2006-2009, I was at a couple of local drag races for fun, with the Corrado. There was a club named "Austrian MOPAR" present with real badass cars.. Big Block Superbee etc. They were pretty loud and pretty fast. So what I want to say, maybe these guys are still around, or other similar clubs, that could pay you a visit.
Had a 76 Coupe deVille with the 500ci V8 and I think about a 30 gallon gas tank. You would put your foot down to the floor on the highway and literally watch the fuel gauge go down. If that car got 8mpg, downhill, with a tail wind, I would be shocked. Back seat was EPIC, spent a lot of time back there with my girl!
As a guy in high school an aunt and uncle of mine had the Sedan deVille from this year. It was a dream to ride in, very silent and smooth. I loved the high-back front seats, they were lowered the next year. It was easy to drive, one could steer with one finger, very powerful brakes. No sports car but for long American road trips it was perfect with that huge engine and trunk/boot!
As a Cadillac fan (currently own an 89 Sedan DeVille), the 70 Coupe DeVille is one of my top 3 favorite Cadillacs for straight style... probably my top pick for what I'd want as a daily with some mods. Then the 56 Eldorado Seville, then the 58 Coupe DeVille... those are my top 3 IMO 👌🏻
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="105">1:45</a> 7.7 liter N/A V8 .. hell yeah sub 400 hp.. that thing is a tank and will hold up forever build for eternity basically and its crazy that the new BMW is actually a lot heavier then this land Yacht. 2 tons is nothing for such a huge car compared to modern cars.
To be fair, his weight estimate is a little low; they're closer to 5,000lbs than 4,000 (Motor Trend weighed the 1969--which is effectively identical to the 1970 car--at 4780lbs) Still relatively light for the size! Speaks to how much mass modern safety features, tech features, etc. add. His power estimate is also optimistic; they were rated 375hp SAE gross--that's on an engine dyno, with no accessories (alternator, a/c, etc.), open headers, no air filter, etc. As delivered, installed in the car, using SAE net hp measurements like we use today, they're closer to 250, optimistically perhaps 275. They switched from SAE gross to SAE net measurements in 1972, and the 1972 cars were rated 220hp, but they also had a lower compression ratio etc. To the wheels you'd be lucky to see 200hp. Should be comfortably in excess of 400lb/ft of torque though (rated 525lb/ft sae gross), with a 4500rpm redline, and in good working order and stock condition they're smoother than an M119 or a 1UZ and quieter at idle. Power delivery, throttle response, etc. is very similar to a modern diesel. And yes, they'll run forever. This was back when individual GM divisions engineered and built their own engines in-house--e.g. the oldsmobile 350, pontiac 350 and chevy 350 are completely different engines--and, as a result, the Cadillac engine was engineered to be a Cadillac engine. For example, they use a different iron alloy for the block than a Chevy big block, because of both its acoustic and wear properties. iirc it's also lighter than the Chevy big block. Cadillac built very, very, very good engines, in large part because they weren't constrained by the cost considerations of having to sell the engine in a farm truck or a loaded Chevy. Neither Chrysler nor Ford did this--the Imperials used a 440 that you could also get in a Plymouth Roadrunner or a Dodge truck, and Ford, at this time, was using 428s and 460s that you could also order in F series trucks, Ford station wagons, etc. In general, I'm a euro car guy; lots of personal and professional experience has led to me having very little respect for the vast majority of American cars. But I've had two of these--a 1970 coupe and a 1969 sedan--because I think they're just about the best example of midcentury modern design language applied to a car, and because of how impressive that engine is, in the context of what it was intended to be. These were much, much better cars than even just a few years later--I think 1970 was the last year for actual wood veneer in the interior but I forget--and by 1975 build quality had gone into the toilet, the suspension tuning had gone from soft to actually incompetent, power output had nosedived (by the end of production the 8.2L/500ci variant of this engine made something like 180hp), so on. These were some of the very last really special American cars.
Misha, you have to admit, you have never had so much fun and laughs on the ring in a car, I was wondering how it would stay together on the Karussell, you should get a sticks that says " Stay Back, some parts might fall off" Thank you for sharing
That Ranchero had a gun rack! R U kidding me? Epically American ! Awesome ride. $300,000. Cars by the dozen…. But that Ranchero received all the gawkin.
I was just watching it in the thumbnail, and think about James May losing his Wheel cover and not realizing it was the same color as the car as he saw it flying in the mirror. ...then I see a damn wheelcap flying in this video thank you Universe
- Tell me overtaking this thing on the outside with howling tires on spotty, moist pavement wouldn't make you hesitate. - Looking down that king-sized bed of a hood with that iconic ornament with the V8 is badass. - It's a beautiful auto! - Great video. Very fun!
Love the Stephen King novel reference. The Movie was a special Halloween treat back in my day. Cool to see something different at the Ring. Thanks Misha.
That was like a Rolls Royce back then. Notice how little sound gets in the cabin when going fast, despite the sound of the tyres fighting for grip. The engine seems like non existing. What an amazing machine
At first as an EG civic driver I had the idea that american cars would have a tough time around corners but after driving my father's newly aquired 1972 'Cuda I was pleasantly surprised with its handling. The slapstick transmission does give you some level of control
Yesterday hill billy boot leg run today a reenactment of Vanishing point the film. The mind boggles as to what you can pull out of the hat for tomorrow. Great fun and l have to say what a great car. Well looked after and no rust.
This is a classic case of land-yachting xD That engine must've really been wondering what's going on... Sitting there absolutely chill for over 50 years, and then suddenly it's being kicked like this. Definitely put on quite the show though^^ Also, that fuel gage is rather entertaining to watch xD
A boat like this hitting 110MPH on the Nurburgring is absolutely insane. Even with it's big engine it is no where near efficient any modern car but still getting that thing up to speed on a racetrack is something nobody thought of doing. I think Misha can tick few boxes off driving this and Ranchero on track and probably the only one in the world taking these 2 cars on the Ring.
epic...my grandfather had Cadillacs and they were cars which as a small kid seemed like they are like sheds.....I remember the trunk was so big you could hide inside and not even feel claustrophobic
That vehicle along with any Caddy up till about the early 90s is what you’d want for cross country travel. More comfortable than any other vehicle out there. That thing would make dirt roads feel like kittens fur. Do kittens have fur? Used to know guys that would take that monster 502 out and put it in there smaller Chevy, GM, Pontiac cars.
seeing those classics you're driving I guess I've got a chance to bring you my car in like 20 years or so. A beast of a car. Remember the Lacetti from Top Gear? Yeah. I've got something even better. A station wagon 1.6 in red xD Currently blew a brake line which I have to fix this weekend :D
That is why even in the 70's in the US we called those Caddy's "Land Yacht's". I want to see someone from Europe try to fit it in a garage 😂 very few homes in the US will fit one anymore.
7.7L? So that must be the 472 that was redesigned for the 69 model year. 525 lb-ft of torque at 3000RPM LOL. You don't have power, but you have torque. E V E R Y W H E R E. It's like being in a freight train.
