When I was in the third grade, I received for Christmas an ID bracelet with my first name engraved on it. It was a simple design, much in the vein of those that century-old jewelry company Speidel has sold a bazillion of, which were especially popular in the 1970s. I had never owned an item of jewelry before then, and the personalization of it with my given first name made it seem all the more special. I remember feeling a bit weird about it at first, and asking my parents if it was okay for boys to wear jewelry.
I remember the answer being along the lines that men and boys sometimes wear certain kinds of jewelry, and that an ID bracelet was a popular accessory for males (probably delivered in my mom’s typical “boys-do-this-and-girls-do-that” manner). I loved that thing. I remember that when I looked at the “JOSEPH” inscription on its front, those were among my first conscious experiences of feeling ownership of myself at that young age. I was Joseph, I was me, and my life was going to be great.
I don’t remember what ended up happening to that bracelet, but I can say with certainty that it was gone by the fourth grade. I’m assuming I simply must have lost it, and also that this made me very upset. I’ve been on something of a journey of personal reclamation over the past year or so, and recently, I purchased another ID bracelet for myself, almost forty years after I owned the first one. It is, again, inscribed with my full, given first name, and is very much in the simple style of that bracelet I owned as a kid. I am Joseph, I am me…
In searching online for what I wanted, I discovered that there is a proliferation of designs and styles of ID bracelets available for purchase. I wanted something that looked clean and basic enough to wear casually, but classic enough not to look out of place when wearing clothes that were a little bit nicer. There were other designs that featured links that resembled those of a bicycle chain, or like a modern watchband without a watch, or even with beads, skulls or other embellishments that didn’t necessarily speak to my own personal style.
I ended up finding exactly what I wanted, which was a more traditionally styled item of jewelry that harkens back to a different time. Our featured 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, of which roughly 49,000 were produced, embodied this same type of idea in its day, having been manufactured in only the second year of the concurrent, front-wheel-drive DeVille that had been introduced for 1985.
Stated another way, the big D-Body Fleetwood Brougham had originally been the first downsized DeVille when it was introduced (in pre-restyled form) for ’77, but by the time this ’86 was on the lot, there were now two model years of overlap between the old- and new-style mainstream Cadillac. For buyers who wanted the kind of simple elegance they were used to, they could choose the larger car with the older design, instead of opting for the unfamiliar modernity of the new one.
The new-style DeVille seems more like the sartorial equivalent of the newest style of suit for young professionals, versus a more traditional cut that would withstand the passing of trends a bit better. The ’86 Fleetwood Brougham looks much more elegant and purposeful to me than does the same-year Sedan DeVille. There were a few examples of ID bracelets I had found that tempted me with their unique, modern interpretations of design, but ultimately, I wanted something that was going to look as timeless as the childhood piece I wish I still owned. The rear-wheel-drive D-Body for ’86 also looks timeless; The front-drive C-Body does not. Granted, an ID bracelet or the brightwork on the large ’86 isn’t for everyone, but for some, it’s just enough.
New Cadillacs looked like this ’86 Brougham when I was a young elementary school student, and I had a chance to ride in one that was owned by the parents of one of my dad’s students from the university. When I look at Cadillac D-Bodies of this era, I often recall just how special it felt to be riding in a new one (even if I was on someone’s lap), with the look and smell of the leather, the quiet isolation from the world outside, and simply the fact that I was riding in a new Cadillac, as if I somehow belonged or deserved to be there in that moment.
My new ID bracelet may not make me anything that I’m not already, but I’m glad to have it as a simple visual reminder of who Joseph Dennis is. My hope is that the owner of this Fleetwood Brougham feels as special every time he or she sits inside this nice example of what was once considered a premier traditional American luxury automobile.
Edgewater Glen, Chicago, Illinois.
Saturday, January 2, 2021.
Joseph, I think one of the apartment buildings behind the Caddy goes well with your point. I love that building (on the right, 4th picture) that the owners have juuuust sliiightly modernized with the green window frames and red door- just a bit of color, but still a classic North Side brick building, no weird modernist additions or anything.
Chris, the red door definitely got my attention, but it took your comment to make me notice the green window frames. Seeing this car on the second day of the new year, coming right after the holidays where red and green are everywhere, it only seems appropriate that this was in the backdrop.
As always for you, it’s a great pic. Even if you don’t realize it at the time. 🙂
I also had one of those ID bracelets in about fourth grade, but it was soon superseded by a Timex wristwatch from Woolworth’s (I was so spoiled.) It didn’t occur to me you could wear them simultaneously.
My only experience with one of those Cadillacs were a few rides in a sunny yellow one owned by a cousin’s aging boyfriend. She was the other woman in a love triangle, so I’ve always associated this generation a little bit with over-the-hill swingers. Maybe the yellow, instead of a dignified brown or black, was a tip-off he wasn’t an entirely respectable citizen.
My confession: I actually really like that buttery yellow color on Cadillacs of the late ’70s. I can certainly see in this case, though, how an association would have been formed!
These vehicles had a fabulous ride and comfort. I had need to rent them during the 1980’s for taking customers to GMC plants in Michigan and Wisconsin.
My father dreamed for decades of owning a Cadillac. And, although he’d always been able to afford one from the day he left the Chevrolet dealership there was always something more important to spend the money on. Two kids to put thru college (the second including medical school), etc.
Spring of 1986, with the last child married off, mom sat dad down and gently read him the riot act. How much longer are you going to put this off, what else do you need to spend our money on? They were at the Cadillac dealership the next morning, mom picked out the car, a pretty metallic blue, and the dream was realized.
Six months later, mom was dead.
I don’t think dad drove that car five times after that. The joy was gone. I seem to remember he traded it on another Buick something or other (by that point Buick had replaced Chevrolet as dad’s daily driver), and the car was never mentioned again.
I borrowed that Caddy once in the last six months. The wife and I had some kind of shindig at the local incredibly exclusive country club (one of only two times I ever got in the door, and the quiet entrance) and I didn’t think our Dodge Omni would really fit. What a disappointment! Fit and finish in that car sucked, and there was definitely no feeling of old school luxury in it at all.
Dad’s dreams of Cadillac weren’t the only ones that died with that car.
A lawyer I once worked with had the same experience. He grew up poor and had always wanted a Cadillac. He was a hard working guy and finally bought a new Sedan DeVille in 1981 – the famous V8-6-4. I don’t recall him having any trouble with the car but when he was ready for a new car in 1986 it was a new Honda Accord LX.
The Cadillac was, for him, kind of like that Peggy Lee song from about 1970 – Is That All There is? After that he bought a new Accord with each generation until the day he died, all paid for with cash.
It’s large and makes a statement but by the time this pictured year’s model was on the road, I think more than a bit passe as opposed to what thay represented in 1978 for example. For some reason these (in the darker colors) always give me more of a Joe Pesci “Casino” vibe as opposed to a Michael Douglas “Gordon Gecko” vibe. Although there may be more similarities than differences there after all…
Definitely needs a pinkie ring though.
The later facelift and then reskin were steps backward from this classic. Modernizing the mechanicals with IRS and losing some plastichrome and length would have meant competing with the FWD cars, so it never happened.
These days, Cadillac would love to sell 49,000 of any model.
The theme of self-esteem that runs through this post is to be admired. You know who Joseph is; you know what Joseph likes.
Joseph has a strong identity.
That Cadillac is the same. Thirty-five years of its own identity amidst the turmoil surrounding it.
Now, as for that grey blob next to it…what IS it, anyway?
G. Poon, thank you. Immediately after getting these pictures, I started wondering what direction I would take my inevitable essay, and wondering if I would tie the Cadillac somehow to the Honda Fit next to it. It ultimately didn’t go that way, but I did have that thought, so it was funny that you mentioned it. Sometimes I just start writing with a basic idea, and the details seem to fill in as I go.
This C/D body design really is timeless – I hope whoever is driving it enjoys the hell out of it like I do my 88 (writeup here) – https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1988-cadillac-brougham-last-christmas-at-clark-street/
But these cars are not cheap – I had to have the transmission in mine rebuilt twice at $2k/pop within 2 years. Not to mention buying new trim pieces, floormats, various electronics, and fluid film rustproofing to keep it from being eaten away here in Western PA if I take it out of a spin in the winter. It needs a new grill as the plastic has broken off in two places where it bolts onto the front clip.
Even with all of that, it is the one car that my wife has told me we can’t sell. Igor is the vehicle that gets to live a pampered life in our garage out of the elements, pampered with hand washing and waxing. No matter what the issue, we whip out the checkbook to keep him on the road and in good condition.
We love the car so much that he was a big part of the wedding….looking like the timeless piece of jewelry that he is.
Great picture, congratulations to you and your bride!
Tell me more about the rustproofing – I would think that would ultimately be a losing battle. With the amount of road salt used here in MA, a car like that needs to hibernate from November through March.
Fluid film can be sprayed DIY or by installers. Also Krown is a good coating, just not that black undercoating that traps moisture. There’s a few good videos on it on YT at South Main Auto channel.
Being in MI on top of a mountain of salt, the roads are white first with snow and then salt! But I go to Ontario where salt is also used but I see many extinct cars in Michigan. Because many drivers get their cars coated with Krown or other oil-based breathable coatings.
My classics stay indoors until I am sure that the salt has washed away in the spring.
It’s a breathable oil that protects the metal from road salt/rust. I don’t drive it in bad weather but I don’t want to not drive it at all for half the year here in Pittsburgh. I had a professional shop do the whole underside of the car for $300 – worth it since they have a lift and can get up under the car with ease.
Igor doesn’t get driven when the roads are white (snow or salt), but this is cheap insurance if there’s a storm on the occasion that I’m out and about in the winter.
And thanks Jim!
Tom, thanks for linking your post on Igor (great name for him, BTW!), and equally great wedding day photo!
Thank you for the kind words Joseph! You have a great writing style (very emotive), and tell stories in the same vein as Jean Shepard. Glad you always have the camera at the ready.
Thanks for another very fine essay, Joseph.
Many thanks, Paul, for the great opportunity to write and share these cars and stories.
President George H W Bush (41) had one of these when he returned to Houston in 1993. It was a great looking dark blue color and it looked very “Presidential”.
Thank you! You gave me an idea for a gift for my little son, and myself- he’s a Junior.
Both the car and city have presence.
It’s a sad commentary though Caddy had more success with an old design, just as Chrysler had their’s with the Volare Fifth Ave- which I love btw.
The best of this long running series were the early big block ones (425?). Uncle had a 77. Under normal driving, rpms never much over idle. Powerful, reliable waifty effortlessness in a great chassis. Think of Henry Hill’s coupe in Goodfellas. I wish they kept an option of the 425- updated with injection and OD, instead of the just adequate Olds 5.0 and Chevy 5.7. Probably too heavy/drank too much gas to be considered.
Diesel, HT4100 and bored out Buick V6s were installments of GMs Deadly Sins…
Thanks, Keith. I have no firsthand experience with these cars (aside from riding in one), but from almost everything I’ve read about the 425, it’s all been good stuff. The word “effortless” that you used to describe your uncle’s ’77 is, to me, what a car like this should be all about.
Joseph, this essay is amazing – just as they always are. I seriously look forward to your posts… thank you for another great one!
When I was a young kid, I also received an ID bracelet from a family member, probably purchased from the Spiegel Catalogue. The only problem with the bracelet, and the reason I never wore it, was that it was inscribed with my formal given name “Thomas” , rather then “Tommy”, which everyone called me and went by. I always felt that people would question why it said Thomas. Plus, I also questioned wearing a bracelet. Therefore, the ID bracelet was put in a drawer, never worn, and eventually donated to a thrift shop when I was in my 30’s. Till today, I am not a jewelry wearer. I even replaced my watch with my cell phone to tell the time.
I feel as if the downsized 1985 DeVille’s and Fleetwood’s were much like my ID bracelet. Labeled incorrectly like my ID bracelet was inscribed incorrectly . People questioned why they were labeled DeVille or Fleetwood, as they didn’t look the part, and shouldn’t of been labeled with those names.
Over the years, I grown to appreciate the look of the 1985 downsized models. The 1989 updates did give them a more Cadillac like appearance, but still nothing like a classic Cadillac.
I really wish Cadillac would bring back big, luxurious, classy cars. Maybe there’s a glimmer of hope with the new EV models due to come out….
Thanks so much, Tom. It’s funny you mentioned how you didn’t fully relate to your entire given first name on that bracelet. I wonder if my parents went with “Joseph” (what I was called when I was in trouble) versus “Joe” (what I am 95% of the time) to get their money’s worth with the engraving.
Recently, some friends and I got into a light discussion / debate about using our full names versus shortened forms at this stage of life. I’ll answer to it all. I even get “Dennis” from people who have known me for a reasonable amount of time. I have shifted to “Joseph” professionally in some scenarios just because I like how it sounds, nowadays. But I’m still Joe.
I will say that when the restyled and elongated 1989 models came out, I really liked them. I circled the first one I saw parked on the street in my neighborhood for what might have been three whole minutes.
Heh, while I have accidentally referred to you as “Dennis”, I’ve actually been usually “Cieslak”, probably because of all the Chrises around due to the 70s. But I’m only Christopher in the eyes of the law and my mother 🙂
Good morning Joe / Joey / Joseph / Den / Denny / Dennis,
I recently encountered an elongated Sedan deVille parked on a driveway in a very residential neighborhood. It made me stop, get out of my car, and take a few pictures. It’s in mint condition and even has a full factory vinyl “toupee” roof. The car looked stunning in triple white with Caddy spoke wheel covers. I couldn’t determine the exact year as the nose was extremely close to the garage door, and honestly I didn’t want to walk on the owners driveway to check it.
Maybe one day I will also contribute to Curbside Classic and this beauty could be the topic of one of my essays….
My opinion: you should write it up and submit it. Initially, back in 2015 or so, I was reluctant to contribute anything more than pictures to the Curbside Cohort for months, thinking I needed credentials or something. It was a small leap of faith I’m glad I made.
I never had the ID bracelet – but I had the Cadillac, and in about the same color as the ID bracelet. 🙂
This car (1980-89, particularly) was so stately. I wished the interior would have been made with nicer materials and the dash was one of the least appealing to me in almost anything I’ve ever had, but those leather seats were wonderful. Here in the midwest it was common for retired (or nearly so) professionals and executives to drive these, and these were often the last Cadillacs they really enjoyed.
Ditto Chris. This generation of Caddy has the *feel* of the classics, the correct proportions and impressiveness, without any of the gimmicky retro stuff like free-standing headlights or open wheel wells. It says Cadillac honestly and intrinsically, just as the apartments (buff brick, somewhere between Sullivan and Wright) say Chicago honestly.
Looks as grand and dignified today as a Rolls Silver Cloud.
Joseph, I am always impressed at the introductions you choose for your pieces, the parallels you draw, and the way you link back to them at the conclusion. Quietly ingenious, and very professional.
Thank you so much, Peter.
Nicely put, Fr Pete, and couldn’t agree more.
I recall those ID bracelets from when I was in the 7th. and 8th. grades, right at the end of the 1960’s. I also admired them, but the closest I got was a stainless steel Timex. I’ve often wondered why they had the wearer’s name inscribed on them. Was it so the wearer could look at their wrist and be reminded of their name? Just in case they momentarily forgot? The appearance of these bracelets presaged the arrival of the “Me” generation of the 1970s.
Now I’ll see “full grown men” sporting bracelets of woven leather strips, or adorned with multi colored beads, bent polished metal, or just woven strands of cord. Do I get it? Not really, though I’ve taken lately to wearing heavy silver rings sporting a simple semi- precious stone. The Cadillac? I never stopped “getting it!”
The POW bracelets had a lot to do with the trend for men, IIRC.
Jose, a friend of mine who has just a few years on me also said that back in the day, these were also “go steady” bracelets, which made me laugh, but was probably true. 🙂
Joseph
Great read. I really like those Chicago apartment buildings, the like of which we don’t see much of up here. I do have an ’81 that needs a little tlc to be really nice, which is virtually the same as the subject car. It became difficult to nail down the specific year of these in the 1980’s.
Nice DeVille, Dean! You have quite the collection of nice GM rides from that era. I agree with you that nailing down the model years of these Cadillacs can be tricky. I did a license plate search to obtain the model year of the featured car, and simply blanked out the plate numbers.
I know at some point, there was a one-year-only feature of dark red centers on the wheel covers, or something like that, but I didn’t commit that rule-of-thumb to memory. For ’82, maybe?
Another wonderful article with a great tie-in, thank you, Mr Dennis. These Cadillac sedans always have had a presence to me no matter what part of the country I am living in,regardless of what the current decade is. Growing up on the NJ side of the NYC/NJ border in an Italian-American household mid 1980s, there were always several of these around. During my college years out west in the late 90s, they said ” I have made it!” in a metropolitan Cali way either as a suit and tie executive/professional or an inner city “entrepreneur”…ahem… Back east in the aughts, a reward for a successful retiree, up and down the seaboard. And here and now in Appalachia the say “COAL”, a weekend classic for a current or former mine worker at any company position.
A part of me wants one, as a hobby car, but as Mr. Lawler (fabulous pic BTW!) mentioned, they aren’t getting any cheaper to feed and care for, like my W123. But everytime I got in one it would be like my own personal time machine. That old drug we call nostalgia.
Another Jersey Guy here! These were many a reward for working stiffs, or “connected” people. I belong to an Italian-American Cadillac club on FB…there seems to be an affinity for these particular Brougham/deVille’s. Gotta be the nostalgia – and the classic styling.
These aren’t too bad as long as you get a clean one – the bumper fillers are still made, and junkyards still have many of them to harvest parts from. The car really is a throwback from the soft white dash lights to the Cadillac crest stamped everywhere. And the smell…the smell instantly snaps me back to my childhood.
And thank you for the kind words about the wedding pic…we try to have fun!
Thank you, Bertolini. I imagine that for some, a hit of that nostalgia in the form of one of these nice D-Bodies may be worth it. 🙂 I’ll admit that I haven’t always been a fan of these consistently from the beginning, but they ooze class and I like them today.
I wish this post had shown the seats on the car. A friend of mine has a mid-’80s as I recall sedan (car is out west with his daughter now) I recall being in the car quite a few times and marveling at how such a large car could have seats about 10 inches from floor. I was driving a Scion Xb at the time and it had, as I recall, chair height seats. In my estimation, the last US cars with logical seat height/legroom were the 1954-56 C Series GM (Senior Buick and Cadillac) and the 1955-57 Chevrolets.
A classic is immediately identifiable, a style that while of its own era, is self-evident and endures.
In terms of fashion, cars often are suit of clothes. A Cadillac of this age retains its original cachet, as well as perhaps currently serving as a different statement of fashion today.
It’s seems to be a daily driver that’s been maintained. If you can handle the size, these are really great city cars. The isolation and serenity can really help dial things down.
Joseph, I love the storytelling that you bring to these Curbside finds. What, really, can many of us say about an old parked car if we haven’t owned it? Not much. But you manage to combine personal vignettes with excellent photography to bring an abundance of life and unexpected context to Just Another Parked Car. Great reads.
Thank you so much, Petrichor. I enjoy putting these together, and I’m glad folks enjoy reading them. I wish I would have been able to tell the young me that one day, the adult me would be writing essays on a weekly basis – for fun.
Agree. Excellent article once again Joseph. I have my teenage Id bracelet still. This is fifty one years old; my second one gifted by my Mum. The other, older one mysteriously re-appeared in another shape and I suspect my other half of this crime. Worse, it was stolen when my home was burgled three years ago.
Nearest i’ve been to a car of this quality would have been the time I was loaned a family friend’s late 70s four door American saloon in LA. Nothing special, but so competent and quiet and comfortable that I decided this was more helming a yacht than a car. A wonderful experience.
These Cads were interesting because the first printing was already an over-the-hill clunker while the showroom still was stocked with virtually the same car.
The big headlights helped for a little bit, but it was time to move on.
I recall being given ID bracelets in the late 50’s. My Dad told me it was so they could identify my body if there was a nuclear war, had a hard time sleeping for quite a while after that. My dad always was a straight shooter.
Wow – that’s intense. I can completely understand the trouble sleeping after that.
You’ve got me thinking about those “fallout shelter” signs that used to be in public buildings everywhere. I don’t recall having seen one of those in a while.