The affection of many Europeans for America’s unloved old land barges has been a frequent subject on this site. Enthusiasts in Germany, Sweden and other countries will go to considerable effort and expense to own American full size cars of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that get little collector interest in their home country, where German cars took over during that era. So it is quite appropriate to find this 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood in Gothenburg, Sweden, parked away from the historic German Church on the other side of the canal that surrounds the old city. The owner of this chrome-laden, vinyl-topped cruiser with a Rolls Royce grille clearly does not worship at the church of German cars.
It’s hard enough keeping something like this running right here, can’t imagine doing it in Sweden. It’s a beaut though!
As the owner of a ’94 Fleetwood, it’s really not that hard to keep running. They’re getting a little hard to find in junkyards, but engine and chassis parts are shared with the B-body and are readily available at your friendly local auto parts store.
At this angle, this color, this lighting and this location, this car almost has some allure. Almost.
Vogue tires too, not cheap. On the other hand B body mechanical parts can’t be that expensive compared to other luxury cars.
A JC Whitney plastic Rolls-Royce knock-off grille, a ‘gold tone’ hood ornament and Vogue gold stripe tires ‘DO NOT’ add style to any car. Certainly doesn’t scream ‘class and taste’ anywhere outside a walmart parking lot.
Money can’t buy taste.
Probably imported like that. In a foreign country, who’s to know the grille’s not stock? So why bother?
Those tyres, though…..
At the time of this car’s vintage (1994), I read a Motor Trend article predicting that — In the drive toward keeping up with Euro “sport-sedans,” within 10 years, even Caddilacs will be wearing blackwalls, and will lose their fender skirts.
Then, I watched in horror, as it came true. As if losing the fins wasn’t bad enough.
This one’s a winner!
I realize there is a long history of American cars being popular in Sweden, but the current desire to own cars like this in Europe can in part be attributed to their perceived lack of class, elegance, their bad taste, brashness, call it what you will.
So, a whiff of JC Whitney might not be seen as a bad thing. I didn’t notice anything was non-standard until the grille was pointed out. The rest of it looks “correct” for a car like this.
And I guess many people won’t notice, but this car has the aftermarket vinyl roof instead of the factory one. The factory roof is thin and doesn’t cover the doors, and I think it looks better without rust problem to worry about ( it won’t absorb water like sponge )
But I prefer the one without vinyl roof altogether, but those are base models and many were made as commercial chassis.
The car is “correct” as the owner perceives it. And, really, it works. The gold tone badges and accessories go with the gold color of the car, at least in the eyes of the owner. The same can be said about the other options and changes.
My question is whether the Europeans actually view these as a “lack of class” as much as just something different? Like 1980s Americans going for cars with a Euro look, which usually meant blackwall tires and blacked out trim, they were just different enough to be fun. This car seems to be a fun take on 1990s oversized American, done with love and care. Aficionados understand the differences, but the average person never saw the difference.
I wasn’t suggesting that was the only thing driving imports of “land barges” which is why I noted the traditional popularity of American cars in Sweden, but there is a certain type of person who enjoys these in an “ironic” way. (Or at least wants their hipster friends to think so)
I totally get that, and I did not think you were slamming the cars or their owners. I just really don’t know if they are being enjoyed in Europe “as is” or “as irony”. You can do both, and I do enjoy them as both here. There is nothing as pleasant to drive on a highway as one of these land yachts, but there is also the understood irony that they are not really good cars for those who enjoy driving. I wonder how one enjoys these on the smaller roads and while paying much higher prices for fuel and upkeep? It takes a dedicated owner, so I can only assume it is someone who loves the car enough to pay the price. While the irony factor is there, it cannot be the primary force for owning one, can it? However, being trendy exacts a price, so it may be so….
The phenomenon of Europeans who buy American cars fascinates me. There clearly was a demand for American cars in Scandinavia, Netherlands etc, simply as solid, substantial cars, back when there was a bigger difference between Euro and US cars.
That didn’t exist so much in Britain (where I’m from) but there are still many specialist dealers importing things like Challengers, Escalades, and full size pickups, despite LHD making them even less practical there. Some people in the UK are paying $60-70k for a new F150 (often as a toy), so paying well below $10k inc shipping and taxes for an old sedan is no big deal.
FWIW, leaving aside that traditional US car driver in northern Europe, I feel like people are buying 70s – 90s big sedans because they are so different to today’s cars, so much car for the money, and so uncool they’re cool. They have disappeared from existence, but recently enough that they’re cheap.
Blingmobiles like Escalades are popular with professional footballers etc, and there is also a small subset of Brits who wear cowboy boots, attend country & Western festivals and might desire an American car (full US police livery optional), then there are out and out car people who just want to experience something diametrically opposed to the typical Eurobox. Driving it, however briefly or infrequently, will be a real experience, even if a little challenging at times.
Few will be daily drivers, so fuel isn’t such a big deal (many of those new F150s will have LPG conversions) and driving not so much of a hassle. Sure, you’ll have take it easy on tiny roads, but these are not about going fast anyway.
That is not an easy question but I’ll do my best. I’m speaking as a 50-year-old Frenchman who grew up in a country where Peugeot 504s, Renault 5s and Citroën 2CVs were normal cars. There was absolutely nothing weird, hip or ironic about them. These were the cars your parents and neighbours drove.
Due to heavy taxes, American cars were notoriously expensive to buy and to maintain, thus they were an extremely rare sight on the road and their owners would inevitably face questions about the price of gas. US cars were more frequent in Belgium, in the Netherlands and in Scandinavia.
No matter which, US cars in Europe were mostly seen as BIG (I mean, really, really big), glitzy and brash. Oh, and their engine sound was totally different. They were America in a nutshell. So it was very much a question of love’ em or leave’ em.
It still is, although it has become more difficult to nurture that kind of love since some US cars are trying very hard to imitate sporty Euro-sedans. In my mind, they shouldn’t. I can fully relate to the person who loves and keeps the 1994 Fleetwood pictured here instead of driving a Volvo like every sensible Swede does. Would that person buy a US car with a Euro-look? I think not. I certainly wouldn’t. There’s no point, really.
Which is the reason why, living now in Luxembourg, I own both a Volvo V60 and a 1976 Coupe DeVille. The latter may not be easy to park downtown, but when it comes to floating along these Moselle valley wineyards on a warm Sunday evening there is absolutely nothing like it. Is there irony in that? Possibly, although I’m not positive about that. Do I enjoy that car “as it is”? You bet.
Olivier, I think you did a much better job of explaining what I meant when I said “driving it will be a real experience”.
I totally agree with what you said about Euro style American cars – I thought the 2005 Chrysler 300 was a breath of fresh air because it was Detroit just building a good, modern, American car (albeit with a little retro in there) rather than trying to build a European or Japanese car, or a phoned-in GM fleet special.
“they are not really good cars for those who enjoy driving” – I beg to differ. There are many aspects when talking about the “joy of driving”.
It’s not always about dashing up and down a twisty mountain road on a tight “sporty” suspension while incessantly working the clutch and the shifter. Been there, done that, not interested (any more), perhaps I’ll do that againg later when I get into midlife crisis and buy myself a Porsche 911 or a Golf GTI.
For me, enjoyment in driving is sitting in a big American car, putting the transmission in in D and cruising nicely (not necessarily slowly) with windows down while listening to some cool rock music mix with the exhaust note of a V8… the floaty feeling of a soft comfortable suspension is a part of that experience – a bonus, not a downside…
(note: I’m not an American; I live in Europe and I like American cars; I own a 1997 Chevy Tahoe, I drive it almost every day and I love it)
Beautiful shot of pale gold hues against the blue twilight. I like this caddy shape, but not that grille.
When I briefly attended council primary school in a suburb of London in 1964, one kid’s family had a yellow 1950’s Studebaker. At the time, it really stuck out in a sea of grey Morris Minors and Anglias, and frankly, would have also stuck out in the States. But as a 7 year old it never occurred to me to wonder why they picked a Studebaker. I’m curious as heck now.
“But as a 7 year old it never occurred to me to wonder why they picked a Studebaker.”
Some folks simply insist upon the best. 🙂
I´ve been to Sweden a few times. It might be hard to believe but in a way it´s really American (and in some ways not at all). The Swedes do like American cars in part because so many Swedes have American links and also because the place suits American cars very well. It isn´t insane to have a US land yacht in Sweden. The speed limits are low and the place is planned around low density. I think American and Swedish urban planners used the same principles in the post-war period.
So, in all likelihood this car is not being enjoyed ironically but for what it is: big and comfortable and durable.
The fuel prices though! $6.74 a gallon after taxes. The most unfortunate Americans fill up for half as much money, the more fortunate Americans for a third as much.