Stunning isn’t an adequate word to describe this 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which is listed for sale by a Jaguar and Land Rover dealer in Seattle. To me, this is one of the most beautiful Cadillacs ever made after the classic big-fins era, but you so rarely see them in preserved condition like this. Every detail is seemingly designed to make the Cadillac appear as ornate as possible, reminding you that there was a time that Cadillac built its cars to maximum levels of opulence because its customer base demanded it. This Cadillac reportedly has just 12,032 miles on the clock, making it likely to be one of the lowest mileage Coupe de Villes in existence. Find it here on craigslist $32,950.
The Cadillac is not alone in this new car showroom in terms of other big-body American luxury cars getting a front-row seat. Over the years, I’ve known a fair amount of dealers who had their own personal collections mixed in with the new inventory, which served two purposes: one, you could draw a crowd with some exotic eye candy parked in the showroom, and two, you might even end up selling a car to a shopper who came in to buy a new luxury sedan. I figure if it’s used as a marketing ploy, it’s also a tax write-off for the dealership. Photos show the car being delivered by enclosed transport, so it seems unlikely it was a dealer trade unless a local collector didn’t want to risk their bartering chip being totaled on the drive over to the showroom.
The color scheme is Knickerbocker Tan over Light Neutral leather, and both the condition of the paint and the interior leave little doubt that this is a low-mileage specimen. The leather shows virtually no flaws and the same goes for the door panels and dash pad. The seller notes this Cadillac is loaded up with all of the best features and technology from the era, and it all seemingly works. This includes the climate control and air conditioning; the power windows, locks, seats, and trunk release; tilt wheel; remote left and right side mirrors; AM-FM 4 speaker stereo with power antenna; and more. One of the coolest features is the digital turn signals and rear lighting indicator that tells you all of your bulbs are illuminating as they should.
The vinyl roof is likewise in outstanding shape, and the glass is beautiful. The seller notes the wide white tires are new (and they are a must-have on a car like this) and that the optional 500ci V8 engine is running as it should. All signs point to this Cadillac being part of a collection rather than accidentally discovered as some sort of forgotten time capsule. The details are too perfect and the cosmetics are too flawless to imagine it sitting in a forgotten carport gathering dust. Buying from a dealer is never cheap, but perhaps you’ve got a late-model Range Rover or Jaguar you don’t care for that this dealer will pay through the nose to own given the shortage of decent used cars. Thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find.
In 1975, I think this would have been the perfect car for taking a date to a nice steakhouse or upscale seafood restaurant. This Caddy would have been a significant upgrade over the Dodge Demon with the slant 6 that I was driving at that time. I’d still love to have it today, though. It’s gorgeous!
In 1975 if I had pulled up to a date’s house with this, she would have gone and hid in a closet.
You are so right im 62 years old and my first car was a Cadillac 1964 Eldorado convertible I hav had a Cady every cents then I paid 75.dollers for that Cady that was in 73 now I hav a 73 grandvill Pontiac convertible I just love the big cars
Reminds me of Robert DeNiro getting blown up in Casino
That was Joe Pesci in a Lincoln Continental.
DeNiro “Almost” got blown up in a Caddy Eldorado not a DeVille I think it was an 81 or 82
Look up ‘land yacht’ in your Funk & Wagnalls and this is what you’ll find.
Nice car! My dad called them ‘Coupe do Barn Door’!
It is very nice, but 33k nice??
Greg if it goes for 33k i think its well bought. What a beauty.
Go BUY a Beater 1975 Caddy Coupe Deville and try to restore that beater to the condition level of this car for $30K or less.
AIN’T HAPPENIN!
Great Buy IF you want a killer nice 1975 Cadillac Coupe Deville!
Yep, some people have more money than taste.
Now that the average transaction price for a middling new car is over 40K, it seems that any used car, no matter the age, is now also worth that much.
Even if it is warranted or not.
The only sad thing is by 1975 the once mighty 500 engine was down to a measly 190 horsepower (SAE net). It was 400 gross in 1970.
0-60 measured with an hourglass.
My parents had one when I was a kid. If we parked the car uphill, I could not open the door because they were so heavy
Not meant to be a drag racer. Still will move ok because of all of the torque these engines make, but not a screamer by any means.
I want it!
On a different note, this dealer has a few vintage Cadillac cars for sale, most in comparable condition. I wonder where the cars came from.
A little flashy. You’re gonna get the whole crew pinched driving this car around
I had a ‘74 and had 11 people in it and got 5 mpg
One sweet looking Caddy that anyone would be proud to own.
However,
– no picture(s) of the engine.
– no pictures of the underside (with the car up on a hoist).
Problems, or just oversights by the seller?
I’m sure with 12,000 miles it’s just an oversight. The engine compartment is probably a nice place to have lunch.
Father in law had a burgundy and tan four door with “modified” Quadrajet carb
installed, was a great interstate runner at 80 mph all day long. All the leg room six people could want…and cigarette lighters and ashtrays for all!
I’m sure with 12,000 miles it’s just an oversight. The engine compartment is probably a nice place to have lunch.
Like Driving a couch down the road, with it’s own zip code.
My dads second new Sedan deVille was a ‘75. Nice car but for the size, the porch bumpers and the primative smog control equipment. It’s be another few years before cars ‘got good’ again.
Digital turn signals? It was fiber optic wire that ran from each bulb to the indicators on the front fenders and above the rear window. Pure analog.
Wire? It was a fiber-optic cable. Purer analog.
First introduced on the 1967 full-size Chevrolets.
Ok, so I’m a pain, that car is gorgeous, but for 33 large, I’d want the half top, sunroof, 8 track additions
The dealership its at explains why they want so much
Back in 1982 a friend of mine had a 75 Sedan DeVille 4-door almost the same color as the one posted here. Had a white top with the 500 cid. It was a beautiful car, ran so smooth butter soft beige leather. The only option it didn’t have was a tilt wheel. I was driving a 70 Delta 88 coupe at the time and was jealous as hell Lol I later bought a 74 Sedan DeVille the following year. This is a beautiful car worth the money. Only wish it had the half vinyl top, but nevertheless a classic great buy.
Sweet Caddy.
This has to be a personal collection car. These cars rusted something awful. It was difficult to keep up with the rust.
I had a ’76 Coupe de Ville very much like this one. The original owner wanted a d’elegance but didn’t want the valore interior, he wanted leather. So he ordered it with leather interior and all the d’elegance options including the half vinyl top, opera lights behind the rear side windows and whatever else it needed to be a d’elegance.
Mine had the 8-track. The fiber optic lamp monitors were standard on all Cadillacs.
But as I said, they rusted out something terrible. All my Cadillacs of that Era, my ’76 Coupe de Ville, ’75 Fleetwood, ’75 Eldorado convertible and ’74 Coupe de Ville all rusted in the same places. I went through a ton of sandpaper, primer and paint during that time, trying to keep up with it . I scowled junk yards everywhere for the plastic parts around the rear bumpers as they would dry out with age and sun and crack. Even replaced a few with OEM and fiberglass replacements.
I remember my boss was looking at my ’76 one day, and remarked that you could fit a whole family in the rear seat. I looked at him and said you could MAKE a whole family in that rear seat. He wasn’t amused.
Angel,
I knew I could count on you to comment on this beauty! Your backseat comment is priceless, one I will have to remember.
In case you don’t know, I think the bumper fillers are still available from the manufacturer; Replica Plastics in Dothan, Alabama. We used them years ago for our 1970s GM restorations.
Thanks Bill, after all, I am the Cadillac Diva! LOL
Besides the junkyards which pretty much turned out to be useless because these cars are sitting out in the open getting sundried, I had a couple of catalogs I ordered them from. Don’t remember the names of the companies. This was between 2000 and 2005. In a land long long ago and far far away. Sure seems like forever ago.
Angel Cadillac Diva is correct. These Era GM cars rotted to the windows. I had a 73 Coupe Deville in 2004. It had rust. Sold it for $500.
You can get a perfect low mileage 84 coupe for 10 grand and a handful more for Dayton knockoffs ,airbags and wicked pumpin’/pimpin’ sound. Roll by the goofy-ass Starbucks on Sunday morning to splash the coffee all over them old-man donuts. Then come back in your 18k chevelle you actually found in a barn pretending you don’t know who that jerk lowrider guy was and have another good time. All for the same money as this overpriced 75
I grew up in the 60s riding in Cadillacs–not mine but Uncles and boyfriends of my sisters. I loved how smooth they were.
I managed to buy a 74 Coupe DeVille in the early 80s and found it to be the smoothest car I ever experienced.
Smoother than any of the Lincoln and Caddy stretch limos that I drove, smoother than either of th 64 Sedan Devilles that I had, or my relatives 60s Caddys.
Literally like floating on a cloud, on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn. 90mph felt like 20mph.
Haynes,
Why would you want an ’84 Caddy for $10,000? That’s literally half the car this is.
Yep Angel…1/2 the Caddy for less than 1/3 the price…plus you got more than 15 grand left over to find a bargain while you are driving a totally legit lowrider scraping tail pipes and bangin’ George Strait on the way to buy it.
I’m glad someone pointed out the fiber optic indicator lights. My favorites were the ones above the back glass. I couldn’t hit the brake pedal without looking to see if those two red “eyes” lit up.
I had a ’72 Eldorado, ’73 Sedan deVille, and a ’78 Coupe deElegance. I loved driving those cars despite the poor build quality and frequent failures of moving parts. My ’74 Electra and ’76 Estate Wagon were also favorites, although they fell apart even worse. It’s no wonder people refer to those times as the Malaise Era.
I looked at what else the dealer had on offer and came across this gem. (I prefer red over gold any day).
https://www.landroverseattle.com/inventory/1976-cadillac-coupe-deville-2door-6d47s6q190894
Located in Lynnwood, WA
My dad had a new Caddy every year. A total of 37. His last one was a 1976. He refused to buy a 77 because they were starting to make them smaller. He was a salesman on the road and said the one with the bigest car wins, in a wreck. I had a 76 Coupe in 1983 and I was 23 yrs old. What a car to throw all your Buddy’s in and cruise Hollywood Blvd on Saturday nite! Wife used it for a daily with our 1 yr old. Lots of protection .
Oh and by the way, I paid $1500 for that 76 Coupe! You could find Caddys all over So Cal in the 80s for $2000 ! Nobody wanted them because of gas prices.