MY Dad had the '65 Deville, silver gray inside and out. Loved that car, esp. the POWER vent windows in the front doors.....also-you didn't need to have the car key turned on to operate the windows, there was a switch on drivers window controls that allowed the windows to be opened and closed without the key in ignition. Just a CLASSY car!!!!!!!!!!!
Had a blue baritz eldoado convert i had a lot of mechanical probs with it specially trans driveshaft valve seals. Always burned oil we used felpro was worse ordered original gm seals oil consumption stopped . terrible gas mileage but gas was 50c then 😵💫🥺🥶. Rebuilt trans lost holdback sprag clutch after warranty
Yes, we took a trade of a '66 Eldo cream-puff around 1970 or so. Pastel Baby-Blue /White Leather and White Canvas Roof. I drove it around for about a week before getting yelled at! It was the nicest convertible, AND head-turner I ever drove until an early nineties RR Corniche.
My first car in 1977 was a 66 coupe de ville white with black vinyl top and a tan interior. My parents bought it from an elderly family member in 72 who wanted a smaller car, with only 24k on the odometer. It was an outstanding car and started my love affair with Cadillacs. As a 17 year old I pounded that car every chance I got. By the time I drove it to the crusher it was running on 6 cylinders the radio and windows stopped working. I wish I knew then what I know now. Next up was a 64 coupe de ville all white. Last year for true fins. I chromed the engine dual hush thrush mufflers wire wheels. All things considered that car was a rocket ship for its size. Man I miss those cars!
Gramp's first Caddy was a '68 SDV. Dark green, black leather and top. 472 power, AC like an ice box, handled well for a big car too. I was 7, saw Grandma coming down the street, new from the dealer. It was so stunning, I couldn't contain myself. Story for another time. It replaced a white New Yorker that got stolen shortly after new....also stunning.
Going after bigger and bigger volume is never a good idea for a luxury make. At some point it is better to concentrate on quality and being more exclusive.
In 1968 my parents purchased a 1965 Sedan DeVille in Midnight Blue with a blue cloth and leather interior, and black vinyl top. Gorgeous! The satin silver trim inside the car was beautiful. One major styling change from 1964 to 1965 was curved side glass. As with all other GM full size cars, the curved side glass really made the cars more modern looking. Thanks for showing the clay models!
I was a car guy from a boy in the ‘60s. My dad had the lessor Cadillac, the ‘64 Olds Ninety Eight then a ‘ 71 Marquis Brougham. I particularly remember the Marquis because when I came home and saw it I thought that my dad’s boss had come over. Many decades on it’s sometimes hard to imagine that vehicles this beautiful were on the road. A time when a new car in the neighbourhood was a big deal. Great memories brought to us by a great channel!
My Dad acquired a '68 Coupe de Ville, triple black with all-leather interior. Getting in the car, one was enveloped in the amazing aroma of the leather and the hushed quiet-- a quiet so profound that the ticking clock in the dash seemed loud. I was just 17 or 18 and amazingly was permitted to drive the Caddy occasionally. I certainly would not let that happen if it was my '68 de Ville, which, by the way was still much like the '65 and '66 models presented here, but with the 429 engine enlarged to a kick ass 472k! Awfully big car--you didn't drive it so much as "guide" it. Great memories.
The 472 was an all-new engine design, it wasn't an enlarged 429. It actually didn't have much of anything I common with the 429. Even the bellhousing pattern is different.
Such a cool memory. Love how you recalled the clock ticking being so quiet. Seems very ‘cadillac’ to not have an annoyingly loud clock ticking in that impressive interior
"Why drive a Buick when Cadillac makes a convertible?" I knew a man who drove a 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille in the mid 1980s and he would say this to me - at the time my daily driver was the recently featured on this channel: 1973 Buick Centurion convertible. Now I drive a 1973 Eldorado by Cadillac.
If I recall correctly, Cadillac had a deal where a person could trade their Cadillac in every year plus $500 and get a new one. I'm not sure on the $500 amount but I know there was an incentive like that. Cadillac has since lost the brand appeal and opulence it had in the past Century particularly the decade of these years.
Totally agree, I haven't been in a Cadillac showroom in decades - the way "Cadillacs" look now, you'd think you're in a BMW showroom - totally bland, "blend in" cars!@@mickeydogtubemickeydogtube6856
As a (regrettably) former owner of a 66 SdV, I can attest to the quality of the fit and finish. Well styled, interior and exterior. Very reliable drivetrain. Boy, even after 30 years, I still miss my Caddy!!!!
My Uncle bought a new 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Convertible in Black with a red leather interior. It was a beautiful car. I remember it as a kid driving around town with the top down. First convertible I rode in.
I am in total agreement with your assessment - I did not know about the tail light bulb problem on the '66 . Your point about the interiors is spot on especially the Fleetwood - real wood trim.
My Uncle Joe and Aunt Wilma traded their '55 Buick Special in for a new '65 Cadillac Calais that was the same color blue as the convertible at the beginning of this video. Even though it was a "lowly" Calais it was loaded with all the options except a vinyl top and they were very pleased with it. When they were ready to trade in '72 they checked out a new Cadillac Calais and were shocked at how cheap the interior looked with all the hard black plastic on the dash compared to quality of their '65 and ended up getting a '72 Buick Electra Limited instead. On another note, my first thought when I saw that front end on the model at 11:46 was the '65 Lincoln Continental.
@@andyj631 I really enjoy seeing the mock up clay and proposed design drawings especially for the era cars became my teenage obsession. The 60s to mid 70s. I even enjoy the 50s too. Like that 58 Buick. My parents had a 58 Caballero station wagon.
In the early 70's there was a 65 or 66 that used to park on my street. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a low-optioned Calais that didn't have power windows or locks. My 7- or 8-year-old self was shocked at such a "lowly" and pedestrian Cadillac that I immediately disliked these model years, preferring instead the 67-68. Over time I've come to have a greater appreciation for the 65-66, especially the 65. My opinion is that forced model-year changes did the 66 any favors, and that the 65 had the best tail lights, followed by the 69, then the 77. The forced styling changes take a fantastic taillight design and muff them up. 65-66 IMHO is peak Cadillac for the interiors, with very evident cost-cutting cheapening them from 67 onward. Whoever thought wood from plastic trees in a Cadillac was a good idea needs to go work for Chevy.
When I was a wee laddie growing up I the western suburbs of Chicagoland our neighbor who was a supervisor at GM s Electromotive division in McCook Illinois and a former Navy Officer bought home a New 65 coupe de ville convertible him & his wife were so proud of he use to talk about the great deal he got because he was a GM employee
65 Pontiac entire line won Motor Trend car of the year. They were beautiful. Pontiac almost was cut in 55. However they gave Bunkie, 5 years to turn the division around. They were 8th. In 60 they moved to number 3 in sales. Bunkie, dad was president of GM in the 20s. So GM blood was in there family. He wanted a car, so Bunkies dad had a 28 Chevrolet in parts. Said put it together by end of summer. He did. My first car was a 76 Grand Le Man's. Beautiful car. Factory 8 track. Aircraft dashboard. GM sent Pontiac down the drain. Sad. Oldsmobile as well.
My favorite years for Cadillac. My grandfather (my dads dad) had a gold/white top and interior 66 Coupe DeVille. Beaulitiful car that replaced his light blue 62 Sedan DeVille.
The 17:20 66 is mine, that I still own 👍🏻. You can access the bulbs easy, you need to remove the filler panel when the trunklid is open, and even with big hands you can change the bulbs 👍🏻. Found out after I removed the bumper twice! Own the car since 14 years now.
@@RareClassicCars no, it is between the bumper and the edge of the trunk opening where the seal is installed. From there it is very easy to access the upper bulb. The 2 lower ones are changeable from below.
3:26 "...Bedizened with so much chrome..." I don't ever remember hearing that word in my 57 year old life, and I have some confidence in my vocabulary. But it is indeed a word, so I learned a new one today.
Same here--never heard that word before today. Apparently, it's similar to bedight (adorned) but implies more garishness and excess, which the '58 Buicks & Oldsmobiles certainly had in spades!
Thanks for the memories! These really were certainly great cars, comfortable to ride in with understated elegance compared to what came before and after. In the mid-70's my grandparents inherited my grandfather's brother's '66 Sedan de Ville, hardtop in white with black cloth interior, power windows and seats, automatic temperature control and the nifty great sounding signal seeking AM radio. On some family trips I was stuck in the center with dad driving and my grandfather in the passenger seat but that gave me control of the AC and radio! Miss that car almost as much as my grandparents which is to say a LOT! A few minor things were a bit irritating, e.g. those round AC vents were almost worthless, all you could do was rotate them you couldn't just point them in any direction like so many other AC vents, and seemed like any direction they pointed wasn't where you wanted the air to go! Bit of trivia, the '66 Cadillac was the first production car that offered an AM/FM stereo radio as an option, shame my grandparents' de Ville didn't have it!
I absolutely loved the 1966. For some reason the 1965 never did it for me. My parents had good friends who drove used Cadillac’s. They bought a super clean 1966 Coupe de Ville in 1969 for $3,000 from a Cadillac dealer. What a beautiful car. It was maroon with a black vinyl top and saddle brown leather interior. I can’t imagine buying a 3 year old Cadillac today for $30,000!
It’s funny, my dad bought an emerald green 1966 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 in 1969 for $2,200….just couldn’t stretch for the Olds 98…on the same lot…that would have set him back $2,600…..
I had the luck of finding a slightly used '66 Coupe de Ville for about 3K back in the day. Silver exterior, Black vinyl roof, black dash and dark red damansk cloth interior trimmed in leather. What really got me interested in buying this one as it had every option available, which was nearly unheard of in 1966. Those were the days when many cars were ordered without air conditioning! Many a Calais went out of the show room without it. This '66 had Cruise, AND Auto-Level Control as well as the Guide-Matic/ Twilight-Sentinal system. T&T Wheel, AM-FM Signal Seeking Stereo, 6-way Seat (people used to order two-ways all the time back then!) Pwr. Locks , rear de-fog, etc. I could not let it get past me! I put around 50k miles on it before selling it on. Another one of those cars I had that I wish I coulda, wish I shoulda, had the foresight to keep!
My Dad always raved about the look of the '65-'66 Caddy's when I was a kid. He rightfully loved the clean lines of this era. I have to agree. A very clean, and elegant design.
No one in my family ever had a Cadillac until I got one in 2014. My family was middle class so it was usually Pontiac or Buick for us. My Grandfather would be proud.
The very first car I purchased was a 1966 Coupe de Ville. I paid $500 for it in 1973. It was an amazing car. It had all the options. Auto HVAC, cruise control, automatic headlight dimmer, tilt. telescoping wheel, power windows including power vent windows, power door locks, 6-way power seats. Unfortunately, I was 18 and in college, and keeping all that stuff working was expensive. I only owned that car for about 1-1/2 years before selling it.
I had a 66 Olds Ninety Eight Coupe in the mid 2000s when I was in my midc20s. The poor man's Cadillac if you will. I preferred it because it was different.
I personally believe that America was atop of it game from 1960 to 1969. The products the Auto companies were making had very few issues, as compared to now. Plus the wild choices of style. It's a shame the Fed's destroyed that with their arbitrary bumper laws starting in 1973. They actually increased to cost of repair a vehicle traveling faster than 5 mph. What happens with Insurance and Feds working together.
In 1968, power windows became a standard option on all Calais. I always thought why but a luxury car if you don't want power windows. Now practically all cars have them. Kinda takes the uniqueness away
I have great memories as a kid sitting in my grandma's '66 Sedan de Ville Fleetwood and imagining I could drive it...then years later Mom inherited a '66 sedan de ville ... I still wish I had at least one of them
Absolutely enjoy your content and all the research that goes into it. I love seeing how these designs evolved over time. My Dad’s ‘60 convertible, ‘66 sedan DeVille, and ‘72 Fleetwood Brougham were always my favorites. They were our family cars, but looking back now, I can see how iconic they were. The ‘66 was definitely the best car our family ever had.
Agree the 65 thru 66 Cadillacs were peak Cadillac. I do have a fondness for the generation of 71 thru 76 Cadillacs having driven my mother's 72 Sedan Deville but Adam is correct the interiors were not on par with the 65 thru 66 Cadillacs. I remember on my mother's 72 the door straps coming loose and the radio knobs falling off with cheap interior panels and dash not on the same level of these 65 thru 66s. I never payed much attention to these Cadillacs when I was growing up but now I have a greater appreciation of them. Never was that interested in Cadillacs until my mother got her 72 Sedan Deville. Smooth riding, quiet, and for the size a nice driving car. These cars ate up the highways for miles and miles with a ride quality that no modern car or vehicle can match.
Gorgeous cars for sure, however, the 1967 MY is a much much better looking car due to one simple, yet dramatic styling cue. The placement of the top headlight forward of the bottom light, rather than straight vertically, gives the ‘67 MY an illusion of forward motion even while standing still. The car looks like it just begs to eat up the highway, and seems to be pouncing forward like a big cat. Along with the ultra smooth sides, the ‘67 is just an outstanding design that invites the driver to gallop. 😎
A family member, a little old lady, owned a new 1966 Coupe de Ville. It was a beautiful yellow, with white vinyl clad roof. It drove like it was rails but with easy to drive. It had a decent acceleration and very effective air conditioning. It was the victim of rust. Thinking back, I'm certain the city water in this south Texas town was a acidic because so many hand washed cars rusted from the outside in.
Outside of the ‘67 Eldorado, the 1966 De Ville Series has always been my favorite, followed by the 1967 De Villes. Several family members owned them and I always begged for a ride in them when they came by. The leather or vinyl seats were super comfortable and the ride was like butter. I agree that they are the pinnacle of modern Cadillac design. Awesome information about these stunning cars, Adam. Your channel is one of my faves on YT.
I bought a 20 year old 68 Cadillac in 1988. It was like driving the Queen Mary ocean liner. It was rock solid and very smooth. The only drawback was the 472 cubic inch engine. In the winter time you were lucky to get 6 mpg in the summer about 8mpg in city.
That 65 66 Blue Cadillac engine was the engine I had selected to rebuild in my 1972 high-school auto-shop class. We also had to rebuild the carburetor, generator and starter to have a running engine.
In 1966 we had a brand new 1966 Cadillac DeVille of the exact same color as the car at the beginning of this video. I think it was a convertible, too. That was 58 years ago when I was 5 so forgive me for not remembering all the details. I just remember that it didn't fit in our garage by about 4 inches, and when it went around corners the car threw itself and everyone in it toward the outside of the turn. But I loved that car.
I know what you mean. Those prices seem laughable today. My parents bought their first new car in 1966. It was a Ford Fairlane 500. I found the original window sticker in paperwork when my parents passed. The MSRP was $2,843.44. I remember that my father wanted a Mercury Comet Capri that the dealer had. The window sticker was $3,006.05. My mom was having a fit because the payment was going to be too high! Incidentally the payment on the Fairlane was $78.00 per month for 36 months. My father made $10,000 per year for the first time in 1966. Mom didn’t work and there were 3 of us kids. It sounds impossible to me now. We were far from wealthy, but I had a fantastic childhood!
In 66 my dad bought a comet caliente, red with a white painted top and red interior. Beautiful 2 door hardtop with a 289 and 3 speed. Sticker was a little over 2400. We weren't rich either but we had everything we needed.
Neighbors up the street from us were Cadillac peeps. They had a 59' Caddy when they first moved in then bought a new one every couple of years until they moved away.
What I never understood about the '65 and '66 model years, is the lesser DeVille model had this thick luxurious chrome molding on the door belt line, even on the convertible model. The upscale Eldorado's and Fleetwood's did not. You would have thought the more expensive models would have had the additional bling as had been done in the past. If I was to purchase a'65 or '66 Eldorado,, I would definitely get the chrome moldings and install them!
Yes, you could do that, but at the expense of resale value and originality. Of course, someone would buy your car, but it would take quite a while to sell it.
The fact that Cadillac was marketing the older-looking Fleetwood 75 at the same time as the newer and completely different '65-66 models is astounding. I am assuming that not many were sold.
I have a 1966 Eldorado convertible. It's the same shade of blue as the first Caddy in the video. The only difference, is it has a black leather interior & top boot. The top is still white. It was my mother's. She owned it since 1967. It just sits in the garage, under cover, for the last 10-15 years. It's pretty, but huge.
Love the 66. My dad had a 1966 Sedan de VIlle, white with a black vinyl top and black leather interior. He loved that car and said it had the best interior of any car he ever owned. After the 66, he had a 74 Coupe de Ville, and yes, the interior was nice, but the quality and design was no near as beautiful as the 66.
I owned a ‘65 Coupe DeVille, midnight blue metallic with a red leather interior. The leather was as thick as a baseball glove, automatic climate control and supremely comfortable for six people. For a large heavy car it was well balanced and drove very well.
I feel like 65-66 was the high point for all of the domestic designs. And for Cadillac, it was the last year where the lesser GM brands didn’t necessarily look better!
My dad had a 1965 2 door hardtop Calais Gold with a gold and beige cloth interior. When he bought it, it had "Finger Hut" clear plastic seat covers revealing a PERFECT interior. My dad immediately took the protector cover off. This thing was one of the most excellent unrestored cars he ever owned. It was loaded for a Calais, and I preferred its interior over the concurrent El Dorado leather interior! It had the upgraded automatic HVAC system, power windows (but not power vents) and Cruise control.
Government regulation of the Auto Industry destroyed the era of magnificent machines. (Like everything the government touches). Today we are all driving plastic appliances...
But you may thank the government for the most efficient, safest and nearly 100% recyclable, advanced technology product we enjoy today. The decreased number of deaths from accidental injury and the health benefits of no lead fuels alone justifies government “meddling.”
@@victorjohnson7512 LOL. As an emergency room physician it’s certainly worth it to me! And to the tens of thousands of lives saved every year. And you forget, modern automobiles last 10 times longer, are nearly maintenance free and are packed with features that your father wouldn’t have dreamed of affording. If you don’t like the look or the styling of modern vs. Classic vehicles, don’t blame the government! Blame the designers! Government regulation improved the automobile and the automotive industry immeasurably. Plus, I’d hardly call a new Corvette, Caddie, M-B, BMW, Tesla, R-R, Ferrari or even a Chevy Bolt and “appliance.” My 1971 Chevy Vega was the epitome of an appliance.
The move to plastic was firmly rooted before anything pushed it. The 73 fuel crisis and CEO bonuses and stock price as God did the destruction. The only required plastics were dash impact standards.
I'm so bored with political Statements on EVERYTHING. If you hate America and use the word woke (which I'm sure you do) just leave. Move to Russia and just leave the rest of us who actually like and love this country alone to enjoy all the cool stuff about America and our way of life
In the first rendering, the kick-up at the sail-panel back to the end of the rear quarter panel resembles the same section of the '71 -73 Eldorado to me.
Another excellent video! In support of your thesis (mid-60’s being the last years of Cadillac being the zenith of quality luxury), it’s useful to compare with Mercedes of the era. The Cadillac power, comfort, and convenience features are just at another level. Within one short decade (late seventies?), to me that seemed to have changed. Thanks Adam!
if possible, can you do a similar video for either the 67/68 and/or the 69/70 Cadillacs? The 66 Convertible is one of my absolute favorite cars. Thanks again for another great video, Adam. They're so chock full of info. I really look forward to them.
I do like these, but I think the 67's looked slightly better with the headlights that leaned forward and the massive blade fins. (The interior on the 66 looked better though)
