These days, computers control just about every major system in cars, from the brakes to the navigation system. Many backyard mechanics have long since thrown in their oily rag when it comes to trying to conquer their complexity.
But James Daurio's 1976 Cadillac Eldorado is filled with creature comforts that are entirely mechanically based -- and he says he can fix just about any system in the car by himself. The car's suspension levels itself automatically even with heavy passengers in the back seat. The trunk lid sort of sucks itself closed.
"It's all mechanical. Everything works," says Daurio, of Orange, Calif., who displayed the gleaming convertible at the weekly Cars and Coffee event here at the Orange County, Calif., Fairgrounds.
The car is pretty much a dream come true. He says he always wanted to own a Cadillac since he grew up in Brooklyn, where all the rich guys drove one.
The 19-foot convertible is no garage queen. A 500-cubic-inch V-8 powers him around on local freeways.
"I use it all time. It just floats like the old cars of the 1970s," he says. In fact, the day we encountered Daurio, his car had hit a milestone. The odometer clicked over to 40,000 miles.
Having owed it eight years, he describes it as "so reliable."
So if you're out on the highway, look for him. He should be easy to find: "I always keep the convertible top down."
This article originally appeared on ABC 13.
