was 1975 and 76 the peak in the size of a Cadillac? This one was back when they were a big boat with your living room furniture for seats and a trunk the size of a Honda Civic.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
The top of luxury in an old Caddy barge. Driving a big large cloud that thinks gas is free but so what.................. you only live once, so live large barge.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
In my opinion the big Caddy was pretty ugly both inside and outside by 1975. And I'm sure you had to have money back then just to keep it in gas.
You are right that the Cadillac and Lincoln still had a big reputation in those days. What I find interesting today is that, though they may be good cars, the modern Cadillac and Lincoln do not have the same exclusivity that they held back in the days when they were kings.
When you see a Cadillac or Lincoln on the road today it will be quite often an SUV, and to my mind it will not particularly stand out.
Maybe its just me but I will take more note of a luxury/performance Mercedes, BMW or Porsche than I will of a Cadillac, Lincoln or even a Corvette.
I know the market and products have changed, but I don't think the domestic manufacturers will ever be able to return to their former glory with their flagship brands.
In my opinion the big Caddy was pretty ugly both inside and outside by 1975. And I'm sure you had to have money back then just to keep it in gas.
You are right that the Cadillac and Lincoln still had a big reputation in those days. What I find interesting today is that, though they may be good cars, the modern Cadillac and Lincoln do not have the same exclusivity that they held back in the days when they were kings.
When you see a Cadillac or Lincoln on the road today it will be quite often an SUV, and to my mind it will not particularly stand out.
Maybe its just me but I will take more note of a luxury/performance Mercedes, BMW or Porsche than I will of a Cadillac, Lincoln or even a Corvette.
I know the market and products have changed, but I don't think the domestic manufacturers will ever be able to return to their former glory with their flagship brands.
Back then,If you owned one of them you had made it to the top.
When Don Draper bought his Cadillac the sales pitch went like this:
Salesman - What are you in now?
Don - I had a Dodge
Salesman - Good car if you're going somehwere. A Cadillac, well a Cadillac is for when you've arrived.
As someone who's family owned these big barges of course I was raised on them so I still have a brand loyalty and having owned 4 from 1993 to present the luster has diminished greatly where today its really a Chevrolet with a Cadillac badge. I don't necessarily disagree with John, but then again Packard and Auburn and Pierce Arrow are gone too. Bar none, every time I am out with my Cadillac or Corvette I still get strangers stopping me to comment on it, whenever I drive anyone anywhere the comments about the interior are blushing, our 93 Fleetwood at about 22 feet long was the hands down winner on comments and accolades though. I couldn't name you more than two Porsche Models or Mercedes Benz models and as far as BMW goes I haven't a clue about them and any time I've been in any of these luxury sure doesn't come to mind..... more like sterility or austerity, the Teutonic way I suppose. I'm shopping now for a new Cadillac, its just the car I buy.
Cadillacs were Kings of Their Time. You knew you were getting a solid car that was over-engineered.
Years ago I remember driving some friends around as a designated driver. They had just lost their shirts in a business deal and were drowning their sorrows with rum & coke. Lots of it. This was back around 1984. I was driving their 1974 Sedan DeVille D'Ellegance, a hardtop without those quarter windows & square lights that the 75s got. It was during a blinding snow storm in Niagara, and my instructions were to "just drive!" That Caddy tracked straight and true through the snow and generally felt solid. Then one let it slip that he broke my skis and the other played along. Next morning when they were nursing their hangovers (they slept on my floor) I asked about my skis. They said, "what? We said that? Too funny!" It was all made up. Friends...
<Edit> I just took a look at that Kijiji ad. That car is exactly the same colour combo as my friend's '74! The '75 in the ad has the standard Sedan DeVille interior, and I remember them being a little busy. The d'Elegance option on the Deville gave an alternate upholstery pattern & material.
Directly across the street from us they had a new 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood exactly like the one shown in the brochure, Dusty Rose and all. I thought the interior was a bit ugly & busy judging by the brochure picture, but in person it was actually very rich & beautiful.
-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Sunday 30th of August 2020 09:17:40 PM
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
As someone who's family owned these big barges of course I was raised on them so I still have a brand loyalty and having owned 4 from 1993 to present the luster has diminished greatly where today its really a Chevrolet with a Cadillac badge. I don't necessarily disagree with John, but then again Packard and Auburn and Pierce Arrow are gone too. Bar none, every time I am out with my Cadillac or Corvette I still get strangers stopping me to comment on it, whenever I drive anyone anywhere the comments about the interior are blushing, our 93 Fleetwood at about 22 feet long was the hands down winner on comments and accolades though. I couldn't name you more than two Porsche Models or Mercedes Benz models and as far as BMW goes I haven't a clue about them and any time I've been in any of these luxury sure doesn't come to mind..... more like sterility or austerity, the Teutonic way I suppose. I'm shopping now for a new Cadillac, its just the car I buy.
I have no concerns about the quality of the present day Cadillac. It's as good as, if not better than, most of the cars on the road. But for me the Caddy really stood out in the 50s and 60s; that's when I liked them most and when they were truly a sign of social status (though I'd dearly love to have 90-92 Fleetwood Brougham today).
When I was young in my community, these cars were truly exclusive. Only a handful of people owned them. But our Province was small and the population low, so that stands to reason. And there were no European car dealerships except for those that sold economy cars like the Austin, Morris, VW, Anglia, Renault, etc. Certainly there were few or no MB, BMW or other dealers.
Today it's completely different. BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes have local dealerships, and they are selling cars hand over fist, especially BMW. And Cadillacs are very prevalent. In that sense I suppose nothing really stands out except the highest end performance cars among those makes. Maybe that's the explanation: All of them, Cadillac included, are similar in quality, styling and performance; so much in fact, that nothing seems truly exclusive.
Agree with John re their status today but I still love the look of the older ones. Upholstery in this one doesn't do it any favours. Saw a similar year Lincoln on Facebook a couple of days ago and it had the plush on plush (on plush) upholstery....made me smile when i saw it.
couldn't afford the gas but loved them. The New Yorker was another car that made you look in the 70s
Cadillac still is the Flagship of the GM lineup. They are the first with new technologies, in fact stuff that is present today was on Caddys decades ago. The market and buyers have changed, and don't think that car regulations haven't completely changed things so that the status quo designs GM was good at were no longer able to carry forward.
There was a reason they would build ambulances and hearses on Cadillac chassis (and other Big GM cars like 98s & Bonnevilles), they were tough with mega-strong axles. Laws changed and ambulances are no longer allowed to be based on car chassis.
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Cadillac still is the Flagship of the GM lineup. They are the first with new technologies, in fact stuff that is present today was on Caddys decades ago. The market and buyers have changed, and don't think that car regulations haven't completely changed things so that the status quo designs GM was good at were no longer able to carry forward.
There was a reason they would build ambulances and hearses on Cadillac chassis (and other Big GM cars like 98s & Bonnevilles), they were tough with mega-strong axles. Laws changed and ambulances are no longer allowed to be based on car chassis.
All true and well worth noting. This 1957 Eldorado is in a museum in the tiny community of Swift Current, NL. The technology for the day is absolutely amazing, and this car cost a small fortune when new.
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Yeah that's the Cadillacs I notice and as far as the Corvettes after 72 I wouldn't walk across the street to look at one. I realize the new ones are crazy fast and handle like a go kart but do absolutely nothing for me. I figure I am half-assed fit but I can barely get in and out of them. We are all wired different and that is fine. We've never had enough money in our lifetime to own a Caddy if it was desired.
Cadillac still is the Flagship of the GM lineup. They are the first with new technologies, in fact stuff that is present today was on Caddys decades ago. The market and buyers have changed, and don't think that car regulations haven't completely changed things so that the status quo designs GM was good at were no longer able to carry forward.
There was a reason they would build ambulances and hearses on Cadillac chassis (and other Big GM cars like 98s & Bonnevilles), they were tough with mega-strong axles. Laws changed and ambulances are no longer allowed to be based on car chassis.
All true and well worth noting. This 1957 Eldorado is in a museum in the tiny community of Swift Current, NL. The technology for the day is absolutely amazing, and this car cost a small fortune when new.
The mid-late 1950s is my favourite era of Cadillacs, when they were leaders in both engineering and styling.
Just my opinion, but starting around 1963 they seemed to back off being styling trendsetters and decided to be more conservative, not really evolving much right through the 1980s. I recall wondering in the mid 1980s why Cadillac seemed to be content staying with the same formula they had maintained from the 1960s, while in the mean time the European brands like Mercedes and BMW seemed to take the lead in terms of luxury cars, while Cadillac seemed to target the 60+ year old market segment. Today's Cadillacs don't seem to stand out any more than your average Buick, IMHO, but then I'm jaded because I'm not particularly happy about the US brands all but abandoning the car market in favour of the truck/SUV market. I don't like the direction they are taking much.
All that said, the Caddy in this thread is totally era appropriate - as big and inefficient as they come, with a piece of the gaudy 1970s disco era represented in the interior. While it doesn't necessarily appeal to my aesthetic taste, it does appeal to my sense of era nostalgia - so totally cool in my mind... :)
Just my opinion, but starting around 1963 they seemed to back off being styling trendsetters and decided to be more conservative ..... while in the mean time the European brands like Mercedes and BMW seemed to take the lead in terms of luxury cars, while Cadillac seemed to target the 60+ year old market segment. Today's Cadillacs don't seem to stand out any more than your average Buick, IMHO, but then I'm jaded because I'm not particularly happy about the US brands all but abandoning the car market in favour of the truck/SUV market. I don't like the direction they are taking much.
I agree with all your points above. I especially agree with and am unhappy about the domestic manufacturers abandonment of cars for trucks, SUVs and crossovers. But as with all of these matters the consumer has little say in what gets produced; we only get to choose from among what is made available by the manufacturers. That's why I intend to keep my Mercedes AMG sedan for as long as I'm able to drive it.
With most full size models looking similar how did they stretch the cars. This one having a 130 wb and the Caprice having a 121 wb that is a difference.
-- Edited by 65Camino on Monday 31st of August 2020 10:29:18 AM
The 1971-76 GM full-size models were pushing 80 inches wide, and at the time that would have required clearance lights in Pennsylvania. (Rear window louvers were not legal in Penn either.)
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Im reading this thread as I sit in my 2012 AWD CTS (scarfing down a Big Mac). It replaced my 2003 CTS (standard trans). I just had an injector fail which is the first problem I have had with the car. Absolutely love the size and the design and the AWD. While at the wreckers a few months ago I came across a 69 Coupe Deville and had to stare. Yeah, I like the Caddies. Especially the 50s bad boys.
I'm shopping now for a new Cadillac, its just the car I buy.
Well today I had a chance to buy a new Cadillac , well it was a off lease XTS, double black the way I like them. 70,000 km leased by Dealer General Manager's best golfing buddy, full service records and build sheet completely taken care of by dealer staff in all regards. When I was advised of its availability I put a $500 deposit down on it over the phone with my credit card last Friday just so the car would be held for me. it was out of town so I drove down in my Corvette. This may have been a mistake. The XTS was there waiting for me absolutely gleaming, the keys were handed to me with the instructions to have it back by 5:00 pm, it was 11:15 am. Off I went. It was smooth and quiet but the engine wasn't up to much I thought, sluggish from a standstill and it kept down shifting to keep up in traffic. I jumped on the highway and planted it, lots of noise and a really weak response but I did look down and see 130 kph. I drove two off ramps down, got off and returned to dealer. I said I wouldn't be making an offer on the car, it Underwhelmed me was how I phrased it. He said you can't tell by driving a car 10 minutes and convinced me to go out again. I did and found it had a sport manual transmission mode, regular and all wheel drive. I had been going in AWD. The sport manual mode was much better and the car moved out better but then I thought, this is a luxury car, I shouldn't have to wring it out in first and go through the gears to get half way decent performance out of it. The engine is the LFX 3.6 V6 rated at 304 HP, this rating is either a lie or a joke as it was this engine than ruined this car for me. Been looking at Jaguars all night.
-- Edited by 73SC on Wednesday 9th of September 2020 11:34:25 PM
Wonder what the torque curve is on that engine? Many of these modern non turbo smaller displacement engines with what looks like a high hp number have little torque below 3-3500 rpm. Then they are geared to operate at under 2,000 rpm for fuel economy.
Jags still have lots of quality issues as do most English vehicles. They look exclusive but after bunches of unplanned shop visits, the looks fade?
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Sadly GM calls this their High Feature Engine and uses it in a variety of Buicks, Cadillacs, Hoden, Camaro and GMC's. It even is made in St. Catharines likewise the Cadillac XTS is an Oshawa build.,
The V8 Northstar I'm used to specs out as follows:
I have subsequently been advised by a long term GM tech at my local dealership that these 3.6 V6 engines are in the shop for head gasket failure and warranty jobs constantly. Apparently there are many variants of the 3.6 engine and the XTS has tne earlier XFS design.
I guess I should have driven an XTS with e LF3 V6, the 3.6 L twin-turbocharged version fCadillac XTS.
The engine is rated at 420 hp (313 kW; 426 PS) of power at 5750 rpm and 430 lbft (583 Nm) of torque at 3500-4500 rpm (with 90% of torque being available at 2500-5500 rpm) .
-- Edited by 73SC on Thursday 10th of September 2020 09:58:12 AM
