Adam, this past summer, I got a chance to meet Wayne at the GM Tech Center car show. He got a kick that I recognized him from one of your interviews with him. What a nice man he is. It was a joy talking to him about the rich history he had with the company. Thank you for bringing these designers to your channel and letting us have a peak at the behind the designs of these classic beauties!
Yep! And it was extra cool that a luxury car had that sinister "don't mess with me" look... and actually had the horsepower to get going fairly quickly for a big heavy car... They were very reliable too, unlike most of todays crap! Granted they got poor gas mileage, not great handling, not great braking. But with proper maintenance which most people didn't do, especially back then. That car could last you a lifetime + your kids lifetime, maybe your grandkids lifetime too! lol
I love these kinds of features from the channel. To me these cars aren't just nostalgic, they represent artifacts of some of our recent history and culture, evidence of a way of life and thought. Nothing stays the same, but nobody can deny that automotive "progress" isn't a very mixed bag, as we can see from our current offerings in the marketplace.
Just an audio engineer's note here (which may have already been noted by others): I couldn't help but notice the excessive room reflections in the audio. The Blue Yeti mic is capable of being set for many pickup patterns and you have the pattern switch selected on the omnidirectional setting (the pure circle located at 11 o'clock when facing the mic; 2nd pattern from the leftmost setting). While this may seem best for picking up both your voices equally, it unfortunately results in a pickup pattern which receives your voices equally alongside everything else in the room. In practice, this means you'll hear the room reflections at quite a high level alongside the direct sound of your voices. I think you'll find in future interviews with the same mic (or any mic with similar muti-pattern capability) that a much better setting will be the cardioid pattern, which is the circle with a dimple in it (meant to vaguely represent the "cardioid" or heart-shaped pickup pattern). This would be the pattern one click to the right, at 1 o'clock. This pattern totally rejects sound arriving opposite the front of the mic (i.e., it rejects sound from the side now facing us viewers), and attenuates sounds arriving from other angles, but *maximizes* your voices, which are arriving at the front of the mic (i.e. the side facing directly between you two). Another helpful thing here would've been to move the mic about 6 inches closer, just at the front edge of that book on the table. Six inches may not seem like it'd make much difference, but sound pressure decreases with the inverse *square* of the distance; it doesn't decrease linearly as one moves away from the source, but rapidly drops off a cliff. So it turns out that inches in audio- just as with cars- can produce dramatic results. 😃👍 Sorry if that was a bit long-winded, especially if it's been pointed out before. Thanks for all these fantastic interviews with the designers of these beautiful cars, and for all your hard work.
I just love these in-depth, detailed videos featuring the people who actually were hands-on back in the day. These videos are priceless. Thank you for sharing such a detailed video. These are questions that many others and I have had. They are now resolved!
Nice to hear the backstory for this design change on the beautifully styled Eldo, Wayne seems to be a true gentleman, his design talent had a significant impact on our automotive history.
I can relay another huge controversy at Cadillac. In 1970-71 , DeVilles removed the V under the Cadillac crest. So hated was this that it was restored in 1972. Seems so trivial today but to our Dads the DeVille got the V and the Fleetwood got the laurel wreath. It was ordained. He held off buying until 1973.
Agree, it looked odd/plain without the V for those two years - was that but yet another "cost cutting" decision I wonder? My parents bowled with a couple that owned a '71 Coupe De Ville that actually had the V's, they told my parents that they had the dealer add the V's to the hood and trunk upon delivery and the dealer did it free of charge - so I imagine they had the only '71 Cadillac with "V's" in existence. @@RapperBC
It's interesting how this cars design evolved from something that was an assembly problem too a design change. The reason I say this is because I've worked as an engineer in manufacturing for 40 years. Some of the best suggestions always came from our people on the line, which almost always improved quality.
As a product engineer, I could not help wondering if a FMEA or similar analysis today would see the original design rejected completely. In my mind those fit issues were predictable, and preventable by the design change they eventually made.
Wonderful episode Adam. You rock. And Wayne is right, the first iteration is usually the best. The conceiled headlights look so much beter than 69 and 70.
I have to say that I actually like the parking lights in the fenders much more than that "plug" but I much prefer the hidden headlights!! Leave it to those damn bean counters!! 🙄
My uncle had a passion for huge women. In the winter he’d drive and his flavor of the week sat in the back seat for improved traction. Now that’s what I call teamwork!
Although I thought those end caps looked out of place, this is still one of the most beautiful cars to have ever graced the American hwy - along with the Continental MKIII
Thank you for this entry. While I agree that the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado is a beautifully designed auto, I could never reconcile the incorporation of the die-cast fender endcaps. For me, they stand out as, frankly, a clunky and clumsy solution that interrupts and detracts from the flow of the fender line and the overall appeal of an otherwise most attractive machine. The change in 1968 was, in the end (and in my opinion), perhaps the best solution that satisfied both form and function requirements while maintaining the original concept.
Thank you for sharing about the change. There is change just for annual styling changes or change to save money or change to fix an issue. It makes sense.
I actually prefer the 68 front end revision. It smooths out the lower front bumper and is an elegant solution for the need of a front side marker light on the 68. Even when they fit perfectly, I thought that the front fender end caps on the 67 looked odd, sort of like the headlight pods on a 58 Studebaker. I knew that the loss of hidden headlights on the 69 was a production cost reduction even though the 69 had a hike in retail price.
You have the finest automotive channel ongoing. I’d love to hear Wayne’s story on the publicly beloved 80 Fleetwood/Deville, or the 79 Eldorado also. More Wayne!!!
I completely support the movement of the parking/turn signals into the end caps not only because it looks better but because the car is easier to see when it's making a turn or generally from the side. Turn signals and parking lights put into the bumper always get corroded and the bulbs don't last very long.
Yes. Just like the 1981 to 1982 Chevrolet or GMC trucks. For 1983 to 1988 the front turn/parking lamps are under the headlights, on dual headlamp models. Or behind the grille on quad headlamp models.
@@HighSierra1500 The 1975 Malibu had turn signals in both the bumpers and in the side marker lights. The ingenious thing about them was that they blinked out of phase, so there was always one light on. While I like the idea of the lights as close to the corners as possible, the out of phase blinking seems like a feature worth bringing back.
This is how things are done in Japan with assemblers figuring out the quicker, better, easier, more efficient ways of assembling things. Their suggestions are often implemented. This was something that the US manufacturers were very reluctant in doing so because it would cause the downtime and such.
I always thought that on the '67 model Cadillac purposely had the fender capped like that in anticipation of '68 side marker requirements...I was surprised to find out they could'nt produce it as 1 piece..Thanks for the enlightenment Adam!
Thank you so much for this video. I feel as if you read my comment from yesterday and responded directly to it. I will say that the fitment of the fender endcap always troubled me. It never looked quite right, and now I understand why!
Good presentation, Adam. I guess if I were to make any kind of update to a few of your vehicles, I'd find a matching right sideview (manual) mirror. The 68 and up rectangle unit would be easy enough to find, but not too sure on the 67 round style. I hadn't noticed the major difference til you brought it up in one of your previous posts. Anyway, both are pretty vehicles. Always nice to visit with Wayne Cady too.
I learn so much from your videos Adam.They are informative and a pleasure to watch.I thought that was very interesting about the government mandate about having lights on in a tunnel and the vacuum system couldn't retract in time.I love your videos.Keep up the good work and as always cheers from Eluethra.
Interesting and informative RCCAH vid to watch & listen to Adam 👍 …This exceptional 1967 Eldorado that you have acquired for your car collection Adam surely is a remarkably original, superbly trimmed / optioned and preserved & presentable survivor. Some many decades ago ( late 1970’s era ) I came across a 1967 Eldorado that was listed in the “ Cars For Sale “ ad classifieds in a newspaper ( the old now very archaic / obsolete way of selling and buying …no pics of the car… just some brief cryptic ad copy to describe what you had to then telephone about to hopefully get some more information & possibly if then still unsold & available some followup directions for where to go to see the car …using a paper road map to zero in on the likely address / location given as there was no GPS …having now placed a chance bet it was going to maybe be worth the time and effort to go look at it…that 1967 Eldorado was also still wearing it’s original Cadillac applied black paint…it had the standard black and white houndstooth cloth and vinyl strato front seat interior …tho not a highly optioned Eldo it was in general undamaged / rust free / recoverable OK condition …the concerning & acute issue being this Eldo’s 429 Cadillac V-8 top side engine components were in some boxes placed in the Eldo’s trunk …it could be had for $250.00 but unable to be self powered & driven without a intact & running 429 V-8 under that long Eldo hood…I was often optimistic ( sometimes too optimistic ) about the upside / down side +/- ratio(s) of used car buying & collecting & saw upside potential in that No V-8 To Go Eldo and there & then became the new / latest owner of that 1967 black Cadillac Eldorado …another $50.00 was then soon paid for the local Texaco gas station owner to take his tow truck & go retrieve the Eldo and park it in the driveway at home and there it then was …a once new $$$ big priced 1967 Caddy Eldorado now parked in the driveway for only $250.00 plus $50.00 & some positive effort… …Over the course of the next few weeks & then months I contemplated what I was going to do with & about that 1967 black Eldo as I also had a 1967 Olds 98 highly optioned ( power everything ( vent wings too ) Tilt - Telescope ,factory AC & Delco factory AM FM Stereo etc. ) triple black droptop sitting in the garage …Wanted to keep them both but it always comes down to the $$ upfront and backside issues & matters plus the ongoing requirements for garage / storage & finding the funding for the go & show fun etc. …finally decided to let the 67 Eldo go and retain the 1967 Olds 98 droptop …After all it was a droptop & much more rare a find production #’s wise and it was a highly optioned nice driving all factory original numbers matching example …Many times since then have revisited how that all came about and went… …Have seen pics & vids of the featured in vid above black 1967 Eldo that has also been show cased in several of your YT RCCAH vids Adam …Seeing another black 1967 Eldo surely does brings back that should have / could have / would have now long ago came & went moment & experience I once had with a black 1967 Cadillac Eldo …There were only 17,000 first year FWD 1967 Eldos plus few hundred more produced and I once owned one of them … …20/20 looking back vision being what it is the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado was & is a paramount moment for Cadillac and for GM of the 1960’s era …I have many fond memories of my car collecting & owning experiences, times and days & that 1967 black Eldo has become one of the fondest …Those 1967 Eldo front fender caps surely were an awkward GM Cadillac Studio stylists / styling choice & easy to see was looking much better after being reworked / resolved with the combined 1968 Eldo fender mounted parking / turn signal / side lights makeover…The 1969 Cadillac deVille and Fleetwood front fender styling and factory sheet metal fab single one piece stamping & forming process evidently was able to resolve what looked like a poorly fitted option delete coverplate on the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado… …Fun to see & hear Wayne Cady commenting about & describing backstory details of the 1967 Eldo front fender leading edge filler cap styling / fabrication / assembly roundabout problem causes & solutions. …Superb RCCAH vid Adam 👍…You excel at doing fun to watch & listen about cars vids.
Those front fender caps make it look like there was an available option the owner couldn't afford to buy. The '68 did that much better by putting the parking lights there. I did like the hidden headlights though.
Adam, I've often thought about the 1968-1970 Dodge Chargers, and wondered about similar decisions in the marketing department. Someday, I'd like to see the pre-production drawings for those vehicles. I would wager that the original intent for the car was the 1969 treatment with the full length taillight assemblies and the split grille; however, had they introduced that in 1968, anything else would have been a step backward without going to the expense of the full wraparound front bumper (which I still think isn't as cleanly integrated as the 1969 look). My guess is, more than likely, they decided to forego the intended grill and taillights for one year, since they (rightly) believed the new radical body shape would sell the car, and the 1969 "update" would sell even more. The 1970's seemed to come with the nicer interiors with map pockets etc, so the sales department tried to perhaps stretch the features out to help sales. Overall, in the 68-70 Chargers, my dream would be a 1968 model with the round side marker lights, a 1969 grille and taillamps, and a 1970 interior. . . . funny how that works!
It's strange, but I think I actually like it better with the lamp there instead of the blank filler. The blank filler looks like there was supposed to be something there, but you were too cheap to buy it so they put a blank there. Kinda like a radio block off plate. Great looking car either way though
Most of us in the general public have no idea what prompts minor design changes from year to year and we assume it is simply to have consumers want the latest model. It's refreshing to learn the real reasons for them, especially if they are simply economics or manufacturing problems or the plethora of ever changing government regulations.
Thanks Adam. These segments are so informative and provide insight into the car manufacturing business. PLEASE KEEP THIS UP. I TRULY ENJOY. I NOW LOOK AT CAR DESIGN THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS.
Love to have reprints of those prints from Wayne. My stepdad kept all the dealership prints given to them from GM. He had all of them from '52 to '74 when he retired, from that dealership. Nobody back then thought anything about them, then. They got lost from a flood! I wanted those sooo bad...
They were built like that the same way the 1964-1965 Buick Riviera was built… they already knew ahead of time for a new location of the lights were going to! 💥
The hidden headlights made the car. The body color end caps looked great too. It's a shame they couldn't figure out a way to make the end caps turn signals, and keep the body color.
There was a problem with the front wheel drive. The motor had so much torque and the car was so heavy that it twisted the output shafts-standard on the 67 Eldorado.
truly a beautiful car - I well remember the 472 - it had so much torque you had to be careful about not stepping too hard on the gas lest you caused the belts to jump off or possibly break a motor mount.
@@johneckert1365 yup they did - I got to drive a NEW 1968 Sedan De Ville - I was amazed by how relatively crisp was the handling. The guy who owned it was a friend of my grandfathers who was a zillionaire - I think it may have had Michelin radials but not sure.
Had hidden headlight actuator issues on my 68 GP, but I still loved the look on that car as well as the Eldy and all cars of that era that incorporated that particular design element. Especially appreciate hearing the explanation and backstory straight from the horses mouth. So to speak. ;) As usual, Thanks Adam!
I wonder if any of the car stylist/designers did anything with the appearance of the GP (made by General Motors) locomotives of that era? I think some of the peculiarities of the cab roof of the GP30 were done for style sake although it might have been that they were trying to make space to accommodate air conditioning equipment (was the GP 30 the first locomotive to offer an air conditioned cab?)
GM's styling department was responsible for the contour on top of the body of the GP30. It is in the area where the electrical cabinet, turbocharger and air intake were located. The flare had nothing to do with an air conditioning system. The GP30 had a pressurized air intake system to keep the components cleaner.
The designer was very specific about the mechanism for opening and closing headlamp covers. He said that the vacuum-operated system was too slow. Cadillac could have implemented the electric motors, which have been used by other manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Triumph, Mazda, Nissan, and many others in the 1970s on. Mazda cleverly installed the small windows on second-generation RX-7 so that the high beam could be flashed through without popping the whole headlamp up and down.
My late husband wanted the 67 Eldo to replace our '61 Rambler Classic. However, the day before he was to go down to the Caddy dealer to order it, I caught him with the widow Irene from down the block. They were at the levy; she was laying down next to him half naked on the Classic's reclining front seats. He had his pants down. I opened the door and smashed his "johnson" with a stick that I found on the ground and next gave Irene a whooping. Because of his cheating on me, I told him the Eldo was never gonna happen.....and it didn't.
I had a 68 Eldorado when it was 10 years old . I was 20 at the time . Lots of fun , a pleasure to drive , a pain in the butt for fuel consumption ! Many good memories !!! ( It was white )
My great uncle had an exact duplicate of this car. A total eccentric, he fitted it with a trailer hitch and used it to haul materials for his businesses. Obviously, the car had plenty of power, but it wasn't designed as a tow vehicle. Plus, he couldn't drive for shit, and regularly scraped the car against curbs, walls etc. I rode in it a few times and it was SO luxurious.
The moving of the parking lamps up to the position of the former end caps was an excellent idea, most likely mandated by new government rules for side marker lamps starting in 1968. It was almost as if GM knew what was coming, they did. Those caps in 1967 look very clumsy on an otherwise elegant car! GM in particular was a company dragging it's heels for automotive safety back then. The styling only counted. For example, 1963/64 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight and Buick Electra had tail lamps that wrapped around to the sides, making them highly visible even from the side. 1965 and 1966 was like "Let us see just how much we can shroud the tail lamps, and while we are at it, the head lamps too!" We have a 1966 offering of the Oldsmobile, and added in very discretely side lamps into the cornering lamps and the red rocket style side lamps on the rear, making the car much more visible at night. Cadillac did the same with the Deville and other models in 1968 through 1970, incorporating side lamps into cornering lamps. For 1968 and 1969 on the Eldorado, they even included side lamps in the cornering lamps. Double bonus! To note, Imperial in 1969 and 1970 also had a combo side lamp and cornering lamp combined. Nice video Adam, nothing escapes your eyes!
Adam, id love to see some videos on the mid to late 60s Olds and Buicks. Especially the pre designs for the 1965-68 Olds 98/Buick Electra compared to how they were finally produced. Those pillared sedans were so elegant.
I guess despite of all complexity it was still cheaper way to execute the front fender than make it out of two pieces like some late 50s cars and finishing the seam with putty or lead
Kinda different subject. This video says it was released a month ago. Wayne is fascinating to hear. It's October 2023. 56 years ago Wayne was designing cars. He must have been a very young and talented car designer or was a video made much longer back. Love the stories from people actually involved in the design. Thanks Adam.
I’ll take the 67 front over 68 with the plugs the front looks cleaner and it has a much narrower front end look and the fenders have a more vertical blade like appearance to them. But I wouldn’t complain any if I had the money to buy a nice example of 67 or 68
Great information. I would have to go with the 67 design if for the only reason being any road debris or rocks that may be thrown at the car while following a truck could break the lens of the 68 car, and where are you going to get that lens??? Thanks for sharing the video.
My favorite was the ‘68. The hidden wipers and square rear view mirror(s) were attractive changes IMO. I prefer the hideaway headlights however the exposed ones used in 1969 made the Eldorado look more like the other 1969-70 Cadillacs.
It seems odd to me that Cadillac couldn’t come up with a better design like stamping out a sheet metal end cap and welding it in place, especially in such a prominent position on GM’s most prestigious model, it’s not like it was a Mustang or something😂. It’s also amazing that one lady was responsible for fitting the die cast piece. What happened if she was sick😂. It’s a gorgeous design though. Cheers.
The 1967 Eldorado and Buick Riviera were and still are 2 of the finest GM products ever. Two very different platforms but two exquisite vehicles. Amazing body lines.
Very interesting revelation about the updated regulations on the concealed headlight feature. Which brings about an inquiry ? Due to the fact that the prevalent VACUUM operated open/close system could become faulty and sporadic, Was there an ALERT (ie; dash light) notifying the driver that the headlight(s) were being obstructed ?!? Also, even if functioning properly frozen or iced over in cold weather regions ?!? Many Thanks Yo ! 🚘🔍. 🤔
My favorite Matchbox car. I owned a '70 in the late 80's. Wonderful car, but it had roof rust thanks to the vinyl top so I sold it. I prefer the turn signals to the cap (the cap just looks like an afterthought to me). I think the '68, with the turn signals, hidden headlights, single-caliper disc brakes and 472, was the pinnacle of the run. The Corvette kept it's vacuum headlights into the early 80s. Fords and Lincolns kept them into the late 70s. I suspect losing the hidden headlights was a cost move rather than a mandate.
I remember the 1070 tornado dropped the hidden headlights too . Can't remember if the 69 had them. I thought the grille on the 1970 Eldorado was more smooth lined and an improvement over the earlier ones. I heard a lot of complaints that on the 1967 the smooth lines on the back were really impressive where the front was rougher. Where it seemed like the 1970 corrected that problem.
It’s always the government that brought down the beauty of the American automobile,consequently allowing the auto makers to save a couple bucks.Great interview with Mr.Katy.
I thank the Government for the Safety improvements they required, seat belts, shoulder belts, safety windshields, energy absorbing front bumpers, driver and passenger air bags, collapsable steering colums, child seats, etc.
oh lord, I remember these... the front wheel drive was a nightmare to work on. and the cv joint would set you back 700 bucks , not including labor. That was a ton of money back then.
