The pages of automotive history are full of “why” and “why not” questions, and one is why Cadillac chose not to mass-produce a station wagon during the seventies, when it was still the preferred way to haul large families around. The brand didn’t introduce its CTS Sport Wagon until 2010, long after the SUV had all but taken over as the station wagon’s successor. Fortunately, thanks to Traditional Coachworks, around 50 wealthy buyers in the mid-seventies scored a luxurious custom Cadillac station wagon like this 1976 Castilian here on eBay. Located in Bear River City, Utah, this one’s a very rare breed, and it’s a bit surprising that nobody has placed the opening bid of $25,000 as of this writing.
The seller describes this one as the ultimate land yacht, and they may be on the right track considering the level of luxury plus its footprint, as this wagon measures nearly 234 inches from front to rear. A few other coachbuilders turned Cadillacs into limousines, ambulances, and the dreaded hearse, but Traditional Coachworks had the clever idea of transforming a 1970s Fleetwood into what they called the Castilian. Another company, Hess & Eisenhardt, also produced a rare coach-built Caddy wagon about 20 years earlier. They called it the View Master, but we’ll save that story for another day.
For the 1976 model, approximately 11 Castilians are said to have been manufactured, with fewer than 50 estimated for the entire run. There’s no information on whether the exterior has been restored or repainted, but the body looks straight and solid, and the brown paint still has a nice glossy luster. The undercarriage is also in good condition, with the floors and rails appearing strong, plus it looks like a brand-new dual exhaust system was just installed.
For a car nearly half a century old, the interior appears excellently preserved overall, and it includes nearly every luxury component available at the time. Both front seats are power-assisted, and the plush upholstery looks like it would provide comfort for hours at a time, though gas stops will interrupt that coziness more often than in many vehicles from this era. It also has a tilt column, cruise control, power windows, and even a sunroof. These obviously weren’t cheap, as it cost roughly $30k when new, which is about 175 grand today.
It takes a huge engine to easily move an automobile weighing well over 5,000 pounds, and this one delivers, with a 500-cubic-inch V8 providing the power. Traditional Coachworks made no mechanical mods, but they didn’t really need to, as 360 lb-ft of torque was considered more than adequate by mid-seventies standards. The seller forgot to post a picture from inside the bay, but we can see the bottom section, and both the engine and Turbo 400 automatic look mostly dry. Any thoughts to share on this anomalous 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Castilian station wagon?
The undercarriage looks clean, but there is a drop of oil hanging from both the oil pan and the transmission inspection cover. I think they did a cleanup before the photo. Anyway, this would be perfect for airport pick up and drop off if your clients are into vintage iron.
several comments:
1) this redefines plush, and
2) this one is large, an onsite inspection wouldn’t be sufficient, better to schedule a “tour” of the interior;
3) very creative and exceptional design of the tailgate, those guys were not amatuers.
This one says 70s era better than anything I have ever seen, nice job on finding and writeup.
Just sent Angel 😇 an email about this car. Caddy wagon? Why not!. Hess & Eisenhart and
Superior would build you one if you had the right amount of cash
to get one. They were building wagons as early as ’41 and they
looked really sharp too. Dunno why they didn’t keep building them, they could’ve captured the
Estate wagon market if they had.
I once did a print of a ’59 Cadillac
that the customer wanted done
up like a Chevy Nomad. He really
liked it and even tipped me for it.
Got some business from some of
his friends too. This car is really
nice but I think it would look better with the factory clamshell
tailgate they used on the big ’76
98 or Buick Estate wagon. And yeah, if you talked to the right folks at your local Cadillac dealer,
they could see to it that you were
soon the proud owner of a factory built Cadillac wagon. I may not like the lift gate, but I wouldn’t kick it off my driveway
either. I’d own and have my niece
or SIL drive me around with pride.
I’m glad you like the clamshell rear-end. So do I
I’ll try to post a picture of mine
One of Elvis’ Cadillac station wagons
Any Cadillac station wagon from 1971 through 1976 need to be a clamshell. Which requires a lot more work, relocating the taillights and license plate but the professional car industry did that with its hearse and Elvis had several Cadillac wagons that were clamshell.
I never cared for liftgates even on Minivans and SUVs. I’ve noticed several manufacturers with the larger SUVs are going back to two piece tailgates. Now, if they just start retracting the window into the tailgate we’d be all set.
As for this Cadillac, I’m so glad they used a Fleetwood as the base instead of a Sedan de Ville.
I’m glad you like the clamshell rear-end. So do I
I’ll try to post a picture of mine. I don’t know how to post a picture
I agree about the clamshell like I had on my ’76 Estate Wagon. I also love that they used a Fleetwood for this one, I recognized the windows immediately.
I agree that a drop down or swing away tailgate has its advantages, the reason a lift back is used is to reduce squeaks and rattles. Fifty and more years ago the life cycle of a car was four to six years. Anything beyond that was exceptional care and dumb luck. Those noises inside were expected to be tolerated. The clamshell design allowed loading at the bumper making retrieval of items in back easier. Much like a liftgate today.
Am I the only one who looks at this wagon, and immediately thinks hearse?
Am I the only one who looks at this wagon, and immediately thinks hearse?
Look at that d’Elegance interior!!!
If you go online, you can also find the pickup version of this ’76 Cadillac. It was also made by Traditional Coachworks.
One of Elvis’ Cadillac station wagons.
This was based off of a Sedan de Ville and not a Fleetwood
This has the Fleetwood body ( 133″ wheelbase ) as noted by the B pillar but they used the DeVille d’ Elegance interior. Nice to see one of these.
There was a company in Southgate. Michigan called ASC inc. Who also fabricated clamshell Caddilac Wagons.
Very well done.
Hi Angel 😇! You could indeed get a clamshell tailgate on one of these IF you ordered it directly from your friendly neighborhood
Cadillac dealer. The wagons ordered directly from the dealer used the roof line from a large Buick or Oldsmobile wagon. It took a great amount of skill to graft the rear roof section of the
wagon and the tailgate onto a
Fleetwood body and frame. Yeah, they cost double the amount of a Fleetwood sedan and they didn’t look hearsey. They looked like any other large GM wagon that you saw on the
streets of any American city back
then. And the ’69-’70 wagons based on the Sedan De Ville 4-door hardtops were awesome. They were built using the rear roof section from a ’69 Buick Estate Wagon. And they even had the 2-way tailgate that Buick
was using them. And man, were
they sharp! What you got was a
4-door hardtop wagon that looked great and reminds you of
that body style when it was built by Mercury (’57-’60) and Chrysler
(’60-’64). Of all the styles that Cadillac offered for their wagons,
the ’69-’70 models are my all time
faves. And if you REALLY wanna
be different, you could’ve specified the glass roof section from an Olds Vista Cruiser! And
yeah Angel 😇, I could see us goin’ for a ride in this one!
The color of the engine and transmission oil pans tells me that engine runs hot. Might explain the new exhaust ?
In the mid 70’s my dad was looking for a new wagon. In a parking lot we saw a Cadillac wagon. I suggested that but he wouldn’t even go near it saying he was not going to drive a hearse. We bought a new Colony Park with all options, and all was good.
i think im in love ; again
had it only been a hard top ..
this year isnt appealing to me, but it wagon form is beautifull.
thats cheap money for such a chariot.
A friend had a Caddie wagon years ago. It had not been well cared for and I don’t recall who the coach builder was but I was amazed at the extensive use of condo that was delaminated around the rear area where the c-pillar met the fenders. Huge amounts! Like the Michelangelo of body work had been sculpting it! Lots and lots of bondo……… LOTS!
That’s a whole lot of a good thing. I like that it’s based on a Fleetwood rather than a hardtop deVille. The rear coach work is more handsome than a regular clamshell.
I live fairly close so if you need an on site inspection, let me know.
The roof band is a nice touch on this. So many of the Fleetwood conversions have an awkward c pillar. This covers that nicely and presents a more cohesive design.
it’s neat for sure. i don’t think that i would have put flow master mufflers on it the duels for sure. this thing is sagged out bad. needs a round of springs for sure or something to get its fat ass of the ground. 25k no bid and a reserve. good luck with that.
The one and only Gene Winfield was in charge of the production of these and the Mirage. An El Camino style conversion. Gene “cut his teeth” on the Mirage conversions when he asisted Lou Scorch on the creation of Lou’s Caribou conversions. I own the only 1972 Caribou ever made, which is the actual prototype that Lou and Gene worked on together. Gene took what he learned from working on that prototype and used that when he designed and began producing the Mirage.
I was honored to meet Mr. Winfield a few years ago before his death. He was a true gentleman and I cherish the time we had together. RIP GENE
If i bought it, where would I put it and where would i park when I used it?
While the comments about the undercarriage and interior are flattering, please note that the rust and issues for these is the aftermarket weld along the C pillar and the fender. These photos are all 20 feet away and there are no interior shots to show the water stains, and or other potential damage. It also appears this fleetwood may have the power sunroof, which allows more water to penetrate the frame. It is fun concept that was never built to last more than 10 years. I might know about this, since I owned one years ago.