(first posted 2/10/2013) In the good old days, Cadillac was always about superlatives, most of all when it came to size. They just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger…until the laws of nature finally interceded, and they imploded. Not totally unlike the life cycle of stars; before they collapse into a black hole, they swell into red giants. So here is the Red Giant of automobiles, the biggest regular production car ever: 250 inches (6.35 meters). Strictly speaking, the 1974 version was two inches longer, but you get the point; and this is what I found. Anyway, it’s a bit dangerous to hang around red giants just before the implode; they create a supernova. And that can be quite deadly.
In discussing the Cadillac Fleetwood 75, it’s important to note that this was a regular production model, and not a “stretch limo”. There were two versions: the Nine Passenger Sedan, and the Limousine, which had a glass divider. Imperial had some spectacular Ghia-built limos for a few years, and Lincoln toyed with them too, but both were built by outside coach-builders, which made them substantially more expensive than the Fleetwood 75s. Cadillac practically had the limo market sewn up for itself for decades. They weren’t all that expensive: $12,000 ($60k adjusted) would put you in the back seat of one in 1973 (chauffeur not included). And Cadillac sold around 1500-2000 every year, like clockwork.
“Stretch limos” as we know them now mostly didn’t exist back then. They started to come along right about the time Cadillac downsized the first time in 1977 (above). The eighties were all about flash and bling, and the downsized 75 was looking rather modest. Cutting and stretching a regular Cadillac sedan became a growing undertaking, and not just for the undertakers, but also for the coke-takers.
But the final implosion to Cadillac’s limo business came in 1985, with the drastically shrunken FWD models. The timing couldn’t have been worse; and coach-built stretch big Lincolns sopped up the market, as well as stretched Cadillac RWD Broughams. This was the black hole, even in silver. Cadillac managed to sell a couple of hundred per year, until they pulled the plug in 1987. The ignominious end of the long road for Fleetwood 75s. The only thing that could make these look long was the even shorter K-car Chrysler Executive Limo.
This one sports a tv antenna; I’m not sure if it dates back to 1973, although small Sony tvs were becoming quite common. I remember riding in a stretch Cadillac in the Bay Area, accompanying a beautiful Venezuelan novela star on some promotional appearances, and we were trying to watch our station in the back; not exactly a successful undertaking. Looked impressive, at the time.
That’s more than I can say about the back seat of this one. Maybe this was used by the Rolling Stones in 1973, and never again. No way to tell whether it had Medici, Magi, or the old-school cloth.
This is the corded cloth, for “the conservative buyer”.
For the more adventurous or flamboyant, the Medici option is shown here, in a Fleetwood Brougham.
And here’s the Magi, the third option for the 75. It’s described as a “lustrous matelasse”. Good luck finding a source for that now. Fabric stores always made me feel a bit woozy, though.
I need some fresh air…and some steel and cast iron. And there’s plenty of that under the 75’s long hood: 472 cubic inches (7.7 liters) of air are encased in the eight cast iron cylinders (not at any given moment, though). They churn out 220 (net) hp, and 365 ft lbs of torque at 2400 rpm. That’s a fair amount of twist, but a wee bit disappointing, given all those cubic inches. By 1976, the 500 inch motor would be standard, but torque dropped even further, to 360 ft. lbs. They have some 5800 lbs to push. Not enough? Throw a turbo (or two) on it.
Padded vinyl has a limited lifespan, and this one is actually better than some I’ve seen of this vintage. And water has been collecting at the bottom of the rear window, also a common malady.
So who exactly would order a red Fleetwood 75? Don’t ask…it was 1973. I’m thinking this would make a good addition to the Official CC Tours fleet, for the Broughams of Eugene Tour (30 minutes max). Just need to put in an order for some replacement Medici fabric. or shall it be Magi? You tell me; otherwise I’ll just go grab a few saddle blanket-print pickup seat covers from Walmart.
Postscript: Somewhat surprisingly, this Fleetwood 75 is only 15 inches longer than the 1973 Imperial, which was the longest standard-length American car, at 235.3 inches.
one of these for sale in Humboldt county right now,,,amazing they still exist…
The 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine is my dream car for when I reach the age where I should no longer sit behind the wheel myself anymore.
We had a 1978 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine for 5 years and enjoyed it very much.
The 1973 long, slim and beautiful. Had a 1973 Coupe de Ville for 9 years and drove over 60K miles in it. Great smooth ride.
They are hard to find, but I am sure there are people who take good care of the last ones left.
If only my “cracker box apt” was as big as that aged dinosaur!!
So do you think the ’73 Imperial, at 235″, was called a ‘Deuce and a Quarter and a Dime’ in some quarters?
Cadillac was so very clever in marketing their Series 75 limo. All that it was, was a Coupe de Ville cut in half, with a Sedan de Ville front door and a Series 75 exclusive back door, and some fancy interior appointments. To their credit it worked. If you’ve ever noticed, a restaurant that offers a traditional turkey dinner will also offer a turkey soup on the menu. It’s called maximizing profits.
They were not a Coupe de Ville cut in half. They were designed and built as a limousine to start with.
The first of this generation I saw IRL was when Indira Gandhi made a state visit in Nov. ’71 and a busload of my 5th grade from Alexandria filled in the South Lawn of the White House. I took several pictures of the limo (not hers) parked near us. She and Nixon are barely visible in another photo.
I did get to ride in one after my great aunt’s funeral in ’82 for the trip from Forest Hills, Queens, to Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, and back. With the jump seats open, knee room is tight. After blocks of boarded-up tenements, the (obviously native) driver proudly pointed out Brooklyn’s Grand Army Arch. My cousin used his thickest drawl to say we were from North Carolina and didn’t really need to see that.
In ’75, they did NOT offer the bordello “Monticello” velour from the Brougham and Eldorado in the 75.
At least the ginormity of this thing keeps me from focusing on how hideous this era Cadillac was. I saw a ’75 Cadillac DeVille wallowing around yesterday and I was truly shocked by it. People bought these in droves? Seriously? Gross.
GM must’ve offered some potent kool-aid to the wannabe rich masses to consider this dreck status. But, to each their own.
For me, I’ll take the Imperial pictured above if I ever want to float around in class at 8mpg…
I agree with you.
Did you ever seen Cadillac 75 drifting on the track?
http://youtu.be/GWCQEQ9SO_Y
This 1976, without the 3 pillar window, exudes wealth – imagine when new.
My ’73 CDV from above repainted.
Interior.
That is a lovely car. Triple-green for the win!
Has anything else ever so effectively served as a halo car while mostly selling as a vocational model than the Caddy 75? People remembered the elegance and exclusivity of the prewar privately-owned custom limousines and associated them with capital-M Money, and some of that rubbed off on these even though in reality most (almost all?) were sold to black-car services and the funeral trade.
That’s why it got a two-page spread in the main Cadillac brochure rather than a cheap black-and-white pamphlet like the police and taxi packages, or just a listing in the GM Fleet “Silver Book” next to the step-vans and utility bodies.
the curb weight of the series 75 Limo in 73 before options were added was 5,742 LBS and the starting price was $12,080 which would be equivalent to $81,000 dollars now 50 years later about 2.4x as much as my moms 1986 Subaru Leone hatchback did and had an engine 4.53x the size 1.8 l in the Leone and 8.2 l in the Series 75 Limo which had 220 horsepower and 366pft
The description of the Magi option made me curious; Matelassé (accented, by the way – shades of Chrysler’s “Cor-DOH-bah”) is “…a heavy, thick textile that appears to be padded but actually has no padding within the fabric.”
Ah, so an illusion of substance where there is none… I guess I can see why Cadillac was so excited to introduce the option!
Also, Ashley’s comment above about the Medici upholstery is hilarious – “That poor woman in the 75 – she looks like she is being held in place by Velcro.”
The description of the Magi option made me curious; Matelassé (accented, by the way – shades of Chrysler’s “Cor-DOH-bah”) is “…a heavy, thick textile that appears to be padded but actually has no padding within the fabric.”
Ah, so an illusion of substance where there is none… I guess I can see why Cadillac was so excited to introduce the option!
Also, Ashley’s comment above about the Medici upholstery is hilarious – “That poor woman in the 75 – she looks like she is being held in place by Velcro.”