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One thing can be said about the Cadillac Motor Car Division. When its management gets into high gear, all sorts of things begin to happen.

First, Cadillac honcho John O. Grettenberger announced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few days ago that the 1993 Cadillac Allante would be the pace car for next year’s 500-Mile Race. Now that’s being followed up by a completely redesigned 1992 Cadillac Eldorado.

The Eldo, as this classy personalized coupe is known to Cadillac devotees, experienced some buyer disaffection when it departed from the luxury-boat specifications of its predecessor. But if big is better, the General Motors Corp. division is right on track.

The ’92 Eldorado is more than 11 inches longer than the 1991 model. It’s more than 2 inches wider. And it’s almost an inch taller. That’s doing things up in style.

The car also is a lot sleeker in styling to appeal to younger, sports-oriented luxury-car buyers who have been defecting to the imports.

“It is bigger,” said Mart Tutwiler, president of Tutwiler Cadillac-Peugeot. “But you don’t get the impression it’s a big car as such. It still is a sports-type car that uses the size for increased interior room.”

The Eldorado coupe uses the same platform as the four-door Cadillac Seville, and until now the two have shared a certain commonality of styling. For ’92, however, the Eldorado is going to do its own thing, with the division seeking to create a different image for the car.

“It’s an exciting car to see,” said Lynn Kimmel, vice president of Lockhart Cadillac. “I believe the Eldorado buyer wants a little-larger car. And this new one has more interior space and storage space due to the larger body.

The body, departing from the Seville’s rounded contours, has been sculpted with more angular lines. Cadillac says the only exterior body component shared by the two cars is the windshield.

There is a distinct aerodynamic flavor to the coupe, a somewhat necessary facet in view of the fact that the car is heavier than the ’91 Eldo. The curb weight is up from the ’91’s 3,470 pounds to 3,604 pounds for the new car. This apparently affects the fuel economy rating slightly.

The rating for the ’92 Eldorado is an estimated 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 miles per gallon on the highway. The ’91 coupe is rated the same for city driving and 1 mile per gallon higher for the highway. The differential defies measurement in everyday driving, and the slipperier styling reduces the Eldo’s co-efficient of drag. This results in quieter operation and livelier performance.

Unfortunately, Cadillac’s new four-cam, 32-valve V-8 will not be in the Eldorado until sometime in the 1993 model run. Powering the ’92 car is a 4.9-liter push-rod/rocker-arm V-8 that’s good for 200 horsepower. The top speed is computer controlled at 120 miles per hour.

While the power plant is a carryover from 1991, the interior isn’t.

Cadillac has put major emphasis on the interior of the Touring Coupe. Its inte rior features Nuance leather seats and a Zebrano wood instrument panel.

“The import buyer is really going to be impressed with it,” Tutwiler said. “To me, that’s one of the most important things they have done. I’ve been telling everybody about it.”

The Touring Coupe is regarded as Cadillac’s performance-oriented model. It is equipped with a lower final-drive gear ratio to enhance acceleration capabilities. Initial acceleration tests show 0-60 miles per hour runs at less than 9 seconds.

In addition, the variable spring rate suspension has undergone some change to provide easier riding characteristics without diminishing control. The ’91 Touring Coupe leaned a bit toward a firm ride, something that didn’t lend itself to the Cadillac image.

There is virtually an unending list of upgraded comfort, convenience and mechanical features that advance the ’92 Eldorado over the ’91 model. A rather interesting sidelight to the line is that its new wheels are ca st aluminum; the wheels’ un usual design was first used in 1954 on a Cadillac Motorama model. For ’92, the design has been revived as standard equipment.

The official introduction date is Sept. 6, although the Tutwiler and Lockhart agencies say they expect to have some cars a few days before that. Prices have not been announced.