Something that most of us don’t think about is where names come from, in general, let alone when they’re vehicle-related. I’m thinking of the word, Brougham. How many of you knew that was actually a gentleman’s name? This 1991 Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance is listed here on eBay in Chatfield, Minnesota, an hour-and-a-half southeast of Mpls/St. Paul. The current bid price is $15,402 and the reserve isn’t met yet!
I’ve heard the word Brougham for decades, back to probably the early-70s when my best friend referred to a new car that his parents just bought as a “Bro-Ham”. I thought, what the ___ is a Bro-Ham?! It turns out it was a nice trim-level Ford with the word Brougham on the side of the vinyl top. It was named after a British Lord High Chancellor (I know, fancy!) named Henry Peter Brougham. I’m assuming that nobody called him Bro.
Lord Brougham designed a horse-drawn four-passenger chariot bearing his name in the early-1800s and the rest is history, lots of history, and lots of money if he would have gotten a percentage of every vehicle to use the name, Brougham. Enough of Barn Finds Vehicle History 101, back to this time capsule Cadillac. The Brougham – Cadillac, not horse-drawn carriage – was a full-sized, rear-wheel-drive, four-door luxury sedan made when Cadillac had already started downsizing their DeVille series and making them front-wheel-drive. They were made from 1986 for the 1987 model year until 1992.
This example appears to be in outstanding condition, and nothing says formal luxury like a Cadillac in Black Sapphire with a black vinyl top. The Dark Maple Red leather is an elegant touch and other than some creases on the leading edge of the driver’s seat it appears to be in nice condition. The back seat is the place to be in a luxury car and this one is no exception. The trunk is Tony Soprano-approved and it also appears to be as clean as the rest of the car is.
The engine is a Chevrolet-sourced 350 cubic-inch V8 with throttle-body fuel injection and it was rated at 170 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. It’s backed up by a Turbo Hydramatic THM 700-R4 four-speed transmission and the seller says that everything works other than the power antenna. A new air-conditioning system was just installed last year according to the seller who has owned this car for four years. Have any of you owned a Cadillac Brougham, or any car with the name “Brougham” on it?
Dad had a 1982 Fleetwood Brougham, from ’86 until ’91. Butter cream yellow and yellow leather inside. I believe it had the V4-6-8. All the options inside. It was a great ride when everyone else had little cars, we had a Caddy. It is the only car of dad’s that impressed mom.
It may have been a nice car but General Motors Worst Motors , The Worst Engine Design Even Til Today , Nothing But Valve Train Issues , I Learned That First Hand Doing General Automotive Repairs As A yuth, As Cousin Vinny Would Say
I don’t recall any trouble with it, but I was 10 when it was destroyed in a crash. We all walked away, but the car was destroyed.
15,502 at the moment and under reserve. Great car to cruise around in or do long highway trips with, if you can afford the gas.
Luxurious interior will make the miles glide by.
The SBC probably shouldn’t be in a Caddy but it does promise a level of reliability that some Caddy specific engines did not (ahem, Northstar).
Despite that, $15K plus is too much for me. I won’t disparage whoever does buy it but it is not how I’d spend my money.
Walter Can U Say General Motors Corporate Motor , They Found Themselves In A Pickle Using Corporate Motors In Different GM Models, Plenty Of Lawsuits Back In The Early 90s
You’re off by a decade (or more). The brouhaha over the “corporate engines” began in the late 70s after Olds buyers were pissed that their 77 Oldses had Chevy engines. After that time, GM brands were advertised as having corporate engines, not brand specific. Besides, the Chevy 350 was probably the most reliable engine GM had, and no one SHOULD have complained about it.
91 350 throttle body one of best long lasting low maintenance ever made,where you get your info Johnny A ??
I think he was referring to the Cadillac V8-6-4 engine, not the SBC 350.
I gather that early cylinder-deactivation system was primitive and troublesome, but if you disable that to run all 8 cylinders full-time, the engine itself is fine enough.
I’m looking forward to the used car market crash where these things go back to about a $5,000 value
I think hell will freeze over before that happens.
Good article, Scotty. Now I know why nobody has ever called me a Brougham. I’m no gentleman…
Ha! Thanks, Ron, you… gentlemen you.
WOW!!!
It even has the Carfone 5000. What will they think of next (LOL)?
Why yes, I did have a car with the Brougham name. It was a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. This was in the 80s and I bought it for $400
The power antenna on every one of these battleships broke soon after delivery. Stupid option. Beautiful colors here. That engine may be a boat anchor but far more reliable than the 4100. I worked in a Caddy dealership 40 years ago. Total junk engine. It is unthinkable anyone would buy another Caddy after owning that junk engine.
Auction update: this one ended at $20,400 and the reserve wasn’t met. Bro!
I had a 90 Brougham d’Elegance in triple blue. I loved it, but it had valve body issues in the transmission and I needed something reliable and newer, so it had to go. Beautiful, comfortable car, I wish I could’ve kept it and fixed it.