1968 Cadillac Eldorado Fleetwood Coupé

• Patinated preserved condition
• French delivered from new
• Original V8 engine and automatic transmission
• Striking blue over light blue original specification
• Will require recommissioning

By the time the eighth generation Cadillac Eldorado was introduced in 1967, the nameplate was already a byword for luxury in a language only General Motors spoke. Losing the tailfins and convertible top, the new personal luxury coupé was a sharp mid-century masterpiece to park outside your new Frank Lloyd Wright house. Underneath, the Eldorado ran a front-wheel drive 7.7-litre V8 with a three-speed automatic, yet none of these changes dissuaded buyers – the eighth generation Eldorado sold three times' the previous model's volume, helping to give Cadillac its best year on record. There was an update in 1969 to address new federal safety requirements, and owing to the lightning-fast product cycles the American auto industry was known for, it was replaced by the still-larger ninth generation in 1971.

This Eldorado is one of a small handful of cars delivered new to France in 1968 and has reportedly had just three owners since. Being a 1968 model, it features the desirable covered headlamps, which were outlawed in 1969. It wears a blue colours skin over light blue interior, with an endearing patination that could be left as is or would form the ideal basis for restoration. The Eldorado was reportedly serviced during its life by the Bernard Afchain garage in Saint-Lubin-de-la-Haye, with invoices for nearly €5,000 of maintenance work carried out between 2012 and 2014. A document file includes the original owner's manual and supplement, the original cancelled French registration document, a 2016 technical inspection report, a certificate of public sale at auction in 2016, and a file of old invoices. The Eldorado will require recommissioning before future use.