Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

The Cadillac Coupe de Ville has always been known as a big, stately car; or has it? In the wake of the rise of front-wheel-drive, Cadillac's second-most-popular nameplate fell victim to the trend. Up until 1984, this big Cadillac had been just that--big and rear-wheel-drive. A wide range of seating capacities, cavernous trunks, and a multitude of paint colors coupled with a handsome variety of wheelcovers (hubcaps) ranging from plain to pure-luxurious excess (read tacky) has been with Cadillac's volume seller is all about. Nearly thrirty years after its introduction, the Coupe de Ville's heritage would be turned into mush. Gone were the days of tailfins, excess chrome, and a stonking footprint, and in their place, a much smaller car took on the role as Cadillac's volume seller. In 1985, a plan to change Cadillac's mainstay heritage was set in motion, and continued until the day the DTS was killed in 2010. Since its 1985 introduction as a relatively small car, the deVille lineup stayed front-wheel-drive, but continued to offer a V8 power. Over the years, the de Ville would again grow to larger-car porportions, but the front-wheel-drive trait would stick with it.













Ironically, even though the Coupe de Villes were never "base" cars, this example surely looks the part; outside, it gives away no hint of luxury--the cheesy-ass hubcaps look more Toyota than Cadillac, for one. Second, this shade of gay seems lnke something I'd find on a mid 1980s Honda Civic rather than a pretentious luxury vehicle. Those two nuances aside, this little Coupe de Ville is actually a nice car.
I hardly ever see these, and when I do, they're affected by tinworm--badly. This one appears to be stuck in the "1991 used car" phase; relatively low mileage, minor nicks but nothing major, and all factory trim is in place. I doubt one can say that about many FWD GM cars of this era.
I never really liked these, and I was hesitant to shoot this one, but seriously how many of these are still left? In the rustbelt, probably not many.