Period Awesome: 1978 Cadillac Eldorado with power T-tops on eBay
Click above for a gallery of the '78 Eldorado with power T-tops
Sometimes, you just have to stop, tip your cap, and accept what is awesome. This is one of those times. Better still, you can buy this example of awesomeness and put it in your garage. "It" is a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. And it has power T-Tops. Let's repeat that, for those of you who weren't paying attention: POWER T-TOPS. And they work. Picked your jaw off the floor yet? Good. Apparently, only seven prototype cars were built with the ultra-rare, ASC-developed feature. Finished in Colonial Yellow with plush pillow-topped seating, this particular example has 66,775 miles on the clock and a top bid of $5,600 (reserve has not yet been met) as of this writing.
Frankly, the only way this car could be any better is if it were brown, and the stereo exclusively played theme music by Lalo Schifrin. Short of that, it'll do just fine. Now please excuse us, as we've got to see if we can dig several thousand dollars in loose change out of the couch so that we might have a shot at experiencing this (not so) little piece of period awesome. Or maybe it's just awesome. Period. 
[Source: eBay]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Alex Nunez 12:00PM (3/10/2009)
An addendum: one of the other cars equipped with the feature was an Eldorado "Classic." The Classic package combined the base color with a brown hood and roof, for maximum 1970s excellence. If you're on Facebook, you can see a shot of that car's roof here:
http://tinyurl.com/EldoClassicPowerT
Obviously, this is highly desirable. Also, Mike Bumbeck (another of the great, O.G. Jalops) leaves one of best comments ever on the photo.
America, in these troubled times, needs power T-tops.
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Aprime 1:01PM (3/10/2009)
I don't think we share the same meaning of desirability. :v
TBlueMax 1:51PM (3/10/2009)
Wow... this takes me back. I learned to drive on a '73 Mercury 2-door sedan* (don't bother correcting me, it really wasn't a coupe in spite of only having two doors and no B-pillar). It was this same shade of yellow with a dark brown vinyl top and measured 19.5 feet long from shiny chrome bumper to shiny chrome bumper. The turning radius was Rhode Island unless you goosed the gas to rotate the rear. Amazing highway car, floated over anything. Fuel economy was virtually nonexistent at 10mpg city / 14mpg highway (7mpg in the city if you were angry or disrespectful of courteous driving). I can just barely remember a time when these kinds of cars were still common populating drive-in movie theaters and barreling down barren highways.
I would consider picking up this gem, except:
1) It wouldn't fit in my garage.
2) Cost of gas.
3) I'm getting too old [lazy] to clean spark plugs, check the distributor, and rebuild the carburetor on a semi-regular basis. That, and my days of having the chasis inspected/lubed at every oil change are over.
Well, at least my old Mercury was RWD. These old Eldo's were just as massive but FWD.
+ 100 pts for nostalgia
- 100 pts for reality
= no sale
Ref: * The Society of Automotive Engineers defines such a vehicle [two-door sedan] as any two-door model with rear accommodation greater than or equal to 33 cubic feet (0.93 m³) in volume (a calculation made by adding the legroom, shoulder room, and headroom).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan_(car)
Frylock350 3:32PM (3/10/2009)
@TBlueMax,
Your Mercury was a 2-door hardtop. A 2-door sedan has a B-pillar, a 2-door hardtop does not.
John 3:33PM (3/10/2009)
"I don't think we share the same meaning of desirability. :v"
Heaven forbid it doesn't have a big wing on the trunk and fart can exhaust....
superman211 4:08PM (3/10/2009)
"Better still, you can buy this example of awesomeness and put it in your garage.
AB-
I won't drive? And I don't have a blimp hanger or a bout house. so I can't; "put it in your [my] garage."
KIB2 1:11PM (3/10/2009)
I want one in black.
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Shipey 1:10PM (3/10/2009)
I must agree... that is, in fact, quite awesome.
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John Johnson 1:10PM (3/10/2009)
Your definition of awesome is significantly different than mine.
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Aspherical 1:26PM (3/10/2009)
Where is the fuzzy dice?
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ehisforadam 1:30PM (3/10/2009)
The CTS coupe totally needs the power T-Tops.
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jjpg2000 1:33PM (3/10/2009)
I agree 100% with this statement.
Alex Nunez 1:54PM (3/10/2009)
CTS Coupe with power T-tops = automatic, instantaneous, Car of the Year award, across the board and in perpetuity.
CTS-V Coupe with power T-tops = World Peace.
KeatMP 2:30PM (3/10/2009)
@ Alex
I just laughed out loud at your comment.
Awesome.
jv2k 5:30PM (3/10/2009)
What ever happened to T-tops anyway?
why not the LS2LS7? 1:38PM (3/10/2009)
I think I could make it more bad-ass by having the spinners on the wheels. Showing the lugnuts is rather ugly.
Still, I like it.
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Pokey 1:40PM (3/10/2009)
100% pure AWESOME!
Needs to be a different color though.
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John 1:46PM (3/10/2009)
Hmmm... power T-tops. Sweet, kung-fu grip, action! Probably the only 6 GM T-top cars that DON'T leak too.
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JN 1:58PM (3/10/2009)
Actually, this power T-top setup leaks MORE than any other GM T-top vehicle, because, although ASC thought they had a pretty cool setup going on, they forgot one important detail:
Drains.
The first car to use this exact kind of T-top was the 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado XSR, and its owner told Collectible Automobile magazine a few years ago that it was not a car to drive in the rain because it leaked so badly.
I can't imagine that this Eldo would be any better.
John 2:17PM (3/10/2009)
Well damn. Stupid reality having to stomp on my sandcastle. Thanks for the info though. Such a stupid thing to overlook.