Chevrolet’s new tagline in 1971 was, “You’ve changed, we’ve changed,” and it was appropriate as their full-size B-body cars got a big makeover and now started to resemble those designed and assembled by their upscale cousins at Cadillac. Size and luxury were in! And Cadillac? Well, when enough is just right, too much is perfect, must have been their mantra, and they too seemed to go for size and additional opulence. Case in point is this beautiful 1971 Coupe DeVille. Despite its 93K miles of use and 54 years of existence, it presents like it did on day one. Miami, Florida, is where you’ll find it, and it’s available here on craigslist for $26,900.
Looks can be deceiving! While Chevrolet was doing that change business, Cadillac more or less stayed their course. Their ’71 models were refreshed and looked more stolid than ever, but the Coupe DeVille differences with the previous model year were negligible:
1971 1970
- Length 225.8″ 225″
- Wheelbase 130″ 129.5″
- Curb Weight 4,806 lbs. 4,784 lbs.
So what really changed? Not a lot, horsepower came under attack with a move to lower compression ratios (Clean Air Act), and a new flow-through air ventilation system was added, and that’s about it. What I find remarkable today is that at one time, domestic auto manufacturers produced a two-door model in the proportions that you see here. You can barely find a two-door version of anything in today’s world, much less one with doors that are longer than some sub-compacts.
The seller states, “This 71 Cadillac Coupe Deville is super clean. You won’t find another at this condition or price, inside or out… This car has been garage-kept most of its life.” Yes, the finish is deep, the chrome bits shine, and the matching vinyl top shows like new. There’s no indication of rust, crash damage, or docking mishaps.
Under the Great Plains-sized hood is a 345 gross HP, 472 CI V8 engine backed up by a Turbo-Hydramatic 400, three-speed automatic transmission. The power output is down 30 gross HP from ’70 due to a compression ratio decrease as referenced above. GM’s directive, per CEO Ed Cole, was for every 1971 GM engine to be capable of running on low lead (lower octane) or no lead gasoline. The seller doesn’t reference running or driving attributes and simply states that the engine and transmission are original.
Upholstery is a Debonaire cloth, vinyl, and leather combination finished in a “Medium Maze” hue. It and the door panels show well with little indication of wear. The carpet is a typical nylon loop, used by all GM divisions through ’73, and it’s revealing some fade, but that’s to be expected. This is one two-door body style that has a very commodious and functional back seat!
What’s not to like? This DeVille, I believe, is truly worthy of the “Standard of the World” moniker. The seller offers, “Strictly turn key & drive. No fixing this or that..” Sounds good to me, how about you?
Happy belated Fourth of July, everyone!
Fast with class. Here’s a pure American car bigtime. Thanks Jim.
Hp was down, but 500lb-ft was still on board. Turbo 400 sent it to standard 2.93 gears ⚙️, 3.15 optional. 🇺🇸
…I dreamed I was there in Cadillac Heaven,
Oh what a beautiful sight
.
Okay, now that I’ve parodied Tex Ritter’s Hillbilly Heaven, I’ll go on to say that my uncle had two of these he bought new in ”71.
Both cars were Nutmeg Brown with a Cream top and a matching Cream and Brown leather and brocade interior. One was a Sedan DeVille, and the other was a Fleetwood 60 Special.
There was something he didn’t like about the DeVille. And since
there was a no return policy at at Fanning Cadillac, he decided to keep both cars and put my aunt into the Sedan DeVille instead. He first offered the DeVille to me, but I turned him down. And while I was making good money touring, I couldn’t afford the $12K he was asking for it. Just wait til Angel sees this one!
I see it, Ken, and just in time for my birthday next week! LOL
’71, ’72 & ’73 are my favorite with ’75 & ’76 coming in a close second. Funny though, I’ve owned ’75s & ’76s but never the favs. These were long, low & wide with a decent dashboard and still a powerful engine. These were class personified.
Elegance beyond reproach.
And I even like the color.
Someone please say “the keys are in the ignition, your highness.”
As a member of TGALYS I’m sure Rick and other members will appreciate this nod to decadence.
I figured you’d quickly jump in on this post, Angel. Happy Birthday! Mine follows on the 17th. Rick can buy the Caddy and we’ll drive it around to celebrate together! Lol!
As to the car, I, too, prefer the ’71-’72 because they didn’t have the park bench sized front bumper. I like the colors in & out.
Seems to be missing a cruise control. Too much asking price, though. $ 12-15k more like it.
Hope everyone had a good 4th. We enjoyed BBQ chicken, ribs and friends at the Legion and took in the parade. Came home to a/c after a heat index of the low 100s.
I’m from that era. This was basically as large as they ever came. These caddy’s were the epitome of everything that Cadillac was about. Current ones are Europe trash vehicles and not what Cadillac is supposed to be. Many are SUV’s. This particular one is very nice. The color is perfect for the era.
Grossly overpriced trash, ask me how I know.
Magnificent automobile in every way. Excess indeed but only just enough. I like the way the stylists worked with unconventional headlamp placement. Unique and stately.
As for the availability of a large conventional 2-door car, there is one out in the marketplace. It’s only EV for now but will have a gas power train soon enough. I won’t begin to compare it to this Cadillac but we have to start somewhere in order for others to follow.
To answer your question what’s Not to like…. Florida car so its going to have rust on the brake lines and possibly fuel lines that salt air and moisture gets into places that aren’t always visible until you need a repair. And the price is high but for that I guess I’m just missing the days when you could get one of these for $2500 bucks
I’ve lived half my life in Florida (a long, long time) and I’ve never had a rust problem with brake lines, fuel lines, or anything else for that matter, on my old cars. Maybe if you’re parked right at the beach, as in beach front, and that’s a maybe, but a Florida origin does not automatically mean rust.
JO
@Jim O’Donnell
Actually, Jim, when it comes to Florida cars I’m very leary myself. Hurricanes and flooded cars are a big concern. They don’t “look” damaged because you can’t see water damage in the aftermath.
I, too, have lived in Florida. Orlando, Miami Beach, Gainesville. Long before these storms got deadly.
Angel:
With that logic you could also apply it to cars from coastal, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA (big time), and TX (Houston to Galveston – a lot of real estate). They all have had to deal with the same issue that has mostly affected the gulf coast of FL as of late. Yet, I never encounter concerns for cars from those areas, only FL seems to get dinked.
I wouldn’t not consider a car because it’s from Florida. As you know from your time in the Sunshine State, it’s a huge, topographically diverse state with some parts a bigger hurricane/flood risk than others. And, many old Florida cars are like their owners, they are northern transplants that haven’t resided in FL for long.
I think the takeaway is that an old car shouldn’t be bought without a personal or hired inspection. It seems that most people I know who have not done so come away disappointed with something.
Thx,
JO
Lived 10+ years in Ocean shores Washington and anything metal rusted because of the salt air, even a brand new new car the screws that hold the license plate would start to rust in a year.
But yet no one ever says don’t buy a car from Washington State. It depends where in Washington State the car is domiciled, just like in Florida.
JO
Harking back into GM history, Harley Earl retired in 1960 at the mandatory age of 55. So, while Bill Mitchell had the final say-so over the finished product, I’ll bet for a few years, he conferred with “Mistearl” for his input on this. My dad had a couple of these body style Cads for a few years, and it just didn’t quite say Bill Mitchell. I say this, because for 15 years after my retirement from a jet engine manufacturer, I was brought in to advise/ramrod new development processes. At 72, I called it quits.
https://altdriver.com/people/harley-earl/
Note the attached. Harley Earl retired at the GM mandatory age of 65. He was born in 1893 and left GM in ’58.
JO
That is a great article Jim. Harley Earl certainly did a lot for GM starting with designing the LaSalle, the “Y” job and many other beautiful cars. Thank you for posting that. He had some history before GM also working with his father which I never knew.
As well as the Motorama cars and first Sixty Special.
Great Plains sized hood and no docking damage. I got a good chuckle out of that imaginative phrasing, Jim. This looks like a great example of what Cadillac still was when this was new : The standard of the world. For those folks who may be interested; there is a really good book out there about Harley Earl. He was a fascinating guy. His influence on the automobile industry can hardly be overstated. GLWTS.
i had one in 1985 one owner all black 5 mpg only gas was cheap then a great car for posing .cost 400.$ the bad part no temp gauge only idiot light .overheated blew head gaskets cast iron head very heavy work .fun car easy to fix .next one a 1966 one owner bought from a thrift store in working nice order 400.00 $ 429 ci v8 better on gas 10 plus Mpg much faster with temp gauge gold paint blonde inside wheel spins galore all fun in the 80s lots to choose from todays prices are crazy
Jim O’Donnell:
I got my info from an expensive book called “GM’s Autoramas” or something of that nature. While you are correct and I agree that he retired in ’58 or so, he didn’t just go off and die. You don’t work your passion and leave cold turkey. There are too many executive hangouts in Detroit. I know.
No you don’t Malcom. I’ve been a retired musician for 35 years now and still like to play and sing when I can.. I own two F-hole guitars from the 1950s that I’d love to play again
but they both need service and it seems that life is always
getting in my way. If it isn’t my job, it’s the lack of cash to get
the repairs done so that I can enjoy them again. One is a 1955 Harmony Hollywood and the other is a 1957 Framus 551 Studio model. I also have a 2004 Alverez 12 string and a
2001 Fender DG 11 flat top. So yeah, you could say that my passion to make music never went away. It’s just been replaced by work and a lot of it. Maybe someday I’ll get one
of the F-holes fixed before I can no longer play, but not anytime soon. The guitars I speak of have bodies that are shaped like violins. And once you play one, you never forget it. Well folks, it’s time for this old man to grab a shower and hit the sack. Gotta be at my store at 6:00 AM to help open.
Night Angel💋 Night all from sunny Florida.
@Jon Rukavina
Happy early birthday to a fellow Cancerian! 🎂
Thank you.
I like the way you think, Jon. You heard him, Rick. Pick this “Standard of the World” up for a song and Jon and I will drive it for our birthdays. 😉😝🤪
You know, Jon, even though the ’73 has a “park bench” front bumper (I love that term) it still looks nice on the Cadillac. I think the biggest mistake all carmakers made was making the protruding bumpers wider than the car. Cadillac had bumpers that stuck out, but were tucked in on the sides. That made a huge difference.
The other really cool thing about the ’73 was the grill floated, and was spring mounted. The bumper got pushed in but bounced back. So did the grill.
Angel, I misspoke. Rick, properly attired in a chauffeur uniform, will be the one driving. And while we’re waiting for the steak & lobster that Rick is treating us to, we can sit on the front bumper like Arte Johnson & Ruth Buzzi from the Laugh-In skit where Arte, as the dirty old man moved down the bench toward Ruth, the spinster. Arte would then ask, “Do you believe in the hereafter?” Ruth, thinking that was reasonable, said, “Well yes.” To which Arte replied in his best leer, “Well, now ya know what I’m hereafter.” To which Ruth replied with her signature purse “beating”.
Now, after Rick delivers dinner to us , we can pretend the back seat is the park bench while telling Rick to keep focused on driving!
Just one more thing. How fast I move across the seat depends on what you’re wearing. And how fast I move away depends on the size of your purse! LMAO!
Enjoy your birthday in spite of me!
Once again, I’ll show myself out.😁
If only I could, Oh Yeah I would!
GLWTS!
Jon, I remember that gag. It’s amazing how they kept it fresh
week after week for six seasons. And when all of us comment on this site, it reminds me of the sequence where the cast of Laugh In would open doors at the end of the show
and say something funny. And as for my 4th, I spent it with my kids working at my store. It rained cats and dogs before
the fireworks display and the only thing I worried about was
being hit by a Doberman Pinscher LOL. And as for Angel’s
purse, I’m sure that she might have a stun gun or mace in there. I can see that her being a Joisey goil and all that. Either that, or they aim for your happy place like they show in the movies and on TV. At least that’s what a lady I knew from
NYC told me once. They don’t play around up there. And they also say that NYC women can out curse a man any day of the week. So mind your protocol when approaching her
highness. Just take her out to dinner and do your best to show her a good time. That’s what I’d do at least.