1975 CADILLAC ELDORADO HARDTOP COUPE

A 13-digit number appears on top of the dash on the driver's side of the car, and can be viewed through the windshield. A second number appears on a tag on the rear upper portion of the cylinder block behind the intake manifold. The digits resemble:6L47S5Q100001
These digits decode as:
Digit #1 = GM Division (6 designates Cadillac)
Digit #2 = Series (L - Eldorado)
Digits #3-4 = Body Style (47 - 2-Door Hardtop Coupe; 67 - 2-Door Convertible)
Digit #5 = Engine (S - 500 V-8)
Digit #6 = Year (5 -1975)
Digit #7 = Assembly Plant (Q - Detroit, MI; E - Linden, NJ)
Digits #8-13 = Unit Production Number

Complete vehicle identification is determined by the Body Number Plate, which is located under the hood on the cowl, near the top.

ST = Style (75 - Model Year; 6 - Cadillac Division; EL - Eldorado Series; 47 - 2-Door Coupe Body Style or 67 - 2-Door Convertible)
BDY = Body (Q - Detroit, Michigan Assembly Plant; 100001 - Production Sequence)
TR = Trim (11D - Black and White Mosaic Check Cloth)
PNT = Paint (11 - Cotillion White; K - Black Padded Vinyl Roof)
L## = Modular Seat Code (Letter followed by two numbers, depending on seating configuration)

Above: 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Coupe in Tarragon Gold Metallic with White dual accent stripes

It would appear that the U.S. auto industry just couldn't get a break during the 1974 and 1975 model years. After Cadillac experienced two record setting years in a row for 1972 and 1973, it got hit with sluggish sales due to the oil scare that caught America off guard just as the new '74 models appeared in dealer showrooms. When the oil scare ended in spring 1974, sales began to pick up again, only to fall off during the 1975 model year due to the worst economic recession since 1958! While overall sales were better for Cadillac in 1975 than they'd been the previous year, it was hardly a remarkable year.

Sales of the 1975 Eldorado Coupe were up just a few thousand units, and the Convertible didn't fare much better, with an increase of less than 2,000 cars. The 1975 Continental Mark IV wasn't doing as well for 1975, either, as sales had dropped from '74 numbers. Part of the reason for this could be the substantial price increases many luxury cars passed on to customers. The Eldorado Coupe jumped $825 for 1975, and the Convertible passed the five-figure bracket for the first time. At $10,354, it was priced $917 higher than in 1974.

Part of the responsibility for the increase in base prices lies with the new catalytic converters that had found their way onto most 1975 models. They allowed the engines to be retuned for improved performance, as they aided in the clean up of vehicle emissions, which allowed engineers to remove some of the emissions duties engines had been saddled with the last few years. The catalytic converters were expensive, and that cost was passed along to the consumer.

Cadillac and Lincoln both loaded up their personal luxury models with features that had previously been optional at extra cost, and that increased the base price as well. That meant things like an AM/FM stereo radio and power door locks were now standard, and the cost of those items was added to the base price. In a strange move, Lincoln would make many of the items optional again in 1976, in an attempt to offer the lowest possible base price, but it really didn't matter that much in the long run, as most luxury car buyers opted to equip their cars with them anyway. Psychologically, they probably thought they were getting a better deal with the more affordable base price.

Chrysler Corporation's flagship model, the Imperial, was quietly discontinued at the end of the model year. The Imperial had proudly maintained its status as Chrysler's finest automobile for 49 years. It would return in 1976, with the same basic styling except it would be rebadged as a Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, with a reduction in equipment and a lower base price. The car that didn't sell well as an Imperial was a hot commodity as a New Yorker, and it would continue through the 1978 model year in this configuration. It would be down sized for 1979, and would return as a four door sedan. The 1978 model Chrysler New Yorker Brougham was the last full-sized American four door hardtop automobile built to date. A new Imperial luxury coupe would return for 1981.

Advertising for the 1975 Cadillacs was as one would expect from Cadillac. Simple, elegantly understated, and sometimes posed with an older model Cadillac in the background. Golfer Arnold Palmer appeared in several print and television ads about this time, including the ad on the left. (Click to view larger version in new window or tab.)

Sales brochures were very well done, and featured a die cut on the front cover in the outline of the Cadillac crest, with a full color crest printed on the first page and positioned so it would appear behind the cut out. Very clever. The brochure emphasized the steps taken to improve Cadillac's efficiency, the testing procedures the cars endured to ensure they met Cadillac's tough standards, and provided descriptions of standard and optional features as well as upholstery choices.

Part of a Cadillac's efficiency included offering owners a high resale value at time of trade in, as well as low maintenance costs during their time of ownership. Cadillac led the luxury market in owner loyalty at the time, as it had for many years, and there was a growing trend for original owners to retain cars for a longer period of time, which may have had a small impact on repeat sales each year.

Eldorado recognized and acknowledged its heritage in 1975 by refining its styling to better reflect that of the first generation Fleetwood Eldorado that dated back to 1967. Few would disagree that the original styling was one of General Motors finest styling efforts ever. It ranks up there with the first Cadillac Sixty Special Sedan and Coupe deVille, the 1963 Buick Riviera, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, and all the other legendary designs that have come forth from GM over the years.

Above: 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Coupe being tested for fuel economy and brake stopping ability. Note the "fifth wheel" connected to the rear to monitor speed and distance traveled.