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Is my Cadillac really rare?

4K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  HartfordGuy 
#1 ·
When I bought my 1970 Fleetwood 60-special, the seller said it is a very rare Cadillac because it doesn't have a paint code, that some rich man bought it from manufacturer with only primer and painted it himself. Is this some BS or what? Are there any advantages/disadvantages of having a car without a stamped paint code? Or are they all went without paint codes that year?

Here's how it looks. Still in original(first) paint.

 
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#2 ·
Post up the complete trim tag info. Lots of them weren't filled in very well back in the day, though. The only way you would really know is if you had the window sticker. I would say BS, though. Paint is corrosion protection, and I doubt GM would let one out without paint.
 
#4 ·
if the car really came with no paint, there should be no paint on the inside of the doors, behind the dash, under the floor carpeting, above the headliner or pretty much anywhere else its impossible to get paint without having the car torn down.
also, didnt the internal build sheet end up under the back seat or carpet in the back of the car as it went down the line?
 
#8 ·
I don't know what to think of the paint code mystery. There was a major auto strike in 1970 and there were fewer cars produced that year. Maybe when everybody went on strike some details were left unfinished. I always figured any 1970 GM car semi rare due to low production and a 60 Special should be even more rare.
 
#14 ·
There was a major auto strike in 1970 and there were fewer cars produced that year. Maybe when everybody went on strike some details were left unfinished. I always figured any 1970 GM car semi rare due to low production and a 60 Special should be even more rare.
I read that in 1970 Cadillac production hit record sales. 238,745 total, only 1,738 Sixty-Specials, wonder how many of them are still on the road.
 
#10 ·
When I bought my 1970 Fleetwood 60-special, the seller said it is a very rare Cadillac because it doesn't have a paint code, that some rich man bought it from manufacturer with only primer and painted it himself. Is this some BS or what? Are there any advantages/disadvantages of having a car without a stamped paint code? Or are they all went without paint codes that year?
I guess anything is possible, but I would check under the door sills, carpets, etc. (as was suggested) to see if there really was paint on the car when it was new.

What's most interesting is that your paint code isn't missing, it's actually "- -" (two dashes). So rather than put a paint code, they put two dashes there which implies it was intentional.
 
#13 ·
I stumbled on this page that listed available options for the 1970 Fleetwood:

http://100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1970/cad70f.htm

There is an option to request special paint. I bet that's when the paint code gets eliminated. I take it to mean not that the owner painted it, but that a non-standard paint option was requested.
 
#15 ·
The dashes on your data plate indicate that the car was ordered with a non-standard color, which was optional back in the day. Say you liked the 1970 Fleetwood Sixty Special, but none of the 21 standard Cadillac colors offered that year tickled your fancy. But, you were a big fan of the yellow on your 1956 Packard. You could order your new Cadillac to be painted at the factory in that 1956 Packard color. Didn't like the interior options available? No problem. Cadillac would upholster your new car in whatever fabric you chose. Sure, it would cost you, but when you were dropping $7200 before options on a car (in 1970!), a few hundred bucks extra wasn't a big deal.

So yes, your car is rare, as there probably wasn't another exactly like it ever made. You should order a copy of the build sheet from GM historical to see just what special color the car was ordered in.
 
#17 ·
^I actually read an article in the local paper not too long ago about people being able to do that back then. The car in question was a '76 Eldorado Convt., and the guy ran a plumbing company with all of his trucks painted MOPAR Plum Crazy Purple. He ordered his Cadillac in that color with that special paint option. They didn't want to do it, but when he threatened to take his money elsewhere, they caved and sprayed it. It was found in a barn a few years ago and restored. Looked great in that color with a white top. A really One-of-One car!
 
#16 ·
Being a 60 Special makes it rare but in reality it wouldn't be worth much more then any other Cadillac of the same year. Until you get into cars that are really collectible there isn't too much of a price difference between different models.

Probably no paint code was just the way they did it or it was custom colour like mentioned. IF GM sold cars like that it was probably just to coachbuilders.
 
#18 ·
Not sure about the above, inasmuch as painting in non-GM colours.

But...

Cadillac's order guide does definitely state that you could order your car painted in a previous year's colour, going back three years. This was for commercial owners to be able to match their fleets.

I'd bet on that, esp. as it's a Fleetwood. Could have been a funeral limo previously.

Cosmo
 
#25 ·
Correct. The dashes indicate a special color request. Ocassionally a client will request an older color to match another car in their fleet. ie: a funeral home that has dark green hearses will want to order their limousines and sedans in a matching color.

It would indeed be interesting to get a build sheet to find out what the exact color chosen was.
 
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