Cadillac El Dorado history

El Dorado was supposedly the kingdom with a massive wealth hidden in South America. Sir Walter Raleigh of England and Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada of Spain both went searching for the said wealth in the supposedly kingdom. The two didn't get luck, but the legend was used as a shorthand vision for the General Motor's pursuit of a "vanity" car.

Though the name Eldorado was directly lifted from a suggestion of Cadillac merchandising department secretary during a contest, the mythical story was in part as the ideal running vision for the manufacturing of the equally famous lineup of elegant cars. True enough, the creation of the Cadillac Eldorado has always been about vanity, following the true spirit of the mythic kingdom. General Motors, however, changed the name to Eldorado.

The name was also Spanish for "the Gilded One". The setup of the name Eldorado fitted the Spanish connotation as it was mounted on a brushed gold medallion in the center of the dash. This mount could be found in the 1953 edition. In the same year would also mark the introduction of Eldorado.

The introduction of the limited-edition Eldorado in 1953 by the General Motors Motorama, boasted the first production application of a panoramic wraparound windshield, a cut down door sills, and a mounted metal boot that concealed the top completely. Added to the features was an embossed metal fascia stretching the width of the dashboard and the use of leather to cover the cowl and door tops highlighted the interior. The steering wheel was also color-keyed, all knobs and bezels were chrome plated and sliding type door handles were also found in this Eldorado.