| Re: Cadillac History
Hello,
It's fun to see the enthusiasm of people who love cars! Maybe it is time to write yet another book on Cadillacs?! Just wanted to fill in a few details which may make the history more intersting and detailed.
Cimarron: The car was introduced with the 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine for the 1982 model year which had poor performance yet great fuel economy. Plus, 1982 model had bland styling which was intended to be more European but the typical Cadillac buyer didn't care and wanted flash. The 1982 model was also only a 4-seater since there was an annoying plastic storage divider on the bottom of the rear seat which prevented passengers from sitting in the middle. To differentiate it from other GM variants and make it more classy, the Cimarron had a sunroof, alloy wheels, and a delightful leather interior. For 1983, the car became a 5 seater and a revised, more Cadillac looking grille was fitted as were more interesting taillights. A 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine replaced the 1.8 so the car had better performance. In the early 1980's people were putting vinyl tops and continental kits on the back of the Cimarron since, after all, it was a Cadillac! GM wanted it to be a BMW fighter and Cadillac buyers at the time didn't seem to know or care what a BMW was! By the time the V6 was introduced the car was done and it didn't matter how good it had become. Gas was cheap and bigger was better. If it becomes a collector piece I'll be surprised since no one wanted it then and I can't see anyone seriously wanting one now.
V8-6-4: I own a Cadillac with this engine and it is pathetic! Everyone seems to complain about the same problems - - rough operation in 6-cyl mode, frequent annoying shifting from 4 to 6, etc., etc. Mr. History says: "The V8-6-4 departed from the main Cadillac line after the 1981 model year, but remained the standard engine, without the v8-6-4 feature, for factory Cadillac limousines for another four years" - - this is not correct. The V8-6-4 in the factory limousines and commercial chassis made from 1982 through 1984 is the same disasterous engine as in 1981 WITH the 8-6-4 and all. The 1982 and 1983 Limousine models even have the same V8-6-4 engine badges on the fenders as in 1981. In 1984, all Cadillacs dropped the engine badges likely because Cadillac wasn't too proud of what they were putting under the hoods, but the V8-6-4 made its last appearance quietly under the hood of the 1984 factory limos.
86 Eldo: It was what it was - - designed in anticipation of super expensive gas. Let's face it, the 1985 deVille/Fleetwood were tiny, bland, and just as absurd as the '86 Eldo. Plus, GM wanted to make the cars more Euro styled and Cadillac buyers obviously, as they became even more grey, wanted pomp and circumstance! Cad drivers wanted vinyl tops, wire wheel covers, button-tufted upholstery, and acres of simulated wood! The '86 Eldo, like the Seville, were trying to be more tailored and sophistocated and less over the top and glitzy like the previous generation Eldos made from 1979-85. The 1986 car had alloy wheels standard, less chrome, no vinyl top option on the base car, yet had real wood inside and classy understated interiors. Plus, the '86 Eldo was pretty easy to drive in town and handled better than the previous full size car. Cadillac buyers hated the 1986 model since they wanted a Cadillac and not a BMW. Plus, gas was getting cheap and big was back in style! These buyers were growing older by the minute and Cadillac gave in when the restyled 1988 Eldorado, based on the 1986-87, was quickly rushed to market with more length, more vinyl, and more wire wheel covers.
Eldorado Brougham: More sophistocated than the standard Cadillac of the day yet still a bit flashy for the truly monied buyer. The Europeans were starting to push into the ultra exclusive luxury car market in the U.S. and Cadillac needed to assert itself as the maker of a genuine "standard of the world" since the standard Cadillac models of 1957 were hardly that compared with the high quality, performance, engineering, and safety in the very expensive Mercedes and Rolls-Royce. In 1957, people with serious $$$ and taste really wanted the all out class of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley and that's what they spent their $13,000+ on back in the day. Cadillac used to make super high class cars through the 1930's (i.e. the REAL Fleetwoods), but in the 1940's and 1950's the volume went up, the exclusivity went down, and the prices were just a skosh above the more ordinary premium cars and Cadillac became the car to own if you had a little bit of money and could afford to stretch just beyond a Buick or Mercury. This strategy made Cadillac a ton of money yet, in my opinion, cheapened the prestige of the brand. The Eldorado Brougham didn't make big sales numbers and certainly didn't make profits so it's an interesting piece for a collector today yet it really didn't have much significance as a model for Cadillac then. This era was the beginning of the big slide for Cadillac as a leader in the true exclusive luxury car field.
HT engines: The HT meant "high technology" and in the day it was hated by Cadillac buyers because gas was starting to get cheap and drivers wanted to go fast and waste gas driving all over the place. Where was the big old strong iron engine like Buick and Lincoln had? Cadillac completely missed the boat with this engine.
MJDART: "As for the engines the 500 cu in that resided in my moms 76 Eldo was unmatched in torque. Then the next year she got a black Eldo Biaritz with the 425 cu in Oldsmobile engine. It was a good engine but no where near as good." - - I'm surprised no one commented on this - - the 425 Oldsmobile engine?
All part of the fun!
Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!
Dave |