1957 Cadillac Series 70 Eldorado Brougham

Body No. 256



The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham set a new standard for exclusivity and opulence-an achievement that remains legendary today. For years, Cadillac proudly proclaimed itself "The Standard of the World," and with the no-compromise Series 70 Eldorado Brougham, that declaration was fully realized. Priced at an astounding $13,074-thousands more than a Lincoln Continental Mark II or even a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud-the Eldorado Brougham offered a level of craftsmanship and luxury unmatched by any production automobile of its era. Each example was hand-built in limited numbers, featuring a distinctive four-door pillarless body with rear-hinged "suicide" doors unique to the model.



Power came from Cadillac's dual four-barrel V8 paired with a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, while the Eldorado Brougham also debuted the first air-spring suspension fitted to a passenger car. Power windows, chromed aluminum wheels, air conditioning, and countless other conveniences came standard. Such was the level of specification that there was, in Cadillac's words, "no optional equipment offered." Inside, buyers could select from 44 interior combinations of full leather or broadcloth upholstery, complemented by carpeting in Mouton lambskin or cut-pile Karakul. Every imaginable luxury was provided on delivery-including a complete vanity set and even a bottle of Arpège Extrait de Lanvin perfume-ensuring that no detail was overlooked in Cadillac's ultimate expression of modern motoring prestige. In fact, it is said that after analyzing unit production costs ($23,000), General Motors lost nearly $10,000 per Eldorado Brougham such was the car's premium nature, effectively giving fortunate buyers a remarkable bargain!



A copy of this 1957 Eldorado's General Motors build sheet reveals it to be 256th of just 400 Broughams (style number 7059) estimated to be produced that year. Along with its body trim tag, the build sheet sourced from GM's Heritage Archives reveals that the car is finished in its as-delivered colors of Ebony (110) over an interior with Medium Blue Parisienne cloth, Medium Blue leather, and Mouton lambskin carpeting (2222). So unique was the model that no other Cadillac in 1957 shared these Eldorado Brougham-specific codes!



After production in Detroit, Michigan, the car was shipped by truck to Houston, Texas, a city growing quickly by leaps and bounds with many "oil men" in the region looking to display their newfound fortunes on the expansive freeways of The Bayou City. A vintage Oklahoma inspection sticker reveals the car was later registered in Oklahoma. Most recently the rare Cadillac left the United States in 1996 ultimately ending up in Switzerland. It later joined an expansive collection of vintage automobiles located in Nassenwil in the canton of Zürich. Rare even in the United States, this beaming symbol of 1950s Americana has been, no doubt, quite the sight in Switzerland and very likely the only example of its kind in the country over the past three decades! For those in search of a powerful, comfortable, and technically sophisticated American sedan with endless style and Swiss veteran status, this Eldorado Brougham is an exceptional find.