I used to have one of these. Though mine was a '74. I loved driving it and the car got PHENOMENAL mileage for the huge beast she was! We only used it for long trips and it was perfect. The kids would unfold the jump seats with one facing backwards. Then they would play board games. They had a ball back there in that huge rear seat! A great car for family road trips!
That is really neat! It certainly makes for a great road trip car, there's so much room. And that's neat one of the jump seats faced backwards! Is that something you added yourself?
.@@ThatShitGood Like riding on a cloud! The steering was rock solid. If your car doesn't ride well, check the tires and shocks. Shaking and vibration in a Cadillac is usually an imbalanced tire, a bent rim, or shocks. Then have the front end aligned, provided you can find someone who is able to deal with a vehicle this size. I also had a '72 Brougham and a '74 Coupe DeVille both a delight to drive. Actually they were easier to drive than the Fleetwood which had such a loooong wheelbase. Watch out for chuckholes, potholes, and don't take it off pavement if you can help it. They all mess with the front end alignment. I miss my old aristocrats. However couldn't afford to maintain them anymore. Went to Studebakers. Better parts supply and far less expensive to maintain.
Back in the days when GM was making REAL Cadillacs, very far from the actual copycats of Asian and European luxury sedans with soulless alphanumeric denominations in their current lineup.
@billhowes7464 then destroyed their reputation in the 2000s with the devile with the 4.6 NoRtH sTaR you litterly would probably be better off taking a 4.8 out of a silverado and throw it in
When I was a kid, my parents purchased a brand new 1974 Coupe de Ville. What a WONDERFUL CAR that was!!!! So comfortable, especially on long trips. It was by far, the best car we ever had while I was growing up. I was extremely fond of the new interior as well, as it was a massive improvement from the 73, which looked far less impressive and far more low rent, and it should’ve looked that way, as it was practically pulled out from numerous other large GM vehicles. In 74, Cadillac FINALLY gave their cars their own unique interiors, which they should have had over the entire history of the brand. The 74 through 76 were simply the best looking luxury cars available for sale that were built in North America. But that wasn’t going to last. For 77, Cadillac did a major shrinkage to these models, leaving only the gorgeous Eldorado to solider on. The Eldorado was by far, the best looking car Cadillac was building anyhow, and as nice as this 76 looks, the Eldorado was significantly better looking. But the gig was up. And why? Because for 1977, FORD’s Lincoln division introduced the all new Lincoln MARK V. Suddenly, the Cadillac looked much older and far less glamorous. The Lincoln Mark V, especially in the Diamond Jubilee trim, was simply the new bench mark for luxury cars in the United States. Not only did it look far more polished and impressive, its workmanship and material quality were light years ahead of anything Cadillac had ever built to that time frame. And those Lincoln’s certainly outsold the Cadillac’s as well, despite their slightly higher price. Incidentally, the Diamond Jubilee version was the most expensive vehicle being produced and sold in the United States. That option alone cost a whopping $8000, and that was in 1978. The Lincoln got better gas mileage as well. Luckily for Cadillac, the Lincoln Mark IV wasn’t nearly as nice as the MARK V. Keep up the great work. I love watching your videos, especially those on the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s land yachts. While I don’t currently own one, I’m in the market for a 78 Lincoln Diamond Jubilee or Eldorado. BTW, I’m taking it that that’s your home in the background. It’s absolutely beautiful. You should definitely be very proud of it. Be proud of your accomplishments with your videos as well. They’re exceptional. There’s something about your demeanor that makes you feel like I’ve known you for years. You’re very approachable and easy going. I’m glad to be one of your channel’s followers.
75-76 was the absolute pinnacle of Cadillac as far as I'm concerned, and they pulled of yet another absolute home run when they downsized in 77, which is not usually the case for car manufacturers. My mom inherited the 77 Sedan DeVille after her mother passed and we loved that car. I gladly borrowed it to drive to high school sometimes (late 80s).
Caddy handled downsizing real well, first with the Seville then with the 79 ElDorado.. Lincoln not so well with downsizing at the time and Chrysler was just lost in the 70s.
Gotta disagree. While they were certainly great years, the 77 and 78 Eldorado was their best car ever. Although, the brand new and vastly smaller Seville was also a beautiful car. It was downsizing done right.
@@JW_Reviews I have it in my driveway as I write this. I drove it back from Pennsylvania to Connecticut (230 miles) and it was heaven. I got a whopping 12 MPG!! It cost me $99.90 to fill it from a quarter tank and another $74.00 to fill it when I got home. OUCH! The car is in showroom condition and I love it.
I owned a 73 Fleetwood Brougham De’Elegance. It had the crush velour interior. It had the flip down rear foot support like this one. I wished Cadillac had put an overhead map light in it. Like the other GM cars. When you would open the doors, it wasn’t real bright. It was a fun car to drive. People would ask me why I drove one of these and I’d tell them…. I could go spend my money on a new car, or have fun and buy gas for it. I also said it’s an insurance policy all in itself. The only things I feared were freight trains, 18wheelers and another Cadillac. 😜
That is so cool! Sounds beautiful and I agree, these are fun to drive!! Definitely so much fun and worth owning 😁 Definitely very few things on the road bigger than these haha. Thanks for watching the video!
I watch a lot of car RU-vids. I think I’ve seen almost every series 75 RU-vid. This is bar far, not only the best series 75 review but the best car review period! I’m very proud of you. Outstanding job doing your research, audio/ video quality, music etc! Your videos keep getting better!!!
@@JW_Reviews that's nice to see a comment from your father. It was a great review if an extremely nice car. I especially liked the covered rest window. My late Mother and I fir about 10 years had a 76 Fleetwood 60 with most of those same options so it was nice to see this longer version. It made me melancholy for Mother and the car. Enjoyed it lots. Best Wishes.
Hi James. I was originally looking for a video of a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham to show my 20 year old son. If I was lucky, I would find a video in the same dark blue exterior color and blue "velour" interior color of the car my dad once had. My dad bought a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in late 1975 and I remember vividly the new car sticker indicating a $11,700 price. I was 19 years old at the time and marveled at this car for many of the reasons you point out. So imagine my delight when I found your video highlighting a car that, in virtually every way, is a copy of my dad's car, even in color (minus the Series 75 aspect and the 8-track). This video served my original purpose of showing my son what his grandfather's Cadillac looked like. However the biggest bonus from watching your video was discovering how incredibly well done it was. the level of detail you included and the way it was presented was probably the closest this car could be experienced without physically being there. I've watch hundreds of car videos and I would rate yours easily in the top 1 %. I can see why your dad is proud of the work you did on this video. By the way, my parents moved to a small town in Michigan in 1966 and were living there when they bought their Cadillac. Even though we were from Michigan, the town they lived in (my hometown, where my 85 year old mom still lives) was only 25 feet from the Ohio border, so their Cadillac spent much of its time driving on country roads in Ohio very much like those depicted in your video. Thank you for bringing us a superbly well done video that brought back fond memories of the time when my dad owned his Fleetwood.
LOVE all your reviews of the old Caddy's. These were the Caddy's when I was young and they were the BEST and most BEAUITFUL. !!! You also give GREAT Reviews of these BEAUITFUL Cadillacs. !!!! Good Job Man. !!!!!
@@JW_Reviews Thanks Again James, where do you get them....? Are they ever for sale....? This was the BEST Cadillac ever made I believe... simply Incredible. I currently own a 1990 Brougham in MINT Condition. These Caddy's were the utmost in luxury James.....Beautiful CARS.. !!!!!
You're very welcome! Some of these cars come from people I meet, friends, or are cars that I buy/sell. I've been extremely blessed and fortunate with the help I've had to even have these cars to review. It's been a really incredible experience. And this is definitely the pinnacle of luxury! I'm glad you like it so much. And that's very nice! I actually just parked by a white mid to late 80's Brougham which looked beautiful, they are really nice cars and it sounds like yours is fantastic. What is the color combo of the car?
@@JW_Reviews Yes Sir mine is the Beautiful Silver Frost Color.....I wanted triple black but could not find one ....It is really Beautiful James...Glad your car review channel is going so great.....the focus on the Cadillacs is SO AWESOME.....you would not believe how many people out there are in love with these old Cadillacs. I have loved them my whole life. Please let me know if you ever plan to sell any of your collection. Cant wait for your next Caddy review. Thanks... :)
Very nice! Sounds beautiful. And yes, I'm surprised at just how many people out there love these Cadillacs! It definitely makes me very happy 😁 I'll be sure to let you know! Thanks again, John!
A good friend of mine owned one of these beautiful automobiles. I was lucky enough to both ride as a rear passenger in it, as well as drive him in it a few times when he needed a driver available last minute as not just anyone can handle a car this large--especially parking & backing!!(the vinyl top created an enormous blind spot!) It was a beautifully awesome auto that oozed class for all to admire! Love it!! Thanks for the video!!
New subscriber here. Great video! So many younger people today have no idea what Cadillac was really all about when they made REAL Cadillacs. Instead of chasing BMW they should have focused on making better Cadillacs. People who want a BMW are going to buy a BMW. There are no longer any big, comfortable, powerful, smooth cars unless you get to the S Class Mercedes. The Cadillac CT6 that was briefly in production from 2016-2020 was probably the closest thing to the REAL Cadillacs they've produced since the 1970s. Cadillac lost their way not only trying to go after BMW but making everything front wheel drive and/or with garbage engines that were unreliable (V8-6-4, Olds 350 Diesel, HT4100 were all nightmares that replaced that 500 cu in motor). When you want a car that you can just relax in, that has comfortable seats that aren't designed to hug you at 100 mph on the Nurburgring, and a suspension that soaks up every bump instead of being able to corner at 100 mph, and an engine and transmission that are just superbly quiet, balanced, and move the car effortlessly without turbos or superchargers or gimmicks - that is what Cadillac should be.
Thank you so much for subscribing, Joe! Yes, a lot of people today are really missing out on what these cars have to offer. And that's a good point. I really did like the CT6 and thought it was a very good car. The Platinum trim came with some very nice and luxurious features. Hopefully Cadillac will build comfortable cars like this again in the future! Although it'll be very expensive, I'm hoping that the Celestiq will at least be a little bit like that. Thank you for watching the video and for subscribing, I really appreciate the support 😁
You have a hit on your hands. Others like Demuro are insulting and shrill. You are distractingly handsome, have a great countenance to your voice and hit on all the correct information in a thoughtful and thorough manner. Keep up the good work. I'll look forward to your videos.
Thank you, Tom! The video is definitely doing well, which is a very nice surprise 😁 I'm glad there's so much you like from these videos! I'll be sure to keep them coming. Thanks again, I really appreciate the support!
I used to think that these Fleetwood 75 Cadillacs were very heavy until we got one in our salvage yard. Our John Deere 544K loader lifted it with ease into the crusher. Then I put a Chevy suburban 4x4 on top and busted it down. Then I stacked 2 full size pickups on the Cady and Suburban and busted them down. It was a heavy bundle because my rear tires were coming off the ground. I like these old Cadillacs. My parents had a 1975 Sedan Deville back in the 70’s. The Fleetwood 75 is bigger than my parents car. I would like to own one of these in mint condition.
Wow that's amazing! And these are fun cars to own and drive. Unfortunately there probably aren't many mint-condition ones that go through your salvage yard haha. Thank you for watching the video!
I drove a 1973 Coupe dé Ville for 9 years and later had a 1978 Fleetwood 75 limousine for a number of years. It was a $244,500.00 car, when it was new in 1978 in Denmark. I bought it in 1998, when it was still prestine. It was black with grey velour interior and completely original with no boomerang or other unsuitable things added. We enjoyed it very much. If you can find a chauffeur who understands the limousine driving style, these limousines are the ultimate cars to be driven in. I plan on getting back to having a private limousine and the 1975/76 models are no 2 and 3 on my list, only topped by the 1973 model.
Incredible! I’m sure that the high cost was due to shipping, that must have made it a VERY rare car. But that’s incredible you had one, it sounds beautiful. Let me know if you ever do buy another one someday! Maybe you’ll be able to get a chauffeur for the car too haha. Thanks for watching the video!
@@JW_Reviews Shipping is less than $2.000. We have high car registration taxes. A 1978 Cadillac Fleetwood or Lincoln Town Car had a sticker price at around $75,000 in 1978. 1986 I imported a 1973 Cadillac Coupé de Ville and was charged $14,500 in registration tax - because it came from the UK. Had it come directly from the US, it would have been 10% more, because you pay EU and Danish V.A.T. on the shipment charge as well. 2002 I imported my current Mark IV. Purchase price was $3,700 in Florida. No sales tax in Florida, because the car was not licensed. Shipment roll-on/roll-off ferry $1,491 EU + DK V.A.T. $2,182 Registration Tax $8,920 Registrered to drive = $16,293 Even with added travel expenses for myself, this was a bargain price back then. A dealer would have charged around $10K more. I am glad I did it, because the prices in the US have gone up since.
I grew up with a 76 Fleetwood brougham from Texas . My dad bought it for my mom. Tons of memories from the early 80`s . We drove it from BC to Alberta more than once to see the dinosaurs in Drumheller. Baby Blue with a dark blue corduroy like interior and a dark blue top .Salty air from the ocean didn't do it any favours and the motor and body quit by the late 80`s. I was between the ages of 4 to 11 when we had it . The badge stuck in my mind and ive owed nothing but Cadillac's since . Id love to own one for myself but that 500 is thirsty and id be driving around the ghosts of my past . Great cars though , this one is a beauty .
So cool to hear your stories about your family's 76 Fleetwood! I love hearing stories like that and the experiences people have with these cars. What sorts of Cadillacs have you owned? And thank you! This Series 75 truly is a great car 😎
@@JW_Reviews hey, thanks for the reply . I've had a 77 sedan . Had a beauty of a 78 coupe DeVille . A 1990 sedan . A 95 Concourse . A 1969 Fleetwood and currently a 2011 STS and a 1961 black 6 window sedan . I'm tall so leg room is important . Cheers !
Your video takes me back. I grew up in a professional car family business and used to play in and drive all kinds of limousines, hearses & ambulances...mostly Cadillacs. For a while when I was younger I drove a 1974 Cadillac series 75 formal limousine. You'd be surprised how many people - and a keg of beer - will fit.
52 years in funeral service and I have driven a lot of Cadillacs. I have enjoyed your review. There are a few things that I would like to mention. Those of us that drove these daily will all remember how prone they were to overheat in hot weather especially if sitting in traffic. This was from '68 thru to '76. (the 472 and 500 V-8's). Cadillac knew it was a problem but never could be talked into a cooling-system re-design. Even an added electric radiator fan would have helped. It was a real issue for us as getting stalled in a funeral procession with an over-heated car was NOT good! Even worse were the hearses! This was really frustrating after 1973 because the Government forced them to kill the horsepower. The '74-'76 just felt way underpowered which was NOT what Cadillac owners were used to. We were used to road-pounding power. 6MPG with 93 Octane fuel and a lame engine did not make Cadillac too many friends. Without a doubt, they were the quietest, most comfortable and best riding cars of their day. BTW "cornering lights" ought to be mandatory on all cars. They greatly improve night vision into the turn and are great for seeing house numbers if looking at night! They also indicate to the person beside you that your are signaling a turn. In spite of the tremendous length they were easy to park-------but--------by the 1980's parking spaces began to shrink. We kept our '75 and '76 FW75's about 5 years. The stand-up wreath and crest did not become popular until the '71 Eldo. and the "Super-Fly" era. The Government stepped in and forced everybody with stand-up medallions to make them spring-loaded for safety in case they hit a pedestrian. Most people didn't care about a stand-up medallion because it was assumed you knew what you were riding in to begin with. Most believed them to be garish and tacky. It was a big shock when the '77's came out----but----we actually came to like them. Even though the roof was too low, the much improved fuel mileage and the nimble handling more than made up for it. They were also lighter and quicker and got much better MPG. The 1980 75 Series were really very good. They finally seemed to get it all right. Looking forward to more reviews!
Those are great points to mention, Steve! That would be a major problem if the cars were to overheat during services. Interesting that Cadillac didn't do more to prevent that sooner. Thank you so much for the comment, the interesting points that you brought forward, and for watching the video! I really appreciate the support 😁
I LOVE the video. I’m so happy you made this video. I think I’ve watched every series 75 RU-vid made and this, by far, explains better an any other. Thank you so much!
I'm so glad you love the video! I knew that you've been wanting to see a Fleetwood Series 75 video for a long time, I'm so glad you like it 😁 Thanks dad!
Great video! My uncle had a new '76 Cadillac Fleetwood back in the late 70's when i was a kid. His was baby blue with a navy blue interior. Thanks for sharing. BTW...your'e super cute!
You are right! I was at the N.Y.C. auto show in that year The last classic car show that showed full sized cars.Too bad I did not think of bringing my camera. Would have taken many pictures.
That's one of the most beautiful machines man has ever created. Terrific review. I would much rather watch someone who is wowed by it and is enjoying it, rather than a review by one of the bigger YT auto guys who would snicker and mock at it all the way through his video.
It's pretty crazy that you can't buy a decent Cadillac today. Your exactly right that this car is more comfortable and rides nicer than today's luxury vehicles. The Escalades are the closest thing you can find but they ride more like a truck, I get a harsh ride in the back, your sitting right over the rear wheel.
Yes, no car today can match the room or ride feel of this car (unless if you're buying an extremely expensive Rolls Royce). And that's a good point, Escalades are the closest things to Cadillacs of the past but yet are still very far from being the same. Thank you for watching the video!
A 500 cid w/4 barrel carb? Ouch! Probably premium fuel as well. I once owned a 1969 Grand Prix w/400 cid with/4 barrel carb. Around 8 mpg city/12 highway if my foot wasn't against the firewall. Love those old land yachts! Great video!
Yep! It is best to use premium fuel with this car. Definitely not very efficient lol, we're lucky if we get 11 or 12 mpg. Thank you so much for watching the video and commenting, Richard!
Series 75 designation was dropped for 1977-1984 model years. In those years, the long wheelbase models were simply called "Fleetwood Limousine" & "Fleetwood Formal Limousine" (w/division window). Vinyl roof was optional in 1976- two styles were offered. The roof on this car is the more expensive Landau roof option which could be ordered with or without Landau irons. The rear side windows were eliminated with this roof which was more thickly padded in addition to extending further into the glass area of the rear windshield for maximum privacy. The front compartment of the Series 75 Limousine (which in 1976 distinguished the model with division window between chauffeur and rear compartments) is upholstered in black leather. The car in the video is the Series 75 Eight Passenger Sedan (not Limousine) in which the same (cloth) upholstery is used throughout. Power recliners were not available in 1976. "Medici" (cloth) is pronounced MED-ichy. Thanks.
interesting, I wonder why they got rid of the series 75 name after all those years… Do you know why they were called Series 75’s? I was never sure what the 75 stands for. And thank you for that info about the vinyl tops! But I’m not even sure what landau irons are… Is that something that is visible?
@@JW_Reviews That gets into some prewar Cadillac model name history when there were Series 90, Series 75, Series 67, Series (Fleetwood) Sixty Special, Series 62 and Series 61 models. Year by years, these models were eliminated one by one as models were either discontinued or names reshuffled. The series numbers loosely referred to the length of the bodies and/or wheelbase. By 1965, only the Series 75 and Fleetwood Sixty Special (Brougham) designations remained which lasted until 1976. By 1977 my guess is that Division evidently felt it simpler to call them "Fleetwood Limousine" and "Fleetwood Brougham" which is how most of the general public was calling them by then. However in 1985, Cadillac revived the Series 75 designation for the new downsized FWD long wheelbase Limousine models and 60 Special in 1987 & 1988 (not a "Brougham" however which was the older style large RWD body) for the newly introduced FWD Fleetwood with special 4" longer wheelbase. (Cadillac is often tradition-minded). Landau Irons are S-shaped bars which were part of the mechanism that allowed the REAR roof to be lowered on certain body styles of cars from the classic era (ie late '20/early '30s) which was referred to as "landau roof" and sometimes as "transformable Brougham". On later cars the landau irons were a stylistic nod to this classic feature of the past although they were purely decorative by this point.
Wow, I'm very impressed by what you know! I unfortunately don't know much about pre-war Cadillacs or those made soon after the war. Ah, I think I've seen a few photos of Fleetwood Series 75's with the landau irons, it definitely gives the car a formal look. Thank you so much for the informative comment, I'm glad I could learn a little about the history of the Series 75 name!
That's exactly right! Most of the people who purchased these cars definitely had a lot of money to go around lol. Thank you for watching the video, David!
I'm really enjoying your videos! I've been a longtime Cadillac fan and truly miss these absolute comfortable silky smooth cars. I find it interesting that you mentioned the new Cadillac Celestiq coming out soon. (a $200k+ car) I look forward to Cadillac getting back on top, but I'll be honest that I have concerns that they will have some cheap Chevy parts inside this new supercar interior. The motoring press will immediately slamthe car for it, and world-class buyers who are used to some pretty good quality coming out of German cars will immediately turn their noses up at it. It frustrates and baffles me why American car companies can't put a few extra hundred dollars into the interior quality of their cars to bring them up to top world class standards.
I love these full size American automobiles 1970s Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial, Mercury. Especially the 1973 through 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood series 75 limo and sedan. When I ordered a new garage, I made sure it was over 25 feet in length, just incase I was lucky enough to own a Cadillac limousine.....Just one thing I would change on your 1976 Cadillac, I would change the tyres for a wider white wall, it would make such a difference, in its appearance.
American cars back then were so unique and nice. And that was a very smart decision to make your garage long enough for one of these! It definitely does require a lot of room haha. Good point! Wider white walls would be a nice upgrade 😁 Thank you for watching the video, Paul!
@@JW_Reviews There is a brand of tyre, and I believe its called “American Classic”, that still makes new White walls that are to the original size of white stripe of the 1970s Cadillac......Just thought I would let you know. Many thanks for your reply.
It certainly is nice to look at and is quite a large car to drive around. I failed to mention this in the video, but this is the longest production car ever built which is pretty amazing!
@@JW_Reviews I used to own a '76 Olds Ninety-Eight (donated it to a church several years ago). I loved the car, loved the ride, and it handled decently, but in today's fast & furious traffic, without modern collision avoidance or even anti-lock brakes, it was dangerous to drive. I regret getting rid of it now; I should have put it into storage. Thanks for sharing the video of this Cadillac; it is glorious!
@@JW_Reviews I don't think I ever realized these special cars had tradition frameless front door glass but framed rear-door windows... hmm, interesting.
I didn't know that either until I first saw this car haha. It may have only come with the Fleetwood Series 75's rather than the Fleetwoods which could be why it is relatively unknown
From Australia, I have owned a sable black '74 Fleetwood Brougham with "gold" interior (mustard color) now for 38 years. Ordered by a global German textile & fabric manufacturer via his Osnabruk Opel dealership. it is a metric car & was shipped to Australia when it was 5 yrs old & converted to right hand drive when he retired to Sydney to live with his daughter whom ran the southern hemisphere office . At that time it had a mere 102,000kilometres on it , now in 2021 it has a few more at 706,000kilometres. It has been serviced without consideration to cost. As a business car my costs have been back claimed against tax, still way cheaper than writing off a new car every 5 years via tax amortisement, so it drives like a new car & was repainted also regardless of cost so it looks like a near new '74 Fleetwood . It was ordered with all but 3 options a sunroof, opera light & a drivers door thermometer. But it has GM's Sentinel Security System, ACRS & ABS brakes which few cars were fitted with. It is additionally an export spec' high altitude car , it has a "full house" turbo 400 automatic with a front & rear pump making it like a modern manualised automatic, giving it compression braking going down hill & very lively pickup at the bottom, BUT BEST OFF ALL, its a maximum power car, with ZERO power sapping pollution devices, my car has serious power. Your car James is rare in America, but imagine how rare one is in rural Australia, I'll add that I have a second one as well a GM Holden Australia delivered '72 Fleetwood Brougham, in Cotillion white, with "green ice" brocade interior which I have owned for 30 years. GM Australia received part finished cars & finalised the build as first time right hand drive cars at their Pagewood Sydney plant. Making all the RHD steering drag links , pitman arm, idler arm, RHD dash & firewall none of which were fitted in the states. By completing them here as RHD cars 100% killed the import tax. The '72 does not have ABS option, nor a sunroof or a door mirror thermometer. But is otherwise a total option car & again is an export spec car, this time for a hot climate & has oversize radiator for heat & a different fan system as well. But like my black'74, also has ZERO anti pollution devices & a FULL POWER engine. I have driven a few US private imports from '71 to '76 & the power drop with all the US anti smog pollution stuff is massive. These full power export spec engine cars when pressed hard have a fantastic induction roar as the secondaries open up on these monster 8litre engines & if you wish to drive like a hooligan are capable of a dual set of 300yard long black rubber strafes from a full power take off, impressive from a near 6,000pound car. In your video you mention the Fleetwood '60 insignia in the side marker lights (from the pre war bonnet of the 60 special), the '71 & '72 Fleetwood Broughams were probably GM Cadillac divisions first "heritage design" , the 1930's/40's "point" on the hoods, the furrowed crease line on the front guards like a '59 /'60 model, the rear fender "sidespear" of the '71 to'73 same as the '59 Fleetwood. GM's final MASSIVE salute to their heritage never to be seen again. To Close, Driving one of these today in 2021 with the AC DELCO- Bendix Aviation ABS brake system, one has the real worry that the fool in the 2021 JUNKER behind you will not be able to stop as well as my '74 Fleetwood, YEP these fantastic 70's mega brakes ARE THAT GOOD, the anti porpoising inertia lock seatbelts that stop people sliding under the dash, that have G-force detecting mercury switches in the roof that in a nanosecond detect an incident, then reel in the chest sash seat belt restraining you firmly against the seats backrest, add to it my car's GM 1970's airbag system ARCS, and you have a car that is almost like a 21st century vehicle. If you were to have an accident this car is so big that it would be like a war in a far off land & the small modern car it hits will become a secondary sacrificial crumple zone ! If you ever take a door apart the twin intrusion bars are the size of a 2021 small cars engine bay's main frame box chassis members. Cossetting comfort zones capable of 1,000+ mile runs in absolute cocooned luxury from a bygone era, you step out as comfortable as the moment you had stepped in, with vast glass windows giving better vision than any modern car. Nothing compares to these the last of the leviathans and should anyone dare to confront you, with the 3 clamshell horns & the 4th the giant factory trumpet horn, it sounds like a GM Diesel freight train is about to run you down !!
Wow!!! I'm very impressed that you've owned both your Fleetwoods for so long, that is fantastic. And that's so interesting to hear about the cars and their history. Definitely rare with those options, and I'm especially jealous that both of them weren't held back by emissions standards! That must make them quite the fun cars to drive too. But they certainly are modern as well with ABS and air bags. Very much ahead of their time and extremely impressive! I wish I could see and drive cars like yours, it must be incredible. Thank you so much for the wonderful comment, I loved reading it!
@@JW_Reviews Re the GM factory security system, If a thief or vandal plays with the spring loaded hood mascot , as you state in the video the alarm will sound , additionally the car came with a little GM factory scanner/control box for the Sentinel security system , these were fitted to cars that only had the ultimate HEI (high energy ignition system), not points , nor the basic electronic ignition. Why , well HEI hits the car with 3 levels of amps to start it , should it fail to start the first , or second attempt , when struck with triple the amperage it aggressively jolts the car. SO guess what , when you set the alarm , it is a genuine GM factory stinger system that works off the HEI ignition system i.e. it gives the intending thief an electric shock, just 12 volts, but you can select one of the 3 amperages used to start the car the level 3 one is akin to being hit with a taser!! ex factory no less !! Re the non emission engines, they have a beautiful wicked sounding idle , as it sounds like there are 2 x impressive 4 cylinder "don't mess with me" engines idling together, as these 472/501 family of engines have a unique firing order, unalike ANY other V8, the sound is crisp with an echo effect, when they are parked kerb side & warming outside my garage people hear the engine sound and ask what is in it. (even women). James, when Maurice Ullyatt ordered the black '74 Talisman he ordered it DELETE badging, when I repainted it 20+ years ago I located a trunklid Cadillac & Fleetwood script plate for the left & right side of the trunklid . But it still has no opera lights, Talisman scripts on the sail panels, nor Fleetwood scripts on the front guards . And how's this for cool, when out of town & the pickup for the radio aerial in the windscreen is limited, when you push in the DX (longrange pickup) switch on the radio, you can then push the aerial up switch & the RH front guard mounted factory power aerial comes to life !! 2 radio pickups. RE the steering --the GM Cadillac recirculating ball steering in the RWD cars is also sharp & accurate , you may have some wear in the steering linkages giving a spongy feel. If you go onto google & enter 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood , you will see a front on photo of my car it has New South Wales (australia) registration/licence plates BL-499, additionally it will have shannons.com.au on the bottom line under the photo , when you click on there are an additional 2 shots , you can see that they are all taken at the same location at a local Anglican care home . Strangely if you again use google type 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood , part way down you will again see a left side shot of my black '74 Fleetwood, under that photo it says:- oil001's Garage and Car List - Shannons Club, this is an entry portal to my current cars & past cars. Included just in the past cars is my built 1972, but model year73 Lincoln Mk4 Silver Luxury edition, in 2nd choice opposing color if you hated silver & my grandparents bestfriends hated silver cars, so mine was Cranberry firemist & Cream roof, ordered at ALTO Ford in Gordon in Sydney Australia , Mavis & Jim ordered EVERY option!! including the 460 HO engine option , so export spec full 102 octane leaded super 11.75:1 compression, dual Carter 4 barrell carbies, electronic ignition, steel sunrioof, ABS brakes etc etc. with their special induction plenum for the Carters & unusual air cleaner Aussie spec mk4's are super cars with stonking performance the only downside is the worst gas mileage of any car I have ever owned 8 mpg !! My best friend has a private import '77 Mk5 7 its watered down 2 barrell carby poverty pack engine feels like its half strength when compared to my Ford Australia version with a full power engine & no anti pollution gear. If you watch a period 70's movie "the Driver" with Ryan O'Neal as the main star, he uses a police spec '73 Galaxie with a super duty 460 in it, idling in slow motion down back streets you can hear the menace of the monster V8 in it and the odd idle they give. Again the "aussie" Lincoln mk4's came with no "snout" on the car, painted , finished & packed in styro foam , as incomplete cars to be finished at Ford's Homebush , Sydney plant. Not really desighn to be RHD cars , a specialist industrial engineer was brought in to head up the concept, he use Buick Electra RHD forward mounted steering set up , the aussie dashboards are set higher up the firewall & have flat dashtops covered in well padded saddle stitched leather, not unalike the '79 mk5 collectors series. The door trimmings & arm rests are asymetric so RHD ones were made, the wipers were too short in their swept area so Ford used a buy in module from Tryco Wipers as used in all the 59 thru 69 GMH Aust delivered Ponti's, Buicks & Chev's where the wipers meet & cover one another in the middle, Ford Australia fitted real oriental teak wooden dash panels not the American plastic wood ones, same on the door pulls & door smokers lids & window switch surrounds, woolen flannel head lining & 36 ounce woolen carpets making for a way more upmarket vehicle. I have Mavis & Jim's Alto Ford invoice from October '72 & full cash price was $28,430 aussie dollars, more expensive by $1000+ than a new '72 Polls Royce Corniche Coupe.
Wow, I've never heard of such a system that could shock people! I'm sure it would keep them from breaking into the car though lol. Thank you for the information and thank you for the stories and facts about your other cars! Very nice to hear. And I'll be sure to check out "The Driver" in the future, I'd love to see the cars in it. Thank you again, Greg!
@@JW_Reviews Hi James , in your owners manual there should be a picture/drawing of all the warning lamps on the dash top. One of them will state "security system" (one word atop the other with an orange background & black lettering), should the system have been triggered in your absence , that orange with black lettering warning light will be flashing on the dash top upon your return so you are aware that it may still be armed . If/when the system is triggered it sounds all the horns super rapidly bipping them on & off, plus it also rapidly flicker flashes the inner high beam lights and the inner on each side rear brake lights & when I say flicker flashes I mean like a modern police car lighting system, not slow motion on & off, but a really rapid flash, on the sides of the car the cornering lights also flicker flash as well, When functioning the right rear & right front lights flash at same time, then front & rear the system swaps to flicker flash the left inner high beam light & inner left brake light. Once years ago in a vast car park at Darling Harbour in central Sydney the security system had been deployed & in the darkness my car provided a stunning light & sound show before shutting down , providing this light & sound display for around 5 minutes, to rapidly de-arm it you can scan it with the pocket control module which is around an inch wide, inch & half long & half an inch thick on the cement floor of the carpark were some tools the intending thief or thieves had left behind after having been zapped by the car's security system. Re the testing of the Cadillacs, on my cars GM Export Centre New York, documentation/warranty paperwork it states that it has 59kilometers of test mileage on the car at time of delivery, that's like 35miles of test mileage !! Impressive. Also in the literature ex-factory is a pale metallic blue cardboard tri-panel card with all the GM dealers in Western Germany equipped to service a Cadillac, plus there is a paper circular sheet that would slip over the drivers sun visor with how best to start the car, there is a carboard tag that slipped over the aircond' slider switch telling you how to achieve the best from your air cond', plus there's the original key packet with 2 original keys that have not had the quadrant with the key combination numbers tapped out of them so you can insert a key ring !! How's that for original. There is a big "map" of the cars underside with every point requiring service or an adjustment & the frequency of maintenance required in both miles & kilometres for each, plus the warranty cards for its sound system and dealer fitted Blaupunkt office pack (a 2 way radio system) so an office can communicate with those in the car & should either party be either away from the office or the car at either end the units record messages on a cassette tape at either end, in the car the speakers for the factory radio/cassette deck supply the sound & there is a hand held mike on a long springy cable for those in the car to communicate with those in the office, additionally, the unit in the car can be switched so it will act as a tape recorder, so one can dictate messages, instructions or work to be performed --- might I add that this whole system works perfectly well in 2021!! People often ask what's that "thing" on the dash with the microphone.
Great video. Always loved that car. One thing to mention though. If the engine has a 4 barrel carburetor then it put out 195 horsepower. If it was fuel injection then it put out 215 horsepower.
It was my pleasure. Keep up the great work. I look forward to seeing more of your videos. One question, have you done a video on the 1974 to 1976 electra 225?
No worries. When you do don't forget to mention that the rear bumper for 74, 75, and 76 was designated specifically for the electra 225. No other Buick or GM has that rear bumper.
Ive ridden in a number of front drive Eldorados Fleetwoods and Devilles when I was younger (im 64) and in every case the rear wheel drive versions always had a little better ride than the frpmt wheel drive Eldorado because the Eldorado had a massive amount of weight over the front wheels as the transmission and the engine were both in one unit over the front wheels as well as the axles etc, the Eldorados also had the beefiest front wheel drive axles ive ever seen on any car. Eldo's and Olds Toronados also were harder on front front suspension and drive parts due to the immense weight of these cars - but you know what I feel so lucky to have gotten to ride in and own so many of the big GM cars of the late 60's and early 70's, you could take a thousand mile trip and not feel like youre beat to death like in todays tightly suspended road noisy roller skate cars. I had an uncle who was a fan of the Oldsmobile 98's and he always bought a new one every two years because he piled up a lot of miles in his work as an industrial welder, those 98's were damn nice too and great highway cars that cost less to buy and maintain than the Cadillacs but going down the highway they felt 90 - 95% of what the Cadillac Devilles did, had an excellent 455 four barrel V8 with good torque, very quiet with great ride and low road noise that also made them excellent highway cars. sadly we will never see cars like these again, nothing but hyper-overpriced overly govt. mandated frameless break down prone plastic filled junk with admittedly better gas mileage but far less comfort and very little room like the older full size cars
Beautiful car. I didn’t know rural Ohio was so beautiful. You the man! I wish I could have heard the car start up. The background music covered up the engine sound. Great video though.
Thank you! Yes, the area is definitely quite beautiful 😁 I'll be sure to pay attention to the engine start ups in the future and if it can be heard or not. Thank you for watching the video!
In 1978 I got my grandfather's 1970 sedan deVille to drive when I turned 16. It was a tank, but it floated down the road. I was probably the only 16 year old that wore both the lap and shoulder belts in that car, but they really enhanced the handling and feel of the car.
@@JW_Reviews It was an awesome car. I had a lead foot and the car responded well, hence I wore both the lap and shoulder belts which was about the only smart thing I ever did in that car. LOL
James, I really enjoyed this video. You look so comfy cozy in the back seat, maybe a bit under dressed for the car, but whatever! You are such a nice Ohio guy and you make high quality videos. This one brought back many memories from way back in the 70s when I worked for a dealership and we delivered a few of those series 75s to shady characters in Florida. I remember going through Savannah and people would lean over and stare at the car at every stop light. That was before Savannah was brought into the 20th century. Have you ever driven/reviewed the 1976 - 1979 Cadillac Seville? That was my all time favorite GM car for styling. I had one and sold it back in the 90s. Still think about it. Not many of those around now. So, thanks and keep those videos coming.
I’m glad you liked the video, James! The back seat was certainly beyond comfortable haha. That’s neat that you had first-hand experiences with these cars when they were new! I’m sure that they must have gotten sooo many stares. And I’m afraid that I haven’t had any experience with Seville’s of this era. They are beautiful cars though, several members of our Cadillac club own them and I get to see them every so often. Thanks again, James! I’ll certainly keep the videos coming 😄
Great video presentation. As you can see, I have a '78 which is slightly shorter. Bought it out of Nevada in 2004. Relaxing in the back seat with someone else driving is the ultimate way to enjoy these cars, as you alluded to. Twenty years before I purchased my Fleetwood we were building a garage behind our home here in New Zealand. My father asked me why I wanted the garage built so long. One day a Cadillac is going in here, I confidently replied.
Thank you, Bruce! That is a really neat story, I still like the looks of the newer Series 75's a lot. And these Cadillacs do require long garages lol. Thanks again for the comment and for watching the video!
Cadillac's Series 75s were unique automobiles about which comparatively little has been written. Thank you for this great story and for all the details about the car's features and history.
You're so welcome! I agree, I'm surprised at how little contemporary work is shown about these vehicles. They are so special and deserve to be known! Thank you so much for watching the video, Henry! 😁
Yeah, that "boaty" ride is something you just don't get today. Our family in the seventies had a 1974 Oldsmobile 98, and we had relatives with 1976 Chrysler New Yorkers and 1979 Lincoln Town Cars and they just floated down the road. The 1977 GM downsizing, while substantial on the outside, was actually very popular. It wasn't until the max-downsizing of the mid-eighties, the one that brought Cadillacs down to sizes that would have been considered compact in the mid-seventies, that sales dropped.
Very interesting stuff! First, I've heard a lot of good stuff about Oldsmobile 98's. I actually got to sit in one from the late 60's which was highly optioned and absolutely mint on the inside. It actually felt nicer than many Cadillacs I've been in from the era! That's very interesting that the downsizing was successful. I've heard stories about many people getting upset of GM and Cadillac downsizing and moving to brands such as Lincoln and Chrysler who didn't downsize for another year or two. And so many Cadillacs and other vehicles from the mid 80's seem way to small to me so I can see why people didn't like it much haha. Thank you so much for that info, I really enjoyed reading what you had to say!
In 1986 I was shopping for an Oldsmobile 98. A friend worked for an Oldsmobile dealership. He had a Delta 88 Royale Brougham. It was a prototype car that was optioned like you wouldn't believe. They would try out features to be standard on Buick and Cadillac if they worked out. The seats in that car were the most comfortable of any car I've owned. Pillow top plush. I really miss that car. So many great features. Had p
Fender skirts on large luxury cars really made them stand apart in the 1960's and 1970's. They were different and gave the impression of being somewhat streamlined. I really wish Cadillac would go back to the older style.
Very nice!! That is an incredible feat, it must be extremely nice. Have you gone to many other Grand Nationals? I was at the Louisville Grand National two years ago and it was a great show
@@JW_Reviews yes.....many. I was going last year and this year but Covid did them both in. Didnt make it to KY because if I recall correctly, plane tickets were astronomical from Vegas.
That's right, it would be nice for the shows to start up again... Too bad the tickets were so expensive, hopefully next year will turn out better. I'd certainly love to go to another one someday. Also, do you have any other classic Cadillac's/cars besides your 75?
I just discovered your channel through a mutual friend. Absolutely love the content. This Cadillac is amazing. I definitely look forward to more videos.
That's awesome to hear! I'm glad that they recommended the channel to you 😁 Thank you very much, Thomas. It really is an incredible car! And I'll be sure to bring more videos to the channel soon. Thanks for watching!
James, I've really enjoyed watching your car reviews. My dad had some Cadillacs when I was young starting with a 64 Deville, 64 limousine, 69 Fleetwood Brougham, my favorite, and then a 71 limousine. I actually ended up owning a 2000 Catera recently which had very low miles, but sat for a long time and some of the common over heating issues I read about online and got rid of it. I really liked the ride of the car, and the fact that it was pretty solid. When I was young I really enjoyed washing and waxing them and would notice all the attention to detail that you highlight in your reviews, thank you for taking me back to my youth when cars were made to last.
Thank you, Doug! Ooh, those are some very nice cars. My dads first vehicle was a '69 Fleetwood Brougham and he absolutely loved it! Very cool! I've only seen a few Catera's in person and have never been in one. I'm so glad the videos bring back some memories 😁
Bought a 1977 series 75 in triple black in early 2000s when I was in college. Lord the stories I could tell! It was the best $500.00 car I ever had!!! Still own it however the transmission is out. It was a blast to cruise in! Now I find out 1976 was better..... Oh well still a fun college ride! Thanks for all the information this is a great video!!!!
Haha that would be an AWESOME car to have in college! How many people did you fit in the back? 😂😂 I'm glad you liked the video and the information, these are great cars to learn about 😁
something extra special about '75 & '76, and when you pull up in one, people know you've 'arrived'. these cars are like fine jewelry that grace a driveway. that shot at 3:25 is astounding, I can just picture a visage of this car at 70mph slicing through the air like a black jetliner.
I agree! It is the longest production car in the world so it definitely has a stance which is completely unmatched. I'm sure you'll be able to own one someday 😁 Thank you for watching the video, Charles!
This is a fantastic example of a fantastic car. FYI, the regular 1976 Fleetwood, that is, the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham, was 233.7 inches long, not 230.7 as stated in the video. The regular Fleetwood was on a frame that was stretched three inches beyond the other C-body Cadillacs, so that may explain the mistaken figure. The extra length for the regular Fleetwood was all in the wheelbase and can be seen mainly in the backseat as extended legroom and on the exterior through the inclusion of B-pillars (the others were hardtops) and larger rear doors. Though the regular Fleetwood was the most opulent "owner-driven" car, the platform was extended even further to create the D-body Fleetwood 75, as you show here, where the focus was more on being chauffeured.
It certainly is! That is correct, I'm afraid I got my numbers wrong. Their too big for me to remember correctly haha 😂 That's neat that the regular Fleetwoods were that much longer too. Thank you for the neat facts and for watching the video, David!
It just keeps getting better and better, just keep up the good work! I see no reason you shouldn't have your viewers in the hundreds of thousands eventually.
I'm so glad you enjoy the videos, we'll see how far the channel goes, it is exciting seeing the growth it's already had 😁 Thank you so much for the support!
70s were great. Our friends parents had Fleetwoods, Eldorado, sedan de Ville, etc. So cool riding in them. Not to mention Lincolns, Chrysler and all the big boat station wagons
AWESOME car and video! ! ! To me this car is the epitome of the Cadillac brand. My first car was a 74 Eldorado followed by a 73 Fleetwood, man I miss them! :(
Thank you!! I'm so glad you have a love for these cars and even owned a few. Its amazing the sort of experiences that these cars can bring us 😁 Thank you for watching the video!
the blind c-pillar gives it a real unique look...you'd have thought that if the original owner was that concerned about privacy they would have bought the limousine with its divider...maybe the blind pillar wasn't available on the limo. great car...fun vid. thx for showing.
That’s what I thought as well! If it was a chauffeur car then it would have most certainly been ordered as the formal version. It is possible that it was both a chauffeur car and a driver car for the owner. And I’m really glad you liked the video and the car. Thank you for watching the video, Steve!
Honestly, I'm surprised that Cadillac didn't use the fwd system for their sedan devilles, fleetwoods, 75's, etc. The advantage is a flat floor allowing for a no-hump middle seat and an independent rear suspension possibility. These were never going to be race cars, and driving dynamics weren't important beyond being able to glide and waft along, very serenly. Thank you so much for finding and reviewing these otherwise nearly forgotten cars. I know it came down to cost, but once a customer is shown the advantage of fwd, independent rear suspension, and flat floor, I'll bet they would've gladly paid.
I believe this Cadillac is the longest production car ever built thats not a limousine or aftermarket build. I don't know if you stated this i haven't watched the full vid yet
That's correct! I didn't even think of saying that. Thank you for telling me that, if I ever review another one I'll be sure to include that in the video. Thank you so much for the comment and for watching the video!
Friend of mine quite a few years ago had a 1975 Sedan Deville that looked like it was almost as long as the 75 series but it had of course the 4 doors windows but had an extra opera window behind the back door. I sure loved driving that car it was a dream to drive. He passed away and I don't know who got the car. It was 2 years after his passing that I was aware he was gone. It had the same interior color and was brocade instead of velour
That's really neat! Sounds like it was a beautiful car. I wonder where the car ended up, hopefully it made it to a good home. Thank you so much for commenting and watching the video, Philip!
Gorgeous car, who would have imagined they would someday put this badge on a whored-up Suburban. Enjoy yiur channel very much, lots of interesting facts and info without the snark, silliness and mocking like too many other channels. You appreciate the car and thats awesome. Keep them coming 👌
Thank you so much, Devine! I’m glad you like the channel so much, I truly do appreciate the support. I’m looking forward to hearing from you again in future videos!
Thanks, James. You're thorough and pleasant. When I was in high school (graduated '68), our family car was a '60 Fleetwood Seventy-five. There were six of us teenagers, plus Mom and Pop, of course. The car took us to dinner, to the store, to the beach. We got used to it. I loved it. Keep bringing the videos.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video, William! And that is a VERY cool family car. Must have been a lot of fun! (Hopefully you didn't have to take your drivers license test with it though haha) And I'll be sure to keep these videos coming. Thanks for watching!
Great report James, some people forget that there are people who like quiet, comfort and smoothness. Not everyone wants pinpoint handling and rock hard suspension. The best I could get here in Malaysia was a Lexus and it is pretty good. but I love that Cadillac.
Yes, Lexus is definitely known for being quiet and comfortable! I think that there are lots of people out there who like cars just like that. Thank you so much for watching the video, Peter!
My Dad had a 76 deville in the same colour scheme, I found it years later and bought it back. Thanks for making this video, it brought back so many memories :-)
Of all the American landyachts of the time, this is my absolute favourite. Had it been in any way financially and practically viable to have one in Europe, this is the model I would go with as my weekend cruiser.
It's one of my favorites too 😁 Hopefully someday you'll be able to bring one over to Europe! It would certainly be a unique sight over there. Thank you for watching the video!
why wouldnt it be financially viable in europe? as for practicality, well yeah it will kinda be tough to parallel park it in a narrow old town city street.
@@ImperialDiecast Well, where I live, petrol is currently about 8 dollars per gallon (translated into Amerinumbers) and just 2 months ago it was 10 dollars per gallon. On top on that, when I was really interested in going for something like this a few years ago, I checked parts supplies and it was just terrible. Very hard to find stuff in my country, but also throughout Europe. As you can imagine, shipping things from America would become wildly expensive and also take ages.
@@ImperialDiecast If you think we have Cadillac and Lincoln dealerships you're distanced a hilarious amount from our reality. I just looked up the numbers and only 1100 new Cadillacs were sold in the Netherlands between 2003 and 2022. I can't even think of a GM dealer anywhere in my area, but I suppose there are some in the country, and maybe they have one or two Cadillacs in stock sometimes.
The largest of the cars I ever washed and drove when working for the Cadillac dealer, back to 1980 time frame, was the 1976 limousine which I understood was the last of the limousines actually built by General Motors. Thereafter, all limousines were aftermarket, a Sedan DeVille or Fleetwood chopped in half and stretched. The car in the video annoyed my eyes, because the opera window appeared to be missing, but which you explained is merely covered up at some expense. I wrongly assumed that a vinyl roof do-over was thought too hard. On the 500 CID engine it was a kind of Cadillac thing. None of them were engineered for high revs, but more typically for tons of torque and peak power output well below 4000 rpm, usually around 3400. The analog EFI helped quite a lot to make stump pullers out of them.
That's really neat you've had some experience with these cars! And speaking of the opera window, we actually removed the cloth covering entirely and found out that the windows are actually mirrors! I'm guessing someone made a special order to have them installed when the car was new. Thank you so much for the information and for watching the video!
@Mark Ellsworth: GM produced this car til 1987. There were some 3rd party knockoffs that resembled these usually built by Ambruster Stageway. They were a stretched Coupe DeVille.
The info that you have heard about a more powerful engine is probably referring to the optional digital fuel injection. That option added about 20 more HP over the carbureted version.
Engines in the '70's need internal engine mods to bump MPG up from 8's to around 15 - 16 MPG... I think big Caddy's got TBI (2 injectors) and Sevilles got Port Injection (8 injectors) on an Olds 350" V8...
Throughout the 70's emissions restrictions forced most of these formerly powerful engines to be detuned. This is why nearly each year, the HP drop increased.
Great video! I grew up in heavy iron, and worked on a lot of this generation of Caddies. The loose steering is most likely a worn out center link in the steering linkage, and maybe could use a slight tweak on the steering gear itself. If it was all 100%, it would be perfect steering, I promise you. I admit to chuckling over your fascination with the floor mounted dimmer switches. Please keep them coming!
Thanks for the info! There is definitely several things that need to be worked on with this car which would certainly improve the steering and ride. Thank you for watching the video, I'll be sure to make more videos just like this one 😁
James, your videos are the best! This video on the Series 75 is the best of the best. I’m sure I’ve watched this at lease 25 times and will continue watching. I LOVE it!😎
When I was in High School I was frequently driven there in this vintage Caddy (it was current at the time). The seats were leather and of course we did not use the seat belts. I had very little traction with the seat of my pants so sliding back and forth across the seat was a common occurrence. I love old Cadillac's!
My dad bought my mom one of these...but it was the regular size, not the stretch. My dad drove his work truck and wore overalls everyday, while my mom drove Caddies and dressed nice And the alarm system that turned on and off with the key definitely brings back memories LOL #OldSchoolMan #Memories
Wow, very cool! Haha, that's so funny to hear of the differences between how your parents traveled. And speaking of the alarm system, is the little hole located to the right of the key hole meant for a small light to indicate that the alarm system is on/off?
@@JW_Reviews Lol nope. There was an actual key that went in there. So you stick the key in and turn it to the right, and the alarm was on…turn it to the left, and the alarm was off
Your video brings back many great memories of driving those cars when they were new. I offer these observations. There was no wood in the car - only plastic. The 8.2 Liter v-8 had reduced compression from prior years but ran so smoothly, you might not realize it was running. The Cruise Control has a "Resume" function if you only slightly depress the button on the turn signal stalk to resume a previously selected speed so long as the ignition has not been turned off. Once the car attains speed, the slight depression should cause the car to accelerate. Activation of the interior lights and the keyhole lamps was courtesy of Cadillac's Illuminated Entry System. Cadillac called the three lights on top of each front fender "Illuminated Lamp Monitors." They came with two red lamps above the middle of the rear window which were visible in the rearview mirror so that you knew the taillights were functioning. The rear doors used what Cadillac called a "door into roof" design for less wind noise and easier ingress and egress from the car. The toggle switch on the lower dash was for driver activation of the Jubilee alarm system. What is the function of the second hole in the fender next to the alarm? Given that the original owner paid a 10% premium to cover the rear windows, it is odd that the car does not have the Guide-Matic Automatic Headlamp Dimmer which was a staple on Cadillacs since the introduction of the Autronic Eye in 1952. It is also odd that they opted for no rear defog and not to install an Astoroof (Cadillac's glass sunroof). The switched lamp on the inside of the Driver's door and the one on the dash in front of the passenger seat are "Map Lights" to more easily read a map at night without turning all of the interior lights on. The fender panel that was removed is generally referred to as a "fender skirt." Cadillacs had a rear fuel fill behind the license plate from 1963, through the mid-1980'5 on the full-size cars.
Thank you for all those facts! Pretty neat to hear of all those features 😁 And that makes sense that the toggle switch was for the alarm system as that seemed to be the only thing added to the car
In 1979 my family stayed at The Breakers in Palm Beach. It was a convention of sorts. As part of that there was a cocktail reception - I think at Whitehall - and the hotel provided a 76 '75' for the 4-5 minute shuttle over there (this was a full dress deal, no one was walking in FL heat). I think my first and only time in being driven in an old school limo vs. one of stupid stretched 300's or worse, Escalades. I remember being somewhat let down actually that it was only the '75' vs. the true limo ('but dad, this is a funeral car, not a limo'). The AC was heaven, frigid in a way only GM could do - a year or two later we go the first Benz and it was like, huh?? But what I really wanted to do was fiddle with the rear controls for AC and radio or at least the jump seats - but a word, maybe even a look, put a stop to that. So I just sat, trying to be proper, while transported from the (even then) super expensive hotel over to the huge mansion where I parked myself by the shrimp cocktail and cadged drinks that a 14 year old should not have had access to. [An ... inappropriate and much younger stepmother facilitated that part - and yes, you can guess where that situation eventually ended up somewhere around the summer of my 18th birthday.] That top itself was a huge expense, the blind quarter was essentially hand work - surprise to find it on a non-limo. The limo of course, in addition to the division window would have come with black leather in front at least through 1975 (more formal). I can't find leather front trim in the 76 Limo without pulling out the brochure. My brain says the catalog color for this model was in fact the formal blue rather than black. [I always thought the rear (or side) facing jump seats made more sense, but that was never a Cadillac thing.]
Incredible, you really did experience this car in its prime! And that must have been incredible being in that car as a kid. Thank you for the story and the informative comment, I really appreciate it!
James, your video was exceptionally great. My family back in the 70’s had a 1972 Fleetwood Brougham. You pointedly the all the features well. I’m going to check out your other videos.
Thank you, Mark! I bet this car brought back some memories for you, I assume it is fairly similar to the ‘72 Fleetwood. Thanks again for commenting and for watching the video!
Gorgeous car I’m 16 and I picked up a 76 coupe deville two years ago and I wish it was this clean mine has an old maco paint job that’s starting to flake off and the top of the rear quarter under the soft top is starting to bubble but I’m saving up for the body work to be done as I say this and my hood ornament broke off at the car wash
Thank you! That's an awesome car, definitely fun to ride around in. That'll be nice once it's fixed up, it'll look like new! And our hood ornament for our 76 Eldorado popped off a few years ago. It was somewhat expensive to replace but it's not too difficult to install if you do it yourself. Thank you so much for commenting and for watching the video!
I owned a 1976 coupe Deville in aqua marine blue with a white padded landaue roof an fully optioned. Was a great car and it jade the optional 500 cubic inch electronic fuel injected engine. Also had white leather interior. Really was a gorgeous car.
Wow, I absolutely love the combination of blue and white. It truly does sound gorgeous. It’s also rare to have fuel injection! Thank you, Dan, for telling me about your coupe Deville and for watching the video. I really appreciate the support!
Car looks good. I own also own a '76 Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine. Triple black. Rear seat (and jump seats) are done in crushed velour. The crushed velour was available in black and dark blue (not counting special orders). These are very elegant and unique cars.
Thank you! Very nice, I'd love to see one of these 75's in black. Interesting, how did the special orders work? Could you only special order interior colors? And I agree, they are very special cars. Thank you for watching the video!
@@JW_Reviews I looked at a 1969 9-passenger sedan for sale in 2012. The rear seat and jump seats were gold leather. Definitely a special order. Yes, I believe special orders were mainly interior color and fabric. I do have a video of my '76. Had to register with another username because I could not log in for some reason. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gW4pSCnyxeM.html
Wow! That definitely would have been special. I think it's so cool how these cars could be custom ordered like that. Nice video! I've got to say, the partition does look pretty nice on the limousine versions. I especially like the black interior and exterior, very fitting!
@@JW_Reviews Thanks, mine is #246 of 834 limousines Cadillac built for the 1976 model year. Yes, I do like the partition window. I keep it up during the summer months... the A/C cools off the front compartment very fast compared to when the window is down.
James, you did a good job. The fibre optic light rods to the front door handles was called " illuminated entry system " and was unique to cadillac in 1976.
Thank you Dan! I bet that the illuminated entry system was ahead of its time and a very strong differentiator. I certainly would have wanted that if I was buying one of these new!
It's so strange to watch someone from a different, and younger generation giving a car review for a car that was built when I was a young man. I remember these cars very well, in fact, my uncle had a 1967 Fleetwood Series 75 Cadillac. He bought it in 1969 with about 10-K on the odometer. His 67 Cadillac had a 428-ci Cadillac engine, (7-liter) with about 345-HP and 480-ft-lbs of torque. It was actually the very first car I had ever driven. It was the most beautiful, well-crafted automobile I have ever had the pleasure to drive! (Just a note to James: They had car antennas that were in the windshield glass as far back as the 1960s)
I'm glad that you liked the video and hearing what I had to say from my perspective 😁 Very nice! That Series 75 must have been an intimidating car to drive as a new driver, these cars are huge!!! Hopefully you didn't have to take your drivers license test in it too haha. Ah, I didn't know they had the ability to put antennas into glass back then, thank you so much for letting me know! And thank you for watching the video, I really appreciate the support
I certainly am amazed by the little things. These cars are just so different from the cars today that the old cars all seem so special. Thank you for watching the video, Robert!
