1957 Cadillac Air Suspension – Part 1, The Front

After a number of years of engineering, Cadillac introduced air suspension on the 1957 Eldorado Brougham. For four years this option was offered, but since only 904 Broughams were built there were a very few equipped with air. In at least some years (if not all) from 1957 through 1960, Cadillac offered air suspension as a $215 option for both the Brougham and the non­ Brougham models. To do so, frames were built to accommodate both steel and air springs. Reports on these cars tell us that the system was quite remarkably smooth and comfortable (quite a complement considering Cadillac’s reputation for great ride) as long as they worked. The problem was that they were plagued with leaks. Leaks at fitting, and in controls, and anywhere else they could leak. They tended to freeze in the winter. You could lose air and drop the car without much warning. It was complicated and difficult to repair and maintain.

In the end, Cadillac decided the gain in ride quality did not justify the cost and the experiment was abandoned. Kits were offered to convert the air suspension back to conventional steel springs.
Still, a lot was learned about air suspension and had Cadillac made a more serious commitment to working out the system it would certainly have been a success. I suspect that if it had been refined more before introduction and some of the more obvious problems confronted, it would not have got the early bad reputation that had much to do with the public’s rejection of the system.
Not only that, but because the air springs lacked the structure to stabilize the car side to side and front to rear, Cadillac developed rear suspension arms that are used with steel springs to this day because the system works so well. The car we’re looking at today is a 1957 Coupe DeVille in completely original condition. The car only has 9200 miles on it. Too bad it isn’t as perfect as you’d hope it would be with the miles it has – I am convinced a sitting car deteriorates as fast or faster than one that is run regularly. So you’ll see a lot of rust and crust as this installation is done, but don’t let it concern you. Yours will just be that much nicer.

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