@@rogerhinman5427 I'm old enough to remember those cars of that particular era. I was thinking to myself back then, too, how are they going to make a car that looks any better than this in the future years?...Well, I found out that they couldn't.
@@moboutmen They did make some beautiful cars back then. Some of my favorites were the '70 Buick Riviera, the '70 Olds 98, and the '67 Eldorado. I also loved the '76 and '77 Olds Cutlass coupes...that is my actual dream car that I hope to own someday.
Mid 70's GM "Coupes" had the most massive doors ever. High school; a friend had a '77 Cutlass Supreme in the greatest "Lemin-Ice-King-of-Corona" lime green ever invented (I miss the GM color-book!), and had to replace a door hinge. The project grew to six 18 year old men; 4 holding the door, one alignining the bolts, and one "a little to the left, a little up!". The door weighted a ton (probably nearly literally!) and was so long that no single human could align it. I know: "Genrration blah-blah- we are better and that was wasteful!"; but it was glorious!
I owned 6 or 7 used 50's, 60's, and 70's Caddy's in my youth. 10+ year old ones were cheap and plentiful (nobody wanted old Caddy's). And nothing ever rode better on the highway than these cars. And the AC units were huge and powerful. 95 degrees outside? No problem. A touch of the control and it was 70 degrees in no time... or any temp you desired. I loved those cars. Still do.
I remember back in '71 reading in either the "Herald Examiner" or the "LA Times" a Cadillac ad or just an article about the '72 Cadillac model coming out soon with the "V" appearing once again under the Cadillac emblem/Coat of Arms on the trunk lid and on the hood.
I also remember my mom "confronting" a neighbor who had a brand new parked '72 Coupe De Ville dark mint green with a white vinyl top and interior who lived behind our apartment building which was accessed by a dirt driveway, their California bungalow being on the other side of the driveway across from our garage to our building. The Cadillac was parked close to the garage, my mom and I were starting to hold a garage sale this one Saturday morning. My mom had brand new Cadillacs in the past, she must have recognized an Eldorado from a CDV, however she proceeded to ask our neighbor, "Excuse me? Do you know who owns this Eldorado parked back here?" My beloved mother, either she didn't want to bother giving our neighbor any complements on their gorgeous purchase, or she was insuating that they didn't spend enough to suit her! Mom, that is not an Eldorado! I didn't say a word.
I had a 1972 Coupe: paint was silver metallic “firemist blue”. White vinyl top with white leather interior. Loved it; still miss it. Looking for another one.
One of my fondest memories was owning a '72 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It was during the Disco Era, the rear seat witnessed many things. My Cadillac was Mint Green, White Vinyl Roof with White Leather interior. When driving, it was like floating on a cloud. Also, for a Cadillac, it got good gas mileage. It averaged 14mpg which was not bad for the time. Sorry to say I sold it in 1981 for $750. Boy! Do I regret that now. As the say, " shoulda, coulda, woulda". Very good presentation. Please keep up the great videos you provide.
@@davidbranch1077 The Rolls-Royce is in fact a Cadillac wannabe, but much more expensive. So is every other large foreign car, including the Toyota Century.
We had hair, cool leather shoes, killer leather jackets, we washed and waxed our cars. and worked our asses off because not of that was given to us.....But ma did our laundry and made us dinner.....Now say Grace!
Those Cadillacs are beautiful, however.......you gotta love the Plymouth Gran Fury hardtop sedan with hideaway headlights next to them. A rare beauty indeed!
Great looking car. I remember when the neighbors across the street picked up their 1972 navy blue with white top Sedan Deville. I thought it was very attractive. I backed the car out of his garage a few times when I did chores for them and I was intrigued by the angle of the gearshift lever. I don’t remember another GM model having a gearshift angled in that position.
It amazes me how often you have covered/mentioned either cars my parents owned, or I had myself. So far, parents: '57 Merc Turnpike Cruiser, '66 and '68 Toronados, and '71 Riviera. Me: '57 Chevy 210, '65 Impala, '67 Caprice coupe, and now, the '72 Cadillac Sedan DeVille! Thanks for the memories.
I always thought that only famous or wealthy people owned Cadillacs, as I feel that back in their day that people would use them to fluent their wealth, just like how the rich and famous would fluent their money today with Lamborghinis and Ferraris
Please open a collection like this in Houston, Texas!!!!! All the classic beauties seem to be in the north…. The South REALLY NEEDS this classic world!!!!
Love your overviews, so many wonderful vehicles. What a beautiful '72, I have always loved Cadillac. My stepmother owned a '71 Deville, flawless, primrose with matching mauve brocade interior, (although in these years I never cared for the cloth brocade interiors, always felt they were not at the level of leather). I owned a flawless '69 Eldorado for many years, kinda of a gold beige exterior and light tan leather interior. As a 20-something youth I loved the long hood and 472. Probably my most beloved car along with my '64 Riviera. My Dad, owned a '74 coupe Deville, white, and 89 maroon Broughm (spell). My grandfather, a '77 coupe deville, blue, white leather interior. The unusual element to the '77 was the ever obtrusive sound of the air pump running continually. The commercials you added at the end immediately reminded me of the original Stepford Wives movie. You know, so detached, living in a surreal perfect world of Cadillac and country clubs. LOL! Either way your colossal knowledge of all cars is impressive.
The cloth interior was better in the winter when gramby and grandpa drove from Chicago to Arizona. Wiseguys could definitely fit a body in the trunk LOL.
What are the odds? I just did a review on a 72 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The car show where you filmed this looks absolutely fantastic. Such a cool variety.
In his day my father did some wheeling and dealing.....One Sunday morning (sometime around 2-4am) he came with a blue, white vinyl top 72 Coup. Fagetabotit!!!!
Adam, you have done a great job. Even though I have been a car guy since I was in my teens (I am 67 now), I have learned so much from your videos. Plus, we are neighbors. I live in Hazel Park. Keep doing what you are doing.
The Local TV weather man happened to live in town back in the 80's and had two off those 71 or 72 sedan Deville's. One was black and had the license plate "FOUL-WX" (WX being short for weather) and the other was white and had the license plate "FAIR-WX". He drove the black one on rainy days and the white one on sunny days.
I loved this body style and wished my parents could afford one. There is one other difference between 1971 and 1972 in the rear taillights. The 1971 had a thin chrome vertical strip running from top to bottom. The 1972 had a Cadillac emblem in the center of the taillights, highlighted with chrome. This car show looked awesome! Thank you for sharing.
I Love the 1971 and 72 Cadillac line up. My Dad had a 1971 and 72 Fleetwood Brougham. They were beautiful cars. Fun fact, 1971 was the last year for metal grills (aluminum). The 72 went to plastic. I like the look of the 72 grill, though....
That looks like a great show with a lot of 70's boats...in your featured car lineup I see the 2 deVille's, a fabulous '71 Fury, a lime green '74 Grand Ville...plus a boat tail Riv, an Olds Salon, another CdV, lots of cool stuff in the background, and a Pantera and a Lagonda(!) to shake things up. Great show. That is a sweet SdV...great classy color combo and amazing condition
My Dad had a '72 coupe de Ville it was Meridan green 🤑💚i miss him and my Mom 🧓👩🦳 in Chicago at Fred Willamson Cadillac off 71st and Stony island. It was the last brand new car my Father bought.
When it comes to the deVille, I'm much more partial to the Sedan than I am the Coupe. That being said, my favorite Cadillac of all time is the early 80's Eldorado Biarritz, which is 2-door. We had one elderly neighbor who had a 1971 Sedan de Ville that was teal green with white leather interior and a white vinyl top. I loved riding in that car! Then, some friends of our parents' had a 1982/83 Eldorado Biarritz the same exact color scheme - teal green with white leather, plus it had the CE wraparound grille. Stunning-looking vehicle. When it wasn't sitting broken down inside the repair shop, that car was an incredible boulevard cruiser. What a magnificent driver that was, and yet it was so unreliable on every front that you could have sworn it was possessed by a demon. Everything from the engine to the electronics, to the braking system, the transmission - you name it, it malfunctioned. To this very day, that family is mystified how I *still* talk about this same vehicle that gave them so much terror and grief. Had they only kept it stowed away in the garage for another 20 years, I'm confident a Cadillac enthusiast like myself would have snapped it up, fixed it up, and made it into a vintage cream puff.
I had a triple white '79 Eldorado diesel. I looked so glamorous sitting on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. Every piece of that car had a planned obsolescence of about six months. Horrible. But really pretty.
I had a Harvest Yellow '73 Coupe De Ville...I was playing Bass guitar in a trio at that time, and with my amplifier, I used an Ampeg V4 speaker cabinet with four 12" speakers - a massive cabinet...that giant speaker cabinet fit EASILY completely inside that impressively large trunk! A friend at the time referred to the interior cloth seat pattern as " early New Jersey Motel"!...In later years after I replaced the Cadillac with a 1975 Buick Le Sabre Convertible, the cabinet would not fit in that trunk, so I needed to put the top down ( even on New Year's Eve in a snow storm!) to swing it over and into the back seat ( oh, to be young and strong again!) We used to joke that the Deville's trunk was a "6-body" model...meaning you could probably fit up to 6 dead bodies inside it! Great trunk, horrible gas mileage...the Buick had a 350 which was better, but still not great! Love the channel, never miss an episode.
I like how that Cadillac makes the 71 Fury next to it look like a midsize car. A friend of mines dad had a gold/white interior Coupe Deville growing up. God that car was huge. Back when Cadillac was The Standard of the World.
All GM full-sizers kinda dwarfed Fuselage C bodys in 1971 in their respective brand class. In reaction to that Chrysler made their new c bodies for 1974, mimic the shapes of GM's.
As a "Car Nut" since' 51 and owning 'bout 80 four wheel vehicles, growing up loved watching my Dad's Caddy's from '65 to '95 evolve! My favorite was his Metallic Bronze '73 Sedan De'ville De'ellegance with a Camel Top & Interior!
I've always loved the '71-'72 Cadillacs! From the start, and still today, they evoke for me the iconic '54-'56 Caddys. Adam, you need another one of these!
I think 1967 is my all-time favorite full-size Cadillac, but the '71-'73s are a close second. I like the '68-'70s well enough, but the character lines of the preceding and following body-styles just please my eye better.
@@DanEBoyd '67 was the last year for the switch-pitch torque converter. The effortless gush of power you got at takeoff, even with the smaller engine, was sorely missed.
Thank you so much for sharing this video! I especially appreciated the clip of the '72 Cadillac TV commercial! I remember it clearly and 'have not seen it since! They played it repeatedly during the Masters golf tournament, which Cadillan always sponsored. You see, I was about that caddy's age when I was loving these cars and it was my dream to own a new one! He was me! I love this commercial! It inspired me to make my dream! In '73 I was only 19 and I saved and saved and was able to order a new '74 coupe DeVille. I ordered it during the summer for arrival in October '73. I picked black color and Scarlet red leather interior. Every evening in early October of '73 - after the dealership closed - I would go down to the Cadillac dealer to see if 'my car' had come in yet (it was to arrive in the same shipment as their display models for opening night of the '74 models) Then one night, there it was! And they had my name in the window as reserved for. Pretty neat stuff for a 19-year-old kid ! I could not sleep all night knowing I'd get my new car the next day. The salesman called me in the morning and told me my car was in and to come pick it up. This was a day to remember all my life! To this day this was my most special car I've ever owned. I still remember that absolute smooth quiet comfort and the silky smooth silent engine. Not to mention the wonderful stereo.. Anyway thank you so much for bringing me down memory lane! And I thank the rest of you for letting me drag you down my memory lane!
Excellent video! My dad bought a used gold 1973 Sedan DeVille in 1977. I was seven years old at the time. I remember our neighbors checking it out the day my dad drove it home. It was huge and beautiful! Powered by a 472 cubic inch big block V8. A few years later the engine would constantly stall out and eventually the transmission started slipping and would not go in gear. By 1982 it was towed to a junkyard in CT. Sad day for me but my dad and mom were glad to get rid of the gas guzzling headache!
@michaelbenardo5695 nope middle class, Caddy was bought used a few years old. My dad bought a 1979 Mazda GLC 3 door hatchback and mom got a two door Dodge Colt. Back then gas got real expensive and economy cars were in demand. Big V8's were used up in 10 years and rusty gas guzzlers.
Including the commercial in your video is a really nice touch. Coming out of the sales field of over 35 years I find the advertising strategy of the day humorous and obvious. It does aid your coverage as it puts you in the spirit of the era. Yes, I totally agree with you as their advertising model was still targeting the exclusive customer. Watching the Golf Caddy dreaming of owning the car someday did not have to wait very long at all. In the next few years financing was changed which made it much easier for that Golf Caddy to pull next to the Golfer in the same Cadillac. This was the beginning of Cadillacs devaluation as the Golfer was not going to be seen in the same car as the Caddy. Thus Mercedes started to replace Cadillacs.
Yes! My Old Man convinced me to buy a used 72 Coupe DeVille in 1979 when I was 21 years old in the US Navy. Dark blue with a blue cloth interior. I used it when I later attended Michigan Tech in the Keweenaw area of the Upper Peninsula. It did really well in the snow, but I did drive it during a white-out on Seney Highway and I couldn't see the end of the hood due to the blizzard.
My grandmother had a 1972 Sedan Deville almost exactly like this car. Her car had a white top from what I remember. It was the car I was brought home from the Hospital in after I was born in 1972. She had it until 1983.
Love these cause they remind me of my childhood. My dad's boss had one of these in bright red with a white top. He had the 2 door model which wasn't exactly a small car. These were true land yachts.
My dad had a dark green 72 Sedan when I was in High School. I loved driving it at night with the light monitors, it was so cool and yet so much information overkill.
I grew up in the 70's with a pair of the GM front wheel drive cars in our driveway - my mom's fully optioned Harvest Yellow '73 Eldorado (with the bizarre gold/olive/brown black houndstooth interior) and a '74 black Olds Toronado with burgundy vinyl roof and a deep burgundy cathouse velour interior. Got my drivers license in that Caddy - learning to perfectly parallel park a nearly twenty foot long two and a half ton when you're sixteen was quite an accomplishment to say the least. The doors on the Eldo were immensely heavy and sitting behind the wheel, floating down the road, gazing out over that football field sized hood with the Cadillac hood ornament was unforgettable. That 502 in the Eldorado was a beast - like flying a jet down the road but whisper quiet. Incredible 8 track stereo with the dealer supplied Cadillac tapes (along with our collection of Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Elton John, Allman Brothers, James Taylor and Bad Company) We had wonderful teenage memories in these cars. My mother adored them.
My parents had a dark brown '72 Sedan de Ville with leather. I drove it NJ to GA round trip when I was 20 and it was smooooth! I think we got 11mpg going downhill - lol. I don't actually remember but it was horrible. That blue color is gorgeous. My parents apparently had a Caddy in the 50's but I don't know what year. We had a '64 also. Loved seeing these! Fun story - I heard somewhere that panty hose could be used in a pinch as a fan belt. My mom and I were out once in the '72, and the belt snapped. She grudgingly coughed up one from her purse, and son of a gun it got us home! I just had to pull real hard before tying the knot.
I owned a beautiful 72 Sedan in 1993. Bought it for a grand in a seedy used car lot in Phoenix. It was Chestnut Brown Firemist with a white vinyl top and green cloth seats (same type as this sedan). It was a wonderful car that took me all over California and Arizona as a tourist for several months. I had to sell it when I left the country and it went to a school teacher. When I emigrated to the US in seven years later I hoped I'd be able to buy it back from her but she had sold it only a few months before. It drove like a dream and had real presence on the road. I would love to be able to own another some day.
Adam your presentations are always such a treat! I especially love when you talk about another feature or car - then SHOW an inset of that feature or car. Thanks for what you do & keep up the FANTASTIC work!
I must admit I love these cars. We had a ‘73 Sedan Deville exactly like the one in the first Rocky movie, brown with a beige top. Our interior was beige to match the vinyl top. Remembrances: The shifter was almost at 12 o’clock when in Park. Was perfectly placed to rest your arm to adjust the radio in Drive…power window motor whine, dash squeak on bumps, and quick ratio steering…I felt special every time I rode in it.
I completely understand your fascination! My grandmother had a ‘73 deVille! Beige on beige with cream color top. I loved the seatbelt buzzer in the depths of the back seat. If you were sitting on the seatbelt, it would alert a low tone buzzer… I loved every square inch of this car… even the windshield wipers were elegantly styled! Of course they were in many other models…. But still perfect for Cadillac’s style!
What a great Caddy! My neighbor lady had one years ago that was exactly like this one, it was the same year as this one but red in color. It's a beautiful old car
The V-8-6-4 and HT-4100 did take a substantial amount of financial investment in engineering and cutting-edge technology. The V-8-6-4 would have likely succeeded if the Computer Command Module could process engine-load information more quickly...but the little old 1981 processor just wasn't fast enough
I am thinking the 8-6-4 appeared in the 30s. Lots of cars use cylinder shut off now. The Cad did not use computers. It deactivated rocker arms so the valves were not opened. Solenoids I think. Theres a guy on the web who works on them. The 4 cylinder mode is said to be useless but the 6 is OK.
@@rogersmith7396 The six cylinder mode of the V8-6-4 was the mode that should not have been included as the engine was not in balance. Today's displacement on demand engines only have a V8 and V4 mode for that reason.
@@kevineich5029 Until I read about it I did'nt understand the compression of air on the upstroke and the expansion on the downstroke is almost 100% efficient. The masses are all the same weather you add gas or not. If its unbalanced its not much unbalanced.
My favs. '69 Sedan deVille with those BEAUTIFUL lantern style break lights...(the only year for them) Also the '73 with the rubber upside down triangle over the bottom back break lights...... I mowed the lawn of a very old guy who had one then the other, when I was in High School.........he'd let me drive him once a week to get water at this wonderful natural spring in Jackson MI. I LOVED BOTH OF THOSE CARS!!!!! I've watched nearly every video on UA-cam featuring those particular year caddys.....LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!!!!!!! A young guy always remembers his first love with a girl and of a car......
Beautiful 1972. I have a 73 and there are slight differences, even though 71-73 look a lot a like. You’ve done well for yourself, and you present very well. Keep up the good work.
My heart skipped a beat when I could see that one car over, the blue Coupe. I had that same blue '72 Coupe de 'Ville but with all white leather interior. That car was a STUNNER!! Then when you turned to address the coupe, I thought it actually might be mine, but alas, the blue interior. I have aways had an old soul, since I bought the '72 when I was 22 and I already had a '66 de 'Ville convertible! The convertible was red with white leather and a white top. Keeping those two caddies with white leather and white tops clean was my favorite activity. These days, it would put me in traction. LOL. My late teens and early twenties were a total blast with the cars I owned back then. Cadillacs, Grand Prix, Grand Ams, Trans Ams and Formula 400's with Ram Air lV. I lived the life. LOL. Even got Buick Riviera's for loaners!! What an amazing time to be young.
My grandfather left me his blue 1972 Cadillac Calais. Which was a slightly deconted coupe DeVille. And I loved it the 472 was awesome. Plus my 10-speed would fit in the trunk without taking the wheel off.
I hated these. I was still in high school when this body came out in '71. My parents bought a '71 Pontiac Grand Ville with that same windshield, etc. I loved the '69 and '70 Cadillacs with those extremely high front seats, though apparently according to Cadillac in their marketing they intentionally lowered the front seats. The last series had ugly molded door panels and they got uglier with this series, cultiminating with those hideous '73-76 door panels with huge vinyl fake wood panels. But people liked them. I can remember Motor Trend doing a comparison test with a Sedan deVille versus a loaded Caprice. The first thing they noticed was how much firmer and more comfortable the deVille seats were, and the whole car just felt more solid. Until the oil embargo these were just so popular, even strangled with the new tighter emission controls. Thanks, Adam!
I never cared for those fake wood medallions at each end of the door pulls on the 1973s. Tacky ass. And, as noted in the video, the 1972 door pulls did indeed pull loose. I recall my aunt’s 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, some of the door pulls had already come loose when she traded it for a new 1977 Sedan DeVille.
@@CH67guy1 I preferred the early 70's Lincolns at the time and nearly bought a used mint white '71 with chocolate brown cloth, but passed to buy a '72 Buick GS convertible. I really liked the look of the '69 and '70 Cadillacs at the time, never liked the Mopar 'fuselage' body on their big cars, and it was so obvious that the Imperial was just a New Yorker with a longer hood. Plus, to me, the Imperials just looked like fancy Plymouths, such a decline from their real Imperials that ended in '66.
I had the opposite opinion back in the day. My friend’s dad had a 70 sedan de Ville and sitting in the back seat behind those enormous front seats that neatly touched the roof (it seemed), made the experience akin to sitting in a bucket. And not that much leg room, especially compared to my parent’s ‘73 Chrysler New Yorker. But the ‘71 and ‘72 Caddies with those separated headlights, and especially the Fleetwood with the wide B pillar, really caught my eye. I’ve heard others say they were the beginning of the end for Cadillac QA/QC wise, and it’s sad the bean counters were so influential.
I was 18 in 1971 and was graduating high school ………… 1971 was an awesome year for me and some of the best looking cars were coming from General Motors ……….. a woman a few doors down brought home a navy blue 71 Coupe DeVille that was breathtaking, I use to stare as it would pass our house every day ……….. that same year my father brought home a a navy blue Chevrolet Caprice that was beautiful as well however my mother was not amused for she had repeatedly told my father she wanted The Oldsmobile 98 ………. Needless to say she received the 98 Regency four door sedan for the 1973 model year ……….. and I bought my first new car that year a 1973 Camaro LT …… a very prosperous time for my family at the time.
Adam, more great Cadillacs. These were nice but had a rust issue at the rear fender marker light. 74-76 Coupe Devilles were awful with rust below the vinyl roof molding and this is in NC. The Big 3 were hurt by the Feds with CAFE, emissions control and bumper standards. Then the oil embargo happened. If you look at production figures, Cadillac always outsold Lincoln and Imperial during this time period. Guess that's what GM cared about? Sales Numbers. To me, the first modern Cadillac was the 1974 with the new body and dash. It make my parents 1965 Cadillac look old, but 65 was a nice looking body. If I was a time traveler, I could always go back in time and find a Cadillac model I would be happy with. Guess I am a Cadillac nut. Well, I have had 6. Collected many sales catalogs, books, videos.
To me the 1965 models were the most beautiful, with the slab sides and the perfectly vertical stacked headlights and tail lights. Premium quality upholstery and dashboard. Post 1966 Cadillac interiors appeared only a little better than Chevrolets of the same year.
The Lincolns cost more and were generally not discounted. Cads were always discounted. GM just wanted to move the merch. I imagine Imperial was a very distant third. Chrysler went broke in the 80s.
great video, i owned a triple black (black vinyl top, black body and black interior) 1972 cadillac sedan deville, back in 1979 i paid only $800 for it on a used car lot and it had 55,000 miles. it looked new and rode like floating on air.
I had a 1984 Coupe DeVille. Very smooth and got really good MPG. It had the famous 4.1 V8 but I never had any problems with it. I put 150k miles on it with very few repairs. Regret selling it in 1995.
I remember as a teenager. I noticed the interior of the 71s were cheaper. I even wrote Cadillac back then to complain. I must not have been the only one, as I noticed in the next 2 years they actually improved some of the trim finishes & edges.
@@gregt8638 my all time favorite years especially for the Fleetwood were 1961 to 1968 as well as the pillared Sedan DeVille models of 1965-1970. I think that decade was the last of the great designs. Miss all the chrome.
My mom had one of those when new. It seemed to be a good car except for the sealing strip between the front and rear windows would frequently fall out. Was always fascinated by how the 8 track tape cartridge door was the radio dial. You just pushed it into the slot. That car went away by 1976 and was replaced by a Mercedes Benz.
I love these full size Cadillacs, especially 1971 and 1972. I had the 71 with the textured metal on the dash and door panels. One important point is that Cadillac went from the multi-piece aluminum to a plastic grille on the 1972 models. They were definitely beginning to cheap out
Reminiscing the days when I learned to drive in my father's 1972 Cadillac Coupe Deville. My uncle also drove a Cadillac, but he drove a burgundy or dark red Cadillac Sedan Deville. I remembered my father's Cadillac looking similar in color to what had been identified as a metallic beige. I remembered the car had what looked like a gold-colored metallic body (might have been beige, but the color looked gold to me) and beige leather interior and bench seats. The DMV examiner did not allow me to do my driver's test in the Cadillac (January 1976), so my father ended up renting a Ford Granada so I could take the driving test on a different day at the DMV. I needed to do not only the road test, but parallel parking at the curb - something that is less common outside the city limits.
We would agree, after '72 the GM de-contenting and badge engineering program was in full swing. It culminated by about 1977, when the use of corporate engines meant your Buick could have been powered by an Oldsmobile engine, etc. We heard there was a little-publicized program that year, where the dealer would buy-back a car from a customer who wasn't happy with the situation, and trade it for a brand/drivetrain appropriate substitute.
My father had one in "willow"/light cream-yellow with the brown top and leather. I used to wash and wax every inch of it. A really pretty car when Cadillac was pure luxury and elegance.
Love this car. So beautifully designed. I prefer the front end and rear lights in the ‘72. I notice to the left an awesome ‘73 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon in a unique shade of orange. My mom had a ‘74 Salon in burgundy with burgundy vinyl top, burgundy fabric bucket seats and console. Like the one on the left it also had matching color keyed hubcaps. I preferred the ‘73 Cutlass overall but have always loved the ‘72 Cadillacs, especially the Fleetwood.
I like the sedan's cloth interior. It looks like it doesn't have a split bench seat. That was an issue with my step mother's Caddy of that era. She was 5'2" and my Dad was over 6 feet.
I bet you are super popular with the Lambda Car Club. I think you should work up in-person shows for car clubs and charge speaker fees! (with discussions, slides of the cars, the designer drawings etc). I know the equivalent of the Lambda car club here in Los Angeles would think you're a rock star! Your taste in cars is very popular in those groups as I'm sure you saw. (and it helps that your handsome as all get out! - I know. Shallow. But its true)
My pal was given his parent's '72 Coupe de Ville in the early 80's. It was enormous and rode like it was floating on a cloud. Gorgeous car.
Owned a 1960 caddy 4 Dr hardtop in 1970, riding in that back seat like a Sealy posturpedic mattress, front seat you had to " lean"👍
1963-1973 is my favorite decade of car design. just awesome. interior, exterior, drivetrain, everything is just great
I agree with you with the addition of 1966-1969 being the overall high point of that era. So many great designs from all the American brands.
@@rogerhinman5427 I'm old enough to remember those cars of that particular era. I was thinking to myself back then, too, how are they going to make a car that looks any better than this in the future years?...Well, I found out that they couldn't.
Agreed. I had a 63 Coupe, then a 69 Mark III, then a 71 Coupe. Great car styling.
@@moboutmen They did make some beautiful cars back then. Some of my favorites were the '70 Buick Riviera, the '70 Olds 98, and the '67 Eldorado. I also loved the '76 and '77 Olds Cutlass coupes...that is my actual dream car that I hope to own someday.
Bill Mitchell design era
Mid 70's GM "Coupes" had the most massive doors ever. High school; a friend had a '77 Cutlass Supreme in the greatest "Lemin-Ice-King-of-Corona" lime green ever invented (I miss the GM color-book!), and had to replace a door hinge. The project grew to six 18 year old men; 4 holding the door, one alignining the bolts, and one "a little to the left, a little up!". The door weighted a ton (probably nearly literally!) and was so long that no single human could align it.
I know: "Genrration blah-blah- we are better and that was wasteful!"; but it was glorious!
I owned 6 or 7 used 50's, 60's, and 70's Caddy's in my youth. 10+ year old ones were cheap and plentiful (nobody wanted old Caddy's). And nothing ever rode better on the highway than these cars. And the AC units were huge and powerful. 95 degrees outside? No problem. A touch of the control and it was 70 degrees in no time... or any temp you desired. I loved those cars. Still do.
That sedan is a Beautiful car. That color really shows the crisp lines in the stamping of the hood and side panels.
When I think of a Cadillac, this is the type and generation I think of. Pre 5mph bumpers. Beautiful design.
I remember back in '71 reading in either the "Herald Examiner" or the "LA Times" a Cadillac ad or just an article about the '72 Cadillac model coming out soon with the "V" appearing once again under the Cadillac emblem/Coat of Arms on the trunk lid and on the hood.
I also remember my mom "confronting" a neighbor who had a brand new parked '72 Coupe De Ville dark mint green with a white vinyl top and interior who lived behind our apartment building which was accessed by a dirt driveway, their California bungalow being on the other side of the driveway across from our garage to our building. The Cadillac was parked close to the garage, my mom and I were starting to hold a garage sale this one Saturday morning. My mom had brand new Cadillacs in the past, she must have recognized an Eldorado from a CDV, however she proceeded to ask our neighbor, "Excuse me? Do you know who owns this Eldorado parked back here?" My beloved mother, either she didn't want to bother giving our neighbor any complements on their gorgeous purchase, or she was insuating that they didn't spend enough to suit her! Mom, that is not an Eldorado! I didn't say a word.
I had a 1972 Coupe: paint was silver metallic “firemist blue”. White vinyl top with white leather interior. Loved it; still miss it. Looking for another one.
One of my fondest memories was owning a '72 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It was during the Disco Era, the rear seat witnessed many things. My Cadillac was Mint Green, White Vinyl Roof with White Leather interior. When driving, it was like floating on a cloud. Also, for a Cadillac, it got good gas mileage. It averaged 14mpg which was not bad for the time. Sorry to say I sold it in 1981 for $750. Boy! Do I regret that now. As the say, " shoulda, coulda, woulda". Very good presentation. Please keep up the great videos you provide.
The 70's cadillac are the American Rolls-Royce, and yes I too remember and love Disco.
Sounds like some good times. Like the famous car scene in Saturday Night Fever: "What did you say your name was?"
@@davidbranch1077 The Rolls-Royce is in fact a Cadillac wannabe, but much more expensive. So is every other large foreign car, including the Toyota Century.
We had hair, cool leather shoes, killer leather jackets, we washed and waxed our cars. and worked our asses off because not of that was given to us.....But ma did our laundry and made us dinner.....Now say Grace!
@@dennisadorno6721I bet you didn't know you had to hate each other (and I don't mean you and mom).
Those Cadillacs are beautiful, however.......you gotta love the Plymouth Gran Fury hardtop sedan with hideaway headlights next to them. A rare beauty indeed!
Great looking car. I remember when the neighbors across the street picked up their 1972 navy blue with white top Sedan Deville. I thought it was very attractive. I backed the car out of his garage a few times when I did chores for them and I was intrigued by the angle of the gearshift lever. I don’t remember another GM model having a gearshift angled in that position.
It amazes me how often you have covered/mentioned either cars my parents owned, or I had myself.
So far, parents: '57 Merc Turnpike Cruiser, '66 and '68 Toronados, and '71 Riviera. Me: '57 Chevy 210, '65 Impala, '67 Caprice coupe, and now, the '72 Cadillac Sedan DeVille! Thanks for the memories.
I always thought that only famous or wealthy people owned Cadillacs, as I feel that back in their day that people would use them to fluent their wealth, just like how the rich and famous would fluent their money today with Lamborghinis and Ferraris
Please open a collection like this in Houston, Texas!!!!! All the classic beauties seem to be in the north…. The South REALLY NEEDS this classic world!!!!
They all have cow horns there.
Love your overviews, so many wonderful vehicles. What a beautiful '72, I have always loved Cadillac. My stepmother owned a '71 Deville, flawless, primrose with matching mauve brocade interior, (although in these years I never cared for the cloth brocade interiors, always felt they were not at the level of leather). I owned a flawless '69 Eldorado for many years, kinda of a gold beige exterior and light tan leather interior. As a 20-something youth I loved the long hood and 472. Probably my most beloved car along with my '64 Riviera. My Dad, owned a '74 coupe Deville, white, and 89 maroon Broughm (spell). My grandfather, a '77 coupe deville, blue, white leather interior. The unusual element to the '77 was the ever obtrusive sound of the air pump running continually. The commercials you added at the end immediately reminded me of the original Stepford Wives movie. You know, so detached, living in a surreal perfect world of Cadillac and country clubs. LOL! Either way your colossal knowledge of all cars is impressive.
The cloth interior was better in the winter when gramby and grandpa drove from Chicago to Arizona. Wiseguys could definitely fit a body in the trunk LOL.
Nice presentation on these Caddies, as usual. However, I really love the blue Fury that is in between them.
The Fury is indeed a beautiful car. My brother has a 1970 Sport Fury with the 383 engine, and it is a beast of a car.
I had a 72 Sedan Deville in that blue with white top and white leather interior!
Luv these cars. In the 80's they were cheap and plentiful. Wish I would have bought one and hung on to it back then.
1973 deVille is my most favorite model…. But this 72 is definitely right next to it!!!
What are the odds? I just did a review on a 72 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The car show where you filmed this looks absolutely fantastic. Such a cool variety.
The fuselage Plymouth next to it is Best of Show.
In his day my father did some wheeling and dealing.....One Sunday morning (sometime around 2-4am) he came with a blue, white vinyl top 72 Coup. Fagetabotit!!!!
You had to do it. Now I miss my ‘73 Fleetwood Brougham. Low mileage with Every Option except the Astro roof. At age 17 my second car.
Adam, you have done a great job. Even though I have been a car guy since I was in my teens (I am 67 now), I have learned so much from your videos. Plus, we are neighbors. I live in Hazel Park. Keep doing what you are doing.
Very nice looking Olds in gold there. Hoping for a review of that one next.
The Local TV weather man happened to live in town back in the 80's and had two off those 71 or 72 sedan Deville's. One was black and had the license plate "FOUL-WX" (WX being short for weather) and the other was white and had the license plate "FAIR-WX". He drove the black one on rainy days and the white one on sunny days.
That’s the kind of comment you just love to read. It’s nice keeping them alive like that.
Sharp c ar very low mile , caddy lot leather Interior more richer style vehicles!! Very hard nice car , show c ar
Chrome
C Addy h ad air suspension shocks !!!???
V8 motors was the one wanted
I loved this body style and wished my parents could afford one. There is one other difference between 1971 and 1972 in the rear taillights. The 1971 had a thin chrome vertical strip running from top to bottom. The 1972 had a Cadillac emblem in the center of the taillights, highlighted with chrome. This car show looked awesome! Thank you for sharing.
I Love the 1971 and 72 Cadillac line up. My Dad had a 1971 and 72 Fleetwood Brougham. They were beautiful cars. Fun fact, 1971 was the last year for metal grills (aluminum). The 72 went to plastic. I like the look of the 72 grill, though....
That looks like a great show with a lot of 70's boats...in your featured car lineup I see the 2 deVille's, a fabulous '71 Fury, a lime green '74 Grand Ville...plus a boat tail Riv, an Olds Salon, another CdV, lots of cool stuff in the background, and a Pantera and a Lagonda(!) to shake things up. Great show.
That is a sweet SdV...great classy color combo and amazing condition
Where has this car been all these years?
Wow!
I love the '71 - '72 (prefer the '72). I think they're among my favorites from a design perspective. Thanks for showing this one, Adam.
My Dad had a '72 coupe de Ville it was Meridan green 🤑💚i miss him and my Mom 🧓👩🦳 in Chicago at Fred Willamson Cadillac off 71st and Stony island. It was the last brand new car my Father bought.
I was checking out the 71 Fury throughout the whole video.
One of the most interesting channels out there. Knowledge of automotive industry is just out standing.
When it comes to the deVille, I'm much more partial to the Sedan than I am the Coupe. That being said, my favorite Cadillac of all time is the early 80's Eldorado Biarritz, which is 2-door. We had one elderly neighbor who had a 1971 Sedan de Ville that was teal green with white leather interior and a white vinyl top. I loved riding in that car! Then, some friends of our parents' had a 1982/83 Eldorado Biarritz the same exact color scheme - teal green with white leather, plus it had the CE wraparound grille. Stunning-looking vehicle. When it wasn't sitting broken down inside the repair shop, that car was an incredible boulevard cruiser. What a magnificent driver that was, and yet it was so unreliable on every front that you could have sworn it was possessed by a demon. Everything from the engine to the electronics, to the braking system, the transmission - you name it, it malfunctioned. To this very day, that family is mystified how I *still* talk about this same vehicle that gave them so much terror and grief. Had they only kept it stowed away in the garage for another 20 years, I'm confident a Cadillac enthusiast like myself would have snapped it up, fixed it up, and made it into a vintage cream puff.
I had a triple white '79 Eldorado diesel. I looked so glamorous sitting on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. Every piece of that car had a planned obsolescence of about six months. Horrible. But really pretty.
"Best Of All, It's A Cadillac"!!! 👍👍😎
What a good car show! A Cadillac, Fury, Cadillac, Pantera, and a Pontiac! I love that these cars are getting respect.
I had a Harvest Yellow '73 Coupe De Ville...I was playing Bass guitar in a trio at that time, and with my amplifier, I used an Ampeg V4 speaker cabinet with four 12" speakers - a massive cabinet...that giant speaker cabinet fit EASILY completely inside that impressively large trunk! A friend at the time referred to the interior cloth seat pattern as " early New Jersey Motel"!...In later years after I replaced the Cadillac with a 1975 Buick Le Sabre Convertible, the cabinet would not fit in that trunk, so I needed to put the top down ( even on New Year's Eve in a snow storm!) to swing it over and into the back seat ( oh, to be young and strong again!) We used to joke that the Deville's trunk was a "6-body" model...meaning you could probably fit up to 6 dead bodies inside it! Great trunk, horrible gas mileage...the Buick had a 350 which was better, but still not great!
Love the channel, never miss an episode.
I like that Olds Cutlass Salon next door also
I like how that Cadillac makes the 71 Fury next to it look like a midsize car. A friend of mines dad had a gold/white interior Coupe Deville growing up. God that car was huge. Back when Cadillac was The Standard of the World.
All GM full-sizers kinda dwarfed Fuselage C bodys in 1971 in their respective brand class. In reaction to that Chrysler made their new c bodies for 1974, mimic the shapes of GM's.
As a "Car Nut" since' 51 and owning 'bout 80 four wheel vehicles, growing up loved watching my Dad's Caddy's from '65 to '95 evolve! My favorite was his Metallic Bronze '73 Sedan De'ville De'ellegance with a Camel Top & Interior!
Your videos are amazing. I grew up with the cars you feature and remember when they were new!
That four door beauty is actually a pillarless hardtop. Imagine driving to the beach back in those days with the windows wide open. Amazing!
Enjoyed this video but I must admit I was eyeballing the sweet 71 Sport Fury ❤
Stay tuned
I've always loved the '71-'72 Cadillacs! From the start, and still today, they evoke for me the iconic '54-'56 Caddys. Adam, you need another one of these!
I think 1967 is my all-time favorite full-size Cadillac, but the '71-'73s are a close second.
I like the '68-'70s well enough, but the character lines of the preceding and following body-styles just please my eye better.
@@DanEBoyd '67 was the last year for the switch-pitch torque converter. The effortless gush of power you got at takeoff, even with the smaller engine, was sorely missed.
My favorite was the '57, because that's the only model caddy that my dad had. I loved the hidden gas cap, underneath the left tail light!
Thank you so much for sharing this video!
I especially appreciated the clip of the '72 Cadillac TV commercial!
I remember it clearly and 'have not seen it since! They played it repeatedly during the Masters golf tournament, which Cadillan always sponsored. You see, I was about that caddy's age when I was loving these cars and it was my dream to own a new one! He was me! I love this commercial! It inspired me to make my dream! In '73 I was only 19 and I saved and saved and was able to order a new '74 coupe DeVille. I ordered it during the summer for arrival in October '73. I picked black color and Scarlet red leather interior. Every evening in early October of '73 - after the dealership closed - I would go down to the Cadillac dealer to see if 'my car' had come in yet (it was to arrive in the same shipment as their display models for opening night of the '74 models) Then one night, there it was! And they had my name in the window as reserved for. Pretty neat stuff for a 19-year-old kid ! I could not sleep all night knowing I'd get my new car the next day. The salesman called me in the morning and told me my car was in and to come pick it up. This was a day to remember all my life!
To this day this was my most special car I've ever owned. I still remember that absolute smooth quiet comfort and the silky smooth silent engine. Not to mention the wonderful stereo..
Anyway thank you so much for bringing me down memory lane!
And I thank the rest of you for letting me drag you down my memory lane!
Excellent video! My dad bought a used gold 1973 Sedan DeVille in 1977. I was seven years old at the time. I remember our neighbors checking it out the day my dad drove it home. It was huge and beautiful! Powered by a 472 cubic inch big block V8. A few years later the engine would constantly stall out and eventually the transmission started slipping and would not go in gear. By 1982 it was towed to a junkyard in CT. Sad day for me but my dad and mom were glad to get rid of the gas guzzling headache!
If your parents replaced it instead of fixing it, they must have been fairly well off.
@michaelbenardo5695 nope middle class, Caddy was bought used a few years old. My dad bought a 1979 Mazda GLC 3 door hatchback and mom got a two door Dodge Colt. Back then gas got real expensive and economy cars were in demand. Big V8's were used up in 10 years and rusty gas guzzlers.
Including the commercial in your video is a really nice touch. Coming out of the sales field of over 35 years I find the advertising strategy of the day humorous and obvious. It does aid your coverage as it puts you in the spirit of the era. Yes, I totally agree with you as their advertising model was still targeting the exclusive customer. Watching the Golf Caddy dreaming of owning the car someday did not have to wait very long at all. In the next few years financing was changed which made it much easier for that Golf Caddy to pull next to the Golfer in the same Cadillac. This was the beginning of Cadillacs devaluation as the Golfer was not going to be seen in the same car as the Caddy. Thus Mercedes started to replace Cadillacs.
Yes! My Old Man convinced me to buy a used 72 Coupe DeVille in 1979 when I was 21 years old in the US Navy. Dark blue with a blue cloth interior. I used it when I later attended Michigan Tech in the Keweenaw area of the Upper Peninsula. It did really well in the snow, but I did drive it during a white-out on Seney Highway and I couldn't see the end of the hood due to the blizzard.
this video is excellent, well done sir. You pointed out features and design detail that I have missed for years. Thank you
This car is beautiful!
My grandmother had a 1972 Sedan Deville almost exactly like this car. Her car had a white top from what I remember. It was the car I was brought home from the Hospital in after I was born in 1972. She had it until 1983.
Loving all this Cadillac content. Keep it coming!
Love these cause they remind me of my childhood. My dad's boss had one of these in bright red with a white top. He had the 2 door model which wasn't exactly a small car. These were true land yachts.
Smoothest ride I can remember was in that exact car!
My dad had a dark green 72 Sedan when I was in High School. I loved driving it at night with the light monitors, it was so cool and yet so much information overkill.
I grew up in the 70's with a pair of the GM front wheel drive cars in our driveway - my mom's fully optioned Harvest Yellow '73 Eldorado (with the bizarre gold/olive/brown black houndstooth interior) and a '74 black Olds Toronado with burgundy vinyl roof and a deep burgundy cathouse velour interior. Got my drivers license in that Caddy - learning to perfectly parallel park a nearly twenty foot long two and a half ton when you're sixteen was quite an accomplishment to say the least. The doors on the Eldo were immensely heavy and sitting behind the wheel, floating down the road, gazing out over that football field sized hood with the Cadillac hood ornament was unforgettable. That 502 in the Eldorado was a beast - like flying a jet down the road but whisper quiet. Incredible 8 track stereo with the dealer supplied Cadillac tapes (along with our collection of Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Elton John, Allman Brothers, James Taylor and Bad Company) We had wonderful teenage memories in these cars. My mother adored them.
My parents had a dark brown '72 Sedan de Ville with leather. I drove it NJ to GA round trip when I was 20 and it was smooooth! I think we got 11mpg going downhill - lol. I don't actually remember but it was horrible. That blue color is gorgeous. My parents apparently had a Caddy in the 50's but I don't know what year. We had a '64 also. Loved seeing these! Fun story - I heard somewhere that panty hose could be used in a pinch as a fan belt. My mom and I were out once in the '72, and the belt snapped. She grudgingly coughed up one from her purse, and son of a gun it got us home! I just had to pull real hard before tying the knot.
Wow.
My Dad had a 1972 Coupe de Ville.
I took my driver's test in it during a snowstorm. That was an adventure.
I owned a beautiful 72 Sedan in 1993. Bought it for a grand in a seedy used car lot in Phoenix. It was Chestnut Brown Firemist with a white vinyl top and green cloth seats (same type as this sedan). It was a wonderful car that took me all over California and Arizona as a tourist for several months. I had to sell it when I left the country and it went to a school teacher. When I emigrated to the US in seven years later I hoped I'd be able to buy it back from her but she had sold it only a few months before. It drove like a dream and had real presence on the road. I would love to be able to own another some day.
Adam your presentations are always such a treat! I especially love when you talk about another feature or car - then SHOW an inset of that feature or car. Thanks for what you do & keep up the FANTASTIC work!
I must admit I love these cars. We had a ‘73 Sedan Deville exactly like the one in the first Rocky movie, brown with a beige top. Our interior was beige to match the vinyl top. Remembrances: The shifter was almost at 12 o’clock when in Park. Was perfectly placed to rest your arm to adjust the radio in Drive…power window motor whine, dash squeak on bumps, and quick ratio steering…I felt special every time I rode in it.
I completely understand your fascination! My grandmother had a ‘73 deVille! Beige on beige with cream color top. I loved the seatbelt buzzer in the depths of the back seat. If you were sitting on the seatbelt, it would alert a low tone buzzer… I loved every square inch of this car… even the windshield wipers were elegantly styled! Of course they were in many other models…. But still perfect for Cadillac’s style!
Of all the automobiles manufactured over the decades, these consistently quicken my pulse, turn my head and have me reach for my petrol card!
Great video Adam! My parents had a 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, loved that car.
What a great Caddy! My neighbor lady had one years ago that was exactly like this one, it was the same year as this one but red in color. It's a beautiful old car
The V-8-6-4 and HT-4100 did take a substantial amount of financial investment in engineering and cutting-edge technology. The V-8-6-4 would have likely succeeded if the Computer Command Module could process engine-load information more quickly...but the little old 1981 processor just wasn't fast enough
I am thinking the 8-6-4 appeared in the 30s. Lots of cars use cylinder shut off now. The Cad did not use computers. It deactivated rocker arms so the valves were not opened. Solenoids I think. Theres a guy on the web who works on them. The 4 cylinder mode is said to be useless but the 6 is OK.
@@rogersmith7396 The six cylinder mode of the V8-6-4 was the mode that should not have been included as the engine was not in balance. Today's displacement on demand engines only have a V8 and V4 mode for that reason.
@@kevineich5029 Until I read about it I did'nt understand the compression of air on the upstroke and the expansion on the downstroke is almost 100% efficient. The masses are all the same weather you add gas or not. If its unbalanced its not much unbalanced.
My favs. '69 Sedan deVille with those BEAUTIFUL lantern style break lights...(the only year for them)
Also the '73 with the rubber upside down triangle over the bottom back break lights......
I mowed the lawn of a very old guy who had one then the other, when I was in High School.........he'd let me drive him once a week to get water at this wonderful natural spring in Jackson MI.
I LOVED BOTH OF THOSE CARS!!!!! I've watched nearly every video on UA-cam featuring those particular year caddys.....LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!!!!!!! A young guy always remembers his first love with a girl and of a car......
Those huge trunks are amazing! It's quite a chore to lift that full size spare from the very back of it.
I rode in a 84 Cadillac, it was wonderful, I got lost in the back seat, had a hard time getting out, wonderful car!
Wow that first interior is gorgeous. Leather looks immaculate.
Beautiful 1972. I have a 73 and there are slight differences, even though 71-73 look a lot a like.
You’ve done well for yourself, and you present very well. Keep up the good work.
My heart skipped a beat when I could see that one car over, the blue Coupe. I had that same blue '72 Coupe de 'Ville but with all white leather interior. That car was a STUNNER!! Then when you turned to address the coupe, I thought it actually might be mine, but alas, the blue interior. I have aways had an old soul, since I bought the '72 when I was 22 and I already had a '66 de 'Ville convertible! The convertible was red with white leather and a white top. Keeping those two caddies with white leather and white tops clean was my favorite activity. These days, it would put me in traction. LOL. My late teens and early twenties were a total blast with the cars I owned back then. Cadillacs, Grand Prix, Grand Ams, Trans Ams and Formula 400's with Ram Air lV. I lived the life. LOL. Even got Buick Riviera's for loaners!! What an amazing time to be young.
My grandfather left me his blue 1972 Cadillac Calais. Which was a slightly deconted coupe DeVille. And I loved it the 472 was awesome. Plus my 10-speed would fit in the trunk without taking the wheel off.
I hated these. I was still in high school when this body came out in '71. My parents bought a '71 Pontiac Grand Ville with that same windshield, etc. I loved the '69 and '70 Cadillacs with those extremely high front seats, though apparently according to Cadillac in their marketing they intentionally lowered the front seats. The last series had ugly molded door panels and they got uglier with this series, cultiminating with those hideous '73-76 door panels with huge vinyl fake wood panels. But people liked them. I can remember Motor Trend doing a comparison test with a Sedan deVille versus a loaded Caprice. The first thing they noticed was how much firmer and more comfortable the deVille seats were, and the whole car just felt more solid. Until the oil embargo these were just so popular, even strangled with the new tighter emission controls. Thanks, Adam!
I never cared for those fake wood medallions at each end of the door pulls on the 1973s. Tacky ass.
And, as noted in the video, the 1972 door pulls did indeed pull loose. I recall my aunt’s 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, some of the door pulls had already come loose when she traded it for a new 1977 Sedan DeVille.
@@CH67guy1 I preferred the early 70's Lincolns at the time and nearly bought a used mint white '71 with chocolate brown cloth, but passed to buy a '72 Buick GS convertible. I really liked the look of the '69 and '70 Cadillacs at the time, never liked the Mopar 'fuselage' body on their big cars, and it was so obvious that the Imperial was just a New Yorker with a longer hood. Plus, to me, the Imperials just looked like fancy Plymouths, such a decline from their real Imperials that ended in '66.
@@loveisall5520 The early 1970s Lincolns are indeed special! You simply don’t see them as much as early 1970s Cadillacs!
The fake wood was'nt vinyl. It was photo embossed steel. I replaced mine with teak veneer. I have no interest in Cadillac after 1970.
I had the opposite opinion back in the day. My friend’s dad had a 70 sedan de Ville and sitting in the back seat behind those enormous front seats that neatly touched the roof (it seemed), made the experience akin to sitting in a bucket. And not that much leg room, especially compared to my parent’s ‘73 Chrysler New Yorker. But the ‘71 and ‘72 Caddies with those separated headlights, and especially the Fleetwood with the wide B pillar, really caught my eye. I’ve heard others say they were the beginning of the end for Cadillac QA/QC wise, and it’s sad the bean counters were so influential.
My first car when I turned 16 was a 73 CDV, and I've had a whole bunch of 71-73s over the years. Love these cars.
I was 18 in 1971 and was graduating high school ………… 1971 was an awesome year for me and some of the best looking cars were coming from General Motors ……….. a woman a few doors down brought home a navy blue 71 Coupe DeVille that was breathtaking, I use to stare as it would pass our house every day ……….. that same year my father brought home a a navy blue Chevrolet Caprice that was beautiful as well however my mother was not amused for she had repeatedly told my father she wanted The Oldsmobile 98 ………. Needless to say she received the 98 Regency four door sedan for the 1973 model year ……….. and I bought my first new car that year a 1973 Camaro LT …… a very prosperous time for my family at the time.
They really were beautiful cars, the four door is even better looking than the two door! I love the nice wrap around dash also.
My dad owned a 71 or 72 Fleetwood that had about a 6 or 8 inch B pillar from roof to rocker. I loved that ride.
Adam, more great Cadillacs. These were nice but had a rust issue at the rear fender marker light. 74-76 Coupe Devilles were awful with rust below the vinyl roof molding and this is in NC. The Big 3 were hurt by the Feds with CAFE, emissions control and bumper standards. Then the oil embargo happened. If you look at production figures, Cadillac always outsold Lincoln and Imperial during this time period. Guess that's what GM cared about? Sales Numbers. To me, the first modern Cadillac was the 1974 with the new body and dash. It make my parents 1965 Cadillac look old, but 65 was a nice looking body. If I was a time traveler, I could always go back in time and find a Cadillac model I would be happy with. Guess I am a Cadillac nut. Well, I have had 6. Collected many sales catalogs, books, videos.
To me the 1965 models were the most beautiful, with the slab sides and the perfectly vertical stacked headlights and tail lights. Premium quality upholstery and dashboard.
Post 1966 Cadillac interiors appeared only a little better than Chevrolets of the same year.
The Lincolns cost more and were generally not discounted. Cads were always discounted. GM just wanted to move the merch. I imagine Imperial was a very distant third. Chrysler went broke in the 80s.
great video, i owned a triple black (black vinyl top, black body and black interior) 1972 cadillac sedan deville, back in 1979 i paid only $800 for it on a used car lot and it had 55,000 miles. it looked new and rode like floating on air.
What a clean example - just spectacular!
I had a 1984 Coupe DeVille. Very smooth and got really good MPG. It had the famous 4.1 V8 but I never had any problems with it. I put 150k miles on it with very few repairs. Regret selling it in 1995.
Really enjoyed this review and I agree, the 71 GM models were the beginning of the cheaper interiors.
Ironically the interior build quality got a little bit better for the 1977 redesign. Even Adam has mentioned this before.
Obviously you haven't seen the interior of a 1976 Fleetwood talisman h
I remember as a teenager. I noticed the interior of the 71s were cheaper. I even wrote Cadillac back then to complain. I must not have been the only one, as I noticed in the next 2 years they actually improved some of the trim finishes & edges.
@@gregt8638 my all time favorite years especially for the Fleetwood were 1961 to 1968 as well as the pillared Sedan DeVille models of 1965-1970. I think that decade was the last of the great designs. Miss all the chrome.
Awesome! I Loved my step dad's Caddys from the 60's and 70's! I didn't know him when he bought his first new Cadillac in 1951 at age 40!
Great video - as usual! I really like the TV ads that you are now including.
Of all the cars I have owned, I miss my 73 coupe the most. It was an awesome car
My mom had one of those when new. It seemed to be a good car except for the sealing strip between the front and rear windows would frequently fall out. Was always fascinated by how the 8 track tape cartridge door was the radio dial. You just pushed it into the slot. That car went away by 1976 and was replaced by a Mercedes Benz.
I love these full size Cadillacs, especially 1971 and 1972. I had the 71 with the textured metal on the dash and door panels. One important point is that Cadillac went from the multi-piece aluminum to a plastic grille on the 1972 models. They were definitely beginning to cheap out
what we once had - if you want to see real attention to detail and fit & finish excellence look into the 1966 model year.
Reminiscing the days when I learned to drive in my father's 1972 Cadillac Coupe Deville. My uncle also drove a Cadillac, but he drove a burgundy or dark red Cadillac Sedan Deville.
I remembered my father's Cadillac looking similar in color to what had been identified as a metallic beige. I remembered the car had what looked like a gold-colored metallic body (might have been beige, but the color looked gold to me) and beige leather interior and bench seats. The DMV examiner did not allow me to do my driver's test in the Cadillac (January 1976), so my father ended up renting a Ford Granada so I could take the driving test on a different day at the DMV. I needed to do not only the road test, but parallel parking at the curb - something that is less common outside the city limits.
We would agree, after '72 the GM de-contenting and badge engineering program was in full swing. It culminated by about 1977, when the use of corporate engines meant your Buick could have been powered by an Oldsmobile engine, etc.
We heard there was a little-publicized program that year, where the dealer would buy-back a car from a customer who wasn't happy with the situation, and trade it for a brand/drivetrain appropriate substitute.
Mouse in your pocket?
My father had one in "willow"/light cream-yellow with the brown top and leather. I used to wash and wax every inch of it. A really pretty car when Cadillac was pure luxury and elegance.
Gawd...these are some big boats! Love the sculptural body side form development though.
I miss those days
Love this car. So beautifully designed. I prefer the front end and rear lights in the ‘72. I notice to the left an awesome ‘73 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon in a unique shade of orange. My mom had a ‘74 Salon in burgundy with burgundy vinyl top, burgundy fabric bucket seats and console. Like the one on the left it also had matching color keyed hubcaps. I preferred the ‘73 Cutlass overall but have always loved the ‘72 Cadillacs, especially the Fleetwood.
I like the sedan's cloth interior. It looks like it doesn't have a split bench seat. That was an issue with my step mother's Caddy of that era. She was 5'2" and my Dad was over 6 feet.
I LOVE THIS GENERATION 1971-1976 CADILLAC SEDANS/FLEETWOODS, I ALSO LOVE THE1971-1976 LUXURY BUICK ELECTRA/ PARK AVENUES SEDANS BETTER
I owned a 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. It was a great long-distance cruiser. For a 5,000-pound car, it was pretty fast too.
Very nice Cadillac.
I bet you are super popular with the Lambda Car Club. I think you should work up in-person shows for car clubs and charge speaker fees! (with discussions, slides of the cars, the designer drawings etc). I know the equivalent of the Lambda car club here in Los Angeles would think you're a rock star! Your taste in cars is very popular in those groups as I'm sure you saw. (and it helps that your handsome as all get out! - I know. Shallow. But its true)
I love the Monaco or polara beside it, it's just a dream 🤤