One day long ago, Margie, the cashier in the hospital cafeteria I worked in throughout college and whom had to have been pushing 60 when this '84 Seville was brand new, looked out the plate glass window of "The Caff" that overlooked the doctors parking lot. A shiny new Seville, not unlike this one, was parked out there rubbing bumpers with a gaggle of Mercedes-Benz' and BMW's. Exhaling a deep inhale of the perilously perched Parliament on her lips, she pushed the smoke onto the window while murmuring, "Now that is a beautiful car". Incredulous, 19 or 20 year old me burst out laughing, "Oh my god, you've got to be kidding me. Really?"
She was none too amused at my scoffing at her sentiment. Looking back on it now she probably just thought I was some insensitive young jerk who enjoyed disrespecting older folks. While nothing could have been farther from the truth, what I was really remarking about was that I thought these cars just all out ugly as sin. I didn't "get" what Cadillac's 1980-1985 hunchback Seville was all about back then and I still don't. However, I do, after all these years, somewhat understand and begrudingly appreciate what Cadillac was at least attempting to do.
After World War II, there was a nostalgia movement for pre-war "classics" like this 1933 Fleetwood Cadillac V-16 Phaeton Convertible. People like 60 year old Margie (in 1984) grew up believing that cars like this were for the rich, famous and powerful and exuded class and success. Explains the deluge of neo-classic coach builders in the 50's and 60's that built custom looking, "classic" cars over contemporary chassis. Ford attempted to do something very similar with their 1983 Continental sedan. Chrysler too with their 1981 Imperial. In my opinion nobody really did the retro-bustle back thing well but nobody did it worse than Cadillac did.
Hopefully you'll look at these cars now and appreciate what they were an attempt to be as opposed to what you believed them to be. I still think they're horrible looking not to mention absolute bull shit mechanically but I digress. Older and wiser me telling young me that what Cadillac was attempting to be as opposed to what they ultimately were. Remember, "Best of All, It's A Cadillac".
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