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Black Plate Bomb: 1966 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Black Plate Bomb

These old Cadillacs are longer than most anything on the road and that gives them some serious presence. It also means that they take a lot of work to wax. We found that out when we rescued a Caddy very similar to this one. We were impressed by that car, so this one caught my eye. This deVille has been in California it’s whole life with only a couple of owners. The paint is original, the engine runs, and everything looks to be in great shape. It’s located in Anderson, California and is listed here on eBay where bidding starts at $2k with no reserve!

Cadillac 429 V8

The 340 horsepower 429 was your only choice in 1966. It may have sipped a lot of fuel, but this was a powerful engine that was durable and well suited for a big luxury car like this. The seller mentions that the engine runs well and as long as it has been maintained, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t have many years of life left in it. That looks like a dual master cylinder for the brakes in there, but I don’t believe that these were so equipped with that safety feature yet. That might be a good upgrade on a car this big though. That is a dual master cylinder.

Cadillac Interior

Checkout the interior! Cadillac did such a good job at making things luxurious, detailed, and subtle all at the same time. The quality of materials used is evident here. There’s a couple of cracks in the dash pad and on the top of the backseat, but everything else looks pretty good. The warm and dry climate in California is generally kind to cars and that could explain why everyone gets so excited about “black plate” cars. Just be careful when you are dealing with cars that have lived by the ocean though as they are not exempt from the ravages of salt and moisture.

1966 Cadillac deVille

The tall fins of earlier Cadillacs were wild, but I bet the design of this thing raised some eyebrows too when it was released in 1965. Today the shape doesn’t look all that special, but when compared to other cars from the same time period, you will quickly realize how cutting edge this Cadillac really was. These were high quality cars that were built to last and this one proves that point nicely. You can still pickup nice examples like this for reasonable amounts of money, but I predict that these big boats will be sailing up in value soon!

Comments

  1. Avatar David

    What a grand old sled! I wonder if they might have upgraded the brakes when they upgraded the master cylinder. (Was the new, dual, master cylinder necessary converted it to disk brakes?) Imagine how much this would be worth if it was a Chevy. I hope the new owner enjoys it as it is.

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  2. Avatar ron h

    1966 was the first year for dual master cylinders to be mandated as standard equiment on all US manufactured automobiles.

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      I did some more research and ’67 is when the dual master cylinder was mandated. Cadillac had already been offering it for a couple of years before then though, so that is likely the original setup.

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  3. Avatar PaulG

    Already up to 4450.
    Check out the ’67 Toronado the seller also has listed in eBay:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oldsmobile-Toronado-Base-/201608830696

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      We just featured it too Paul. Thanks.

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  4. Avatar cj32769

    My mom had a 66 sedan and I remember all of the ashtrays! It had a big one in the dash one in each door handle and I think on the backs of the front seat too. As a kid one can cause lots of problems riding bored in the back so why not take out one of the lighters and drop a penny into it? I don’t remember what fuses let go but I do remember what happened when Dad got home.

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  5. Avatar Roselandpete

    Love those old Caddys.

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  6. Avatar M B

    That was when Cadillac was REALLY Cadillac. Makes the new stuff look ________ at best, all things considered. Luxury was about SIZE, COMFORT, and GREAT MATERIALS, plus EASE OF DRIVING. Probably not the most fuel efficient car back then, but not out of the ballpark, either. Mid-to-high teens on a highway run with lower teens in strictly stop/go town driving (not counting traffic jams!).

    Some hd shocks, new radials, and general maintenance would make this a great car. Wish it had factory a/c rather than “add-on” a/c, though!

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    • Avatar Barry T

      Back in 66′ if you could afford to buy a new Cadillac I kind of doubt you worried too much about the mpg. Besides gas was pretty cheap back then. I googled and learned that in 1965 gas was 31 cents a gallon.

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  7. Avatar Neil F

    It’s definitely a CA car as it has the CA Emissions, as indicated by the tubular bar running along the outside of the valve cover. 66 was the first year that was mandated in California, so I’m told. I also have a 66 California DeVille and have the same set up, although mine has been disconnected. This one looks to still be intact. Great cars. Mine took some work to get it where it is now, but fun to drive.

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  8. Avatar Roselandpete

    I have to agree with the radials. About 15 years ago, I bought a 72 Riv with less than 10k miles that still had the original bias ply tires. The car ran great but seemed to steer “funny” to me. Anyway, when I put new radials on it, the car steered and rode great. I couldn’t believe that radials would make that much difference. I still kept those old bias ply tires though.

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  9. Avatar Brad Menke

    I owned a 74,000 mile all-original in Cape Ivory w/t a black top between 2006 and 2012 that was published in the Feb 2008 issue of Collectible Automobile p16.

    The first car I ever titled in my own name was a 1967 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, following the failure to inherit our family 1967 Fleetwood Brougham.

    My family was stationed overseas in the late 60’s and the AFEES parking lot would host an annual car show. I instantly fell in love with the Buick Electra 225 and told my family that was the kind of car I wanted when I got my license. Cadillac’s and Lincoln’s were rare site, but there were a few other large-body GM’s trying to squeeze through the narrow local streets and cruise the Autobahn.

    During the final couple of weeks in Europe, while our car was en route back to the states, we had the loan of a friend’s 1967 Pontiac Executive. I was in heaven!

    After we got back Stateside I realized that GM made yet another big car – the Cadillac. the late 60’s models (’65 – 69) were my favorites. I held titles to about 8 of them over the years, but they were all fixer-uppers or parts cars until I bought the 1-owner time-capsule in ’06. Unfortunately, I came to realize that my opportunities to drive it were rapidly evaporating and I had too many other cars that I no longer drove as well and in the Summer of 2012, I sold it to a collector in Maine.

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  10. Avatar Charles H.

    I’m pretty sure this is a factory air Caddy, M B…..

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  11. Avatar mike

    Cadillac went to a dual master cylinder in 1962

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  12. Avatar Woodie Man

    One of the few cars I think that looks better as a four door…save for the convertible

    Like 0

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