So, this 1973 Cadillac is a Brougham edition which is pronounced something like “brome” and not “bro-gun” or “bro-ham”. Regardless, it’s a biggie and qualifies for the “Whammer-jammer” designation – more on that to follow. The seller claims only 18K miles of use and all-in-all, this big rig shows well. Toledo, Ohio is its home and it’s available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,000. Ted gets a salute for this tip!
First up is a clarification – this is not the Cadillac Brougham covered here on BF back on 1/31 – it’s close but no cigar. Now that that’s out of the way, the Brougham was near the top of the Caddy heap in ’73, only having been outdone by the Fleetwood Seventy-Five. Moving downstream beneath the Brougham four-door sedan was the Coupe and Sedan deVille with the Calais two and four-door hardtops bringing up the markers. The front wheel drive Eldorado, in hardtop and convertible body styles, was, of course, part of the lineup for those on a personal luxury coupe bend.
Size matters and this Caddy is packin’ the pounds with a curb weight of 5,200 lbs. Of course, it’s stretched over a length of 231.5 ” so there’s still a certain amount of svelteness to this limo-sized sedan. It shows well except for three items noted. The first is the hood-mounted crest and standup ornament. The stock images that I could find show only the crest. Second is a dent in the passenger side of the trunk lid – it’s minor but rust has set in where the paint bent off. Third, and the elephant in the room, are the 20″ donk wheels. Oh, brother…talk among yourselves.
Power! Yeah sort of, the outsized 472 CI (7.7 liter) V8 engine, the only powerplant available, squeezed out a measly 220 net HP. It’s a torque-rich engine, however, so it should get the job done adequately. One source that I encountered claimed an eleven-second zero to 60 time – not a world beater but who drag races a Cadillac Brougham? Backing up that huge engine is a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. The seller states, “car runs and drives like new, smooth everything.”
The interior, while clean, comfy, and, I imagine, sleep-inducing, isn’t that impressive. The fabric upholstery is in nice shape, but I guess I was expecting something a bit more substantial, especially in a car of this class. The instrument panel is typical for the era; it’s a bit nondescript. One nice touch is the passenger compartment footrests. All this said, the entire environment is good to go and needs no attention.
The seller tells us that he’s the third owner of this Brougham, and the second owner never drove it. Fortunately, he mentions that the original wheels come with the car, so those who might fret over the 20-inch hoops can undo the incongruous visual. I’m not sure what the market for a car like this is—it’s not something that appeals to me, but if it did, this would be one to certainly consider, wouldn’t you agree?
Thanks J.O is this model in Angel’s wheelhouse ?
Beautiful car. But that interior, engine compartment, and the door sills are in awful shape for an 18,000 mile example.
Agreed, the mileage seems suspicious.
JO
Agreed about your comment Anonymous1
I’m wondering if the paint is original. It would have been lacquer, and its evenly faded like lacquer would fade. I may be wrong, looking at the door jams it sure looks like the door strike mechanism is painted. But again, I could be wrong, I’m looking at the photos on my phone. I also agree that the interior just doesn’t jump out at me, but maybe with a good detailing it may come back to life more. I’d absolutely have the original rims and wheel covers back on, the first day I’d have it.
I’m not sure how this happened, but I did not write this second post.
Does look like it is the original paint, but no way am I buying the mileage claim. The interior and engine compartment are way too rough to have less than 20k on the clock.
Oh come on now. You know it is. As
for the mileage, I’m gonna say that it’s
116K and NOT the 16K that the seller
is claiming to entice someone to buy it. My Uncle had one of these and he
loved it. Since he was in the roofing
and coating business, it was his mobile office. Me, I’d love to have this car but my finances just won’t allow
it. Just getting back to work after a
heart scare on Monday due to stress.
Gotta take it easy the next two weeks
or so. Time to hit the sack. Night all!
One look at those wheels tells you all you need to know.
Lose the pimp rims, and this boat might have a chance. 18K miles? On what planet……SMH
yeah Ringling brothers are looking for those missing wheels. originals? if so they are rough miles. pass
Nice clean car for its age but I think someone needs to educate the seller that when the odometer rolls over a 6 th digit doesn’t magically appear on the dash this car clearly has at least 100k on it but its a nice cruising rig if you can afford the gas.
Exactly, Rex.
I, for one hate the clown wheels 🤡 on ANY car. Whoever came up with this wagonwheel look should be horse whipped. They are actually worse than the 13″ers put on lowriders.
All ’71/2/3 Cadillacs are gorgeous and this one is no exception. It’s not a low milage car but if cared for will go over 200,000.
The interior is bland but I think the color has a lot to do with that. Plus I’m used to leather Cadillac interiors. Don’t know what it is about these Fleetwoods maybe they’re too big (no such thing in my book) but my ’75 Fleetwood Talisman had a dent on the trunk on the opposite side. Weird.
The ’73s did not have a stand up hood ornament. And this one could use opera lights.
I need this in my stable, IF & WHEN I get a stable
Those wheels tell me “RUN AWAY, RUNAWAY!!!”
The yellow plugs in the door jambs indicate Ziebart prevention treatment may explain lack of physical rust.Those fugly rims belong on a circus wagon!
I had a ’73 Sedan deVille, so this interior looks familiar, although a boring color to me. I also had a ’63 Fleetwood, and a lot changed in those ten years. Fortunately for me, my ’63 was far more reliable than my ’73, which I only kept for a few months due to malaise-era problems.
Anyway, the topic of “Brougham” made me chuckle because my first job out of high school was parking cars at a swanky apartment building. Most everyone who lived there was wealthy, so I got to drive all sorts of fancy vehicles up and down the multi-level garage. An adorable elderly lady showed up asking for her car the first week I worked there. She informed me that her car was the “Bro-Ham.” At the time, more than one make of car wore “Brougham” monikers, but we figured out which one was hers through a process of elimination. She honestly didn’t know what make it was, just that it was called a “Bro-Ham.”