When you think of the Detroit Autorama and the vehicles that contend for the Great 8 award a Cadillac Eldorado probably isn’t high on that list. Well, David Blattner’s 1967 Eldorado known as the “Vanilla Gorilla” broke that mold in 2024.

The team at Mike’s Auto Restoration And Customizing looked at Blattner’s Cadillac as a blank slate. One of the big influences on this build was Cadillac’s El Miraj concept car. The final product is a car that mixes the modern parts you’d find on a CTS-V with a 1967 Eldorado. Mike’s Auto Restoration And Customizing perfected this marriage of two different vehicles into one amazing ride.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that the shop sawed two whole feet off the body of the Eldorado. The Roadster Shop built a custom chassis the body could rest on and included all its best suspension parts. Under the hood, you’ll find a supercharged LT4 mill that’s controlled by a GM ECU. The Eldorado rolls on a set of custom wheels and big brakes from Baer.

You’ll want to check out this video where we talk with Brandon from Mike’s Auto Restoration and Customizing. He lays out all the details of the build and what went into building this badass Cadillac.