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Identifying the First-Gen Ford MustangRetro Review: Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Giant two-door luxury cars are sadly a thing of the past, so join us as we fondly reflect on the archetypal luxury coupe, the Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
Gentlemen Prefer Coupes
1967 Cadillac DeVille – carsforsale.com | Shop Cadillac DeVille on Carsforsale.com
There remain a scant few large two-door luxury cars. And of those that remain, they are positioned as grand tourers and sport coupes, far from the tradition represented by the Cadillac Coupe DeVille. As much as we love cars like the Lexus LC500 and the BMW M4, we miss the days when such performance pretensions were not required of a luxury coupe. One of the main foes of that desired performance has always been size. The weight and dimensions of luxury coupes steadily diminished from their peak in the 1970s and early 80s to the lighter and more nimble luxury coupes of today. Performance has improved, but at the cost of presence.
Just look at the fourth-generation Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Now that’s presence. Few American luxury cars can compete with that degree of “Hey, look at me! I drive a Caddy!” And that was true for most of the Coupe DeVille’s run as Cadillac’s mid-tier sales champion. There have been few better ways, automotively speaking, to let friends, neighbors, frenemies, and that guy from the barber shop know you have made it than rolling up in a Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
Early Days
The Cadillac Coupe DeVille began as a trim level of the Series 62 back in 1949. Its most identifiable characteristic was its deleted B-pillar. A sedan version of the DeVille trim was introduced for 1956 as a four-door hardtop. The DeVille, in either form, proved more popular than any other Series 62 at the time.
First Generation
Starting with the 1959 model year, the Cadillac Coupe DeVille* was given its own separate nameplate. As Cadillac’s new mid-level offering, the DeVille carried the same styling as the Series 62 and the Eldorado that included those outrageous tailfins with their bullet taillights and that ornate chrome grille and quad headlights, but the DeVille retained its signature pillarless design.
The first year for the DeVille was a major success with just over 53,000 units sold, accounting for just over one-third of total sales for Cadillac. The 1960 Coupe DeVille followed the rest of Cadillac’s lineup with a slightly more restrained design that simplified the rear fins and grille work and shrunk the bumpers. For both years, the DeVille’s engine was a 390 cu-in V8 paired with GM’s four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.
Second Generation
With the second generation of Coupe DeVille, arriving in 1961, Cadillac restyled the car more radically, instituting a restrained design that dispensed with the gaudiness of the 50s in favor of simple straight lines. The DeVille continued to be Cadillac’s best-selling car, moving over 71,000 units for the 1962 car, 45 percent of total sales. The grille was updated that year and again for 1963, which also saw a new V-shaped front end design. In 1964, the 390 cu-in V8 was replaced by a new 429 cu-in V8 making 340 horsepower. A new convertible was also introduced that year. The DeVille continued its outstanding sales record with 110,000 sold or over 60 percent of sales.
Third Generation
The third generation of Cadillac Coupe DeVille, debuting for the 1965 model year, was redesigned yet again with less prominent fins, vertically stacked headlights, and more reserved styling overall. The Coupe DeVille added more luxury features throughout this third generation. These included now standard seat belts, heat pads in the seats, and an AM/FM stereo. Minor visual updates arrived in 1967 as a new forward lean was adopted to the front end. A new 427 cu-in V8 also debuted that year, making 375 horsepower. Horizontal headlights returned for 1969. By the close of the third generation, the DeVille line, including both coupe and sedan variants, accounted for three-fourths of Cadillac’s sales with 180,000 units of the 1970 model year sold.
Fourth Generation
The advent of the 1970s brought forth the definitive Coupe DeVille. The car had evolved into that living room on wheels stereotype, with ultra-comfortable seats, a cloud-like ride, and a larger interior than ever before. The convertible and pillared sedan variants were canceled, leaving the coupe and pillarless sedans. A new 472 cu-in V8 arrived for the 1972 model year, but with compressions ratio changes to run better on unleaded gas and reduce fuel consumption, horsepower was down to 220. New, regulation approved bumpers came in a year later and optional airbags a year after that. New variants included a landau roof option and the “d’Elegance” trim that added decedent items like thick pile carpet, a Valore interior with pinstriped upholstery. An even larger 500 cu-in V8 was offered for 1975 with … less power, down to 210 horsepower. A limited-split differential was offered for 1976.
Fifth Generation
The Coupe DeVille was shifted to Cadillac’s entry-level offering and downsized considerably for its fifth generation. Though 3.5 inches taller, it was also nine inches shorter in length, four inches narrower, and 1,000 lbs. lighter. The long, beveled hood of the car made it still look big, even if it shrunk in size. A new 425 cu-in V8 was under the hood, making 195 horsepower. Styling was more conservative than ever. New engines offering came in succeeding years starting with a 350 cu-in diesel in 1979, a very Malaise-worthy 368 cu-in V8 with just 150 horsepower in 1980 and a 252 cu-in Buick V6 with 125 horsepower for 1981. The recessionary period of the early 1980s took a big bite out of the Coupe DeVille’s sales which dropped from 121,000 units in 1979 to just 57,000 units in 1980.
Sixth Generation
1990 Cadillac DeVille – carsforsale.com | Shop Cadillac DeVille on Carsforsale.com
The sixth-generation Cadillac Coupe DeVille was downsized once more and shifted to front-wheel drive architecture, starting with the 1985 model year. The complete redesign gave the DeVille its most conservative look yet. Displacement increased over the sixth generation, growing from the initial 4.1L V8 to a 4.9L V8 by 1991. Sales were cratering by the early 1990s. Just 4,711 Coupe DeVilles sold in 1993, the car’s final production year. Though the sedan version of the DeVille continued for another two generations, ending in 2005, the magic of the luxo-barge two-door Coupe DeVille was no more.
*The DeVille originally debuted as the de Ville with Cadillac using different conventions for the name throughout the car’s run. For this article’s purposes, we have chosen the final form used on the eight-generation: DeVille.
