Mike Hayes posted this new find with the following comment:
The proud new owner of this car came over to talk to me when he saw me taking photos. Social Distancing be damned! He said he’d just purchased it at an auction, and that it ran great and had less than 60K miles.
It should run great, given that it’s got the all-new 472 CID V8, in 375 hp form with 10.5:1 compression before it was de-smogged. The fastest really big Cadillac ever?
This side’s patina is a bit more pronounced than the other side. That and the lack of the wheel covers make it look a bit wicked. Just needs a proper dual exhaust system and two decent sized pipes out the back.
I kind of dig it, seems like just the thing for summertime cruising around while gas is still cheap.
I’d say they were a hard 60k.
If there was ever a car made that could survive a hard 60K and still flourish; it is this one.
I’d put my money on a 1970 with the 500ci engine. Bit more hp & torque. Last version before engineers began reducing output to meet regulations.
That would be my bet as well. But the 68 styling wins no matter what
I knew a guy years ago that swapped a 500 Caddy into his ’71 K10 Chevy Blazer. It was pretty easy, all you had to do was swap the Turbo 400s case from a Chevrolet one to a B-O-P one. The fact he was a professional transmission guy probably didn’t hurt.
One of my favourite year’s for the big Caddiies, although I would be itching to paint it an original colour. Speed-wise, I really don’t think that there was much difference between 1964 and 1970 for these models. The 429 with the variable pitch converter was plenty quick for the day, and the 472 made do with a slightly higher axle ratio. so it was fairly close.
The turquoise exterior color that Cadillac used in this time period was Drop Dead Gorgeous.
My favourite by far was by far the 63 Sedan DeVille sedan or hardtop, styled by Pininfarina. In light colours it looked wonderful. This truly was the standard of the world at the time. Superb cars and in 1971, GM started killing it.
The Cadillacs (until the Allante) were always styled by GM. The ’59-’60 Cadillac Brougham was built by PF, but it too was styled by GM.
That is a surprisingly plain grille for a Cadillac. After doing some Googling, it appears to be the correct grille, but it looks like someone painted the bars black and removed the script.
Amazing what a difference small detail changes like that make.
I just got out of the car where I had been hearing The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black”. It was in my head when I read your comment.
I painted a couple of chromed plastic grilles black when the old chrome was flaky and bluish looking. On my black ’79 Grand Prix SJ it looked a little more sporty anyhow.
After this body style ended I switched my American luxury car preference over to Lincoln.
The 1970’s Caddys seemed like bloated cartoon parodies of the lithe and lovely mid/late 1960’s models.
You cannot “switch” to Lincoln.
You can only defect to Lincoln.
I have no great brand loyalty.
I like what I like.
Loyalty is life, dude.
In Germany brands like Lexus, Infiniti, Acura and Lincoln do not even
exist, and never will. But Cadillac does, since about 100 years.
Australia calling. Cadi-who? 🙂
The problem with the Caddy 500 is it won’t rev over 5000 without damage. I don’t know much about the difference between it and the 472, but I do know that ppl were hot rodding with the 331 back in the day, and I haven’t heard about any catastrophic failures with that engine (not that they don’t exist, just that I haven’t heard about them).
the 368/425/472/500 are all the same, the issue lies with how the rocker arms are retained, basically sheetmetal clips hold them to the rocker pedestals, and its really their only weakness.
We built a 500 for a friends 78 Impala. and that car will fly with pretty much a stock 500.
the 1968 Sixty Special has a 133 inch wheelbase
Judging by the side mirrors is that a 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood? The 1968’s had squared side mirrors while the 1967’s had the rounded side mirrors.
Nope, she’s a ’68. The finer grille, hood header bar, longer hood (covering the wipers), beveled deck lid, and rear side marker lights on the fins mark it as a ’68. Probably had a different side mirror added. All lettering and identifying items, such as the Fleetwood lettering, rear escutcheons are missing, so it is hard to see whether it is a 60 special or the more dressier Brougham.
I’m really glad it’s a 1968 because it was the first year of the high compression 472ci V8 engine, looking back I realized it was a 1968 because of the grille design.
I had a ’67 Sixty Special about 20 years ago. Pretty brisk with the 429. And a slightly better looking front end IMO.
The side markers and hidden wipers also are ‘68 only. Did the Brougham and Sixty Special have the rear power vents or just the Brougham?
Both did. The Brougham got the padded roof, rear reading lights and rear foot rests. The fold down rear “picnic” tables disappeared after 1967.
When I see this vintage Cadillac in this condition and primer color, I can’t help but to recollect the old Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley album “Just Good Old Boys”. The car on the album is a convertible but could pass for this car’s kissing cousin.
My dad’s last car was a ’69 Sedan De Ville, in that awful green so many cars used to be. As usual, it was hopped up as soon as he got it, in a trade with his brother, my dad’s hated as much as you could hate a car Lincoln MkIII, for the Caddy. The Caddy dealer was a lifetime friend of my dad’s and like his other cars, had some engine work done. He liked them fast, and IMHO, ugly. It had dual exhaust and a cam in it, and it didn’t sound like a stock car at all, it had a little lope to the idle and got a whopping 8-9 MPG. It was fin to drive, as it had loads of torque and the skinny bias ply tires were very easy to light up.
My dad always said it was the best car he had ever owned, totally problem free until the end. In March of ’73, it was destroyed in spectacular fashion when my dad passed out due to heart issues, and crashed into a telephone pole, exploding the transformer on it, and taking out power to about 1/6 of the city. The throttle stuck and the 472 tossed a rod as a last protest. Odd thing, about 2 years later, I would see an almost identical Sedan DeVille toss a rod after hitting one of those poles placed to protect buildings after the driver was shot when he tried to run a coworker down.
My dad wasn’t wearing a seat belt and had somehow just recieved a broken nose and a split lip. That he susrvived at all was amazing, as the car was basically bent in half. When the Caddy died, I think it was the beginning of the end for my dad too, as his insurance was cancelled, and he never drove again. He died on Labor Day.
An aunt and uncle inherited a 67 Calais from his parents and a cousin drove it during his time in high school. He called it “jet powered” and with the 429 it was plenty fast. Even my 63 with the 390/Jetaway HydraMatic was really fast. I think that is the rule – any Cadillac from the 1960s is a surprisingly fast car, especially considering its size.
I have been a lurker on this site for 2 years now, and I am finally motivated to write a response. Growing up in a family of people who loved Ford products, specifically large Mercurys and Thunderbirds, I was surprised when my dad broke out of the mold by purchasing a new 1968 Coupe de Ville from Bob Spreen Cadillac in suburban Los Angeles, CA. I had wanted him to buy a charcoal grey Riviera – but when he took delivery of the CdV, which was painted in the Caribe Aqua color with a white vinyl top, I fell in love with it. In a post above, Mark Reimer comments on a deep turquoise color and I believe this is the color he is referring to. The car was delivered without visible defects, and the engine and the Turbo Hydra-matic were smooth as silk. Far different from the Fords with their Tecumseh A/C compressors.
chool freshman, the high point of my week was washing and detailing the car on Saturday afternoons. Over the ensuing years, Dad purchased an additional 10 Cadillacs, but the 68 CdV was and remains far and away my favorite. My first car in 1970 was a 62 Rambler Classic, but I managed to work out a deal with my Dad in 1975 to take ownership of the CdV, knowing that its fate, if sold, would most likely have been ugly. Fortunately I still own that car and still have the original window sticker, bill of sale, owner’s manual and the warranty Protect-O-Plate. I will attempt to attach a picture of the car to this post. There is a magic feeling I still get when I get behind the wheel of that car. They knew how to engineer and manufacture a quality product.
I agree with everyone who has written that the build quality for Cadillac went over the cliff with the 71 model year vehicles. The difference in intrinsic quality between the 70 & 71 Cadillacs (and all GM large cars) was astounding to me. The seeds of Cadillac’s (and GM’s) destruction had been sewn in the ’60s if not earlier, and they manifested themselves with the introduction of the 1971 model year cars. What were Bill Mitchell and the rest of GM top management thinking with those ugly, bloated designs coupled to poor manufacturing quality?? It was as if somebody put a Schrader valve in the body and turned on the air pressure until the sheet metal bloated. The 79-85 Eldorado (and Riviera) were beautiful designs, harkening back to the 67-70 Eldorado, but then you had the 80 Seville.
It’s interesting to read in the February 2006 issue of Hemmings Classic Cars and learn about the attention to detail that the Cadillac Engineering Dept. put into the 472 engine. They wanted to ensure there would be no hiccups once it was launched in a production vehicle. Given that knowledge, how did they ever introduce the 368 V8-6-4, the HT4100 and especially the Northstar power plants without doing long-term testing first? Does anyone know if the Black Hawk engine was thoroughly tested before it was introduced? It took decades to build its reputation as the “Standard of the World”. Cadillac management not only rested rested on their laurels, they thought they could actually get away with impunity!! This is not only a case of pride preceding the fall, it is also case of self-immolation. What is so unforgivable to me is GM management was given the stewardship of a brand that many people labored to build up over a great many years, and instead of designing and building excellence, they ran it over the cliff for short term profits to satisfy the stock analysts.
I wish Mary Berra and Roger B. Smith could have a meeting with Alfred P. Sloan. I would want to be a mouse in the room. It would be interesting to hear that discussion.
Very nice car and striking colour combination. I see that you have some competition from the neighbour!
The neighbor recently sold the El Camino and it is no mas. Thank you for the com on the CdV’s color scheme. I don’t think that color would look good on any car produced today and I don’t think it would have looked as good on the Sixty Special or the hardtop Sedan de Ville.. For whatever reason, in my mind the white top and the strong turquoise look good on the hardtop 2-door. I will attach the picture used by GM in a 68 National Geographic advertisement for the car, with the Caribe Aqua on a convertible body with a white interior and top.
What’s up with GM and colors these days? The color palette to choose from is so limited. It certainly costs them less, but the selection stinks. I can’t help but think on at least the CT6-V, they should offer more color choices. At the time of its manufacture and for many years thereafter, you could order a Cadillac in any color that had been in Cadillac’s repertoire, for an upcharge of course. Now I think they give you five choices, including black, white and a red. Interiors are strictly dark. Part of present-day GM’s problem IMHO.
One part of buying a LUXURY car is having the LUXURY of choosing one of seventeen exterior colors and nine interior colors. (Luxury car ads don’t write numbers, they spell them).
You have a very sweet car there and having worked at a Cadillac dealership back in 1986 the only reason the HT4100 was rushed into production was due to the fact that Cadillac owners were getting pretty uptight about buying Cadillacs with other GM Motors installed in them because at the time Caddy didn’t have their own Motors, 30k was about the longest the motor would last before the camshaft lobes would round out, that’s my input. .
I remember reading an old Motor Trend road test of a ’64 Sedan de Ville. They concluded “if there’s ever been anything this big, that will move as fast, we’ve never heard of it. The new 429 engine gave a substantial increase in performance. Their numbers: 0-60 8.5 secs. 1/4 mile in 16.8 secs. top speed of 115 mph. Their fuel economy numbers were 13 mpg. average,around town 12.5 and freeway driving at speeds of 75-85 mph. netted 14.7 mpg. Fuel capacity was 26 gallons leading to typical range of over 350 miles.
Checking through the Brooklands Books anthology It seems like the ’64 models were the fastest 1960-69 models. These were Cadillac’s Glory Days. I had a ’64 convertible at one time. They were outstanding cars.