Car of the summer: Loquillo's 'lonely Cadillac'

"And now I'm sitting here in an old, second-hand Cadillac, next to the Merbeyé, my city at my feet..." This is one of the most iconic lines of Spanish rock from the 1980s. In 1983, Loquillo wanted to evoke the image of the protagonist in American films, parked at the Hollywood Bowl viewing platform, watching the sunset over his city.

Closer to the peninsula, Sabino Méndez, the author of the lyrics that launched him to stardom, stated that he evoked something similar when he thought of Barcelona's Tibidabo. Loquillo never expressly names the model he's referring to, something Méndez has corroborated. Based on this, we have to look for the Cadillac in films of the era, which could be a 1973 Eldorado convertible.

The 1970s Cadillac Eldorado embodies, like few others, the excess, opulence, and distinctive style of an era when the American automobile was still synonymous with power and prestige.

With its elongated silhouette, sharp lines, and chrome details, the Eldorado became Cadillac's flagship luxury brand, especially in its convertible version, which conveyed a sense of freedom and status unattainable for many. It was a car designed to impress, and it did so both at a standstill and cruising down the highways with a high-displacement V8 under the hood.

The front end styling is borrowed from the previous model, with round headlights housed in square units, a rectangular grille, and vertical bumper guards. Reminiscent of the 1953 Eldorado, a chrome-clad rear spoiler and a mock vertical air intake just beyond the door and the rear wheel are hidden by the wheel cover, and the "Eldorado" lettering is placed just below the front fender.

This was the car Richard Nixon used on his visit to the Soviet Socialist Republics in 1972. As before, the car weighed more, 2,213 kg for the coupé and 2,252 kg for the convertible. Prices started at $7,360 for the coupé and $7,681 for the convertible. Production totaled 42,136 coupés and 9,135 convertibles.

Its successor, the 1977 Eldorado, no longer exists in coupé form. As usual, the car receives some cosmetic changes. New rectangular side marker lights are installed behind the rear wings, and the word Eldorado is written in block letters on the end of the hood, above the grille.

The "Custom Eldorado Biarritz" version is extended, receiving side windows and rear window lamps that are "French" (shaped to the bodywork for a smoother appearance). The roof is covered with vinyl to mimic a convertible top. The 8.2-liter engine gives way to a single-cylinder 7-liter version producing 180 hp at 4,000 rpm with fuel injection. It sells for $11,187.

The 1970s Eldorado also symbolizes the excesses that ultimately undermined the American automobile industry. It was a huge, heavy, and gas-hungry car, characteristics that clashed head-on with the oil crises of 1973 and 1979. In a world that was beginning to look toward efficiency, the Eldorado represented just the opposite: unmeasured luxury, designed for an era long past its time.