The Eldorado Brougham experience includes great spirits and fine perfumes

In 1957 America was hurtling towards a promising future and the collective automotive experience reflected a country in the midst of a post-war economic boom. Smoking was touted as healthy, the cocktail party was a much-celebrated social activity and Cadillac built the finest automobiles in the world. At the top of the 1957 Cadillac lineup was the limited-production Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. With its combination of performance and luxury, the Eldorado Brougham was the automotive ambassador of American success and packed accessories to prove it.

The glove box was fitted with a cigarette case, tissue dispenser, vanity compact with lipstick, a stick of cologne and perhaps most appropriately a matching set of four gold-finish shot-sized drinking cups with magnetized bases! A glove box-length mirror and not one but two recessed lamps completed the opulent effect. The rear armrest compartment was outfitted with a note pad and pencil, portable vanity mirror and a perfume atomizer filled with one ounce of Arpege, Extrait de Lanvin for splendid olfactory presentations.

If its brushed stainless steel top, pneumatic self-leveling suspension and 325 horsepower V-8 with dual quad throat carburetors thrust the Eldorado Brougham into the realm of top-flight motoring, its accessories helped underscore an era of personal luxury and automotive freedom. While we are certainly not advocating the enjoyment of wood-barrel aged spirits (or any for that matter) in magnetized drinking cups (or any vessel for that matter) while driving, the intent is admirable. Fine beverages, a healthy and refreshing cigarette, a writing instrument to record executive or poetic thoughts were part of the 1957 Eldorado Brougham’s adventure in motoring.