20 April 2020
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Automodello 1968 Cadillac Eldorado San Mateo Red, Tribute Edition
PRICE: US $349.95 (other options/versions are available - see review text)
REF: 24C 011
SCALE: 1.24
Cadillac had used the Eldorado model-name since 1953, on its top-line sportiest models, but in 1967 came an Eldorado that took many by surprise. Totally separate from the rest of the Cadillac range, the new car was a leviathan, a front-wheel-drive 2-door coupé based on the chassis of the Oldsmobile Toronado that preceded it by a few months.
Styling, as with the Oldsmobile, was overseen by General Motors’ legendary styling chief Bill Mitchell, and was quite different from its cousin, being a “notchback” coupe, whereas the Oldsmobile was a fastback, of slightly more modest proportions.
The 1968 version of the Eldorado had a V8 engine of 472 cu in (7.7 litres) with an output of 375 bhp. Roadholding and handling were good by the standards of the day and, of course, the interior was the last word in luxury.
Automodello's model is magnificent, with super-crisp moulding and a flawless finish. Detail is excellent, right down to the small rear repeater lights overlaid with their tiny Cadillac motif, and to the door lock pips. All the other trim and badging is there too. Plating quality is top-class and the trim is perfectly applied.
As with the original, the interior matches the exterior,, and again is very well-detailed.
There are three versions: Standard Edition (168 examples, No 24C010) is in metallic Silverpine Green, the Tribute Editions (68 units each), are in San Mateo Red (24C 011) or Topaz Gold Firemist (24C 012), and the Homage Editions (24 of each), are in either Grecian White (24C 013) or Sable Black (24C 014).
Prices are US$249.95, US$349.95, and US$449.95 respectively - good value for so excellent a model of a vehicle that was such a monument to the excesses of its time.