(first posted 7/25/2018) This second-generation Cadillac Seville “lives” in my neighborhood. In the moments when I got these pictures, I was faced with a very real conundrum. The Seville was making a right turn at the very same intersection where my now-friend Adam was also making a right in the opposite direction, across the street, in his ’81 Chrysler Cordoba LS. “Which car do I shoot? Aaaaaa!!…” I managed a few snaps of each, but rediscovered the frames of the Seville only recently.
The paint scheme on this Seville is probably as close as any car has ever gotten to matching my summer skin tone(s). Since the end of May, it has been great to spend lots of time at the local neighborhood beach on beautiful Lake Michigan. My weekend motto has always been something along the lines of “Work now, play later”, so it usually isn’t until after my household chores have been completed that I head outdoors on Saturday. A lot of time outside has been partially to blame (is that the word?) for my relative absence around CC, lately, but summer in Chicago lasts for what seems like five minutes, so I’m going to (continue to) spend as much time outdoors as I can and live my best life.
The beige-and-gold finish on this particular example got me thinking about some of the most (and least) effective applications of two-tone paint. I suppose that in the case of this Seville, whether you think it works or not depends on if you also like the basic styling of these cars (which I do, mostly). The descending, side character line presents a logical break between the upper and lower halves of the car. If you dislike the rear bustle on these “Slantbacks” (in casual parlance), the two-tone treatment (and in these colors, specifically) would seem only to emphasize that sloping rear end.
As for me, I like this color scheme, reminding me as it does of a delicious crème brûlée from the local fair trade coffee shop. Come to think of it, these Sevilles – in profile, anyway – do actually remind me of a pastry. Does anyone happen to know if GM stylist Wayne Cady had a favorite dessert? Too many metaphors… sorry, CC readers. Just enjoy these pictures and try to ignore my ramblings.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, April 22, 2016.
For some great, actual, factual reading about these cars, click here and here.
If CC had tags I’d mark that first paragraph “#onlyjosephdennisproblems.”
Nice shots as always!
Yeah and it continues into paragraph 2! FWIW, below is a good representation of my own general “summer skin tone”.
I’m not a huge fan of the “slantback” but Creme Brulee, sign me up! So yeah, the color scheme works very well on this.
Haha!! #onlyjosephdennisproblems … I like it. Thanks, gentlemen. And now I feel like I have to have a creme brulee before the week is over. Perhaps before going to the beach. 🙂
As a bustleback Seville fan, I love these pictures. To me, these cars always looked best in two-tone, to the point where I’ve wondered why someone wouldn’t splurge for the nominal extra cost to order it. The standard monotone paint looks so ordinary by comparison.
But oddly, I remember that the two-tone options varied — some of them had the darker color on bottom, and some had the darker color on top. I think the darker color on bottom was by far preferable… but I wouldn’t exactly say no to either of them nowadays.
Eric, I agree that a custom-looking, two-tone paint job looks best on a car with styling this dramatic, versus something more sedate in the looks department.
A nice Seville Elegante in black over silver with some true spokes set in Perreli’s is hard to beat.
I actually thought the two tone worked fairly well on this car, and I do not dislike those two particular tones. Actually, I am trying to remember if I have ever seen one of these bustleback Sevilles that was not painted in a two tone.
I agree that the division between the colors does a nice job of accentuating the shape of the car and works nicely with the lines. I kind of liked that two tone fad of the late 70s-mid 80s. After my mother got her navy over light metallic blue Horizon, I always thought the later single-hue cars were kind of plain.
My maternal grandparents also had a two-tone (beige and burnt orange) Horizon, and I remember thinking it looked particularly good. You have me rethinking my response above to Eric703 regarding my thought that 2-tone paint works best on cars with extreme styling.
Most of the single-tone Sevilles I remember seeing ended up like this one — with a contrasting-color fake convertible top. Not my favorite attire for these Sevilles.
Very nice pics as usual Joseph. You’re right, the two-tone paint tastefully accentuated the design of the bustle backs. I thought the two-tone design worked especially well for the ’82 Continental.
Given you are so knowledgeable about 80s popular music, you may have remembered the ‘slantback’ Seville’s cameo appearance in a Devo music video. Entertaining, the demographic and wardrobe they chose to represent Seville owners (1:50). 🙂
Daniel, that link is outstanding. As many nights as I’ve spent at “New Wave” / “Old Wave” (as recently as one month ago), I’ve never heard that Devo tune.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_Being_Cool_(Devo_song)
I agree with you that the Fox-Connie also looks good with the two-tone paint job.
I like the paint scheme of this Seville . . . except I’ve always thought these ‘bustleback’ Sevilles were ugly as sin from the rear. Even when I was little — I’m 45 now so it’s been a while since I was a kid — I didn’t like their appearance at the back end. I reckon I ~do~ find them memorable . . . but not in a good way. I can’t help it; I just loathe this design.
Meanwhile, I have what seems to be a permanent thought in my head when I see these in pictures or in The Wild. I don’t seem to be able to get rid of this lil’ daydream. The 1st thing I think of is a truck driver feeling mischievous and, feeling like the bustleback of the Seville is an invitation to simply run the car over, does it. Crushed Seville. Occupants mangled. When the Po-leece show up and ask Mr. Truck Driver just what exactly he thought he was doing running over a car for no good reason that’s loaded with people he says “The back of these Sevilles look like a ramp and I was just going ^Up^ the ramp. Anybody got a Coors?”
Ha! Your scenario reminds me of something I might have seen in a “Cannoball Run” or H. B. Halicki movie. LOL
I remember being a kid and not liking these Sevilles at all, but around my mid-20s, something changed. It was like realizing I suddenly liked black licorice after years of hating it.
Never cared for these, but fondly recall a moment… standing in a supermarket parking lot with a friend when a young girl driving her parent’s Seville stopped in front of us, waiting to turn left. My friend looked down at her and asked through her open window: “hey Tootsie… what happened to the rest of your car?”
I drove one of these. Once. It was taking my newly married sister and brother-in-law from the reception to the start of their honeymoon at the Don CeSar hotel on St. Pete Beach. The car was loaned by a neighbor who owned a car lot. Silver over black, black leather interior, and the car looked the part of a suitable wedding car. My memories of the car was that it was really nice, doing well in town and on the highway, up and over the Skyway bridge, and the car had the first instant MPG gauge I had seen. But, as a young man, it did not call to me, it did not make me aspire to own one. The polarizing styling made them too bold for the demographic buying them, and while I understand the bustle back, it was just a styling gimmick that all 3 American luxury makers used with limited success.
Still, if I had access to one today, I would happily drive a newly married couple to their hotel in one.
There is a Seville of this type around the warehouse I work. I’ve seen it in traffic with this horrible Continental spare tire package and all his wheels have kneecappers that stick out a whole foot from the car. It does have a pretty midnight blue paint, shame the rest of the car is ugly.
I never liked these. They are butt-ugly – pun intended! I much preferred the Fox-based Lincoln Continental 1982-87.
I never thought these were ugly; but rather, they looked like the front end and the back end were not designed by the same people.
1980 Seville Elegante
I think that these cars are like the boat tail Rivieras. There is no real reason for their styling… except styling! Love them or hate them, I’m on the side of love, especially in black and silver. And I’m not a Raiders fan.
Always wondered about the trunk space in these.
The trunk is actually quite roomy, thanks to IRS and front drive allowing the fuel tank to be moved under the rear seat, as well as the high trunk lid (what little there was of it before it plunged downward) and rear parcel shelf. But the severely sloping rear lid does take a chunk out of the available space.
The wrong car at the wrong time but… I can’t help but love them. I would love one to be my wedding car.
I saw your photos in the back end and I knew they were yours! Great photos.
I really like the looks though would have been even better with montecarlo style fenders and side pannels. I would like one with a 368. Silver over black
My now in-laws had an ’83 Seville when I first started dating my wife. It was the first Cadillac I ever drove and it was quite comfortable.
It was getting some miles on it, but he was having trouble with the door panels staying on and it went through tie-rods like crazy. Otherwise it was good to go until it hit 177,000 miles when the HT4100 decided to call it quits.
When these second-generation Sevilles came out, I was very disappointed and believed that GM had exchanged one of the best-looking and most distinctive cars on the road for one that was a gauche caricature of American-style luxury. I recognized the technological leap that the newer car represented, particularly compared to the first gen’s humble Nova origins, but couldn’t get past its looks.
Then, a year or so later, I had a chance to ride in one on a long trip with a college friend. Two-tone, gray over black, with a maroon leather interior…it looked vaguely sinister. It was comfortable, fast and the perfect vehicle for four guys headed to a football game with the arch-rival team.
Wasn’t a similar color scheme revived a few decades later for the Lexus RX300? Perhaps targeting the same customers …
I owned one REALLY briefly before I flipped it on ebay…pale metallic green with almost olive green leather. Beautiful car, SLOW but beautiful. I agree that the two-tone really accentuates the lines.
I also owned a bustle-back Continental, I think it was an 85?!? It was a non-two-tone also, sort of a slate blue with navy leather. Felt much quicker with the 302.
The Seville is a prettier car by far.
I like these Bustle Backs .
Is the water in Lake Michigan clean enough to swim in ? .
-Nate
The water has been clear and beautiful at the beaches I’ve been to. It’s been great.
Authentic wire wheels, with a deep negative offset, would considerably help the looks of these. Along, with a wider track. The switch to front wheel drive, complicating this improved appearance, that was so popular on the first gen Seville.
’d guess there must have been some reason for mounting the wheels so far inboard. It seemed to afflict a lot of American cars back then, with body sides bulging beyond the wheels sometimes to an almost cartoonish degree in the seventies. The original Joseph found doesn’t look too bad, but this stance is better. I can’t help thinking this photo is how the designers would prefer it to look.
I STILL REMEMBER SEEING THIS GENERATION WHEN NEW, AND SAYING TO MY DAD’S FRIEND WHO OWNED THE ’29 HUPMOBILE ROADSTER, ” IT LOOKS LIKE AN OLD HOOPER-BODIED ROLLS ROYCE. ” I GUESS RETRO WASN’T COOL YET.