One of the rarest of all coachbuilt Cadillacs, now discarded like a Catera.
Murilee MartinI’ve found some pretty rare machines during my 16 years of documenting interesting discarded vehicles, including one apiece Black Gold and Black Red Datsun 280ZXs, a genuine Givenchy Lincoln Continental, and what may well be the last new Ford Pinto sold in the United States. But today’s Junkyard Treasure beats them all: one of just seven San Remo Dorados built for the 1980 model year.
Murilee Martin
I knew I’d found something unusual when I spotted this car at the U-Pull-&-Pay in Denver, Colorado, because Cadillac stopped building convertibles after the 1976 model year, with the ’76 Eldorado ragtop billed as “the last convertible” amid the appropriate wailing and gnashing of teeth from patriotic Americans (they resumed convertible production in 1984). That means some aftermarket shop must have done this very clean convertible-top installation; the dash plaque indicates the work was done by Coach Design in Southern California.
Murilee Martin
There’s not a lot of reliable information on just how many San Remo Dorados were built by Coach Design, but Barrett-Jackson states that just seven were built for the 1980 model year. This is a genuine 1980 model and its VIN is very close to that of the Barrett-Jackson car (which was auctioned off in 2006), so I believe it’s the real thing.
Murilee Martin
Most Eldorados sold for the 1980 model year came with a 368-cubic-inch Cadillac V8, but California-market ’80 Eldos got an Oldsmobile 350 instead. That’s what we’ve got under the hood of this car, which makes sense for a car purchased and modified by a coachbuilder in Los Angeles County.
Murilee Martin
It’s rough and battered, but it deserved a better fate than this.
Murilee Martin
At least its final parking spot lies next to another special-edition Malaise Era Detroit swankmobile: a 1979 Bill Blass Edition Lincoln Continental Mark V.
Keyword: 1980 Cadillac Eldorado San Remo Dorado Convertible Is Junkyard Treasure