As an owner of a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, I appreciate these cars immensely. Another video that is well done. The red interior is absolutely GORGEOUS! Keep up the excellent work. 😁😁😁
Great review, James! What a beautiful Caddy! I really miss 4 door hardtop sedans. The color is amazing, I get so tired of tan and grey. I remember having to get use to having a passenger side mirror 😂
Thank you so much, Dale! She is definitely a beauty, and I agree that the red is truly spectacular! It's funny to me that the addition of a side mirror must have been a big advancement for the time LOL
ALL the GM C bodies( Sedan DeVille, Coupe De Ville, 98 Regency Sedan, 98 Regency Coupe, Buick Electra Sedan, Buick Electra Coupe) were basically the same. From the A pillar to the C pillar the structure and doors were almost perfectly identical in any model year. Those frameless windows were prone to failure due to users repeatedly pushing on the glass. Stricter roof crush regulations were not the only reason to get rid of frameless window designs. Firstly the up and coming Mercedes Benz and BMW big sedans did not use frameless windows. Secondly GM had some of the most powerful air cooling air conditioning systems on Earth. What the heck did a user need frameless window ventilation for if the AC system was functioning properly? Add in the fact that the notoriously wet noodle GM body structure created horrible sqweaks , rattles, and side window leaks.
Beautiful Cadillac, i had a 1972 sedan deville triple black, so smooth it was like floating on air. what i like better about the sedan deville is that it didnt have those center posts like the fleetwood has. when you let all 4 windows down it was almost like riding in a convertible.
Not having a passenger lock is a modern thing. Even cheap cars had a passenger lock. Cool car. I miss real colors in cars, especially in interiors. Very surprised that it doesn't have the right side mirror. By the mid 70's they were common on cheap cars. Still is about 9 seconds faster than the peasants Chevy Vega with auto.
A neighbor had one. It was a metallic orange/gold with a white vinyl roof. The interior was an amazing beige orange cloth with a striped plaid sort of pattern. It was stunning.
That's very fascinating! I guess car manufacturers either cheapened out or didn't think passenger locks were necessary once key fobs came around. Thank you so much for watching!
@@JW_Reviews I have a '76 Coupe DeVille. The front doors are much longer than in the sedan, and the rear seat leg room is the same. A very comfy ride - front and rear.
@@JW_Reviews It's the front doors. The front and rear overhangs and body panels are the same between the sedan and coupe. The coupe rear seats are slightly more narrow but they have the same amount of rear legroom. The CDV rear legroom is about 6" longer than the Eldorado though.
The Coupe deVille was not a shorter version of the Sedan deVille -- they're exactly the same length. Those back-seat reading lamps (and the other courtesy lights) can be turned on by rotating the headlight knob all the way to the right (clockwise). The car has the Twilight Sentinel option (auto on and off), but does not have the auto-dimming function.
I'm very surprised that the Coupe DeVille isn't any shorter! Does that mean it had a lot of extra trunk space? And regarding the auto-dimming, there was another lever at the top of the headlight controls which was in the exact same spot as the auto-dimming lever of other Cadillacs I reviewed. I assumed that it had it even though it didn't say auto dimming above it. Thank you for the informative comment!
@@JW_Reviews The Coupe and Sedan DeVille have the same wheelbase, same size trunk, same size passenger compartments. The only difference is the number of doors and the roof design. Just like GM’s other big sedans and coupes of the era. The exception was the Fleetwood Brougham, which had a 3 inch longer wheelbase.
I honestly never understood the point of the model. The price difference between this and the actual Fleetwood was so small, that this was almost an embarrassment. My family is a huge motorcar appreciation bunch. When growing up there were only 3 types of cars we had. Two original family owned, 1965 R.R. SC3's (still used at least once a month currently), then every 2-3 years Father would get a Fleetwood, & Mother the Eldorado. So we're absolutely fans of the 60-70- to early 80's Caddys. So the Sedan DeVille just always seemed like the cheap man's Fleetwood. (Not poor...just cheap.) Very attractive...but just not quite up to snuff.
American automakers and GM in particular were in freefall by this time....such a shame after the glorious early and mid sixties heights it was probably inevitable....
I was so tickled to.see.this pop up! Not only are you back, but with a wonderful presentation of this Lady in Red. It never occurred to me that a car with such impressive dimensions might have been considered the smaller, more manageable, more maneuverable choice. Practically a sport model. How nice of this family to share this heirloom with us, and thanks to your dad for the nap demo!
WOW James she is Absolutely Stunningly BEAUTIFUL. My Gosh so Preserved and taken care of, I Love it. I was 15 years old when these Gorgeous Caddy's were all over the American Landscape and they were highly regarded as the "Car of Cars" and the "Standard of the World". Everyone aspired to have one, but only the rich could afford them back then. GREAT Review as usual, you did a Great Job. The owner is so lucky to have such a great example of AMERICANA. !!! That RED Paint, My God. !!!! AMAZING.. !!!! :)
She certainly is beautiful! I wish I could have been around when these were new, but the good thing is that this car is like a time machine 😊 Thank you very much for the nice comment and for watching the video!
WOW handsome! Few real men like this around .. manly hairy arms, legs, beard, chest hair peak... real men like this seem to be rare today. Why do most young guys his age look like hairless-girly these days?! I will listen to a real, non- plucked man talk about cars and just anything... so cute/hunky! The car is an extra bonus ... I'd buy anything he was selling lol ;)
Hey, I'm nearly hairless except a lot on my chest, I guess if I had to make a trade I would rather it was all on my chest rather than spread out all over But don't like people asking me if I shave my legs or arms I don't lol When I open my shirt they shut up
@@Gotham_Gazette hey man, don't judge, we all have insecurities and I have struggled with people thinking I'm way younger than I am, girls my age thinking I am 10 years younger than I am. Not a lot of late 20 year old women want to be seen with a baby faced, lanky guy who looks like he is 15!
@@Cody_Drake ... baby face but with a Baldwin level chest? Perfect combo ;) Who doesn't like a pretty boy who is looking all innocent and then takes off his shirt and looks like a yeti?!
I recall my daddy's friend who was Elder Yu had a light blue with white landau top Cadillac that looked like this. Elder Yu cruised us around San Francisco downtown in 1985 with the windows rolled down. As a child I sat in the front. It was roomy and comfortable where the AC didn't need to be used. I can't recall if Elder Yu had a eight track tape I think he did, but the electronic trunk release in the glove box was unique. In any event, Thank you for sharing. My Best, M.L.
Man, what a beautiful color combo! I had a 1971 Coupe DeVille, it had the fiber optics front and rear too. But, in the back they were on the back tray, almost looked like E.T. when they lit up ;) I did have a passenger side mirror. Odd this one didn't. I have a 1976 Buick Limited, it doesn't have the side mirror either, what a weird thing to not get checked off!
I was 3 when this car was introduced. I clearly recall when these land yachts and its siblings glided and wafted down the interstates. I am the owner of a 71 Olds 98 with a touch over 38,000 on the clock. I appreciate these cars.
Thank you for the interesting video. Very well stated and interesting detail. You are correct there is no sedan left that did what this car did in an affordable price range. They also had to cheaper Cadillac Calais back then as well. It was a named that later appeared on Oldsmobiles. I worked for someone in high school during the summer who had a 1986 Coupe Deville and 1985 Coupe Deville. The change was so dramatic and so apparent. Thank you James.
You're very welcome! I've seen a few Calais Cadillacs around and I'm not as interested in those just because I like the Cadillacs with lots of features. Things really did change for Cadillac by the mid 80's. Thank you for watching!!
@@JW_Reviews That is when Cadillac was in deep with issues. The V-4-6-8, Cimarron, the underpowered HT 4100 V8( the 1988 4.5 liter V8 could not come fast enough),the downsized era 1985-1988 or 1991, and more. They started getting it together with the upsized Deville and Fleetwood in 1989, the dramatically new Seville and Eldorado in 1992. The market also was changing too. They had to change. There was the Opel/Vauxhall Omega( Catera). They started making big changes in the 1990's and they are still working at it in 2023. I wonder what you think about CT5 and CT4? You know they sell the CT6 in China. You know you can find the new 2024 model here on You Tube. You are right Calais were stripped. Thank you for sharing James.
It's definitely fascinating how much the brand has changed, but it is in an effort to keep it alive. I drove a CT5 a few years ago and found it to be an engaging car to drive, but definitely not as luxurious as it should/could be. However, I think the refreshed model will solve that
@@JW_Reviews What will be interesting is the whole switch to all electric vehicles at Cadillac. The new cars have that Cadillac richness and luxury like they had in the past. The CT5 has strong European aspirations or international appeal. The CT5 is what Catera should have been. The CT4 is what Cimarron should have been. Cadillac is indeed working to stay alive as you said. You know I am sure they have the CT6 in China and the 2024 CT6 is here on You Tube on video.
The front seat in that car was referred to as a 60/40 "Notchback" seat due to there not being any backrest in the middle section other than the fold up armrest. The storage container you referred to that's on the right side below the glovebox was a litter receptacle. Finally, for the record, according to Cadillac sales brochures, Cadillac's did not have cigarette litters, they instead had CIGAR lighters.
I was 4 years old when this came out. My Aunt had a '76 Silver Sedan de Ville with navy blue leather. We had a '74 Grand Prix. Both cool cars in those days. I really enjoy your channel. Please keep up the great work.
Love the 1975-76 Cadillacs, my father had a 1975 Coupe DeVille in Vapor Grey with a Greystone padded vinyl top and the same red leather interior as the car in the video
I have a 1975 coupe in red with white vinyl top and white leather interior. My parents bought it new and I am the second person to drive this wonderful car. When it was new it was a real head turner!
"The Mini Fleetwood" The car is literally 3 inches shorter. Fleetwood is 234 inches, and this is 231. So this car is 1.2% shorter and is not noticeable to the "naked" eye. There's nothing mini about it.
Just found your channel and loving these cars, I live in Northern Europe so these are pretty exotic to me, American cars have always fascinated me and the levels of Luxury which are a different class to European luxury cars just really plush, I really like how you explain the cars features, as aside note I love your hairy legs very masculine.
Some trivia: 1975 introduced the square headlights for all Cadillacs. 1975 was the first year you could opt for fuel injection. The small sail panel windows for the Sedan DeVille were introduced in 1975. The 500 cubic engine became standard on all Cadillacs in 1975.
My dad had the bright idea of replacing my mom's '76 Cutlass with a '74 Sedan deVille, after the Cutlass was struck by lightning. The Caddy got 8 mpg and it liked to visit the mechanic often. Within 2 years my dad traded it in for a brand new '80 Caprice. Mom was happier with the Chevy.
انها اجمل ماتم صناعته اناقة ومتانة ورفاهية كانت لدي نسخة منها في العراق ولازلت اتذكرها كلما سافرت لمسافات طويلة..نفتقد لهذا الجمال في شوارعنا للاسف فقد قام المصنعون بالاختصار بكل شي حاليا ..شكرا جزيلا لك
I love this car my father had one but 2 door and gold.. the big 500 cub inch.. and very good on gas and was amazing.. cheaper on gas than a 1989 Hyundai Sonata 2.4..!!! tested and true! also love the wine color on cars just beautiful REAL cars.. real cars... not boxes on wheels but real tough cars..!!! thank you for showing this.!
I had this very car in 1998. It was magnificent even then, and when I went down the Interstate, 18 Wheelers would move over when they saw if coming and heard that HORN. !!!
I really appreciate it, Lon!! Well, I think the new badge fits new Cadillacs better than the wreath and crest would. This is because todays Cadillacs have different demographics and goals. It seems as if the badge that identifies the car should evolve similarly to how the dynamics and characteristics of the cars evolve over time. But I definitely miss the old logos!
its unfortunate, we ve been reduced to a bunch of ugly ass suv boxes, bigger than the Deville or a bunch of ugly ass front drive, wheezy 4 cylinder boxes to drive....not one car like this that spans the middle ground...
My father had the 1975 cadillac fleetwood brougham same color burgundy red with red leather interior. Matter of fact I still have the 75 owners manual.
All 3 were the same size.... I actually like the Sedan Deville better than the Fleetwood because it's pillarless.... and they have the same options....
Cars really were beautiful back then. The stuff today is so ugly. So nice to see colors, style, beautiful form and balance. Oh, well. Thanks for the review, it's great. The owner too :} nice job keeping that piece of history so beautifully.
Had friends and family who had these. The build quality was not even close to those Cadillacs from ten years prior. By this time the Mercury’s and Lincoln’s were noticeably superior.
James, I just found your channel. I’m so impressed with the job you did here. The videography is amazing, and your descriptions are excellent. I remember when these were new, and you truly did them proud. 👍🏻
That’s not leather on the door panels - it’s vinyl. The only leather in the car is on the seating surfaces - the sides are vinyl. The carpet is synthetic, and the “wood” is plastic. Americans have loved that kitschy stuff.
Really like your review videos! Doing a wonderful job! Please keep it up. I love Cadillacs, especially from the 70s , because I grew up in the USA . They have always been so special, no matter what decade. Kind regards from Düsseldorf, Germany
For anyone looking down on the performance keep in mind this was the beginning of the malaise era. The 76 Lamborghini Countach did 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and the 75 Ferrari 512, Daytona, V12 Jag XJS and L82 Corvette were mid 7's. 5,000 lbs, 3 speed auto, and 2.73 rear gear boys and girls.
Me gusta el carro un Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1975; está muy bonito; cuando se estabilize todo en Venezuela mi país cuando pueda si Dios quiere voy a mandar a traer un carro así a Venezuela para aprender a manejar y mantenerlo; solamente para uso necesario; saludos y buenas noches.
I have a 1975 Fleetwood Brougham. It doesn't have the large glove box. It has a small square box under the radio/8-track above the hump on the floor. Why, you ask? It has the first generation GM airbags. And on the glovebox door is a 1-800 # and says. "If you are in a accident. Please call this number and tell us what happened" this is an Az car. So I'm pretty sure the airbags are dry rotted dust by now. The good news is. This car has faded paint but absolutely no rust. It's not for sale. But I might give it to you if you out live me. : )
Somewhat surprisingly a couple of the early ACRS cars were found in deteriorated condition and crash tested after the electrical systems and wiring was restored. The ACRS worked as it was designed to do several decades earlier.
Great video on the DeVille. I love the massive luxo-boats of the 60's and 70's. But 4 door only. Hate massive sedans that are 2 door, probably because of my memories of being jammed into the back of those things as a kid getting car sick. And compliments on the audio, proper mic and wind sock.
My dad's friend had a silver 1975 Fleetwood Cadillac. It was amazing to ride in. The seats were very comfortable, the 8 track played Johnny Cash and the ride was amazing. My dad had a 74 Caprice. Huge difference.
What a gem!! You know what a soft spot I have for this year- dreamboat! LOVE this leather interior and that red- keeps you from ever falling asleep, although you may drive more aggressively -LoL! Mega car of all the 70's -2 couches and a huge trunk on wheels. GREAT family vaca car!! Jealous you got to drive another! Great vid - loved it on my big screen! Your Dad is a good sport getting in the trunk - all you needed was Joe Pesci 🙂 Love the drone work -those green corn fields were amazing in the wind!!!
Makes me miss my 1973 Fleetwood Brougham. Brown with a cream vinyl top. And the. Extended Chrome Grill/Hood Cap with the Flying Goddess made the car a Real Head Turner. I was 17 years old when My dad’s Uncle sold me this car with only 50K Florida Miles as this was their winter car. The condition MINT inside and out. Everyone thought my family was part of the 1% little did they know I paid $1,700 in 1976. Yeah, I got a deal. The butter soft Brown Leather interior that was more leather than in 10 cars today. Every Option except the Astro Roof. Self Leveling air suspension working like a charm. I was still in high school and the teachers would come out of the school to come look at the car. The Admin. Called my mother to tell them how they are spoiling me that most kids my age had beater cars. My mom was not once to keep quiet. She let them have it telling them I had been working since age 14 and full time even through out school season.. I loved driving my grandparents who LOVED car rides and they felt like royalty and that made me feel proud. too bad by 1979 people called me a GAS HOG. I was paying $70 a week in gas in 1979. I watched the needle move to and from work 20 miles each way. Being 17 I was always driving and driving the car hard. ( I know SHAME ON ME) When I traded it in 1980 for my first new car I was offered $3,000 off a $10K new car. I should have kept the Caddy as the new car lied about the MPG and the quality interior was CHEAPLY MADE
Rod out the catalytic converter ceramic honey comb and increase the power and gas mileage by 20 to 25%. Yes, I had one. I really, really miss that car.
I have been a BIG fan of Cadillac since the day my Grandfather let me drive his 1983 Fleetwood when I was 14. I loved this video and your review. Glad I stumbled across this.. Couldn't hit subscribe fast enough! Look forward to viewing your channel!
If you turn the headlight switch counterclockwise, it will turn on the interior lights in the back. Also don’t like this will be a manual override switch to turn on the interior lights while the doors are close.
