Learn more about this cool option available on the Cadillac Seville and Eldorado, the trip computer! And, take a walk around this 1978 Seville Elegante with me.
The trip computer was an expensive option that few people bought. The Seville was already the most expensive at $14,000 in the lineup yet the smallest Cadillac. Asking for an additional $900 option was a tall order. In today's dollars it would be about $5,000 for what is basically a fancy calculator.
I had a 92 Lincoln LSC and the reason I got rid of it in 1996 was because every electronic gadget had stopped working and the dealer was incapable of repairing it without leaving it for weeks. Other than that I loved that car!
I had a friend who bought a new 1979 Buick Riviera. It had option U40, the trip monitor. In the future I would love to hear the story of two options available in early 70’s Buick’s. First was the “Max Trac” wheel spin control offered from 1971-1974. The other is the convenience center, the little compartment available on 1972-1974 Buicks. I had a 1971 Riviera with Max Trac and a friend had a 1974 Regal with the convenience center.
I had a "descendant" of this system on my 1989 Old 98 Regency. It was perhaps the best trip computer I've ever had in a vehicle I owned. The fuel economy readout was phenomenally accurate; usually within 0.5 mpg of dead-on.
I'm old enough to remember when Canada went metric. After all these years, many things are still referred to in the old units. To this day, hardly anybody talks about fuel economy in liters per 100 km.
Thanks for this one, Adam.. Working as a new car salesman in late 1980/early 1981, we happened to get one of these black & silver color 1978 Seville Elegante models on our used car lot with only 2800 actual miles; our used car manager had picked it up at an auction. It had always been garaged, and looked showroom new.. I was sorely tempted to buy that one for myself but ultimately passed on the car. I think we had about $4500 in the car, I could have bought it for that plus $600.. But I had an always new company car and didn't really need a car so..
The EFI system in the Seville was not only the first EFI in an American MASS produced car but was also the most reliable system up to that point, proving to not only GM, but the buying public, that EFI was reliable enough to become that standard as the 1980s came and went. Love the Caddy Trip Computer! Neat system. GM really dominated these trip computer system up into the 90's, the electronic trip computer in my '90 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency Brougham was a great system with features such as instant MPG and gallons used options, things that even some modern cars don't have. That trip computer was so good that it made its way into the Aurora, almost unchanged aside from the little door it featured on the Aurora.
Adam, hands down this has to be the most Beautiful and Technologically advanced Cadillac, American Car for that matter, for the era. They were all over the road when I was in my late teens and I was in AWE. !!! GORGEOUS CAR. !!! Thanks so much for this video of the Extraordinary Original Cadillac SEVILLE. !!!!
They were beautiful cars and way ahead of anything else produced in US Murica at that time. BTW, this car shared very little of its structure with the Nova. This car and the Nova had identical 'hard points' which meant they could be build on the same assembly jigs, saving lots of money in the process.
Yes Sir, I hate the comparisons to the NOVA like the Cimarron and the Cavalier. It was no way as close as that and like you said it was loosely based on the Nova, in fact the chassis was stretched for the Seville. When you look at the Cimarron and the Cavalier you see the same car, not so with the Seville and Nova. Thanks @@MrSloika
The AACA museum in Hershey PA has a 1977 Seville that was owned by Betty White its paint was custom ordered in seafoam green with white top and interior, really neat looking car. The museum is great to see if your in the area.
Adam, perhaps for a future video you can talk about the story of GM being the first company to offer airbags as options back in 1973 or so with Cadillacs and full sized Buicks and Chevys. They beat even Mercedes by 10 years with both drivers and passenger airbag options.
Chevrolet only made the 1973 test cars, the ACRS was a full size Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac option. Not available on convertibles, wagons and limousines.
I’d be curious to know how many airbag equipped cars were actually sold, roamed the roads and were wrecked with airbag deployment. Given the dangers of the Takata airbag débâcle, have to wonder how safe those nascent units were.
@@nathanexplosion5478 It wasn't very popular, there are ACRS cars that come up for sale here and there. It was a few thousand a year. I've seen it most on loaded up Fleetwood sedans and Oldsmobile 98s, it looked a little awkward and you lost the tilt and tele wheel option.
@@rafaelfiallo4123 I’m not sure I’d want to buy one and potentially be on the receiving end of an airbag engineered in the early 70’s. Wonder how the deployment speeds compare to modern more vetted units. And if they can be safely disabled and removed. I’m curious and will need to research more.
@@nathanexplosion5478 I think they were actually more safe and successful than you might think. The thing that kept them from becoming more widely available and then ultimately GM ending the option all together until around 1990 is cost - $2000 for a car that at the time might sticker for $6500 fully loaded. Not even rich people would swing for that.
My mother bought a Subaru GL-10 in 1988 that had, amongst it's long list of futuristic whiz-bang features, an electronic trip computer. It got used exactly once, other than the outside temperature feature (which was great fun on trips, comparing it against the various bank and billboard temp displays we drove past).
I had a 1989 Ford Probe with a digital dash and trip computer. In addition to the trip computer functions, the dash would tell you if the oil, coolant and washer fluid levels were low. It would monitor function of all the lights, etc. It was just like a modern car but instead of using a center mounted LCD display it used a couple LED displays.
Frigidaire which was a GM division back then had an ad campaign advertising its 1957-58 appliances as having the "Sheer Look". Front light monitors on Buick cars from the same period had the flasher monitor in the center and on both sides there was a blue and green lens for the outer (low beam) and inner (high beam) lamp. Rear monitors were also on C and E bodies back then a single monitor for each side link to one of the combined tail/brake lights no matter how many taillights were on the car. The antenna switches on other GM cars equipped with the automatic power antenna back then also allowed to raise it fully in the "up lock" position or to about 8" when left in the normal position. Antennas could still be lowered or raised manually while the radio was turned on and remained closed with the radio turned off.
Thats a brochure shot NOT an advertisement, that brochure shot you show is from the 1979 Cadillac brochure, it was available on the new downsized Eldorado. Buick also had a simpler version available on the Riviera in 1979-80.
Wow! I've never seen a trip computer in a 78 Eldo, those photos are like from an alternate universe, digital speedo? I need to see one of these in the wild to believe they actually sold any. Thank you for all your awesome videos!
@TeeroyHammermill I agree. The 78 stock eldo didn't even have a computer (the Fuel Injection version did but was different from sevilles) so is the photo at 6:09 fake???
Great video. While I knew that the trip computer was an option on the 1978-79 Sevilles, I never saw one equipped this way in person. Even a moonroof was not all that common, though I had a cousin who had one on his Seville, which was in that two-tone black over silver color. One rather unique feature that I've never heard mentioned was the positioning of the radio antenna; this vehicle is the only one that I recall having the antenna on the driver's side fender instead of the usual placement on the right side fender or even on the rear quarter panels.
This was basically what became the MPG Sentinel in 1981, with the added cylinder displacement info and then later the Fuel Data Center from 1982 and up, but they removed the engine data like RPM, though that can still be called up by the OBD system in the climate control.
Isn't it interesting that the commercial says it was only available on the Seville, but the brochure mentioned the Eldorado? The Bendix (not Bosch) EFI was first available on the 1975 500" engines, and was allegedly available on the 425" engines afterward. My theory is that while the electronics would have been there to give the Eldorado the Trip Computer, they they would have had to redesign the pre-existing (and-about-to-be-replaced) dashboards. The EFI Oldsmobile 350 of course lasted through the '79 Seville and Eldorado (til 1980 in California.) Then the DFI came in with the self diagnostics and MPG Sentinel - which were probably the only functions that owners bothered with on the Trip Computer...
When I was a kid we pulled a pop up camper from Columbus Oh to Gatlinburg with one of these. You could feel the heat from the transmission coming from the tunnel.
You failed to mention that the fuel gauge is digital as well, this was an expensive option, $985 from what I recall, that's like $4,000 in Ameropesos today.....
I don't think most drivers would have used it especially back then I see people in New cars still holding their phone when virtually all cars now have Blue tooth
The Humble Tiger!!! I remember around 1970 they opened a new Humble station near my house, and they had a guy there dressed up like the Humble Tiger! I think they were giving away drinking glasses too. Later, they changed their name to Exxon.
Perhaps it is because Bendix built the electrojector EFI, then sold the patents to Bosch due to low sales. It ended up in some Chryslers in the 1950s, but was cancelled because it had too many problems.
My mother bought a '79 Cadillac Seville when I was in high school and I got a chance to drive it occaasionally. Ironically my step-father was driving a '75 Buick Apollo which was Buick's Nova clone which means both vehicles came from the same bones. The Buick was not nearly as nice as the Cadillac. The Seville was not an Elegante but was finished in a brown color with a brown vinyl roof (nicer color in person than describing it). It had the gas Olds 350 engine. It had leather seats, the package that included the mirror thermometer and the exterior key light mentioned in this video. And it had a CB radio integrated into the main factory radio system, which was cool on long trips. The wheels were the wire wheel caps, not the true wire wheels. She eventually traded the car for a '84 Sedan Deville, which was a larger vehicle with a much worse engine. Now I'm obviously very tall and while the Seville was pretty cozy on the inside, I could get behind the wheel thanks to the tilt/telescoping wheel and lack of a center console in cars of that era.
Thank you Adam. I recall seeing photos of this generation with digital gauges and was shocked. It was some years ago. I was impressed. Cadillac put a lot of technology in this car. They really thought this car out. I can tell you it was not until few years later you saw digital gauges in Lincoln Mercury products in 1980 I think. So Cadillac was first with digital gauges in American cars. I know the Aston Martin Lagonda had them in 1976. A lot of the features on this Seville made their way to other GM cars. My 1992 Toronado has keyholes that light up. This car impacted so many GM cars on so many levels. My Oldsmobiles have trip computers too. I see this car I instantly think 1982-1986 G Body Pontiac Bonneville. This is how they should have invested in the Cimarron. It is interesting how competitive this car was at the time and had a Cadillac flair. It is interesting this international sized car became full sized by today's definition in length. Hard to believe the 1986-1991 Seville was a smaller car because of the downsizing era at GM. Thank you for confirming the Nova chassis basis as well.
7:40 Ford Aerospace designed a trip computer for Lincoln Town Car a year later, with a similar button count. Over time they reduced the button count to only (3) while retaining all functionality. This improved customer acceptance, safety in operation and usability.
My Aunts husband had a 77 model back in the 80's. First car I ever saw someone start without using the gas pedal. This car was probably the best luxury car you could buy in the 70s. Way better than Mercedes of the era.
Indeed, I entered the auto repair business when carb engines were next to extinct outside of collector cars. I would turn the key and expect a start. I would write notes about what it needed, until one of the older guys reminded me to work the accelarator pedal.
@@skylinefeverGM had better diagnostic software than most, they managed to do their diagnostics while driving, not just during a specific self-test mode like Ford did. GM/Delco was also a huge customer of Motorola. They used truckloads of a custom version of a 6801 in the early 1980s and a custom version of the 68HC11 in the later 1980s through around 1996 when OBD-Ii came out.
GM owned Hughes Aircraft at this time and Hughes was a world leader in electronics. Some of Hughes electronics know-how trickled down into GM's cars. BTW, the 4100HT (Hook & Tow) was a POS as far as the engine was concerned, but the ODB I electronics that were included with that engine were quite sophisticated for the time. I had the 4.9 version of the HT engine and diagnostics (bi-directional) could be entered by pressing the buttons on the climate control and the results displayed on the dashboard. Today it's impossible to repair a car without thousands of dollars worth of electronic test gear and very expensive subscriptions to software.
@@kevinbarry71 You're right. They didn't buy Hughes until 1985. For some reason I recall GM either doing business with Hughes or some other aerospace company at the time. Or my old brain is starting to go. One or the other.
The only thing I did not like about those cars is that the front doors do not open up enough to get the seats out without rubbing the door panels,door panels should be removed before the seats.but have not worked on one for over 20 years and probably never again.
My '80 Eldorado had a digital MPG sentinel in place of where that computer would have been. It had MPG average, a trip mode, and one of the first (that I'm aware) instant MPG mode! We had fun as kids watching that mode quite honestly display it's horrible city mileage as we drove around. To this day in my modern cars -out of habit- I always select that mode as default if they have it.
Ford did a pretty good job of improving the Granada's ride, problem was the Versailles looked like a Granada that got puked on by a very ill JC Whitney catalog.
I do like the electrical system plus it being fully mechanical so for sale at the electronics break you can just use it mechanically 180 horsepower is pretty good my 1988 Lincoln Town car only had 150 hp at the crankshaft
I would guess he truly loves this stuff and could go on for hours and hours. In fact the only thing holding him back is having to make the videos and upload them.
This had multiport injection, or did I miss hear? Why wouldn't they use that on the 8 6 4? With the throttle body injection they had a wet intake but with multiport that would have eliminated that, right? Weird choice.
Adam, have you already highlighted the Seville Gucci edition? I automatically think of the Cadillac Madeline Kahn drove in the movie High Anxiety when I see one of those tarted-up Cadillacs. They also came with a set of Gucci luggage. Do you own one?
That interior color of that era Cadillac was GORGEOUS ! Since 1990 Every Automaker has been shoving Gloomy Grey and Boring Black down everyone’s throats for 34 years. It doesn’t cost the automakers any more money to put classy interior colors like Light Tan, Cream, Brown, Blue or Red than it does for the Outdated, Drab, Putrid, Depressing Grey or Black that the Dictators of the interior designers. After almost 35 years of those colors being shoved down everyone’s throats is Pathetic. We REFUSE to buy another vehicle with Grey or Black interior colors. The interior color designers can go 🖕🏽Themselves ! Since the automakers have priced themselves out of the market, one would think that they would actually ask their “Valued Customers” what they be want instead of taking away their own decisions
BMW targeted the Sevlle in their sales brochures. They even included pictures pointing out fit and finish issues. Also the BMW trip computer has many of the same features and a similar square button lay out that persisted well into the 90's. Bottom line GM invented the 4 door sports car BMW ran with it.
@@randyfitz8310 First BMW dealership opened in 1975 In the 60's there was had the Oldsmobile F-85. Those were the sporty hot American Sedans of the 60's. By the late 70 BMW was trying to go upmarket and hit back against the Cadillac Seville with the E21's higher build quality and bigger engines.
@@TeeroyHammermillI've owned and driven both an '87 Cimarron with the 2.8 liter Chevy V6 under hood as well as a 1994 Fleetwood and its LT1 350 mill. Each had pluses and minuses to say nothing of the fact that deer leapt into the road while driving mine.
Beauty but that offset entry light offends mine eye. Those thermometer on the side view mirror was great - better than the currently typical intake temp taken from the ECM data. Switching out the speedo to the digital most likely a disincentive to the option. Litres/100Km is the inverse of MPG, not sure why that is a good thing.
I can never get past that unbelievably ugly, in my opinion, vertical backlight. It makes me want to vomit. General Motors would inflict that awful design element on Americans for quite a while afterwards. And don't forget, this car has leaf springs just like a pickup truck.
The Versailles had leaf springs in the back as well. Ford bolted a 9inch with discs to the those leaf springs. For years the only to get disc brake on the back of an early Mustang was to find a Versailles donor.
