No option or strangely optioned Cadillac's

[billyoung]

I have always been fascinated with no option or strangely ordered Cadillac's. Example a good friend of my Grandmother ordered a new 1968 Cadillac Calais coupe in silver with black cloth and plastic seat covers radio delete manual front seat, NO options other than Climate Control. There is a man in Fort Lauderdale with a 1968 Eldorado slick top in black from Maine radio delete and no climate Control nor any other options. I have a window sticker from a 1968 Fleetwood Brougham with every option including bucket seats and console but AM radio. In Buffalo I saw a 1955 Series 62 coupe with zero options but it had factory installed the Eldorado 2 four barrel engine.  What do you own or have you seen ?

[TJ Hopland]

It seems strange now since the vast majority of people have been 'buying off the lot' for the last 30-40 years but back in the day when it was common to order your car it kinda made sense to get what you actually wanted. 

You would think with the overall higher price of a Cad vs say a Chev that the Cad people would have said what the heck for another $100 we can add just about everything but a lot of those Cad buyers fought and worked hard to get to the point and were not gonna waste any money on something they really didn't need.   If you never listened to the radio or FM why pay an extra few bucks for one?

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I once read an article on a 1962 Series 75 that was not ordered with air conditioning, radio nor whitewalls. The original purchaser was the Catholic church for use by a convent. If they could've deleted the power windows, they probably would.

[71 Fleetwood]

My Series 60 has the Series 75 upholstery and the front passenger seat is manual.  Cheaper?  Less prone to wear?  I dunno.

[76Caddy]

Since no one in my family ever owned a Cadillac, I didn't know about all the options that were available on them.  In 1980, my great-uncle knew about a Cadillac for sale and took me to see it (I had just turned 14).  It was a 1970 Sedan deVille and it was in excellent condition.  After buying it I discovered it was a fully optioned car except for cruise control.  So ever since that '70, every Cadillac I have had was fully optioned for that particular year (not including sunroofs).  I passed once on a beautiful '73 Eldo conv. because it had no options.
Like BigFins said in another thread, if you're not getting options, might as well buy a Chevrolet   

Tim

[billyoung]

Tim, the 1973 Eldorado had no Climate Control? There is a green 1972 Eldorado conv. with no options including no Climate Control or lamp monitors on you tube a Pennsylvania car.

[TJ Hopland]

I don't know that you could get one with no climate control at all, I think by that time it was a federal regulation requirement to have a defroster.   I assume the option was auto climate control and if you didn't get it you got manual which was the 2 slide levers one for mode and the other for temp.   I only ever saw one car in person that didn't have AC and it was a 72 ish hearse. That car also didn't have a radio, just sort of crude (by Cadillac standards)metal plate perhaps lifted from the Chev parts catalog?  Crank windows, one side mirror.  Guess no complaints from the passengers and the driver wasn't paying the bills so didn't get a say. 

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Cars with basic heater still had a windshield defroster setting.

[David Greenburg]

I seem to be a magnet for stripped Fleetwoods. The '59 I had for many years only had radio, heater and 6-way seat. My '61 is the same except it also has autotronic eye.

[billyoung]

I should mention that my 1968 DeVille convertible is a little odd for a 1968 in that it was ordered with both Climate Control and AM FM Stereo radio however no T and T steering wheel, I have never seen that before however that was a real selling point for me as if your turn signal lever breaks on a T and T equipped car there are NO replacements.