1974 Cadillac Coupe deVille - The American Standard (of the World)

 

After years of cost cutting to maximize margins, by 1974, what General Motors marketed as the "Standard of the World" had devolved into more like, warning, incoming deliberate and awful pun, "The American Standard of the World". That's not to say Cadillac didn't have anything to blow their horn about for '74. Gosh, for starters, there were a number of new "firemist" colors with coordinated interiors to choose from like Cranberry, Persian Lime and, as on our '74 Coupe deVille here, dare I say, the rather fetching Terra Cotta Firemist. 

Such was the strength of Cadillac's position in the market in the 1970's that they could tout frivolities like new paint schemes and expect their customers to buy into it. Oh, and they did. Despite the first energy crisis clobbering sales of full-size cars, Cadillac still managed to sell more than 242,000 total units in 1974 none of which could honestly get more than ten-miles-per-gallon. 

Model year 1974 for Cadillac wasn't without its fair share of firsts and lasts, though. 1974 was the last year for the 472-cubic inch V-8 Cadillac introduced to much fanfare for 1968. Smooth and durable, let's be fair, Cadillac lovers, there wasn't anything particularly special about it save for its elephantine size. Cadillac replaced it in 1975 with their 500-cubic inch version of it that had been an Eldorado exclusive going back to 1970. Legend has it Cadillac had planned to increase the size of the "472" to as much as 600-cubic inches. 

Like many makes and models sold in the United States, 1974 was also the last year Cadillac's were sold without catalytic converters. Catalytic converters use precious metals to react with toxic exhaust gases and literally convert many of them into less harmful ones. Early "cats" severely restricted exhaust flow further limiting engine performance that was already castrated by primitive emissions controls and lower compression. 

On a list of firsts, 1974 Cadillac's featured a redesigned dashboard all Cadillac's, except for Seville's, would have through 1976. Critics torched it's lilliputian speedometer and, save for the fuel-gauge above it on the left, a brace of "idiot lights" running along the top of it to relay vehicle information to the driver. 

                                         

For 1974, a government mandate required all cars sold in the United States withstand a five-mile-per-hour impact without damage, hence all Cadillac's got this new rear end treatment complete with a new taillamp design. 

Save for a fussy and garish new grill, the front end was mostly carry-over from 1973; 1973 the first year for the government mandated, five-mile-per-hour front safety bumper required up front. I can't think of a single automobile that benefited aesthetically from this mandate, although at the time, putting shock absorbers behind bumpers seemed like a sensible if not smart thing to do. "It's about time they did that", bellowed my old man who regularly dented the thin strips of chrome pretending to be bumpers on his 1968 Ford Ranch Wagon 

Back to lasts, 1974 was the last year for round headlights "nestled" in bezels on Cadillac's. This look gave way to rectangular headlights along with another front-end refresh that made it look blockier and heavier than ever. 

Along with the new dash, all Cadillac's for 1974 got a new steering wheel all would would have through 1976. GM would share it with, of all things, their GMC motorhome through model year 1978. Sans the Cadillac logo, of course. 

Most importantly, 1974 was the first year all two-door Cadillac's were not actually hardtops if we define such by what they had been going back to 1949;a fixed-roof car with no center post to emulate the roofline of a convertible with its top up. 

Like the safety bumpers, at the time, it seemed a natural evolution of an existing design that provided structural support to a car that desperately needed it. In retrospect, it ruined what made a two-door Cadillac more than just a two-door sedan. Oddly enough, Cadillac continued to sell four-door Calais' and Sedan deVille's as pillarless hardtops through 1976. 

A coupe even a coupe diehard didn't like? Yup. Especially with the padded "cabriolet" roof like this one has, these cars appear to be two different cars fused together behind the doors. Full disclosure. when these padded roofs first came out, to this kid from Long Island, it seemed the epitome of taste, class and elegance. 

The most unusual thing about this car is that while the rear seat is trimmed in your atypical of the time, to-die-for-looking but slippery as hell Cadillac leather...

The front seat is...cloth? Bet the front seat was shot and someone found cloth front seats in the correct color. I'm sure doing this was a whole lot less expensive than reskinning them with NOS seat covers. If you can even find them. 

The front seats situation didn't hamper someone from dropping $8,450 for this thing at a Haggerty online auction recently. Neither did this crack in the dash, good luck fixing that, the 1977-1978 wheel covers, non-working air conditioning and cruise control, locked up eight-track player and ancient, replace-now-or-die tires. The paint has blemishes and there's rust on the frame. Did the buyer not read the vehicle description beforehand? 

Sadly, I feel a part of my youth has faded away as I used to love dreadnaughts like this, they're nothing more to me now than a nostalgia trips reminding me of the way I used to look at the world. They handle and brake terribly, they're slow, inhale gas, shoot, they're not even that comfortable. Sorry, I don't see the fun in appreciating something simply for the nostalgia value in it anymore. With me and cars, love may transcend reason, but it's not unconditional. At least not anymore. 

After all these years, despite my fruitless attempts to convince her otherwise, I still hear my mother, who was born in 1925. wistfully dreaming of a Cadillac like this. "There's something special about a Cadillac", she'd say. Sorry, ma, while that may have been true at one point, by the mid 1970's, that simply wasn't true anymore. 

1972 Ford LTD Convertible - Wave and Blow a Kiss

 

On paper, these full- or "family-sized" convertibles like this 1972 Ford LTD made sense. Sort of. They eluded glamour and have an elan the fixed-roof cars they're based on lack while being as practical (or not). Ah, just imagine the quality family time, the whole gang blissfully basking in mother nature's glory while the bourgeois eat their hearts out. Acknowledge them with a simple wave. For kicks and giggles, blow a kiss or two. Nothing beats a leisurely drive in a convertible on a nice day. Preferably early morning or late afternoon and early evenings. Remind me to tell you about the time I got sun stroke driving my wife's 2004 Mitsubishi Eclpse Spyder GTS from Cleveland, Ohio to Toronto. 

In reality, top up or down, these cars made no sense. They're noisy, they shudder, they moan, groan, squeak and creak and, because they're easily broken into, can be an insurance liability based on where you live. Oh, and manufacturers charged a premium for them because they were expensive to build. Not surprisingly, they didn't sell well and in the early to mid 1970s, one by one, the Big Three and a Half discontinued selling them. Ford dropped out of the game after 1972. 

Rumored government regulations banning convertibles because they were said to be unsafe in roll-over accidents fueled the demise of these cars as well. Truth was, while said federal guidelines never came to prohibit convertibles, what did them in was they sold poorly. In fairness, they didn't flip over with any more frequency than their fixed room brethren. When they did flip over, well. You know. 

Convertibles had been part of manufacturer's lineups going back to the earliest days of the automobile. Back in the "olden days", lowering a convertible top was an efficient way to ventilate the cabin. With the advent of air conditioning in the 1950's and 1960's, the practical side of convertibles became less important. 

Due to their complexity, convertibles were expensive to build and manufacturers, naturally, passed that onto buyers. The added complexity involved either removal of the fixed roof, which was a major part of the car's structure or a different body was crafted altogether. Either way, additional heavy bracing was added as reinforcement. Because of their sheer bulk, full-size convertibles like our LTD here needed a considerable amount of bracing. Forces being forces and stressors being stressors, seemed no amount of additional buttressing was enough to eliminate "the shimmies" these cars are famous for. Shimmies they were famous for even if they had a fixed roof as well. 

Our '72 here is part of Ford's new-for-1969 full-size cars they updated for 1971. That 1971 reboot included an even more pronounced front-end than the 1969 and 1970 models referred to by many as the "Bunkie Beak" in deference to Bunkie Knudsen. In February of 1968, Henry Ford II hired Knudsen away from General Motors' Pontiac division to run his company. At Pontiac, Knudsen was famous for insisting on a front end with a prow or beak ala the 1969 Grand Prix. Knudsen lasted on 19-months in the job. 

Frankly, this car's front-end resemblance to Pontiac's is only obvious after being literally pointed out; what's less discussed is how much it resembles an Edsel's "urinal" front end. 

I've always been fairly ambivalent towards these big Fords which seemed to be everywhere when I was a kid. If anything, their styling was obviously influenced heavily by General Motors; I can't say it's an improvement over anything GM sold at the time. In fairness, it's not an awful looking car in my opinion. 

Where these cars really come up short of General Motors' makes and models is in their ride and handling. Squishy, mushy, disconnected, unresponsive and boggish, the new-for-1971 Ford 400-cu. in. V-8, one of the first "smog motors" incidentally, didn't do these cars any favors at the drag strip either. As if anyone bought a Ford LTD to go as quickly from stoplight-to-stoplight as possible. These cars also get dinged for clumsy, non-sensical dashboard ergonomics too. 

This car has just 62,000-miles on it and appears to be in generally good condition. I don't think brown is its best color, it only adds to the dreariness of the all-black, all vinyl\plastic interior although I like the contrast of the tan top. Might be the camera angle but it does have a sporty, rakishness to it I appreciate. The Ford "Magnum" rims are to die for; someone had the good sense or taste not to fussy the appearance of this car with raised white-letter tires. 

Asking price is $12,950 which for an early '70's full-size convertible in what appears to be solid shape, seems like a bargain. If you're into this sort of thing, go get it at 1972 Ford LTD Convertible 400 – Best Stop Auto Sales. Best Stop Auto Sales appears to be a consignment shop and that could make negotiating somewhat challenging since the back and forth could be a cumbersome process. Frankly, the closer this can be bought to $10,000 the better. Out the door for $12,000 I'd think someone did quite quite well. 

2015 Lexus RC350 F Sport - A Red Title and Red States

My wife and I had come thisclose to buying a 2015 Lexus RC350 last May but backed out of the deal when we spotted rust bubbles on the driver's side rear fender just as we were taking delivery of it. For a myriad of reasons, finding another one in our price range between $25,000 and $30,000 has been a challenge. Well, careful what you wish for, you might just get it. Problem is, if you do, often times there's a catch. This 2015 Lexus RC350 "F-Sport" turned up on my semi-weekly search recently for sale down in northern Kentucky. Just 68,000-miles on its eleven-year-old digital ticker, it's in to-die-for "liquid platinum" with an all-black interior and has an asking price of $19,500; that's thousands less than other RC350 F-Sports with this kind of mileage. The catch? It has a Kentucky "red" title. 

Cars with red titles in Kentucky are ones that were total losses and rebuilt; they're have a red border, hence, "red" titles.  Clean or "blue" titles are issued on paper with a blue border and hue. 

The problem with cars with Kentucky "red" titles is they can't be titled in all states, Ohio, where we live, being one of them. Cars with rebuilt or salvaged titles could be excellent values, especially stolen cars that are recovered; there could be issues at trade-in or resale time though. It's ironic that Ohio, a red state, would have an issue with a red title from Kentucky which is also red. 

I can't say for sure I would have been ok with this car it could be titled up here. With taxes and fees, we are talking more than twenty-grand out the door, chunk of dough to blow on a big question mark of a car. Nice to have what could have been a difficult decision already made for me. 

This car is what were called "personal luxury cars", a significant market segment in the 1970's through the mid-1980's. Most often times built on the chassis of existing models, the market shifted away from them in the 1980's due in large part to the models offered not having the cache they once had. That and the growing popularity of sport utility vehicles luring statement making and fashion-conscious buyers away. Much like station wagons, luxury car makers continued to offer them, and they charged exorbitantly for them. 

Lexus dipped their bumper cover back into the personal luxury car game in 2014 when they introduced the "RC", short for "radical coupe", a spiritual successor to the "SC", or "sport coupe", they sold from 1991 through 2010. Lexus only made around 60,000 of these over a protracted 11-year model run, nearly half of them built in 2015 and 2016. Their overt styling and inherent practicality, combined with how expensive they are, turn many buyers off. 

My wife and I are empty nesters, and we find them to be comfortable, stylish cruisers. No doubt there's a nostalgia trip of some sort here as well given we're both children of the 1970's. 

Thus, our search continues. Our plan for the last year has been that if we find one, great. If not, we hold onto our current "dailies" until one of them buys the farm. It's a solid, practical plan that's not terribly exciting, but one worth sticking to. Needs, wants, red titles and red states be damned. 

 

1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville - Have Your Lawyer Call Mine

Model year 1982 is regarded by many a Cadillac cognoscente as the low point for the brand; I know I do. The introduction of the Chevrolet Cavalier based Cimarron and the "HT4100" V-8 engine a devastating one-two punch to the brand's mid-section that had been teetering for years. 

Like many couples who divorce, Cadillac's fall from grace happened over time and then all at once; "1982" didn't just happen. Additionally, to those who didn't know better, all seemed fine on the surface; just like Bob and Deb who all of a sudden split after decades of marriage; "oh, they seemed so happy together." Take this magnificent 1970 Coupe deVille for instance. Based on appearances, all was right at Cadillac. In reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. 

1970 was the last year for General Motors rear-wheel-drive models that dated back to 1965; the last year for the 1966 and 1967-circa, front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Toronoado and Cadillac Eldorado as well. Many a pundit, and I concur, believe the 1965 GM full-size cars the best engineered vehicles GM had produced in their history to that point. 

Everything being relative, the '65's were structurally sound and rode and handled with a balance and an aplomb like no cars had before them, for years after as well. Problem was, even by 1965, GM "bean counters" were forcing designers and engineers to do more with less. The net-net was there wasn't a lot to distinguish a Cadillac from lesser GM makes and models. Cadillac was coasting on its reputation and had stopped innovating; innovation, as much if not more than styling, helped make "Cadillac" what it had been. That was fine...until it wasn't. 

There may have been "prettier" Cadillac's in the prior twenty-five-years, but the 1970 Coupe deVille  held its own in terms of appearing to be what buyers had come to expect a Cadillac to look like. There's not a bad line on these cars although it does have more testosterone in it than a John Wayne movie. It's as subtle as a pickup truck. My wife hates these things; hence, she's never approved the purchase order for one. Just as well. 

We peak inside and we see fissures in the facade, makes those cracks in the simulated wood trim. Cadillac had been "cheapening" their interiors for years but through 1968, buyers could still get genuine wood trim albeit wafer thin veneers. For 1969, Cadillac introduced this wood free, injection-molded nightmare. 

Our Coupe has the added indignity of this 1970-only steering wheel. To the lower left of it is, I think, is a '70's vintage AM/FM tuner. Better it there than hacking up the "Plastic Wood" dashboard although that can't do anything for leg room. 

Luxury cars should surprise and delight and even the "Dynasty" cloth in medium gold upholstery lacks the sumptuousness you would expect of a $6,000, supposedly premium car. At least it's not what called "Dubonnet" cloth that would look out of a place in a Chevrolet Impala or a taxicab. The leather upholstery Cadillac offered at the time was a soul-less, rock-hard slab of un-exceptional too. 

Save for admiring the storied brand, contemporary road test reviewers damned these cars with faint praise. They gushed at how feature rich they were, they should have been considering what they cost, and their silent, plush rides, but noted they didn't handle well and even its massive and vaunted, 472-cu. in. V-8, aside from being the largest V-8 engine you could buy in a passenger car, wasn't anything special. 

Can only imagine loyal Cadillac buyers' disappointment when they went to trade in their '65 or older for a 1970. Nothing like getting less for more. Well, we all know about that these days. With model-year 1971 came an all but comprehensive "reboot" on GM's full-size line. Along with GM's self-immolation came circumstances only exacerbating their plight. What a time to be a young, coming of age car geek.  

This one's for sale currently on Marketplace about an hour east of the Triple Wide west of Cleveland, Ohio. Asking price is a cool $17,500. She's supposedly all-original except for a forty-year-old respray. 118,000-miles on her 56-year-old ticker. Set aside some Benji's for the front seats that are split pretty bad. They don't sell "Dynasty cloth" at Autozone or O'Reilly's. 

There was a time I'd be all about a big old geezer like this, but I've come to want more from my "classic" or "weekender" than to have something that a modern Hyundai crossover could suck the doors off of. Do so while swaddling me in the kind of comfort the original buyer of this car thought they'd be getting. Or did they realize that "Cadillac" didn't mean what it once did and they bought it anyway for what it was supposed to be? 

Have your lawyer call mine. 

How do you say "gangster"? The vestigial tailfins help give the illusion that the top of these cars is chopped like a 1930's roadster. The sides are barely rounded, amazing how much automobile design had evolved in the scant twenty-two model years between Cadillac's first post-war models and these cars. Then again, when you're young, twenty-years seems like an eternity. 

The problem with this car is its interior. By 1970, General Motors was heavy into injection molding, even on Cadillacs. 

As much as I appreciate the '49's, I love the "gangster" lines these cars have that Cadillac's after 1970 did not have. In a way, then, in my opinion, these cars are the last "real" Cadillac's although, if we're being honest, the last "real" Cadillac, whatever that means is up for debate, probably left the Hamtramck plant in Detroit years if not decades prior. 

The big problem with these cars is their interiors. GM was heavy into not only injection molding by 1970, but they were also into the shameful use of plastic wood trim going back to 1967. Have to imagine a Cadillac buyer trading in their '63 or '64 took issue with the fake stuff, no matter how good it may have looked. I, for one, don't think it ever looked good. 

We also have opinions as to what was the last year for "real" Cadillac's. I, for one, don't think there was a single year when Cadillac went down the tubes. Much like couples that divorce, the "decay" was over a number of years. That fall from grace going back to the mid-to-late-'50's when General Motors stopped plowing research and development dollars into the brand in the interest of maintaining profit margins. 

In said interest of margins, that meant the technical innovations that helped define the brand "trickled down" to lesser makes and models. That's all well and good but at the same time, Cadillac didn't have the resources it once had to innovate. 

By 1970, there wasn't much tangibly different between a Coupe de Ville and a Buick Electra or Olds 98. A Pontiac Bonneville and Chevrolet Caprice as well. I'd argue that my father's 1970 Buick Electra was much more luxurious than this Cadillac and a was decadently trimmed and finished compared to his '72, 

I'm also a big fan of the 1949 Coupe de Ville, but these cars are far more "modern" than those early post War cars. Although, you take a spin in one of these and seeing how it rides and handles like an old truck, you'd think something was wrong with it.

One way to a 1970 deVille or Calais from a 1969 is by looking at the taillights. On the 1970's, the bottom of the light has a red lens, on the '69's the bumper wraps around under the top lens. 

Another way is to look at the steering wheel. If it's got this putrid, one year only thing, it's a 1970. 

Check the front grill too. If it's finely textured like this, she's a '70. The '69's have more of a slotted grill. 

This is the best shot of upholstery. This is a Cadillac? 

The front seat is so badly worn, someone covered them with these seats covers. Power seat switches just like you'd find on a Chevrolet Impala or Caprice. 

Love the high seat backs on these cars. 

I'm not sure what I once saw in these cars. Perhaps I was blinded by the badass-ness of the design. 1970 was the last year for these cars that debuted in 1965. The side-by-side headlights, which I love, were a change from the stacked lights on 1965 to 1968 models. 

Timeless Detroit Beauty! All original 1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille (vinyl top) VIN: JO 223774 472 engine (7.7 liter) 375hp, 500 lb-ft. torque Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 (THM400) 3-speed automatic transmission 118,000 miles Exterior color black Interior color light brown Car is all original, no modifications, never been restored I purchased this Caddy in Florida in 2001. At the time the car had just received a brand new paint job. Paint is still in excellent condition. There are minor scratches from usual wear and tear. Interior is light brown with seat covers and is in excellent condition. List of options (everything works): Dual power seats Original wonderbar radio Tilt and telescopic steering Rear and front cigarette lighters Driver side mirror Automatic climate control system 60/40 split bench seat with armrest (front seat) Interior map light Power steering Power brakes Original floor mats Items that have been replaced / repaired: New fuel pump New distributor

 

1974 Pontiac Firebird Esprit - Spirted, Lively and Witty!

"Esprit", pronounced, "es-pree", is a French word meaning spirited, lively and witty. From 1970 through 1981, Pontiac sold a version of the Firebird called they called "Esprit" that was none of those things. This 1974 Pontiac Firebird Esprit popped up on Marketplace recently for sale just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Asking price is $10,000. 

Just like the Chevrolet Camaro Type LT and later the Berlinetta, the Firebird Esprit was a softer-sprung, less performance-oriented version of the Firebird for those who wanted to enjoyed the car's design or to "look the part" but didn't want to deal with the harsher ride, noisy exhaust, lower gas-mileage and high insurance premiums of the Firebird Formula or Trans Am. A Firebird for those who enjoy golf, but it's the lifestyle they appreciate more than actually playing. Only us dyed in the wool car nerds would know that an Esprit was about as spirted as Monte Carlo or Grand Prix; and who cares what we think. Go on, enjoy your "sports car" you poser. 

Pontiac, for sure, didn't care; they just wanted to sell more cars and would do what they thought they had to. To that end, a "plushy" Firebird makes some sense. You get most of the Firebird-esthetic in a more manageable, less costly to insure, easier to live with package right down to a column shifter for the transmission. 

                                        

For 1974, the Esprit was part of a four-model Firebird lineup that included the base Firebird below it, that could be ordered with an insurance friendly, Chevrolet built, 250-cu. in., inline six-cylinder engine, and more stiffly sprung, performance-oriented Formula and Trans Am models above it. Save for the bargain basement, Chevy six-cylinder powered base Firebird, a god's green-earth, Pontiac V-8 was all you'd find in any Firebird for '74.  

Even our Facebook Esprit here came from the factory with a V-8, most likely a Pontiac "350" although it could be a 400; they look identical. Either one born with a two-barrel carburetor, the big-boy four-barrels reserved for Formula's and Trans Am's. The two-barrel tossed here for an Edelbrock four-barrel and Performer intake manifold. Poster of the ad claims just 8,000-miles have been put on the car since the engine "build". There are no other details about the engine in the ad. Umm, a carburetor and intake swap counts as a "build"? 

For the $10,000 asking price, you get a Firebird with the divine thicker c-pillars and smaller rear window that would disappear for 1975, a shoot-me-now full vinyl roof, bucket seats with splitting upholstery and enough visible "surface" rust to make the Tin Man run for cover. The paint is shot too. 

Back in my day, this was a $500 car. Maybe $750. What does that convert to today, $1,500 maybe $2,000? Even that seems a lot for something that's probably going to need the asking price if not more in body work alone. I've got another definition for Esprit, "see you later".