Special order 75 CDV

[D.Smith]

Not my car, just a lead:

1975 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Under 49,000 original miles, original condition and correct vinyl top replaced about 8 years ago. The car was special ordered with Mountain Laurel Pink fron the factory for 350.00 back in '75. The car was a pretty loaded listing for $10,615 with white leather seats, power windows, seats and looks. The car was undercoated new but was only driven in summer. Call (906) 201-0050
Watersmeet, MI US
Price $ 10,000

[Eldorado James]

Interesting color, not bad.  Mary Kay light?      It's had some work done on the rear....looks like most of the rear filler panels were likely replaced/repainted to match the pink body.  They are all missing the fake chrome & stainless steel trims.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

It is an urban legend that Mary Kay contracted with Cadillac to have exclusive rights to the 1957 color Mountain Laurel (pink). Is this a Mary Kay car???

[D.Smith]

It is an urban legend that Mary Kay contracted with Cadillac to have exclusive rights to the 1957 color Mountain Laurel (pink). Is this a Mary Kay car???

Nope, not a Mary Kay car.    Just an ordinary person who wanted the older Mountain Laurel color.

The color is purely coincidental.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Every Mary Kay Cadillac I ever saw had next to nothing in terms of optional equipment.

[D.Smith]

Every Mary Kay Cadillac I ever saw had next to nothing in terms of optional equipment.

True.   Most were just ordered with a basic option group, plus white leather, and white vinyl top.  I'm sure that was done to simplify production as all the Mary Kay cars were made at once so they could paint them all at the same time. 

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

A car dealer who I knew often dealt in fleet returns, Mary Kay cars being among them. A few of the '81 Coupe deVilles I saw were equipped with white leather, and white Cabriolet roof but little else, including deletion of the V8 in favor of the 4.1 V6 to keep the price at a minimum. 

[BJM]

Which got me thinking, what constituted minimal equipment in the mid 70's to say 1984 (just to pick a year)?   Roll up windows?  Non power seat probably, but wasn't A/C "standard" or highly encouraged on 1975 to 1984 Cadillacs?   Bare bones is one thing for a Cadillac and quite another for a Chevette, circa 1980!

[D.Smith]

A car dealer who I knew often dealt in fleet returns, Mary Kay cars being among them. A few of the '81 Coupe deVilles I saw were equipped with white leather, and white Cabriolet roof but little else, including deletion of the V8 in favor of the 4.1 V6 to keep the price at a minimum.

Wow.    I'm sure Mary Kay and Cadillac marketing people worked to sharpen their pencils and create the best package that would have eye appeal but keep costs down.   These were leases after all.  They weren't free cars given to the employees as awards the way people think.  The sales person had to maintain a certain sales level in commissions to keep the car.  For as long as they kept their numbers up, the car was theirs for the duration of the lease.   At the end of the lease if their sales were still top tier, they just gave the car back and got another new one.  If their sales dropped MK took back the car, or put them in a lesser car.  There are standard color MK Pontiacs too.   Only a decal on the rear window indicates them as a MK car. 

When the Cadillac leases were up, the cars went back to any local Cadillac dealer for turn in.   At this point the driver could purchase the car at its residual value.  The Dealer could purchase the car also and resell it on their lot.  Or as in 99% of the cases, the car went to a GM dealer auction and ended up on the used car market.    But in all cases GM and MK wanted the cars repainted any color other than MK pink.   They didn't want their image tarnished by someone other than an MK person using the car.     Most were repainted white.   If you see a triple white, low optioned CDV pull up one of the door sill plates and you may see MK pink paint.   I saw one at a Massachusetts junkyard like that.         Of course a few dealers did buy one off lease for resale and not repaint them.    But they are far and few between. 

And not to be confused with a special order car like this one.   Mountain Laurel was used on several non-MK cars on special request over the years.   I believe we had a CLC member with a 75 Eldorado convertible in that color too.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Air became standard on all Cadillacs beginning January 1, 1974. Power windows became standard on all models in model year 1969; 1977 for 6 way power seat (since Calais had been dropped). Broughams generally had a few more standard items than DeVilles the number of which was increased somewhat over the years until 1985.

D'Elegance versions of DeVille and Broughams also came equipped with a number of items that would have optional otherwise as well. So the answer is that, for example, a 1985 Fleetwood Brougham with no boxes checked is equipped every differently than a 1970, 1975 or even 1980.

[D.Smith]

Which got me thinking, what constituted minimal equipment in the mid 70's to say 1984 (just to pick a year)?   Roll up windows?  Non power seat probably, but wasn't A/C "standard" or highly encouraged on 1975 to 1984 Cadillacs?   Bare bones is one thing for a Cadillac and quite another for a Chevette, circa 1980!

In Cadillacs eyes, they wanted dealers to order a "Basic option group" on every car. Back in the late sixties and early seventies the low end "basic" group would have had :  Climate Control, Tinted Glass, White wall tires, a base radio, 6-way seat and door edge guards.  Plus things like Lamp monitors and rub strips later.    But once all that became standard in January of 74, the low end Basic groups were dropped.  After that they'd have a few easy order groups with popular options.   And of course you could pick them individually too.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Wow.    I'm sure Mary Kay and Cadillac marketing people worked to sharpen their pencils and create the best package that would have eye appeal but keep costs down.   These were leases after all.  They weren't free cars given to the employees as awards the way people think.  The sales person had to maintain a certain sales level in commissions to keep the car.  For as long as they kept their numbers up, the car was theirs for the duration of the lease.   At the end of the lease if their sales were still top tier, they just gave the car back and got another new one.  If their sales dropped MK took back the car, or put them in a lesser car.  There are standard color MK Pontiacs too.   Only a decal on the rear window indicates them as a MK car. 

When the Cadillac leases were up, the cars went back to any local Cadillac dealer for turn in.   At this point the driver could purchase the car at its residual value.  The Dealer could purchase the car also and resell it on their lot.  Or as in 99% of the cases, the car went to a GM dealer auction and ended up on the used car market.    But in all cases GM and MK wanted the cars repainted any color other than MK pink.   They didn't want their image tarnished by someone other than an MK person using the car.     Most were repainted white.   If you see a triple white, low optioned CDV pull up one of the door sill plates and you may see MK pink paint.   I saw one at a Massachusetts junkyard like that.         Of course a few dealers did buy one off lease for resale and not repaint them.    But they are far and few between. 

And not to be confused with a special order car like this one.   Mountain Laurel was used on several non-MK cars on special request over the years.   I believe we had a CLC member with a 75 Eldorado convertible in that color too.

That is correct -  top Mary Kay sales associates were awarded 1 year leases only. Not the car itself.

I'm unaware of any requirement that the cars be refinished which I believe would be impossible to enforce anyway. I believe they were repainted simply to make these cars more salable on the used market. White was a natural choice given the color of the interior and roof trim, plus being more "forgiving" in terms of making paint flaws less visible. But ff a customer saw a car still wearing pink and liked it that way, that his how they got the car.

I also recall seeing this same dealer with MK pink Buick Centurys and Pontiacs (ca early 1990s). I also vividly recall seeing a 1994 DeVille he had - primarily because of its cloth interior which was virtually unheard of by then.  No doubt another MK cost savings measure as the cost of special order white leather interior would have been very expensive I would imagine.

[BJM]

So, the program was discontinued at some point. I don't mean to be macabre, but hasn't Mk passed away and the organization does not seem to be the powerhouse it once was.

I have seen pink cars through the years and always assumed they were MK.  Like the Pontiacs. 

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

When I was selling Buicks and Cadillacs from 1992-1995, our dealership did have "set" parameters for each type and trim level of every model. Skylarks, Centuries, LeSabre Custom/Limited, Park Ave/Ultra, SDV, and Fleetwoods all had the "same" amount of equipment unless a customer wanted something else. It made it a lot easier to order them. Back then, Beige and White were the two top colors for full-sized Buicks. We'd get Burgundy Centuries and trick them out with a cloth top and striping. I called them "The Little Jewel."

I remember one time I parked one fresh from cleanup on the grass out front and it had someone asking about it before I had a chance to hang the keys back on the board. (It sold, too.)

Thanks for the discussion guys. I figured if I mentioned "urban legend" we'd get the correct facts.

[e.mason]

Here's the thing.  When MK started the Cadillac awards, it was when Cadillac still enjoyed the prestige of being the best available.  Other then we Cadillac aficionados. Most people didn't know the difference between a bare bones Calais or a fully loaded Fleetwood. Either way it was still a Cadillac, and meant people have arrived. 

[D.Smith]

So, the program was discontinued at some point. I don't mean to be macabre, but hasn't Mk passed away and the organization does not seem to be the powerhouse it once was.

No the program is still going strong.    Here are the latest offerings.

They don't use Mountain Laurel as "Mary Kay Pink" anymore.

Now it is "Mary Kay Pink Pearl Tri-Coat"

[Bill Young]

Actually , power windows were made standard for the 1968 model year.