If you’re a regular viewer of the Harwood Motors inventory, you already know that we’re partial to the big front-wheel-drive Eldorados. We’ve sold several in the past year, and while there are often a lot of them for sale, the really good ones tend to rise to the surface. There was the 1975 Eldo with just over 16,000 original miles. Then we had the stunning black-on-tan fuelie that was so fresh that it was still wearing its original window sticker. And now this lovely triple black 1976 Eldorado arrives and the trend continues.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with these cars, imagine the décor in your family’s house in the 1970s. Browns, greens, yellows, tans, and colors like that dominated, and the same was true over at Cadillac. Look through the magazines and you’ll see a whole lot of Firethorn Red ones with white leather and white ones with red leather and brown ones with tan leather, but in the world of Eldorados, a real-deal triple black car is somewhat of a unicorn.

Showing just 37,440 original miles, this is one handsome Eldorado. It was repainted just a few years ago and the front and rear end caps were replaced with fiberglass reproductions, as is common on these cars (the urethane originals tend to turn to dust after four decades), so it’s in excellent shape overall. The red pinstripes are a little bit more flamboyant than the original design, but it’s hardly objectionable and a little flash never hurt anyone. This has never been a rusty car and given its mileage and overall condition, we’re guessing that it has never been out in winter weather despite spending most of its life here in Cleveland. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any major flaws aside from a few polishing marks that are all but inevitable in black paint, although our detail shop was able to erase almost all of them. It has been fitted with a shiny chrome nose, which was the fashion at the time, but we can’t say that we object because it looks imposing as hell in the head-on view. The doors fit nicely, the hood lines up properly, which is always problematic on these cars, and we can’t find many nits to pick.

Likewise, the chrome and stainless trim appears to be original and in good order. The bumpers shine up nicely and if you’re familiar with these cars, you know how those uprights on either side of the headlights tend to wander around on cars with a lot of miles. The tight egg crate grille was unique to the ‘76s, as were the yellow parking light lenses, which add some welcome contrast. The rubber rub strips on the bumpers remain in excellent condition without even much evidence of parking lot mishaps and all the proper ‘Eldorado’ script emblems are in place. Heck, even the filler piece below the rear license plate is intact and not cracking, suggesting great preservation and a lot of time out of the sunlight.

What make this Eldo truly special, however, is the black leather interior. As I mentioned, most are red, white, or tan, but after 30 years of collecting and admiring these cars personally, I can only recall seeing one other Eldorado with black leather. Now that you’ve seen it, you might wonder why more people in the 1970s didn’t select it, because it’s just gorgeous. The hides are supple and in excellent condition, with only minor signs of use that are well in line with its age and mileage, but there are no splits or tears anywhere and the back seat looks virtually new. As you’d expect as Cadillac’s flagship, this big land yacht is loaded, including a power driver’s seat, automatic climate control, tilt/telescope steering column, power windows and locks, cruise control, a power antenna, and delay windshield wipers, which, oddly enough, were an option. The beautiful woodgrained accents are plastic, of course, but the textured surfaces and intricate designs, particularly on the door panels, look very attractive and not at all cheap or cheesy. The same goes for the steering wheel, which, unlike many of its peers, isn’t cracked or falling apart. Plush black carpets make it feel luxurious and there are custom embroidered floor mats up front and a rather rare original carpeted 1-piece mat in the back. A newer AM/FM/cassette stereo replaces the original AM/FM/8-track unit but the installation was tidy and remarkably enough, it operates the automatic antenna just like the original did. Everything is operational, including the A/C and the fiber-optic light monitors out on the front fenders, although the black convertible top and rear window have been replaced at some point and the rear window glass no longer has a defroster, so that’s inop. The only other notable demerit is that the ash tray lid on the passenger’s armrest is broken, but we’re searching for a replacement that should be on the car before it ships to its new owner. The black convertible top is not original but it’s not new, showing well and powering up and down without incident—the only issue is a small split just behind the driver’s rear quarter window, a common place for these tops to fail, but it’s all but invisible once the top is up and secured and has no effect on weather-tightness. The trunk is 100% OEM, including the rubber mat and it includes a full-sized spare with cover as well as an original jack assembly.

For effortless cruising, it’s hard to beat cubic inches, and for sheer cubic inches, almost nothing beats Cadillac’s 500 cubic inch V8. While horsepower was fading in 1976, the real story is torque, and there’s a massive amount of effortless torque to move all 5200 pounds of Eldorado convertible. Speaking from experience, these cars seem to accelerate with the inevitability of a locomotive—not fast, but eventually attaining seriously scary speeds that they can maintain indefinitely. My father used to joke that they were made for Texans to haul ass across the desert at 100 MPH, and I can’t really argue with that theory. With just 37,000 miles on the clock, this one has never needed anything major and has received the kind of maintenance that is right for a hobby car like this. Turn the key and it starts every time, it settles into a gentle idle after a few seconds, and simply goes about its business unobtrusively. There’s a small exhaust leak that goes away in about a minute, and then it’s nearly silent, and there are no hiccups in its power delivery. The engine bay is clean if not perfectly detailed for show, reflecting that it’s been driven over the past 40 years. On the other hand, there are no issues, plenty of fresh parts, and 100% original specifications, so it runs and drives as intended. It never gets hot or cranky and if you’re gentle on the accelerator, you can probably eke out fuel economy in the mid-teens without much trouble. The only deviation from stock is the rather complex alarm system over on the driver’s side inner fender, but rather than try to cut it out of the wiring harness, we’ve elected to simply leave it alone. It doesn’t cause problems. If we were to do anything to improve it, we might invest in a new hood pad, as the original is a little tattered after all these years.

Front-wheel-drive in a 5200 pound convertible is made possible by GM’s extraordinary TH425 3-speed automatic transmission and drive train system. Essentially a TH400 packed into a custom case that lives alongside the oil pan, it’s driven by something even GM engineers called an “indestructible chain” which turns the horsepower 180 degrees and sends it forward. The transaxle up front has 2.73 gears inside, so it’s a fantastic highway vehicle and with all that torque on hand, you really don’t need a lot of gear to get it rolling. The torsion bar suspension is equally innovative and offers a supple ride that’s exactly what you’d expect from the ‘70s greatest land yacht, and there are air shocks out back that always keep it at an even keel. It is not detailed for show underneath, but it’s very well maintained and shows no critical issues. Heck, even the front half of the exhaust system, including the catalytic converter, appears to be original! The new exhaust parts include a muffler AND a correct resonator, so this Eldorado sounds right. Four-wheel disc brakes were introduced for 1976 and make a noticeable difference in stopping this massive ragtop, and they live behind correct black hubcaps that were also unique to 1976 Eldorados. Recent 235/75/15 Firestone radials have exactly the right whitewall width, so they look right and handle great.

Can you tell we love this car? It’s the ultimate ‘70s luxury cruiser in a color combination that will never, ever go out of style. Despite the efforts of companies like Mercedes-Benz and Bentley, nobody will ever build a convertible on this scale again. Wrapping it in such neatly tailored sheetmetal makes this a timeless ragtop that will always have appeal. This is a great opportunity to own a rather rare Eldorado that’s ready to enjoy and needs no excuses. Call today!