I love these. One of the last of the high compression ones before the smog stuff kicked in for 1971.

Back in the early 1970s an old man had one, a '70 Sedan de Ville, that I took care of and in return he let me borrow it to go out in my dates.

I have never driven another car quite like it. A beautiful barge, that got about 5-6 mpg in town, on Prermium Perrier, too, but oh what fun to pilot it around!

Maybe the last one truly worthy of the moniker "The standard of the world".

I'd love to have a convertible model. Either in black or white, maybe with red leather seats. In fact, '70 was the last year for the de Ville convertibles. Years ago you could fine one for sale in Hemmings Motor News for around $5500.00

The Calais was the bottom of the line model, but still, it was every inch a C A D I L L A C .

Tribute: Great Aunt Annie's 1970 Cadillac Calais

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Those old Caddies had very excellent performance in all but two areas....fuel economy and handling.....and for their size the presmog motor got very good fuel economy for the day just missing 20 mpg highway under ideal conditions.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I like the cars. Fond memories of the mid to late sixties models. Almost bought a couple times but my feelings toward the oil companies stop me. I have thought back to a clean well preserved 66 for $3k in Cheyenne last time I lived there. I also think back to downeast maine where I lived 60 miles from the nearest red light. Hate breathing exhaust fumes. I might go live in the woods with a cave woman.

In 2003 I bought a 69 Fleetwood from the original family. 46k miles. Drove it from Pittsburgh to Madison,WI on the bias-ply tires. Not much to do but swap out the tires and replace dried out rubber bushings. Could easily handle daily driving duties. Good burn-outs too with that 472!

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

My brother, in a rare period where he was earning good money trucking hay from Yuma to Phoenix, bought a new 66 Coupe DeVille. White on red leather. That was a CAR..

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

My GP was a Cadillac engineer. He designed the interior dash of Cadillac. Head engineer in the dash department. His work is in that car.
He helped build Cadillac only to be screwed by the GM bankruptcy. They left him nothing. We had to support him.
I love those old Caddy's, but when I see one of the brand new ones I cringe. We are part of the 20k plus people who got shafted in that deal. GP had it plush but all is well that ends well. GM did not end well.

Sorry to hijack your thread. I really do love those old Caddy's. There really is nothing that compares.
BTW I took GP for a ride in the 300D and he really liked it. It was a real joy driving the ex Cadillac engineer in the w123. He was very impressed.

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Chris
84 280sl
82 300d euro

Interesting link.

As you can see from my sig I once had a 72 Sedan deVille. The supposed horsepower loss from the smog de-tuning was not as great as people think because of the change in the way hp was measured at that time.

I drove that car for several months on a road trip from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon then back to Phoenix then to LA, up to Yosemite and then Kings Canyon/Sequoia, then back down to LA. Back to the Grand Canyon and finally back to Phoenix. This was in 93. I sold it to a teacher who used it as her daily driver for the next six years.

These were great cars. The 472 was an unburstable engine and it's one of the few cars I I've ever driven that I felt could compare to my two subequent S-Classes on the highway. No doubt the suspension engineering was not as advanced but the massive wheelbase, wide track and low center of gravity made for a stability that was hard to beat.

I've tried to acquire one again subsequently but have never had the cash available when they came up.

Saw a 70 Coupe deVille in the parking lot at Cabelas recently that was for sale for 6 grand. Guy had bought it from the original owner and was trying to flip it. Unfortunately I was just not in a position to do anything about it.

People can ***** and blather about US cars crappy quality in the 70's etc. Not the case with these. When you drive one of these you realize what crap we are stuck with today.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

My grandmother had a '70 coupe de ville that she drove through retirement all the way until she was too old to drive and had to give it up.

Drop dead reliable, never left her stranded, had over 200,000 miles when she passed it on to the next owner.

Always wondered what happened to it.

Is it still on the road?

Did the next owner take as good care of it as she did?

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Those cars were great on the boulevard or cruising on the interstate. Around corners or parking? Fageddaboudit.

Like trying to dock the Queen Mary.

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62 220sb
67 250S
72 280SE 4.5
74 280C
77 300D
82 240D
85 190E 2.3
86 300E RIP 12/28/09
85 300SD
92 300D 2.5
00 E320 Current
Over 1,000,000 miles in Benzes, Since66

....and a whole passel of BMW 2002 and Tii

Not feeling the love -- it's an ugly, square-rigged DeeeeeTROIT malaise barge. If I wanted a beautiful Caddy, I'd go 10 years earlier to when Caddy made crazy beautiful over-the-top cars.



Or 20 years newer to the Allante ...
http://www.cadillacforums.com/cadillac-models/allante3.jpg

Either that, or buy a "Presidential hearse" Lincoln and avoid driving through Dallas ...
http://www.autotraderclassics.com/images/b/2011/11/09/66786259/0_100_0384.JPG

At the time these things were manufactured, I suppose I was fortunate to be shown the Way, in that my Mom and Dad had dumped the American cr A p being sold at that time, having switched to a new 1969 Mercedes-Benz 220D.

I thought you owned a late 70's Corvette?

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

I had to learn my lesson the hard way in the '70s.

I learned a number of lessons in the seventies.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I hear that.......

I learned not to ever trust American carmakers again for my DD. So far, so good. 34 years since I've bought one of them. They kinda burnt me for life.