Parking Lot Pimpin: Cadillac Coupe deVille

 

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.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

By now, I've delved into both the Sedan deVille, and the convertible. What bodystyle is left? The coupe--the bodystyle that's familiar with O.Gs, pimps, the Sopranos, bankers, and car enthusiasts alike. This is the bodystyle that made the deVille into a legacy, into a world-known nameplate. Cadillacs and coupe bodies go together like Macaroni and cheese, and hot dogs. Simply swathed in American excess, these cars spoke the American dream like no other vehicle of its time--or since--could. If one owned a Cadillac Coupe deVille, chances are, he or she was doing well, and knew how to carry his or her self. As a result, the Coupe deVille gained a following in all sorts of automotive circles. Pimps drove them, mobsters drove them, and well in the 1980s, lowrider crews drove them. In short, the deVille was the spokescar for a wide audience of the car buying public.













I first spotted this example lurking behind the transit station; as a Cadillac nut, I quickly deboarded the bus, and got to this specimen as fast as I could. From inside the bus, this big coupe looked tremendous, if not a bit aged. The paint--though a bit dirty-still looked nice, even up close. The hubcaps and the rest of the body chrome looked not-quite-immaculate, but not horrible either. This is what I'd call a "good driver". It's obviously not in beater condition, but it doesn't really lend itself to show status just yet. There are a few minor kinks to sort out; one of the main ones is the badging. I do know that this particular car is a Coupe de Ville, despite the driver's side badge declaring otherwise. Yes, I do know that badging is something relatively minor, but when the badge identifies something as the wrong car, there's a problem.
I'm not sure if the owner of this classic coupe realizes the badging is incorrect, or if the owner ever cares; but I do. To a car enthusiast, displaying the wrong badge means either you know nothing about cars and bought purely because you could afford to, or either you simply don't care about small details, and only focus on it being "a Cadillac." If this boat were mine, I'd put back all the correct badging, and have myself a nice boulevard cruiser.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

It's a long known fact that as I've grown older, I've grown to acquire a taste for GM's top-tier luxury cars. I've been a steady Cadillac fan, and while I do appreciate a some Lincolns, I usually stand on the Cadillac side of the fence in that debate. Now, Cadillac has produced their share of questionable vehicles(most notably the Cimarron), but to counter that, the vast majority of their vehicles look great--even when they're not in tip-top condition, as evidenced here.
This Coupe de Ville is a 1974 model, and probably features the legendary 472 V8. Good enough for a rather disappointing 205 horsepower figure, the 380 ft/lbs of torque more than made up for the horsepower deficiency. With nearly 400 ft/lbs of torque, I doubt this big barge was a slouch, certainly not when it came time for cruising.
One of the major problems with these Cadillacs was the rear taillight endcaps. They were made of plastic polymer, and over time, the material deteriorated, and eventually broke away altogether, leaving a rather ungainly gap between the rear quarter panel and the chrome taillight surrounds. Unfortunately, these are one of the few pieces that replicas are hard to source, making Cadillac restoration a tricky business.













This example of Cadillac's flagship two door (I don't like the 1970s El Dorados very much) is looking rather long in the tooth; mild patina couple with a few missing trim peices here and there suggest that this example is more than "used"; it's "well-loved". Clearly, being a local car, this banana boat knows the Twin Cities fairly well. After all, it was purchased locally at a St. Paul Cadillac franchise. Kind of fitting how the dealer name fits this Coupe de Ville isn't it?
Aside from the minor setback I noted up top (the missing plastic taillight surrounds), this example really isn't too bad. Yes, it suffers from hidden rust behind the dealer plaque, and I did notice that the infamous Cadillac crest is absent from the front fascia-- but so what? It's unmistakably Cadillac. If someone doesn't recognize this as a Cadillac from first glance, I have no sympathy. Anyone can recognize a Cadillac. The only thing I'd do with this guy, is find a proper front left hubcap to match the other three, and just cruise. I love big 'lacs, and this one is no exception.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

As of late, I haven't featured any Cadillacs; why, you ask? Because it seems like I've shot--and posted up-- way too many. Be it Eldorados, Fleetwoods, and even Sedan Devilles, older Cadillacs aren't exactly scarce around here if one knows where to scout for cars. I've seen more than my fair share, too. I've almost become desensitized to the idea of a "cool" classic Cadillac, but there are still a scant few that tickle my fancy.
I'm not quite a fan of this particular generation of Coup de Ville, mainly because I detest the front fascia; I know many Cadillac fans would probably disagree, but I think the earlier cars look far better, especially up front. I wouldn't call the rear fascia exactly pretty, either. Sure, it has cliche Cadillac taillights, but having them buried in the chrome surrounds just looks.. weird. And from the profile, it looks-- I can't really put my finger on it, but I'm definitely not used to seeing a "hardtop" Cadillac as opposed to the formal roof versions, which I obviously like a bit more. Now, I'm not really saying I despite the entire car, but I'm not quite sure it flows very well.
This particular 'lac seemed to be in decent-enough condition, though I think I would probably like it better with all of the chrome spokes removed from the wheels. That left front wheel missing the spokes actually looks quite good; it's at least original, compared to the other millions of Cadillacs rolling on wire wheels, stock-sized and otherwise. I say go to the "smoothie" look in terms of the wheels, but at least polish them up first. The smoothie look doesn't quite work with dirty wheels.
Would I drive it? Not so fast. I love Cadillacs on the whole, but this Coupe de Ville leaves me something to be desired. I've never liked this fascia, and the rear end styling is a tad odd, so.. well, okay I wouldn't turn it down, but it certainly is far from my favorite Cadillac, that's for sure.