Cadillac Cravings - 2007 HMN Article

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Cadillac Cravings
Cadillac Cravings from Hemmings Classic Car

February, 2007 - Richard Lentinello


Like many other Italian families growing up in Brooklyn, we had a Cadillac. It was one of those incredibly long Sedan de Villes of 1976 vintage, in a light green color that was absolutely horrible looking. I've always felt that owning a car as long as that Sedan de Ville when you live in the city is beyond insane because, parking spaces being what they are, sometimes we had to circle the block three or four times before a large enough space would become available for that big Cadillac to fit in. And at one in the morning, that wasn't fun.

In terms of being successful, when you drove a Cadillac it was a sign of "having arrived"--that's what I was told over and over while growing up, and it's why so many sons of immigrants aspired to own them. After my father grew tired of us making fun of that ugly '76 de Ville, he replaced it with a fine-looking '83 Sedan de Ville that was finished in an attractive combination of light gray exterior with a navy blue interior and vinyl roof. This was followed by a rich-looking maroon 1996 Sedan de Ville. All three Cadillacs were reliable, durable and way more comfortable than our plastic-covered sofa.

My brother-in-law Sal owned a Cadillac, too; a 1972 Eldorado convertible that he bought for $1,200 back in 1989. Sal was immensely proud of this disheveled-looking brown bombshell, and loved showing off the incredible strength of its convertible top. While driving down Avenue W one day, doing about 50 mph, he raised the top, proving that the strong Cadillac motors used in the top's mechanism could easily overcome the resistance of the wind even at that speed. I was amazed; the top closed as if the car was sitting still.

Sal's older brother, Danny, also had a Cadillac, a 1970 Coupe de Ville. Danny owned it during the early 1980s, and it was the perfect car for us to cruise to Long Island discos in. He, too, was amazed at the quality of his Cadillac, and enjoyed showing us how quickly the heater would blow hot air during those cold winter nights. It seemed like it would take just seconds.

Of course, Cadillacs had another stigma attached to them: They were owned by maniacal misfits with names like Vinny the Blond, Joe Pizza and Johnny Hooknose. I remember clearly the day back in the late 1960s: We were playing our daily game of stoop ball when a black Coupe de Ville with equally jet black windows cruised slowly down our block, stopping in front of Jerry the Worm's house. Jerry had a bit of a gambling problem and knew all the local loan sharks quite well. Several years later, during one of our stick ball games, another prominent-looking Coupe de Ville--black, of course--drove up looking to pay an unscheduled visit to our other neighbor, Gino, the "antiques" dealer. Lucky for Gino he was away on a "buying" trip. Neither neighbor ever got whacked.

When Gino was home, which was always during the day, he would be out by the curb washing his 1978 Seville Elegante. Finished in the under-the-radar color combination of black and silver gray, with those classy white and gold-lined Vogue tires fitted to fake chrome wire wheels, this downsized Seville caught my eye in an unforgettable way. As I stared daily at that sensibly sized Cadillac from our stoop across the street, my attraction to this perfectly proportioned automobile grew. Some three decades later, I still find myself attracted to this well-styled Cadillac.

Just recently, while reading the latest issue of Hemmings, I opened to the Cadillac For Sale section looking for a late '70s Seville. After a few minutes, I realized that this isn't the only Cadillac I want to own. In fact, there are several that I sincerely want to have parked in my garage one day. They are:

1941 Convertible
With its sleek, fairly aerodynamic shape, this is my ultimate Cadillac convertible. This Series 61 drop-top has it all: style, class, grace, elegance, exclusivity and power aplenty. A real grand-slam model.

1946-'47 Sedanette
I've always been a big fan of the sedanettes, as their dare-to-be-different design is a real standout among the more common hardtops and sedans. I prefer the plain Jane Series 61 to the more decorative Series 62 models.

1949 Club Coupe
A highly distinctive-looking car that looks perfect in this two-door shape. Again, I'll take the plainer Series 61, but a Series 62 is just as good. Dark green, please.

1967-'68 Eldorado
I like their sharp, edgy design. These hidden-headlamp models are the purest of this design, but the open-headlamp models of 1969-'70 will make a good stand-in.

1976-'79 Seville
Its compact style has a muscular look to it that I find very attractive. It's the type of collector car that you can drive daily and always feel special doing so.

1980-'85 Seville
Although it has been discounted as a frivolous styling exercise, I think it has merit. Its styling, even if copied, was well executed, and, compared to everything else of the era, this Seville had tons of character.

A turn-of-the-century rear-entrance tonneau from around 1905-'06 would be immensely fun to drive and very interesting to own; however, my star choice would be an all-black V-16 coupe from 1933, but it has to be fitted with blackwalls so nothing would distract from the car's strikingly simple design. Two other interesting models to own would be one of those giant seven-passenger touring cars from the early 'teens and either a racy-looking roadster or a convertible coupe from the late-1920s or early-1930s.

No matter which model I end up owning, all of the above selections share one common bond: Cadillac style. A distinctive fashion of attainable elegance that few other marques could ever match.

[jdemerson]

Thanks for posting, Eric. It's not easy to argue with his choices, except possibly the '80-'85 Seville. But I suspect that many CLC owners would find quibbles with models not included.

Nothing between 1949 and 1967?

Nothing in the sixties except the stunning new Eldorado?

But the basic point of the article is well-taken!

Thirty years from now, I wonder what models from, say, 1980 to 2000 would be on a similar list?  Hmmm...

John Emerson

[g27g28]

John there is a car collector down here in central FL that I have toured his collection a couple of times.  The collection was one of the stops when the grand national was held in FL a few years ago.  He has 150 cars of varying makes and models but majority GM and quite a few Cadillacs.  One time after finishing touring the collection we were all standing around talking and someone asked the gentleman what his favorite car was of his collection.  Without hesitating he pointed to his black 1985 Seville with a black cabriolet roof.  It was a low mileage original and he said he enjoyed driving it the most. 

[jdemerson]

John there is a car collector down here in central FL that I have toured his collection a couple of times.  The collection was one of the stops when the grand national was held in FL a few years ago.  He has 150 cars of varying makes and models but majority GM and quite a few Cadillacs.  One time after finishing touring the collection we were all standing around talking and someone asked the gentleman what his favorite car was of his collection.  Without hesitating he pointed to his black 1985 Seville with a black cabriolet roof.  It was a low mileage original and he said he enjoyed driving it the most.

Greg,

    An interesting perspective! My personal view is, first, that an 85 Eldorado is a stunningly beautiful car. My negative comment has to do with the 4.1 with throttle body as standard engine and the Olds Diesel option. I've never driven an 80s Eldorado.

    I've been thinking quite a bit about what models are especially attractive for actual use in the real world, if not as daily drivers. I'd choose a '79 Fleetwood Brougham with the 425 well ahead of an '80s Eldorado. I presume that Lentinello was focusing almost exclusively on design/style and not on other more practical issues. I'll readily concede that I saw some truly stunning 80s Eldorados at a couple of shows earlier this year...

John