Do any of you have what it takes to drive this car? If so, you’d be guaranteed to have a crowd around it every time you stopped for gas, which would be often. This custom 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Quincy, Indiana, and they’re asking $3,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Sam61 for the tip!
Not quite in the Super Fly category, but super custom nonetheless, hopefully this over-the-top Fleetwood can be saved. I love it for its creativity if nothing else. Would I rather have a regular Cadillac Fleetwood? Yes, sir/ma’am, but there’s something to be said about standing out from the crowd. I’m not sure if this was a Sixty Special or a Brougham, since a lot of the details have been modified. Maybe one of you Cadillac experts (Diva?) can tell from the photos.
The car driven in the movie Super Fly was a Cadillac Eldorado, and it didn’t really look like this customized Fleetwood, but it’s what I think of when I see a car like this. We don’t know the story behind this car. The seller doesn’t give much info at all, other than the engine is locked up, and if it doesn’t sell in the next few weeks, they may part it out. That’d be a crying shame; it sure would be fun at car shows in restored condition. Here’s a brochure showing the 1965 Cadillac lineup. Talk about some beautiful cars!
They say the frame is clean, and it sure looks pretty solid underneath. Quincy, Indiana is southwest of Indianapolis, between Indy and Terre Haute, so there is some snow in the winters, but not as much as northern Indiana. I’m just trying to figure out how a 61-year-old car has remained so solid through the decades. The interior is also custom, but maybe not as much as the exterior.
Uuuuf, that’s an interesting back seat. There isn’t much legroom for the middle passenger. We don’t know what engine is in here, but I’m assuming it’s the standard Cadillac 429-cu.in. OHV V8 with 340 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, the seller says this engine is locked up, so that’s got to be a major expense in getting this Super Fleetwood back on the road again. Would any of you drive this custom Fleetwood if it were in restored condition?
I like cars that stick out..but not when they stick out this much..That will be a project just to return it to its stock and sane state. One “positive” is the pimp who drove this car is about to be released after completing his 40 year stretch.
Superfly wouldn’t be caught dead in this monstrosity.
You can smell the pics of the interior
There is definitely coke residue in that interior.
Not to mention body fluids.
Angel! There you are! We missed you! Glad to see you are up and able to take nourishment! This car requires a labor of love to make it whole again. I personally would not have that much love towards this rolling eyesore !
Hunter b.
Who would want this?
A person with no taste but has a comb-over, a shirt open to the navel, a fake gold chain around their neck, and think they are Metro-bourbon.
I have to admit. The 1970’s living room carpet on the dashboard may possibly be putting this Caddy over the top. There’s an awful lot that would have to be undone to make it stock again.
I don’t know about this one Scotty. Perhaps a drop top version would improve it????
I did enjoy the ’65 Cadillac brochure a lot, always like it when you include those.
Wonder if that might actually be sheepskin on the dash top, that’s become matted and sun-faded over time? Seems like a similar covering, maybe originally the same, on the headliner, C-pillar trim and door bottoms.
An auto crusher would improve it.
Holy Cow! It’s the original Pimp Mobile.
Wouldn’t change a thing. I would make sure I had all my shots, though…
My first thought upon seeing this mess was the beat up `65 Coupe DeVille “Billy” drove with his buddies in “Gone in 60 seconds”–remember that car? 3-4 punks ridin’ round, sippin’ a forty and passing a joint back & forth? All the while they listened to the live radio reports of where the car thief was and if he was caught yet. I got a chuckle out of that!
@Will Fox
You should probably explain that was the original “Gone in Sixty Seconds” when Elenor was a 1971 Mustang in a butterscotch color not the remake with Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie. I felt so bad for that ’65 Cadillac. Especially when they crashed it, but it still ran after that.
The one that brought tears to my eyes was the 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible which not only got totalled being rearended, but burned to the ground to boot. Sacrilege.
“Would any of you drive this custom Fleetwood if it were in restored condition?”
No.
Yes, to a costume party!
All the time everyday!
NO! I wouldn’t restore it or drive it. But it does have additional scrap value with all the J C Whitney adds!
No, just no. Just WTF do you need three spares on this car when one would suffice. The engine isn’t the real problem here,
it’s all the other trash they put on
this car that’s gonna drive up the
cost of restoring this poor Caddy
back to some semblance of normalcy. And back to the engine. A crate version of a 472
should slide right in with little or no trouble at all. Add some aftermarket fuel injection to get a
a few more MPGs to make it easier on your wallet. I think you
can still find original interior fabrics for one of these but it’s
gonna set you back a bundle unless you know a good upholstery shop that can stitch you up a nice interior using factory photos as a guide. Me, I’d
have the body stripped and painted a deep Nocturne Blue blue or Onyx Black with a corresponding interior. Next comes a set of Tru Spoke wire rims with Cadillac centers wrapped in Vogue or Coker WSW
tires. And yeah, I’d leave the Connie kit out back to make the car stand out a little bit. And to top it off, I’d use a padded vinyl
roof with a set of custom.made
coach lamps angled to blend in
with the C pillar. Looking at this
poor car now reminds me of the
song “Welfare Cadillac” by Guy
Drake. We opened for him in 1970 along with Spec Rhoades and a few more folks from the
Porter Wagoner Show. First heard the song on WHOW out of
Clinton Illinois. And 6 months later I’m opening for him. Go figure. As for the song, you either
loved it or hated it. It’s still on YouTube if you wanna hear it. If I
had the time, money, and space,
I’d make this Cadillac great again!
@Ken,
Before you ask, hate it, hate it, hate it! Remove all the junk, repaint it and new vinyl top.
The interior will need some serious remodeling and cleaning.
Love the 1965 Cadillac restyle with the vertical headlamps and no fins.
Would love to hear The Cadillac Kid chime in on this one since I know ’65 is one of his favs also
A better question would be why would it be saved.
This Caddy would be perfect for an aging Elvis impersonator.
No, it wouldn’t!!!
Budget pimpin’..For the pimp who just needs to get from A to B :P Also..not Superfly..just..Adequatefly.
Hi honey 🍯! Glad to see that you’re still with us. This car reminds me of the POS ’63 Fleetwood 75 that my kid brother bought while I was on a 10 city tour in the summer of ’81. I’d just
come home from that tour and looked forward to some relaxation and doing some mattress dancing with my wife.
But that didn’t happen. My brother called me to show me the
new car he just bought. So my wife and I get dressed, and wait
outside for him to show up. He pulls up in a run down, beat up, and well used Fleetwood 75 limo.
The car had holes in the mufflers
and sounded like a freight train but the 390 sounded pretty good
and maybe, just maybe, I thought
that he may not have gotten effed
over by the guy who sold it to him. And lemme tell Ya’ that car was in worse shape than I thought possible. The body was
rough and dented up. The hubcaps and fender skirts were
MIA. And the inside was even worse! The seats were dirty and dingy, the ceiling was filthy, and the rear floors were really mushy.
And the carpet? It was toast. Within half a mile from our house,
the tranny started slipping and
growling. So we turn around and
got there right before said tranny
puked it’s guts out all over the street in front of our place. We got out, popped the hood and smoke was boiling up from under
the car. That was all I needed to
know– the tranny was DOA. My
Brother looked at me with that sad puppy look saying “You can
fix it can’t you? Mom and Dad don’t know I bought it.”. Uh no
Tommy, I can’t fix it. What’s left of your tranny is lying in the street
under the car, in the street, and it’s all French fried. We took Tommy home and he came clean
to Mom and my stepdad as to what he’d done. My parents were
giving me that “Do something” look so I called a friend of mine
who sold classic cars and brokered a title for title trade (At
least that’s what I told my parents) Tommy’s POS limo for a
’74 Pinto Squire wagon. So we go over to my friend’s lot where I
wrote him a check for $1,500. $1K for the car and $500 for helping get my brother out of the jam he was in. And when the seller came by to collect the fish
tank and waterbed my brother promised him as partial payment
for the limo, I invited him to take
a walk with me. I wrote him a
$500 check for the limo, he gave
me my brother’s $250, we shook
hands, and he left. I never mentioned ANY of this to my parents. As far as they knew, we
swapped one car for another and
put Tommy in something reliable
and the seller refunded his money after I had a word with him. So yeah, that was the most
expensive Sunday I ever had. But it was worth it. And my wife and I? We went home, pulled the shades, unplugged the phone, left
my truck at my parent’s house, and made love the rest of the day.
Now you can’t have a better Sunday than that!
Everyone talking about restoring this makes me giggle. Make it run, make a winter beater out of it…then take it to a demo derby. It’s a Caddy! Who restores a Cadillac of this year/stile, there are dozens for sale in good shape everywhere and no one’s buying them
The question is not “could it be saved?” but “should it be saved?”
lots of bashing going on here, and most of it justifiable with all due respect, BUT, these pimpy Caddies of this era, in my opinion, have their place in cultural automotive customizing, in their own right. I for one, find these era customs fascinating and intriguing! My mind goes back to the Dirty Harry and Bond films of the ’70s I still enjoy watching today. These customs appealed to an emerging racial awaking. Would I save it? Maybe not this particular example but I appreciate the work put into this car at the time, but I believe is does deserve a second chance. But hey, I am a true car enthusiast!
Put it out of its (and our) misery… Please…
Perfect car for your first day at a new job.
LOL!!
real shame somebody gave this the pimp daddy delicious option. at this point its parts if there any that can be salvaged. sad to see a caddy ruined like this.
It’s been SOLD!
Somebody saw the vision.
Will be KOOLIO redone just like it is.
A real part of the late 1960’s and 1970’s Cadillac car culture!
I want one… :-)
Oh yes, this would be my car. I would drive this beautiful creation around in a second and I would restore it the way it is now. It would look so beautiful and everyone would look and they would laugh, and I could laugh back at them, even louder. They would make the comment “I would never drive a car like that” and I would look at them and say, “yes, you never will”. If that was a lot closer, I would be buying that and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 429 that would be in it. That was more than powerful enough to move that car. It is odd if that’s that is a Fleetwood because it does not have a tilt/telescoping wheel or cruise control.
The whole “pimp” thing is not for me, but it is a cultural icon of a certain time. I would like to see someone update its mechanicals and restore its outrageous excess.
“the seller says this engine is locked up,” I wonder if the previous owner suffered the same fate.
My dad drove a 67 Sedan Deville as his daily in the 70’s. I took it to my prom in 1970. That car is a boat!! Someone will enjoy this ‘pimped out’ beast if the drivetrain is still good! That motor (429) was bulletproof if you took care of it!
Former owner was the Duke of New York. A#1.
Maybe “The Duke of Earl”
YUCK!
When a Caddy and a Stutz have a 1 night stand
The question is not “can it be saved” but rather “should it be saved”….
The best thing that could be done to this “monstrosity,” is to crush it and put it out of it’s misery. LOL
The best parking place for this…
It looks like the Bonneville got the parking spot first!
Reminds me of the Pimp Mobile in Magnum Force with Clint Eastwood.
It looks like the Bonneville got the parking spot first!
Can it be saved? Sure, but why would you? It’s hideous.
Luigi! I’m in a Knoxville hosp cardiac unit for heart failure and read your comment about the car being perfect for riding up on your 1st day of a new job! I laughed so hard I had tears, thanks buddy. You should do standup! Cheers
It has its place in history.
Hey Cadillac Kid, don’t forget about the chandelier! You mentioned that you did that to a few of your cars. And speaking of ’65 Cadillacs, lemme tell you
about the one that got away from me in ’82. It was a ’65 Calais 2-door hardtop. A 1 of 1 car with a
429/M-22 rock crusher 4-speed in it! It also had bucket seats up
front, a center console with factory tach, crank down windows, PS, AC, and AM/FM
stereo radio with a non power antenna. It was the first 3 pedal
Cadillac I’d seen since ’68 when
the Big Rig Truck Stop in North Normal was using an old ’50 Cadillac hearse for a parts chaser. The owner was a friend of mine that wanted to trade me
title for title for the ’62 Rambler
Classic custom sedan I had back
then. And since I couldn’t hear the Caddy run, I thought better of
the deal and walked away from it.
Now I know you could get a ’65
Pontiac Grand Prix with that combo, but a Cadillac? Never saw one before that day and never saw one after that. Wish I
could set the Way Back Machine
for 1982, look up my friend, buy
the car, and bring it back to 2026.
I can just see Angel now. All dolled up in a nice outfit, hair done, rowing through the gears like she owned them! But such
things are an old man’s fantasy.
I have never met her but I doubt she would have to get “dolled up” very much.
I think live somewhat near her.
I’m surprised you remember my innovations. I really would like to buy this Caddy but getting it home? I could take my Escalade and maybe find a trailer to pull it with. Or better yet, get it running and drive it home. That Caddy is “me”, well, with a few more additions. All my vehicles are Antique and this one could never be classified as that.
Any guy that can put a chandelier
into a car and make it work is a genius in my book. Even if you can’t get this car, there are still quite a few shells left behind in
wrecking yards for you to bring back from the dead with your own innovations as you put it.
But doing it that way would take much more time than you might
want to spend completely redoing a car from the inside out.
However you do it, I’m waiting to
see your handiwork. And as for Angel, I used to have some pictures of her that she sent me
in ’25, but they vanished along with my tablet when we moved into a different apartment. And as I remember, she’s a real looker.
Thank you for the nice comments. I’m not a genius but just crazy enough to do these things. I still have my chandelier and crystal wall sconces I removed after the flood. That was a very bad day for me.
I’m sure you are correct about Angel.
Damn guys, can I get in on this conversation?
As long as we are throwing compliments around Ken has the top tier of accomplishments. Anyone legally blind and has done all the things he has deserves it.
And Ken, all you had to do was ask and I would send you more.
TCK, I thought you said you live near me? I hope you are not referring to Vegas because I moved over a year ago to Baltimore. Now, if you are on the east coast I’d love to see your collection. And I’d be thrilled to meet you.
Admin: where’s that chat room we have been asking about? You won’t let me share my email so I can talk to these good people off line.
I live in Pennsylvania near Gettysburg
Thanks honey 😚! I had to handle my brother’s problem with
that POS Fleetwood the old Italian way. And no, I’m not Italian. Irish German through and through. I learned how to be that
kinda guy by watching a lot of Mafia movies in the 70s and 80s
They taught me how say something and mean it. .Like when the guy came to collect my
brother’s fish tank and waterbed
for half payment on the car, I knew I didn’t want him causing a
scene in front of my parents. So
when he came up the stairs at my
parent’s house, I met him at the door, shook his hand, walked him up the hill to a little diner a friend
of mine owned. Set him down, bought him a cup of coffee ☕,
wrote him a check for that thing
he called a Fleetwood, talked awhile, shook his hand, and we
parted in a calm, civil manner. No need to cause a ruckus, just
conduct yourself in a business like way and everything takes care of itself. And all that time , I
was wearing my Mafia face the whole time I was talking with the
gentleman. By doing that, I let
him know I wasn’t gonna take any guff from him and he should take
the check and leave while he still
could. And like I said earlier, I NEVER told my parents about what I’d done or what it cost me.
I can tell that story now as my parents and my brother have long
since passed away. Sometimes I
think they knew but never said
anything about it. I just thank God I had bit of cash in the bank
to pull it all off. And that’s the story of how I saved my brother’s
bacon 🥓 the right way. After all,
that Sunday, I WAS my brother’s
keeper.
I guess you were true mafia and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Plus a cup of coffee.
My aunt married a guy that we always thought was “connected”. He had a restaurant in Calumet City. (which also made us think he was “connected”). One day his Cadillac was stolen (a year or two old in about1968) He reported the theft and 3 days later it was returned and fully detailed with a note that said “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that this was your car.” Then, we were pretty sure he was connected.
Hey Wayne,
That sounds a lot like the scene from “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” the original and the remake. Dope kid steals a Cadillac and they find a trunkload of cocaine, realize who’s car it is and told the kid to take it back.
In the original though, they actually burn the car.
He was not fun to play poker with. If he had a good hand OR wanted to bluff the bet. He would reach in his pocket and bet a very large a amount of cash that no one at the table could cover. For us, 0.25 was a high bet!
Oh no dear, I was just looking out
for my kid brother that’s all. But
you’re right though. The only Mafia thing I did was as you say,
make him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The seller even apologized to me about selling the car to my brother. He also told me that if he knew the tranny
was gonna take a dump, he wouldn’t have sold him the car.
That was 45 years ago and I know that he knew about the tranny getting ready to roll over and die. And my friend with car lot? I called him right before his
Sunday lunch and hustled him
down to his lot. That’s why I paid
him $500 extra for the Pinto. If
you’re gonna call someone down
to their business on a Sunday, you make sure they are paid well
as their time is important. And yes dear, I could see you driving
that ’65 Calais with the rock crusher 4-speed. One thing’s for
sure, you’d have the only one in town! And Wayne, I know all about those penny ante poker games. Before I started touring,
I’d go visit my cousin most every
Friday night at my aunt’s house and take part in the weekly poker
game over there. That’s how I got
my ’60 Chevy 2 door wagon. I won it in one of the poker games
at my aunt’s house. Think the cash in the pot was $15 with the
car title to an old wagon worth
maybe $20-$25 on a good day. So all tolled I won $35 or $40 that
night. OMG! Just think of what the cops would do today to my Aunt for playing poker with a bunch of teenagers?!! They would bury her under the jail for
contributing to the delinquency of
a minor on at least 10 counts! And gambling? Throw on another
10 counts! I’m so glad we did that 57 years ago. Back then, it was good clean fun that kept us off the streets at night. And my
cousin? He was born with a learning disability that left him with the mind of a fourth grader.
Combine that with a speech impediment and he was in a bad
way socially. But he was one of the best poker players I ever saw!
Even after I started touring, I’d come by and see him whenever I
could. I always tried to bring him
a souvenir from every city I played in. Makes me wonder how many of those things he has
left.
No souvenirs from Crete? (lol)
Nah, Crete didn’t have a souvenir
shop! When I sent him something, I’d look for stuff that
had the town or city’s name on them. And after I had gotten enough to send home, I boxed them up and sent them to his house via UPS. We looked after
each other he and I. He was my eyes and I was his brain. And together, we made a really good
person. Haven’t seen him in over
20 years now. He’s a really nice
guy and a mean poker player.