Cadillac Club Estonia

Cadillac has created a modern hot rod with retro looks - the Eldorodo (sic), derived from the successful Eldorado Touring Coupe range. This is probably just a styling exercise for the Cadillac design team to show off at the 2001 Detroit Motor Show.

The designers took the Eldorado - the best-selling luxury coupe in the US - and lowered the body by four inches, raking the windscreen and rear window angles by 10 degrees to meet the new lowered roofline, and reducing the size of the side and quarter window openings. Full length bumper skirts cover the rear tyres, and the wheels, tail lights, headlights and indicators all have a retro feel. The 300 bhp Northstar engine used in the standard Eldorado is fitted.

what has been seen, cannot be unseen

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Since the 1930s, Southern California has been home to a cottage industry of hot rod builders. In tribute, Cadillac has transformed a 2000 Eldorado Touring Coupe (ETC) into a low-rider hot rod for the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

At the direction of Cadillac, the hot rod - dubbed EldoRODo - was created by a team of General Motors designers in collaboration with California Street Rods of Huntington Beach, Calif.

"The EldoRODo is Cadillac's way of celebrating the creativity of the hot rod culture in Southern California," said John Smith, GM vice president and Cadillac general manager. "For years the flair of these vehicles has expressed personalities of the builder and driver, similar to what the Eldorado has done for its owner base over the past 50 years."

To ensure the EldoRODo driver always has the appropriate music for cruising, the hot rod is equipped with XM satellite radio. This premium digital sound system will be able to access as many as 100 stations, ranging from music to talk radio and events, and offer continuous uninterrupted service anywhere in the continental United States. Satellite radio will be available during the 2001 model year on the Cadillac Seville.

Designers gave the EldoRODo its aggressive hot rod stance by lowering the ETC to 49.6 inches from 53.6 inches tall. The design team began by "chopping" the roof 2 inches and "channeling," or lowering the chassis, an additional 2 inches. The windshield and rear window angles were "raked" approximately 10 degrees to meet the lowered roofline, while the side and quarter window openings were reduced in overall size.

Painted in "Ignite Orange," the hot rod uses classic styling cues on the exterior, including:

* "Barreled" sheet metal over the sides
* Full-length fender skirts covering the rear tires
* Clean slit headlights and turn signals

Cadillac reached into the past for the hot rod's taillights. The slanted vertical taillights are lightly trimmed in chrome - a style used repeatedly by Cadillac in the 1970s and 1980s.

Goodyear (18-inch front and 19-inch rear) tires round out the hot rod look. The wheels are machined-styled "spun disks" with Cadillac's signature wreath and crest center caps.

Cadillac's 300-horsepower Northstar engine, standard on the ETC, will remain the powerplant for EldoRODo. GM's three-button OnStar system, which is also available on the production Eldorado, will take hot-rodding into the next century.

Carbon fiber interior trimplates replace the standard wood trim on the instrument panel, center console and door.

"Having spent some time in California, I realized very quickly that hot rod builders have an impact on the designs and applications of technology on production cars," said Steven Rosenblum, Eldorado brand manager. " We didn't want to miss the opportunity to have a little fun with one of our production cars that has always embodied the spirit and style of California." Eldorado continues to be the best-selling prestige luxury coupe in the United States and has the highest owner loyalty of any coupe in its segment.