A CRISP NEW look and a responsive new engine highlight the 1988 Eldorado, Cadillac’s persona} luxury coupe. Responding to a demand for more distinctive styling, Cadillac designers have created a new Eldorado appearance in record time. Major exterior sheetmetal panels — front fenders, hood, C- pillar, rear quarters and rear deck — are all new, as are the grille and taillights. And under that new hood is Cadillac’s exclusive new 4.5 litre digitally fuel-injected (DFI) V8 engine. Compared to the 4.1 litre DFI V8 it replaces, the 4.5 is 10 per cent larger in displacement and nearly 20 per cent more powerful. Simultaneous engineering, an in- tegral component of Cadillac's new organization, is 3 process whereby designers, materials engineers, manufacturing engineers, tooling designers and suppliers all work together from a program’s very beginning. In the 1988 Eldorado applica- tion, simultaneous engineering has resulted in an unprecedented turn-around time from its original! body design through processing and tooling. Development time was compressed from 176 weeks to just 55 wecks. The redesign program had three key objectives: to recapture an ap- propriate amount of previous Eldorado heritage and character; to achieve the fineness of detail and sharpness of line that North American luxury-car buyers typi- cally associate with elegant, prestigious automobiles; and pro- vide a bolder statement and further differentiation from other personal luxury coupes. The result is a longer, crisper, more tailored appearance. Fenders are subtly bladed front and rear. The traditional Eldorado grille has a bolder, more open pattern and the hood is set off by a raised power dome and a new header moulding. The fibre-optic front fender lamp monitors are redesigned, parking lamp lenses are changed from amber to crystal and front bumper guards are enlarged slight- ly for improved bumper protec- tion. The side view is enhanced by ex- tension of the rear fender line for- ward into the C-pillar, a recogniz- able Eldorado trademark that helps make the roofline appear lower and the rear deck longer. New fender extensions and a new rear bumper contoured into a redesigned end panel combine with a new taillamp design to give the car a more classic Eldorado look and make its going-away ap- pearance more distinctive. The standard power radio antenna has been relocated to the rear fender for improved corrosion protection, and a new 4.5 litre V8 engine identification plaque is ad- ded to the decklid. Six new exterior colors bring the total to 17, of which four are ex- clusive to Cadillac — beechwood, fight beechwood, cameo ivory and antelope. New design pinstripes are op- tional on both Eldorado and the top of the line Eldorado Biarritz. A restyled full vinyl roof is available on Eldorado, while the Biarritz offers a revised formal cabriolet roof as standard. Other features included in the Eldorado Biarritz option are specific interior trim design featur- ing specific front bucket seats with power recliner and lumbar ad- justment, real American walnut wood appliques, wide brushed and 27 - Friday, August 5, 1988 - North Shore News THE VOACE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER : ‘ : ae SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY - FRIOAY Photo submitted provide improved thigh support, and a new upholstery design featuring subtle horizontal stripes gives a contemporary and more spacious look inside. A blend of Mayfair cloth and leather is standard in Eldorado, while a plush Clarendon cloth and leather combination with tufted butions sets off the Biarritz interi- or. Two new interior colors — antelope and beechwood — are added to complement the new ex- Photo submitted THE CADILLAC Eldorado combines styling with performance. bright body side accent moulding, opera lamps, two-tone paint treatment, wire wheel disc, deluxe Tampico floor carpeting and mats and specific interior and exterior Biarritz identification. A redesigned rear seat frame with added cushion suspension system and an additional inch ad- ded to the nose of the cushion clusive Cadillac exterior colors, for a total of nine. Rear safety belts feature full three-point protection for out- board passengers as well as dual- mode lap retractors to prevent cin- ching. Also important to back-seat passengers, revised front seatback pockets provide additional rear kneeroom and legroom. New self design pull-swing door handles add convenience, while new design wider headrests enhance comfort, safety and ap- pearance up front. Standard digital instrumentation uses blue-green vacuum fluorescent displays for road speed and fuel level. Also standard is the Cadillac- exclusive Driver Information Cen- tre (DIC), which continuously displays outside temperature, date and time except when other func- tions are selected or shows an in- ternally controlled computer message — such as ‘*Trunk Open"' or ‘Low Washer Fluid’’. By the most widely accepted measure of performance — 0-100 km.p.h (0-60 m.p.h) acceleration — the 1988 Eldorado is 20 per cent quicker than the 1987 at 9.9 se- conds versus the previous car's 12.5 seconds. But there's much more to the story than that. The new 4.5 litre DFI V8 engine’s response is more im- mediate in all speed ranges, and its added power and torque are ob- vious in merging and passing situa- tions. Its improved part-throttle response gives enhanced control in city traffic driving, while transmis- sion ‘‘busyness’’ and ‘‘hunting™ on inclines are virtually eliminated. Producing 155 horsepower at 4000 r.p.m,‘ the transversely mounted DF 4.5 litre V8 makes the 1988 Eldorado the most responsive in more than a decade. Cadillac is the world’s only automaker producing V8-powered front-wheel-drive cars for the See V-8 Page 28