sought more modern looking limousine models from other manufacturers. Notably, the Seventy-five was barely advertised in the main brochure, with a single side image that hid how old its front and rear ends looked.

Aside from the visual changes, there was a core change to the C-body underneath all Cadillacs except for Seventy-Five: new perimeter construction. It was an important step forward for safety (whether perceived or real) as the X-frame had become tainted by horrific crash stories and pending lawsuits. We’ll talk about frame and feature updates in our next installment.

[Images: GM]

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Source: The Truth About Cars