It’s not often anymore that I’m stopped dead in my tracks by a curbside classic. I think I’ve grown callous after having contributed here for seven years and counting. Another GM A-body? Meh. A rusted Accord wagon? It’s been done, over and over. I can’t bring myself to photograph another K car derivative. But when I came across this fourth-generation Cadillac Seville, it did stop me, and hard.
I came of age in the Seville era. A buddy in middle school was from a well-to-do family, and they drove one of the originals. I know it was a distinctive, even groundbreaking design that set GM’s styling direction for a decade, but it didn’t excite me. I guess I wasn’t in the demographic.
That family swiftly upgraded to the second-gen Seville when it was introduced, and what a cartoon it was.
Then there was the third-gen Grand Somerset Seville Ciera. Woof. The Seville had lost its way.
I remember being deeply impressed with the fourth-gen Seville’s looks when it was new. Car and Driver liked the car, naming it one of the 1992 10 Best. When the Northstar V8 was introduced in 1993, it got good press. Had Cadillac got its mojo back?
Then the fifth generation came. As GM was wont to do back then, they evolved a great shape into something not nearly as great. Every exciting line and curve had been watered down and made anonymous. It doesn’t look bad, and it certainly looks better than the second and third generation Sevilles. But Cadillac smoothed all of the excitement out of the previous generation’s body.
The 1992-97 Cadillac Seville still looks great – its styling has aged well. Too bad the Northstar ended up having so many reliability issues. Here’s hoping the person who owns this one got the engine properly sorted.
Given the Seville’s styling appears influenced by the 1980 Ferrari Pinin concept that debuted at the 1980 Turin Auto Show, the shape has aged very well. Especially considering this similar design has been around 40 years. Credit to Cadillac for giving this Seville a genuinely very brawny appearance, mainly with taller body sides and large tires and wheels. If only the 1980 Seville looked this good, Cadillac’s failed 80s history may have turned out much better.
The sad irony is that 1980 concept car isn’t far off from stuff GM itself was playing around with in the late ’70s so that very well could’ve been the secondgen Seville. It would’ve been controversial, but it would’ve been the *right kind* of controversial, bringing in new buyers while those who found it too slick and unadorned could be shown a Fleetwood.
The bustleback was the *wrong* kind of controversial, actively repelling certain Caddy loyalists along with almost everyone who wasn’t.
I agree. GM produced some nicely styled concepts in the late 70s and early 80s, but the corporation took the formal, conservative route for many of their production designs. I was a fan of the Aero X dating from 1981. If only the bland and safe Citation and Phoenix looked remotely this good as 5 door hatchbacks. GM could have been the domestic design leader of the 80s.
Larger image.
Coke bottle shape, Kamm tail, look at the window shapes…this is the 92 Park Avenue.
The whiteshioe Cadillac loyalists loved the bustleback. It sold just fine exc when the whole market stank. Cadillac still had less flamboyant cars for buyers without the guts to stand out.
Maximum E/K sales in this generation were limited by the unique transmission, which was planned to stop after 1985.
Good spot – not linked these before or indeed anything to the Pinin.
This was a very attractive design, the first one I recall noticing was purchased by the owner of the company that I worked for right out of college. They purchased an early one in dark green, it replaced a prior generation white one, what a contrast from the Friday to the Monday in the parking lot. Of course it also showed up the week after the company-wide announcement that this would be the first year without raises in company history for the employees due to economic conditions forever linking the car to “those bastards” in my mind.
Hence I find the next generation even more attractive and think it has aged even better. Both generations are still very common in junkyards now showing how good of a seller they were.
It is indeed too bad about the Northstar. A used car lot near me has had one of these Sevilles sitting in the same back corner spot for over two years now as everything else moves and changes. I can only guess why.
I didn’t have too much trouble with my Northstar in my ’94 STS until after 75,000 miles. I went though a couple of starters, which were an expensive hassle because they were located under the intake manifold. A couple of radiators, one after 100k. There was problem with a stuck thermostat that caused overheating. Those thermostat housings would sometimes spring a leak which looked worse than it actually was. I never had any problems with the spark plugs. There was also an early problem with the transmission shift solenoid. The worst problem was with the oil leaks that developed from the front and rear engine seals. Replacement required the removal of the engine and transmission, which meant that they never got fixed. Well, maybe I did have a lot of trouble with the car! What really disappointed me was the car didn’t make it past 100k without a lot of hassles. The car looked and drove great, and had plenty of room in the backseat and trunk. My ’96 4.6 Mustang just turned 213,000 miles with one quarter of the problems I’ve had with the Cadillac. My experience has turned me off to Cadillac.
While there seems to be a lack of love towards the second gen, I have a soft spot in my heart for it. I actually liked the styling, and I was able to borrow one exactly like the one pictured for chauffeuring my newly married sister and her husband from the wedding reception to the hotel to start their honeymoon. A family friend who was a used car dealer allowed me to drive it, and I remember it well. The early computer in the dash telling you immediate gas mileage, stuff like that, all gee whiz stuff to a kid who was driving a base model Escort at the time. When you put in context with the style of the early to mid 80s, it really is not that out there, and while dated, it seems to wear well in my mind. And this is one of the few models where the 4 door Seville looked oh so much better than the 2 door El Dorado. Proportions matter, regardless of how GM stylists felt at the time….
Sevilles have always been a hit or miss situation. Those who love them, really love them. Those that don’t seem to focus on the platform, or the shared models with other divisions, and rightly so, but this was a product of a Cadillac division that had lost its way and was one of the few bright points during that time.
Definitely true about the design of these cars having aged well. I’d go so far as to say that it looks better today than it did in 1992. The example you found looks to be in remarkably great shape.
The interior was welcoming and well-designed too. Quite a shame about the Northstar problems; this was mighty close to being a good car.
We had one of these Sevilles in our family until leaky freeze plugs did it in in 2015. It was a thrill to drive and really felt stiff bodied compared to anything I’d often driven before. The freeze plugs, like so many serious Northstar issues, are an engine-out job, making them inappropriate for an otherwise worn and 20+ year old car. I’ve always thought these owed stylistically to the Quattroporte III. The 4.9 versions were probably spirited enough, but the Northstar was a legit predator when it came out. 275hp was A Big Deal in 1993, and 300 was almost exotic. These had lovely seats, a smooth transmission, and made nice noises, too. If the 2002 head bolts had been in the 1993 engines, they’d be remembered more favorably. Likewise if their owners had proven as willing to pop for the high money repairs like BMW owners do.
I agree completely – this car was striking when it came out and is maybe more so today. It really felt like Cadillac was coming back after years of getting kicked in the head by Lincoln (let alone Lexus and the Germans). Little did I know about the grenade-like engine or that Cadillac’s momentum was about over.
It’s a real what if car too, imagine had this had come out in 1986 instead of 1992, Cadillac might have had just enough prestige left in it to curb the stodgy image the brand would get after the previous years of being out of touch chock full of engineering disasters.
The styling does look as good or better now as ever. In a way I equate the design to the Lincoln Mark VII but with 4 doors, both are attractive modern youthful designs, but give up none of their brand identities in doing it. It’s a shame other products didn’t match and carry on with it through the years, it’s been a constant quest to reinvent for them since
A real standout, a beautiful piece of design that could easily have borne the name of one of the world’s top carrozzeria. After a decade or so in the doldrums, at last GM produced a beautiful car, one that would not look out of place in traffic anywhere in the world. Who would have thought they had it in them? 🙂
A bit of parts-bin engineering trivia: the 1992 Cad Seville-Eldorado headlamps were recycled for the 1997 C5 Chev Corvette—except, on the US-spec Corvette lamp, a plastic lens rather than glass and deleted low beam bulb shield (reduced build cost and cheaper lift motors and geartrains). The lamps directly interchange across the Cadillacs and the Corvettes.
Never would have guessed that. Of course you normally see Vettes with the lights down and if they are up then they are probably on making it hard to see details.
I see someone else shares my views on it. I can’t think of another Cadilliac, besides it’s close cousin the same era Eldorado, whose appearance I also liked, that ever looked good, at least since the 50s. It had a hot rod engine for the day, which I guess wasn’t as troublefree as it should have been and I’ve heard they handled like pigs, but they looked good. You’ve got to start somewhere and good looking sheetmetal is a huge start.
These didn’t “handle like pigs” – I drove the Eldo which shared this platform a lot whilst working for GM in Germany and it was great – solid, not much understeer and little torquesteer. Very surefooted car on wet Autobahnen.
And it went like a rocket compared to my Calibra Turbo, which was itself quite fast for the day. That Northstar was a great motor to use, shame about its problems.
And the Seville was better looking than the coupe – I concur that it is a great design that has aged incredibly well….
Still have my 1991 Seville STS. Runs like a scared rabbit. While I loved the look of the 92, the guys at the dealer shop told me it was a dog compared to my 4.9L 91 STS. Those extra 20 inches gave more leg room in the rear seats but the added weight and length made it a much less nimble car. I kept my Green Machine serviced and have had few issues except for 3 power steering pumps in 165K miles and a redo on the injectors 5 years ago. She’s vintage so parts are now an issue but she stays in the family as an heirloom. .Dont care much for the new ones.. so this is my 3rd and last Caddy.
The movie Heat had that great scene where the just-released Caddy was the car of choice for flat-out speeding to the big meetup.
I find this design thoughtful and coherent overall, except at the rear. Cadillacs are meant to have at least a hint of tailfin, or at the very least vertical taillights. The back of this ’92-’97 Seville is all wrong for the rest of the car. Much too Camrylike.
The rear styling of the same-year Eldorado is much closer to being on target.
Wow this looks nearly identical to my mom’s long time friend that works at my school who has a 1994 just like this one, even the color. She bought it brand new and still has it, Northstar and all. It comes out and is driven only during the fair weather periods and is stored during the Winter. It now has over 100K and so far no issues with the Northstar engine that I’m aware of. She does follow the maintenance schedule to the letter so that may have a lot to do with it but other than a few old age issues she still loves it and it still looks like a new car! She has owned Cadillacs over the years and this was her last new one and she sited styling and performance/ride and handling as why this was her favorite to date. She doesn’t like any of the new ones.