1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz: Dreamboat!

The Eldorado is probably the most famous Cadillac of them all, though the other nameplates aren’t exactly slouches either. But the Eldo was the belle of the ball, first as a Motorama special, then a limited production convertible in 1953 (President Eisenhower rode in one at his inauguration), and from then on a limited production convertible or two-door hardtop. And it lasted all the way to 2002. I remember seeing one of the bright red Collector Series coupes that year on the lot at Horst-Zimmerman in downtown Rock Island. It was the end of an era, and I knew it.

But let’s go back a few decades, when the Eldorado was still in its early years, and a clear sign of the high life in the Jet Age. Of course the 1959 model is the best remembered of them all, but the 1960 models have their own appeal, especially to your author.

Well, where could they go after the no-holds-barred opulence and flamboyance of the 1959 Cadillacs? The solution, perhaps influenced by Bill Mitchell, who preferred subtle elegance over wild chrome, was to just tone town the most over the top visuals of the ’59. In so doing, they arguably made a prettier car.

Of course, it was the same basic body as the 1959, but chrome was more restrained, the fins were lowered just a tad, and the afterburner taillights were replaced with smoother units recessed into the fins.

The front was smoother too, losing the ‘bomb bay’ front parking/fog lights and the massive chrome grill divider. It was still classy and clearly Cadillac. And only ‘toned down’ in relation to the ’59. It was still a distinctive profile amongst the Impalas, Fairlane 500s and Ramblers on the road at that time!

The Cadillac lineup itself was essentially the same as the prior year, with Series 62s, de Villes, Eldorados and Fleetwood Sixty Specials and Series 75 limousines all in the mix. The 390-cubic inch V-8 was standard in all models, and in ’60 it produced 325 hp breathing through a Carter 2 BBL carburetor.

But Eldorados, the Biarritz convertible, Seville two-door hardtop, and uber rare and expensive Eldorado Brougham four door received the 345 hp engine, which was accomplished via triple Rochester two-barrel carbs. This ‘Eldorado engine’ was optionally available on all other 1960 Cadillacs.

Both the Eldorado Biarritz and Seville were the same price, $7401. I would think the convertible would be a better deal, but I’ve always loved the Eldorado Sevilles too. And I think if I actually got one, the coupe would be more enjoyable day-to-day than a convertible. And I like the padded vinyl roofs the coupes had.

One thing folks today might not understand is how rare the Eldorados were during these years. It wasn’t like the ’70s when maybe 30K coupes and 10K convertibles came off the line at the Clark Street Cadillac plant like clockwork every year.

No sir, the Eldorados were much more scarce during this time. In 1960, 1,285 Biarritz convertibles and 1,075 Seville two-door hardtops were built. When you factor in how many Cadillac dealers were in the U.S. back then, it’s likely many dealers likely never got one in stock at all.

And these were big cars. The ’60 Biarritz and Seville had a 130 inch wheelbase, and an overall length of 225 inches. To put that in perspective, a 2024 Rolls-Royce Phantom is 227″. Yep, pretty good sized!

Cadillac was the gold standard for luxury cars in 1960. Sure, Lincoln and Imperial had some gorgeous conveyances as well, but for sheer production and popularity, Cadillac was king. And GM knew it.

As the 1960 brochure confided, “The motor car that will represent Cadillac on the highways of the world during the year of 1960, advances the Cadillac tradition of excellence to an extraordinary degree.

“A classic new profile…a restrained use of adornment…and a grille of such elegance that it might have been crafted by a master jeweler—these mark the 1960 Standard of the World as a dramatic step forward in contemporary motor car design.”

As for today’s gorgeous example, it was spotted by frequent photo contributor and friend Jayson Coombes at the CLC Grand National held last summer in Albuquerque. While the combination of Platinum Gray with white bucket seat interior was perhaps not as wild as some of the available colors seen on Eldorados in 1960, it was still gorgeous and elegant!