Stunning Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was priced at $13,074 yet still lost GM $10K on each sold in 1958

The stunning Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was priced at $13,074, yet each one sold in 1958 lost General Motors $10,000.

Between 1957 and 1958, the Eldorado Brougham cost $23,000 each to make, meaning $10,000 was lost on each sale.

That works out at about $7 million – $77 million in today’s money.

But why did it turn out like this? What went wrong for the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham?

EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie

The story of how the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham cost General Motors a lot of money

The Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was announced back in December 1956 and was released three months later.

It cost $13,074 ($146,370 in 2024 money), which was twice the price of a 1957 Eldorado.

That also made it more expensive than the competition at the time – the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Facel Vega Excellence, and Continental Mark II.

None of this is exactly setting it up for success, is it?

In 1957, 400 Eldorado Broughams were sold, with figures of 304 the following year.

Of the 704 units assembled over those two years, General Motors lost approximately $7 million, which is the equivalent of $77 million today.

Fast forward to today, and only 111 are accounted for.

Was the Eldorado Brougham a loss for GM then?

In the financial sense, sure, but there’s more to this story than meets the eye.

You see, this car wasn’t all about profit margins; it was about making a point.

It was expensive to make because it was considerably more advanced than other cars at that time.

Among its features were forged aluminum wheels, air conditioning, a dual four-barrel V8, electric door locks, and a dual heating system.

The car also came with a vanity kit that included a lipstick holder, ladies’ powder puff, comb, mirror, coin holder, leather notebook, gold pencil, and perfume.

That reminds us a little bit of the Dodge La Femme, which also came with an array of extras.

General Motors – a long lasting legacy

General Motors, as one of the iconic ‘Big Three’ in the auto industry, has a long legacy behind it.

There’s been a lot of change in the decades since the Eldorado Brougham.

The fact that GM is now contemplating a future with self-driving cars illustrates that perfectly.

And with $4 billion pledged to make more than two million vehicles per year, there’s no sign of the automaker slowing down anytime soon.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie