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Strange 74 Coupe Deville

Started by Davidinhartford, March 25, 2011, 07:55:39 PM

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Davidinhartford

OK.   I thought I was pretty knowledgable on 74 Cadillacs.  I've owned a few and have a ton of literature.   But this car baffles me.

74 Coupe Deville.    White leather bench seat, but only 2-way power adjust?    I thought 6-way power was standard on Devilles, optional on Calais?

Manual seatback release, so it doesn't have power locks.   That makes it an early build 74 as mid year power locks became standard equipment.   No A/C which is rare and also became standard mid 74.

It has the cabriolet roof option, but it doesn't have the stand-up hood ornament.   According to my research you got the stand up hoof ornament with either the Cabriolet option or D'Elegance option.

It doesn't appear to be a tarted up Calais coupe.   It has too many Deville specific features.   Of course there is no VIN to proof it though.     The car has only 24,000 miles on it, so it looks untampered with.   Although the wire wheelcovers on it were not available until 76.

It's just an oddly equipped car.   Firemist paint,  white leather bench,  Cabriolet roof,  lamp monitors, Right side mirror,  AM-FM radio and power trunk with pull down.

What do you all think?   About the 2-way seat and roof that is.





Dave Shepherd

What would the title or reg say for a VIN, maybe an export car?  Also, there are other Vin's on the frame I believe.  I remember all the Devilles had the hood ornament, no?

Davidinhartford

In 74 Deville and Fleetwood models had the crest on the front of the hood.   Special editions had the stand up type, ie:  Cabriolet and D'Elegance.    All Eldos had the stand up type.   Calais were not available with the Cabriolet or D'Elegance trim.

TJ Hopland

How do you end up with a low mileage car and no vin?  Add to that some odd options and its gets a little more suspicious.   Is that the correct steering wheel for a 74?
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

Davidinhartford

I'm sure it has a VIN, the seller just didn't post it.      I only mentioned the VIN as it would have verified this was a Deville or a tarted up Calais.

And yes, that is the correct steering wheel for a 74 thru 76 Cadillac.

dplotkin

I believe I recognize that facility as John Scotti's up in Quebec. I know that Canadian manufactured cars were often equiped oddly & differently than that of their domestic siblings, I have a Canadian Plymouth like that (has a Dodge interior). To my knowledge all Cads were USA built, but perhaps export models were equiped to suit Canadian tastes? Canadian cars were generally under-equiped, air conditioning was not often found on them.

Dan
56 Fleetwood Sixty Special (Starlight silver over Dawn Grey)
60 Buick Electra six window
60 Chrysler 300 F Coupe
61 Plymouth Savoy Ram Inducted 413 Superstock
62 Pontiac Bonneville Vista
63 Chevy Impala convertable
63 Ford Galaxie XL fastback
65 Corvette convertable 396
68 Chrysler New Yorker

76eldo

Possibly a dealer "bait and switch" car?  Low advertised price, then you find out there's no AC, so you look at others?

Who knows...

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

TJ Hopland

Ahhh, I thought you saw the car and it did not have a vin number.     The Canada thing seems like a good theory.    That 73-74 era did seem to be good for mid year changes.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

jagbuxx #12944

The top could have been a dealer add-on. Hard to see the detail of the welting if it is original or not. A fair amount of those half tops were added at the dealer level back then-this could explain the lack of a stand up ornament. Or, maybe the original owner was tired of getting the ornament ripped off and retrofitted the standard forward hood molding and had the crest and vee installed.
Plus, I think 2way power was standard on Devilles at that time with 6 way optional.
Still an odd and unique car...
Frank Burns #12944
76 Coupe d'Elegance EFI Galloway Green Firemist
70 deVille Convert San Mateo Red
61 Coupe Deville Bristol Blue
41 Series 61 Deluxe Coupe 6127D Black
08 STS 3.6 1SC  Thunder Gray
16 GTI Gray
03 T-Bird Black
16 Grand Cherokee Summit, Granite
19 Tiffin Phaeton 40AH
07 Corvette Blue
20 MB S450 White

"Whatever the occasion, there
is no better way to arrive than in a Cadillac.

Rich S

I think the oddities arise since it was an "export" car built to go to Canada. The C-pillar appears to have both a crest and "d'elegance" label, but that should surely have the see-through stand-up crest hood ornament (first offered in '74). My bet is the uniqueness is due to being for export to Canada. Very interesting!
Rich Sullivan CLC #11473

1971 Eldo Conv., 2013 CTS Cpe

AHBrown

I remember the excitement of first seeing the '74's when they first arrived at the dealers, and in fact was in the process of buying a salesman's 73, until I saw all the 74's in the back lot and decided to hold off.

A few things I do remember:

-The color "cranberry" was popular when introduced and rarely with any other interior then white.

-The overwhelming number of coupes were produced with the half cabriolet roof.  An all steel top was rare, and not sure if whole roof vinyl tops were available on the couples.

-I remember the "see through" crest hood ornaments being available on coupes and most likely the d'elegance editions.  The Fleetwoods came through with filled in crest and wreath hood ornaments.

What really stood out most in my mind, is that this was the first year that the stationary (opera?) window and hood ornaments were available on the coupes.  Previously only available on the Eldorados.

Joe Albanese

#11
Your topic is interesting as I remember the '74's very well.  That Black and White striped interior was a "shocker" to me...  I was more a Black and White Houndstooth man, as was the interior on my '73 Cottillion White Eldo.  The only vehicle I ever saw with your version interior was in a bone yard back in the eightys.  That's how I can relate.    :)   I learn something new every time I read these posts!  "Tarted Up".  I like that terminology!  I shall remember that.  Now that gives me the opportunity to show how I tarted up my '74 Fleetwood...  The Broughm had the usual hood ornament - I added a stand up ornament also.  I wanted to see it as I drove, lol.  The other change I made was when I found a set of color keyed wheel covers I just had to have !!  I don't still have the Fleetwood ~ I do still have the wheel covers !!    Joe Albanese  
Joe Albanese

Davidinhartford

Great story and pic Joe.

I'm with you.  I like a stand up hood ornament.  Gives you something to aim the car down the road with.  LOL

I recently added a stand up hood ornament to my 2007 DTS.

AHBrown

Quote from: David Smith on March 27, 2011, 05:59:30 AM
Great story and pic Joe.

I'm with you.  I like a stand up hood ornament.  Gives you something to aim the car down the road with.  LOL

I recently added a stand up hood ornament to my 2007 DTS.

Speaking of hood ornaments as we were.  I had a '77 Eldo, that I replaced the the factory hood ornament with a JC Whitney '41 flying lady or is it goddess hood ornament.  It really looked great and was the right proportion, plus not as easy to steal as the factory hood ornament.

Tom Hall 7485

Two-way power bench seat adjuster is standard on De Ville at least into the first part of model year 1974.  The problem is locating papers to show exactly when the standardization of 6-way power seat adjuster and power door locks, etc. took place for De Ville.  Some say Jan. 1, 1974, but I haven't found any memo to that effect.  Evidently by late March 1974.

Yes, an unusual combination of options.  The sail panel ornamentation is suspect.  Possibly a car bought for a contest prize dolled up sometime later.  The body ID plate would tell us some more.
Tom Hall, CLC Member 7485, Lifetime member since the mid-1990s.