Best Cars of the 1970s: How the 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville Redefined American Luxury

[@jazzlives]

I like the title Rare Classic Cars too and it makes me chuckle because these are not what most people think of as rare classic cars. A mint '69 Corvette with an L88 engine, heated seats and mirrors, ok that's a rare classic, but frankly I tire of these popular icons, cars you will never own and I prefer the more typical makes Adam owns and discusses. I have been in or driven most of the cars discussed here. He is an educated man with smart opinions and insights on a number of levels. You do not get that with most classic car programs.

[@colibri1]

I agree. Because of car enthusiasts' fixation only on performance cars like the Corvette you mention, there are very few left of the everyday drivers you actually saw on the streets everywhere back then, so they are indeed rare now. This results in problems like young people thinking seventies streets were filled wit muscle cars to movie directors having a hard time finding appropriate vehicles for period films. I've seen too many films and TV shows set in the sixties and seventies where there are just way too many performance cars depicted.

[@mercoid]

@@colibri1 yes.. Delusions of today distorting an accurate view of the past. This, for some, also warps expectations of how things ought to be today. This is evident in many spheres of life today. Not just in the automotive realm.

[@johnt.diamante2002]

Gabe, like you these are the cars I always admired my dad drove my uncle's drove and I drove. I have been a car enthusiast aka nut for a long time. I was only 15 when I found a 38, 000 mile 1975 Cadillac Calais Coupe for my Uncle Ed to buy. Black with vinyl roof delete and white black red plaid interior that looked amazing.

[@johnt.diamante2002]

I or my family has owned 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark 5 convertible 1960 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon 1962 Cadillac coupe deville convertible 1965 Fleetwood brougham 1967 Fleetwood brougham 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood brougham 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Rome 1974 El Dorado coupe 1975 eldorado coupe 1977 Fleetwood brougham 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo landau 1979 Lincoln Continental collector series 1990 Fleetwood 1993 Fleetwood

[@johnt.diamante2002]

Also 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo t-tops seats black and red 1992 Alfa Romeo 164 l 1985 Alfa Romeo Spider 1979 MGB 1985 TVR 280i 1985 Fleetwood brougham 1976 Chevrolet Blazer K5 Cheyenne with Bimini Top

[@TerryComo2010]

Truly a classic design. They should never have changed to the bustle back. Just kept improving the style and updating it like Rolls Royce has done for years. My favorite is the silver and black combination.

[@Paramount531]

Agreed! I was horrified by the bustle back, which I called a cockroach with wheels. The first gen Seville was gorgeous!

[@TheChill001]

recently sports&classic cars magazine did a piece on it, comparing the seville to the roll royce shadow and the jaguar XJ12. The seville might've had a good run in europe if GM would've marketed it, considering it was in essence a very reliable luxury car with a nice ride and if you had the V8 with the bendix injection, it was actually surprisingly nimble.

[@michaela.2261]

I purchased one during the pandemic ,it was my dream car as a kid I love the two-tone

[@robo6863]

My moms was black and silver. It was fast as hell. We beat a Porsche in the 1980 or 81.

[@mowallday]

Keep it rare classic cars. No need to rebrand

[@Sevenfeet0]

When I was in 8th grade in 1978, my mother traded her 1976 Buick LeSabre (having driven Buicks since the 60s) for a 1979 Cadillac Seville. That car featured the brown exterior color with padded vinyl roof, gas engine and the faux wire wheels. It was nicely appointed with most options except for the trip computer and it wasn't the Elegante. Also, it did have the CB radio which I found to be a lot of fun as a teenager whenever we would do road trips in it. It was the smallest car my mother had owned in years (she had had a 1974 Olds Ninety-Eight before the LeSabre) but I loved the car since it was well appointed and pretty well put together. Ironically my step-father owned a 1976 Buick Apollo which was the Chevy Nova clone at Buick so in reality, both my parents drove a version of the same vehicle. The Seville is a car that I wish we still had since it was one of the most successful styling exercises at Cadillac in this period. The interior room wasn't great but without a center console you would find in vehicles now, I could still get behind the wheel of it even as I began to grow dramatically to my giant size by age 17. I recently saw one at my Cadillac dealer in the service bay (a beautiful survivor) and the service manager lamented that this was probably the last time they could handle the vehicle due to its age and difficulty in finding parts.

[@Wasabi9111]

It’s interesting that you said this was your moms smallest car. I grew up in the 80s/90s and remember thinking these cars were HUGE, especially compared to the smaller Japanese Camrys and accords that most families had.

[@melrose9252]

@@Wasabi9111 < The Seville was a small car in 79 compared to a mid 70’s 98.

[@Sevenfeet0]

@@Wasabi9111 Well the Seville was certainly smaller than the larger Cadillacs my grandparents drove. My mother’s parents had his and her Devilles (74 and 76) during my childhood and my father’s mother had a 77 Deville. But the smallest car my parents had was my father’s 1968 Opel Kadett B that he drove so my mother got to drive his Riviera.

[@derrickjackson6737]

Luxury back in the day Smooth like Butter

[@paulyandle6081]

I saw a Seville for the first time in Paris, one evening in late Summer, 1975, parked at the curb just off the Champs d'Elysee. Silver under silver vinyl. Very beautiful at the time.

[@davidellzey8447]

Silver over Silver, these were the first in 1975. The first one I saw was parked near the Merritt Parkway in Westport, Connecticut.

[@johna.4334]

I can imagine the Frenchman's reaction to an American car parked on their city streets: "Ah, look at thees American tank -so gauche, nouveaux riches, bourgeois and out of place in our beautiful city. Petuee!"

[@robk9685]

That's cool. We got dropped off in my friends Dad's brand new Seville at the roller skating rink called Skateland in Canton, Michigan right outside Detroit. The heads turning like "Who are they?" was hilarious. The car looked totally out-of-place in this former farmland turning true suburban America. Keep in mind that this was the first time I witnessed the GM vacuum generated fuel economy lights blinking from green to orange depending on how the driver accelerated. K.C & The Sunshine Band's "Do You Wanna Go Party?" remix was on the radio. Memories.

[@danielgolus4600]

2022: Still beautiful!

[@dougchew5193]

They were the first! Called the champagne edition Seville, my grandma ordered one before they started making them

[@timbullough3513]

EVERYONE loved these things at the time. I liked the look of the Versailles even though it was clearly a Ford Granada platform. Nobody saw the Nova platform under the Seville skin. The Chrysler M body LeBaron of the time - even using Imperial badging was a decent much cheaper alternative as well. As a kid not understanding the pricing at the time I liked them all. With 'grown up' eyes it's easy to see why Seville won big. And why LeBaron with Imperial eagle hood ornaments were fairly common as well. Sheer look was and is great. The cars of my youth.

[@DanEBoyd]

I never would've guessed it was a Nova either. Those Versailles served as donors, with their 9 inch disk brake rear ends.

[@Ascotman]

The Seville had a Cadillac instrument panel, not a Nova instrument panel. The Versailles had a Ford Granada instrument panel, the only thing that was changed was the speedometer, it had the Lincoln metallic silver background, but the gas gauge had a black background, straight from the Granada parts bin. Ford did strengthen the Granada body, for the Versailles, with extended rails from the front to the back rails, and additional cushioning on the front shock towers.

[@timbullough3513]

@@Ascotman I have read that the amount of sound deadening, carpet thickness/length, paint quality and that Lincoln engines were hand balanced with only the best fitting parts ... and of course rear disc's. So it would have been an appreciably different experience behind the wheel than a typical Granada. But of course the eyeballs don't lie ... and that was a huge problem given the asking price. Hence anyone but Ford loyalists probably would've picked the Seville ... or that much cheaper 80-81 Chrysler LeBaron with the Imperial water fall grill and Imperial hood ornament (assuming the Chrysler bankruptcy du jour didn't scare them off).

[@kevinwong6588]

To admit the '77-79 Diplomat resembles the Seville even more than the LeBaron. Like the Seville based on the Nova, these two were based on the Aspen.

[@waynejohnson1304]

I actually rode once in a 1976 Seville. Although it had leaf springs in the rear, you would never know it because the ride was incredibly smooth. I think a lot of that was because G.M. used a Teflon coating between each leaf spring. It was quiet too. A nice comfortable car. I rode in a 1977 Lincoln Versailles too. It was okay but, I referred the Seville for the nicer interior.

[@joshuagibson2520]

Love this channel. You're doing it right brother.

[@phoenixinfinity595]

I have the fully loaded Elegante ,Digital dash ,trip computer, sunroof probably forgot something else

[@tomb7382]

Adam, thank you very much for this video. I LOVE these Sevilles. I'll take one in any color, but my first choice would be a black and silver Elegante version. I wanted one of these Seville's from the moment they came out. I was a young teenager back then, and begged my dad to get one. But, he thought they were just too small, so brought a 76 Coupe deville instead. That car didn't last too long (it was stolen) so when the 1977 models came out, dad ended up buying a 1977 Fleetwood Brougham (white with baby blue leather, which was my moms choice of colors). I liked the Brougham a lot, but still though the Seville was just so much better looking. I'd love to get one now.!

[@stanleyadams2046]

I have a 1979 Seville that is clean and has the Elegante real spoke rims. The 350 rocket has 90,000 miles and I have duels on it. I am in the process of updating the fuel injection. They are beautiful smooth riding cars.

[@tombrown1898]

In an episode of "Barney Miller" a stylish middle-aged woman rushes into the squad room and asks her just-mugged husband, "Is the Seville okay?" Says it all.

[@SportsKnowItAll11]

My favorite resident classic car historian. Your Porch Chats are as educational as they are entertaining.

[@TinHatRanch]

My first car was a 1983 Buick Regal with a 231/3.8. I️ actually took it to the drag strip once and it ran a 20.29@67mph. Slowest car I️ ever owned.

[@drozcompany4132]

I had an 80 Grand LeMans with a 3.8 and yeah it was dog slow, but a very comfortable ride.

[@seiph80]

That too was my car back in college! In burgundy, that 1983 Regal.

[@dosgos]

I had one too. That got wrecked by a student in a Corvette parallel parking (trying to back INTO my spot). Parts were tough to find so moved to a more modern car. It was slow but smooth. Handling and braking were mediocre. The engine pinged a bit.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Your Regal sounds like a rocket compared to our 75 Plymouth Fury sedan with a Slant 6 and one barrel carb.

[@CarsandCats]

Impressive! That's even slower than my slant 6 Duster that went 19.96 @ 69mph.

[@HowardLewis2]

When I was aged about 6 my parents bought a new ordered from the dealer ‘78 Seville Elegante with real wire wheels black and silver over gray interior. I have many fond memories of that car not including throwing up in the back seat as a kid and feeling really, really bad about it. After a couple of years they switched to wire wheel covers on steel wheels since the spokes of the wire wheels kept snapping. It was a looker at the time. My parents friend’s wife who drove a Mercedes coupe loved my Mom’s car much to the chagrin of husband. They ended up trading in Seville in ‘84 for Biarritz which was comfortable but nearly as peppy as the old 350. My mom was not happy about getting rid of the car at the time and still talks about it. They still have the wire wheels in their attic. It was their favorite Caddy although everyone loved the ‘87 Allante’. I must admit for long trips nothing beat their ‘90 DeVille. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Brought back a lot of memories. I do think if they went with the Diplomat platform and sucked up training on the higher tolerances it would have been better for Cadillac and GM as a whole into the 80s. Cheers.

[@jblfd4600]

Love the video, Adam! I'm indifferent on the channel name, but I thought I'd throw out an option: Rare Classic Cars and Their History. I know from time to time, you discuss some elements not directed towards one particular car, but for the most part, your videos dive into the deep history of the particular car you are reviewing. Just a thought, just please don't change anything else with your channel; you've hit a home run!

[@davidellzey8447]

My father bought a brand-new Seville in 1976. I was enthralled with that car. I thought the side profile was absolutely beautiful, as well as the rear 3/4 very beautiful. The rear window surround was reminiscent of Rolls-Royce. I thought it looked wonderful. The smaller size was unprecedented for Cadillac, as was (at least in my then 12-year old existence) a Cadillac with no fender skirts. It was an exceptionally beautiful car, the bookend of the career of the massive car-design genius Bill Mitchell, whose work at GM began with the 38 Sixty Special. If you compare the profile of the Sixty Special and the Seville there is a correspondence. I don’t think it’s accidental.

[@gregtaylor5452]

I have one for sale 8500 original miles.

[@ThisCarChannel]

I drove a Seville with a 5.7 once and it was incredible how "sporty" it felt. The driving position was cool and it seemed to handle so well. You could feel the sleekness of the body atop the big wheels.

[@brettcannon74]

I owned a 77 Seville 10 years. By far my favorite car I've ever owned. Paid $1100 for it in 1996. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@solemandd67]

My Mother's new '79, Pottery Gold Firemist Seville was pretty. From Sewell Village in Dallas, it turned heads. I identify with the sheer stocking look. Pure Elegance. She gave it to me. Unfortunately it gave her some trouble and started giving me trouble too. My late partner, Larry purchased his Bamboo Cream '76 from Marvin K Brown in San Diego. Collectible Automobile did an outstanding cover story on the '75-'79's. They wrote that select Cadillac customers in California, Florida, and NY were invited to view and critique prospective design studies at private dealership parties. It really hit with the Cali crowd. GM decided to highly equip them to recoup the advanced engineering costs invested which elevated the price over other models giving them cachet. It took a while before Fisher Body hid the roof seams adequately enough so the Tuxedo Grain vinyl roof could be made an option. Cadillac service departments gave them as loaners to customers having their standard sized cars serviced. Women didn't want to return them and many initial deals were made that way. Cadillac should have stuck with that iconic design. The Sable Black & Platinum Elegante and San Remo models are my favorites. Thank you for featuring this story.

[@craigcardwell4143]

Adam, I really enjoy your older car reviews, and look forward to every one of them. Two of my recent favorites have been the Mercury Marquis and the Pontiac Bonneville although I never owned either of them. Two cars I did have were a 1963 Buick Riviera and a 1978 Seville. Although I've owned many vehicles, these two stand out in my mind as the best looking of the different cars I've owned.

[@fensterlips]

I had a 64 Rivi in that fuchsia like color and a 79 Seville in copper tone. I too loved them the best

[@wilco3588]

My grandfather bought a new 77 Seville. Enjoyed the car but It had a lot of teething problems. Fuel injection issues and it would also discharge the battery whenever they left it at the airport. He was an engineer so the problems bugged him to no end. The car offered excellent performance for the Eara. I remember it had a green and red economy LED, it rarely showed green he drove with a heavy foot. When the bustle back Cadillac came out he hated it and kept the Seville much longer than he would have. We followed him out to Colorado for a family reunions in a Mercedes 240D we could keep up until the mountains and then he disappeared!

[@WhittyPics]

Rare Classic Car and Automotive History go hand in hand

[@billnasburg1361]

I really enjoy your vids. Auto history is fascinating in a number of ways, one example would be the big recession of 1957 to 1958 as car sales took a huge nose dive from the high sales figures of 1955. My parents bought a 1976 Cadillac Seville and it proved to be a decent car but they really didn't feel that car was up to the quality standards of the mid 60s cars they used to have. Their Seville was the gas powered Olds 350 and really was very reliable. After that car they went to Mercedes Benz 300 diesel powered cars and were very satisfied with those cars. They always felt that the best car they ever had was the 1956 Chevrolet wagon and the 1967 Pontiac Bonneville that was a 4dr hardtop with the 428 equipped with A/C, AM/FM, manual A/C, P/W. P/Locks, P/Antenna, manual seat and it was Gulf Turquoise with the matching morokide vinyl interior and no vinyl top. It was a very impressive car in all respects and without a doubt the best car they ever had. Keep on with your car reviews because no one else adds the interesting details about the GM executives and other noteworthy details about the history and people responsible for that history of design and production. Thanks for your vids

[@rightlanehog3151]

[@joshuagibson2520]

I would advise against lengthening the channel name. It's probably not a wise idea for branding and logo reasons. I'm not a marketing expert but those are my thoughts.

[@robertmayeriii3759]

You have sold me on the Seville with your video sir! I found one with less than 5,000 miles on it and even though it's been repainted the mileage is correct! Thank you for taking the time to make this and I hope you have a great day. Keep them coming!

[@johnh2514]

This car remains one of my all-time favorites. I especially loved seeing that Betty White’s 1977 Seville has been so well preserved.

[@riotautorepair9662]

Anyone else notice the seville concept at 11:48 looks remarkably similar to the early to mid 90s seville?

[@oregongaper]

I like what you're doing with the channel. The porch chats are enjoyable and the low mileage beauties you're collecting are quite remarkable. The triple black Continental really struck a chord with me. My folks had a brown '70 coupe that got totaled in a collision with the whole family in the car (I was around 8 or so), followed by a triple red '76 Mark IV. My memory of the Mark was that the Accel button on the cruise control would just about throw your head back when pressed, something my 16 year old brother loved to demonstrate when we were alone in the car. They traded that for an '81 Subaru GL hatchback. When I turned 16 (1985) I bought a '64 Mercury Monterey fastback coupe from the original owner for $999. It wasn't a low miler, but it looked like new with fresh blue paint and perfect white vinyl interior. I loved that car. I could always outrun my best friend in the '70 LTD his folks had bought new.

[@maddywendall2980]

Yes...LOVE the history, back design stories and...Ads of the times for each model. Oh and the 75 Seville...probably the best American designed car and the epitome of the 70s..the Mark V second

[@rudiknaus4139]

Wow! My all time favourite Seville elegante.. from 1976 to 1979.. gasoline 5,7 l of course.. 🇺🇸 inspired by the rolls Royce silver Shadow.. ✨ I always wanted such a Seville, but here in Germany it already was more rare than a Rolls Royce then in the 80’s and so i took a 1985 Seville Elegante.. very radical .. As it is it said a men‘s driver car.. 😎😀 I owned it 16 years here in Munich.. so unique and flashy so a daily driver use was impossible! I bought a 1987 Riviera for that.. 🙈 For the diesel versions of Oldsmobile or Seville this times the top Auto Test Magazine here in Germany Said: beside the lack of power if u want trouble with your neighborhood in the morning, then u are right here 😷🙈

[@andrewinaustintx]

I've always admired the late 70s Seville essentially due its success at repackaging of the preceding era cars into a smaller foot print. In short, the late 70s Seville were a well proportioned RWD car from a 2022 point of view that allowed the former owner of a Detroit land yacht to store a few more boxes of clutter at the front of their garage. Honestly, its a good looking car even today. My favorite improvement - There is way less front end overhang than some other early 1970s downsized personal luxury cars. - To eek out some extra interior shoulder room, the side door panels are nearly vertical. The squared off rear roof line was almost a necessity given how close the rear seat back is to the rear glass. It allows for a longer trunk deck. With regards to rear overhang, there needed to be some or the trunk space would have been minuscule. In my opinion Cadillac did the rear of the car right. It still looks good in 2022.

[@jameshammond680]

Not to mention the styling was ahead of its time. The design accurately predicted the boxy "sheer" styles of many 80s vehicles. I'd love to find a nice one with the Elegante package

[@cedricchew3368]

Great observations and great channel. This is the car that got me into cars as a teenager, when my parents acquired a lightly used '76 Seville in '78, black exterior with red velour interior. I learned to drive in it as well. If only I had the knowledge and resources then that I have now, that car might still be in the family today. I miss it a lot. I have too many cars and not enough space, so getting another one now is not a priority, unfortunately.

[@israelalvarado1695]

I had a 79 Cadillac Seville Elegante. One of the best cars I ever owned. It had 350 oldsmobile motor. Ran great!

[@Evimeria160]

I had a 1979 Cadillac Seville I still love the design it's a beautiful car

[@billybcgn25]

I had one of those Mustang II models--a California emissions car, with the notch back. It was capable of doing 106mph in the Nevada desert, which was spinning the 2.8 L German V-6 to 5500rpm. Being a 74, it had the infamous seat belt interlock system, which caused no small consternation among my passenger friends. I had installed a CB radio in it, and it did indeed help avoid tickets. Channel 19 was the magic channel. Didn't always work, but that's another story. Very informative, BTW.

[@joshuagibson2520]

Breaker breaker one nine!

[@mcqueenfanman]

I heard that the 75s with the 302 had a cat converter on only one bank.

[@melrose9252]

@@mcqueenfanman That’s true and do did the Gran Torino’s.

[@23ofSeptember]

I used to hate cars from the Malaise era. But nowadays, I'd love to have a 77 Impala or a Seville. Looking at getting a 70 Nova SS to restore though.

[@nikopneilyohara]

Don’t forget the 1979 cutlass copies it’s sq design. As well the 1985 or similar kept the square line s

[@kingrex1931]

Cadillac should have done with the Cimmaron what they did with the Seville, and rebodies the platform, made the V6 the only engine and reworkerd the suspension. Had they done that, they likely would have had another hit on their hands.

[@lance7973]

In 1982, my dad bought a ‘79 Seville diesel. When I learned to drive shortly after, I drove that car all the time. Beautiful and trouble-free car. Ours was a brownish “firemist” color.

[@douglasbrown6458]

I had a 1977 Seville and I loved it. I was in college and unfortunately I drove it into the ground. I floored it everywhere I went and eventually the transmission failed. I didn’t want to spend the $500 to fix it and moved on to a turbo Mazda. What a mistake. I spent a fortune keeping it going. My Cadillac had 40000 miles on it when I got it in 1989 from an older gentleman who had the newer Cadillac models in his stable. He wanted $3500 for it and I got him down to $2500. The car was the beautiful brown with tan leather interior and orange pin stripes. It had a factory sunroof and CB radio. It was in stunningly great condition. It had the wide whitewalls and wire wheel hubcaps. It is to this day my favorite car ever. I had a 2008 Escalade with the 403 horsepower 6.2 engine that I lost in a divorce a close second.

[@deanberg4033]

Betty White's husband gave her a Cadillac Seville of this vintage and she drove it up until she had to give up driving.

[@CrazyPetez]

Hello Adam! In 1979 the gasoline situation looked bleak, with fears of the 1973-ish gas lines seemed to be coming. We thought about a Honda car, but my aversion to Japanese cars let us to a diesel Saville. Honey Beige, I believe it was, without the padded roof. $20K out the door was frightfully expensive. My wife at the time financed the entire car, which would soon be a plus for me. After about a year of owning the Seville, she decided she’d rather live with someone else, and took the Caddy with her😄👍😄. The Caddy was a magnificent automobile. Smooth, very comfortable, very quiet, and with decent fuel mileage. As the diesel’s shortcomings became widely known, the value of the car dropped extremely. It was worth less than she owed on it. Too bad, she chose her path. Had I been involved with the car, I would have installed a gas Saville gas engine in it, and had a better car.

[@stevenworld3364]

Parents owned a 79 model, I remember sitting in the back seat sliding around on that too soft leather. Luved the car , it made a statement.

[@neilschipper3741]

I had a 77 midnight blue, so comfortable. OneTouch steering, fantastic bucket seats. One of the most favorite cars I ever owned.

[@cad1995]

I have a 1977 Seville now, it’s Naples Yellow, with 90,000 on the dash.

[@TheKiing81]

This is my absolute favorite Of all Cadillacs! I need this in my start up collection

[@douglasburskey6411]

I think Betty White had a Seville and was still driving it a couple of years before she died.

[@landyachtfan79]

You forgot to mention that this was the first car, at least that I can think of, to use reminder chimes instead of a buzzer for the seat belt reminder.

[@phoenixinfinity595]

Great video

[@dj33036]

I'm not to sure what year it was but my Uncle bought one of these Sevilles brand new, and it had a Rolls Royce grill. It may have been a dealer add on. I remember him saying that Rolls Royce sued Cadillac over the use of the grill. The car was two tone silver with a red leather interior and it was beautiful. It even had a sun roof. If I remember correctly I think he said he paid $17,000 dollars for it.

[@pcno2832]

I wonder what the folks at R&R thought of the Rollswagen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGK3emZvpKupfLM

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

Adam, at 16 years old were you already 6’1” tall? You mentioned later in the video that it was a bit tight in the driver’s seat. Thank you so much for sharing another incredible story!

[@donk499]

The Seville is really based off the Nova?? I can't imagine it has anything in common, does it have the sub frame construction like a Nova? Nonetheless, the original Sevilles were a home run for sure, as were the styling derivatives such as the 77 Caprice/Impala. Geez Adam, you sure aged well. Seems like you are about my age, but have survived nicely like your cars.

[@fleetwin1]

Good addition to the title of the channel, we enjoy the porch chats as much as looking/riding in the cars.

[@pcno2832]

Yes, it had almost the same subframe and, believe it or not, rear leaf springs, with Mylar liners to reduce noise.

[@donk499]

@@pcno2832 Hard to believe for sure!

[@calbob750]

The Seville was the right sized smaller Cadillac. And then someone at Cadillac decided “Let’s make a smaller Cadillac based on the Chevy Cavalier”.

[@rightlanehog3151]

🙁

[@calvincrews3885]

The K. Body Seville was the inspiration before the other GM G. Body cars adapted like the Buick Century/Regal 1981-84 Chevrolet Malibu 1981-83 Pontiac LeMans/Bonneville 1982-86 and Oldsmobile cutlass supreme 1980-88 but correct me if I’m wrong

[@tomw9981]

I was a 19 year-old car salesman for a Cadillac dealer at the time this car came out. I think I was the only person who liked the car in the whole dealership! I have owned five '70's Cadillacs, but never a Seville. This car is on my list to acquire when the opportunity arises. It is a true beauty! Thanks for such an informative video. It brought back a lot of pleasant memories!

[@606pretty]

Back in the 80's these Sevilles were coveted!!! I WAnted 1 so Dayummmm Bad!! I used to be @ movie usher in T Square Every Sunday this beautiful Seville would grace me with its Elagance!! I waz enamored ❤❤❤.

[@DavidPysnik]

I never liked these as they are too small and don’t have the trademark vertical taillights. Cadillac had a long decline start in the 70s and despite these not being bad per se, they marked the beginning of Cadillac’s increasing surrender to the imports and eventual severe decline of market share. By 1985 we ended up with the tiny and bland FWD Devilles and many terrible engines because gas crises, the government, and GM itself insisted Cadillac mostly give up the land yachts that made it an icon. Though the big body Fleetwood/Brougham would continue through 1996 and would serve generally as its most reliable model of that time, it was mostly ignored in marketing by Cadillac itself, which was desperate to shake its “old man” image. Old men have a lot of money, though, and they fled to Lincoln and even Buick while the new youth were never encouraged to give traditional American luxury a try and were captured by imports like Mercedes and BMW who didn’t give a damn about the gas guzzler tax. By the turn of the millennium, Cadillac was too much like imports to keep traditional luxury buyers, but still too traditional in reputation to get anyone to leave the imports. The Northstar reliability issues didn’t help. Instead of realizing they should go back to what had worked from the start - classy, spacious, comfortable, and reliable cruisers - they instead in the 2000s doubled-down on the import-copying nonsense with the “art and science” designs and sporty cars that apparently thirsted for the Nurburgring. Despite some spark with the CTS early on, there was not long-term success with this and Cadillac’s best offering in recent decades ironically ended up being the massive, gas-guzzling Escalade which, of course, worked because it was the closet thing spiritually to the land yachts of yore. Despite all of those sports car enthusiasts and haters of traditional luxury cars that Cadillac enlisted in company leadership who claimed they could restore the “standard of the world” and have Cadillac succeed as an “import fighter”, they ultimately led it to its current state of barely being a shadow of what it once was. Who aspires to have a Cadillac now? I don’t see electric CUVs with bizarre names that end in “Q” reversing the momentum of a half-century of decline. Unfortunately, Cadillac lost itself long ago and the Seville, which meant well, was one of the first steps down an identity-crisis rabbit hole from which it never returned.

[@gloriamaletta8667]

The 1976 Seville with a Oldsmobile 350 Rocket gas engine was no race car but it moved the car surprisingly well and passing gear on the highway in 1976 was better than most cars of this era it made decent low speed torque 275 foot pounds at 2400rpm and was making 250 foot pounds by 2000rpm it was strong 2000-3000rpm and moved this Seville and other larger Oldsmobiles with little strain at 2000-2400rpm but it was out of breath at a low 3800rpm

[@davidmwood560]

A DIESEL!?! I was selling these cars back then when I lived in America. We never - EVER - sold a diesel Seville! I had a '78 Elegance in black over silver and it eas a truly magnificent car. It still is - I brought it back to the UK with me; and I still have it. Even after 595,600 plus miles, the car is to this day smooth, fast and very comfortable. It also handles incredibly well and draws admiration wherever it goes. I've always kept it properly serviced and - most importantly - done an oil and filter change every 3,000 miles. My daily driver is a 2006 Lexus GS300 and to be honest, is the only car to match the Seville for reliability and comfort. Of course, the Lexus gives better fuel consumption and is a lot faster than my Seville, but the Seville definitely has on style. I won't be parting with my beautiful Cadillac anytime soon - if ever. I plan to spend 2 years giving the Seville a complete nut&bolt restoration to bring it up to "better than new" condition. Cadillac Seville Elegance - the car that proves that: "A Man is known by His Automobile"

[@desertmodern7638]

The Seville so quickly became all the talk and all the rage that it never occurred to me it might not be successful. It felt solid, substantial, and refined to drive, but definitely not space efficient. The pricing strategy was brilliant. How could anyone belittle your choice when it was the most expensive thing in the lineup? The most obvious X-car characteristic to my eyes was the wide-track, forward-set front wheels - a perfect look for a prestige car.

[@calvincrews3885]

The 1976-79 Cadillac Seville is the K body is the 1st generation RWD before the bustle back FWD was developed for 1980-85 and beyond i like the Seville for my taste

[@homeboy144]

one of my all-time favourite us old-timers ...so soo classy ... it seems underrated since almost nobody talks about it...

[@cmdrdarwin3682]

I LOVED the Seville!

[@travelingfool9096]

yes love the talks as well as the cars. subject suggestions: pinto, Vega, Gremlin // Nova, Maverick, Dart, Hornet // the 71/72 Ford LTD I think the best looking ones ever

[@freddyhollingsworth5945]

Beautiful video. Getting rid of your 79 Diesel was the biggest mistake of your life..... For sure buy another one!! These were also made in Iran under "Cadillac Iran"... I have driven the Cadillac at 08:04 It lives in Arkansas now in a museum.

[@flyonbyya]

My dad was a salaried employee of Fisher Body in Flint who bought a new car and truck every year at ‘A Plan’ pricing. He almost bought ordered a 76 Seville. I remember the car would have cost $15,000! A big ticket item in those days

[@joelippard4696]

You mentioned "sheer" look. General Motors used to also build Frigidaire appliances, up until 1980. They coined the term "Sheer Look" with the 1957 line of Frigidaire appliances. Like the cars, the design of the appliances changed almost each year.

[@EVnewbie]

Take a Nova frame, make the frame better in every way and grab an Olds 350 GAS engine and make it better with fuel injection....then improve it again in 77 by udding 4 wheel sisc brakes. Sadly, the lesson learned (solid frame, constant improvement, solid engine) was lost. The Cimarron took and inexpensive frame, did not improve the frame, a crappy engine with no improvements and just threw in a front/rear treatments and a high price tag. Shame, imagine if the crew that did the Seville right was also given the same task not with the Nova but with the J body. They could of stretched it, put on 4 wheel disc brakes, a 4 speed auto on a V6, improved the suspension, made it quiet and luxury done right and it would of beeen a hit. The Seville proved you can make a good, solid car that does not have to be huge to be a success. Sadly, those lessons were not learned by GM. It's like they thought they could make anything great no matter what it started with in a very short time. Shame Caddy didn't take the lessons about the good things of the Seville to heart. I wonder what would of happened if the Caddy Eldorado from 79 to 85 would of dine if they stuck with the fuel injected Olds 350 they started with instead of the slow HT4100. I'd love to have one of those blacked out 85 Eldorado convertibles with fully independent sport suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes and Eagle GT tires but it's stuck with the HT4100 turd engine. Fun to think what it could of been with a fuel injected Olds 350 and 4 speed auto. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. Todd Father could of been so much more! :D

[@MostlyBuicks]

Now a Seville with a 1970 500 engine would be tits! Add a 700R4 behind it, fuel economy AND performance!

[@des9655]

My friend had one he bought from a lady down the street from him, it was nice, leather, power everything, 8 track tape player that worked!! I drove it, 70s luxo-barge feeling, I'm sure he wish he still had it.

[@dwight48093]

I have a 1979 Seville Elegante diesel. No power, but goes forever on a tank of fuel!

[@RareClassicCars]

Awesome

[@arnepianocanada]

Marketing ploy: when a Caddy customer had his 'land yacht' serviced, the loaner was often a Seville; his wife would love its tidy size, easy shopping-mall parking etc. and not want to give it up. Clever! (Collectible Automobile)

[@Leawoody]

I loved the Seville when it came out and what my friends and I coined the “choppy back window.” My Grandfather, however, was a Cadillac man and owned a ‘75 Sedan d’Ville upon the introduction of the Seville. He had no kind words for it nor a couple of his golfing buddies that had each bought one. I think he just didn’t like that they paid more for their Cadillacs than he did for his and he’d lost bragging rights. But that conversation is burned into my memory. Still a classically and handsomely styled car. Too bad Cadillac didn’t put the same thoughtful development into the Cimarron to also better disguise its humble beginnings.

[@wingman427]

Have a 1981 C10 with Hydroboost brakes. Was a diesel and now a 350 small block. Left the Hydroboost brakes that are amazing. Rebuilt the unit after looking for one and not being find one for my year. Works great now.

[@SuperJoes70]

I have owned a 1976 Seville in 1980 and I now have a 77 Seville with only 14k they were great back in the day good mpg and no driveability problems that other cars faced due to emission controls. I have downsized I had a 70 Couple Deville which I really liked , bot it took up so much valuble garage space ! A lot people that are Cadillac collectors don't like the first generation Seville's because of the Oldsmobile engine which is so petty . What do youthink of the Cadillac Catera ?

[@61rampy65]

One thing the Seville did, was show that a smaller car could also be a luxury car. Sadly, as GM became Generic Motors, Cadillac thought they could do it again with the Cimarron, but this time the public wasn't fooled by overstuffed seats in a Cavalier. Later on, Honda did the smaller/luxury thing with Acura, and had huge success.

[@Primus54]

Great video, Adam. I’ll admit that when I first saw the Seville all I could see was “dressed up Nova” and frankly could not understand how in the world Cadillac could actually charge more money for it compared to their stable house cars. I fully expected it to be a giant failure. Of course, I turned out to be wrong and now really admire it. I might even look for one to buy. Thank you! 👍👍👍

[@kdkatz-ef2us]

The dressed up Nova era didn't begin until the mid 80s

[@Primus54]

@@kdkatz-ef2us I was referring to the obvious Nova lineage at the time… in other words, they took a Nova and dressed it up.

[@eddiewood6239]

An often underappreciated car with great potential to restore and or upgrade and drive the wheels off of. Sadly and interestingly there were aftermarket companies that specialized in turning these into heavily modified clown cars of sorts. Most seem to have been yellow and all were and are labeled as "Pimp Cars". I grudgingly admit to seeing a bit of appeal to the low brow conversions that seemed only befitting of a "Pimp" or a "Gold Chainer" sort. There is a long yard parked yellow "Pimp Car" in Hendersonville NC. That I often drive by, the drivers window stays down or is broken yet I wish some capable person could obtain the car and restore or even update the car. Gaudy or not, it is a unique part of our automotive history.i enjoy you videos. Thank You Kindly.

[@jordant5107]

Talk about cars you regret selling..I had a 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that I wish I had never sold. It was quiet, had enough power even with the olds 307, when the r12 was still in the ac it was almost too cold, seats were like sitting on the couch, just an awesome car. They've gotten expensive compared to what they use to cost. Maybe I'll get another one at some point...

[@eddieschwab864]

I think GM got a little frisky after the success of the Seville, thought they could play their hand a second time on size reduction hence the birth of the Cimarron. That being said of course finding alternate powertrain models might be hard but would have been a cinch to drop in gas 350 rocket in place of your 350 diesel or even convert it if you had the time for it to sit. Scrounging junkyard parts of any of its contemporaries I'd say if you found a good 350 rocket and a 200-4r transmission, with reasonable accessories around it you should post very similar fuel mileage on gas.

[@dvlpup03]

Great Video, I own a 1979 Seville pretty well optioned except trip computer and astro roof , I have the window sticker and its a California blue plate car I love it my parents had a 78 Seville I learned the problem areas (coolant temp sensor) Have owned mine for 22 years now doubt I will ever sell... I like the other video you did about the dumb wiper switch.. only thing on my Seville thats broken.. thanks again for cool video.

[@reserva120]

My Dad in 1980 bought the brown one with the diesel engine " because the sales guys made a deal , an smooth talked him ( my dad was not a car guy ,an didn't learn to drive till he was 33 taught by mom , being New York born an bred).. growing up, all we had was Cadillac, ) I learn to drive on this car , so I have a fondest for it , even thought it had Two engines replacement an left us stranded many times, Interesting after a few years of this , replaced it with the then new Maxima.. which he called "his baby cad"... as of both us kids were gone by then, it was more than fine size wise, an they never had a lick of problems with it. Still I think ,like you< that Cadillac was bench mark of tasteful design an in many way holds up to this day.

[@joeseeking3572]

We (family) looked at a Seville Diesel when they came out. Instead opted for a year old MB 300D which was, I think even slower. (the 240D was too slow even for Mom - "it's unsafe"). In any event the Seville was (I thought) quite elegant when it debuted, and with the (please oh please Dad) gas engine, pretty peppy for the time. Once they tweaked the grille header, finally figured out the roof stamping and offered painted metal + and added the Elegante with upgraded trim and tu-tone (brown version please): wow. At the time I was not a fan of our purchase choice = the Seville was so much more luxurious with everything one would expect in a Cadillac, whereas the MB was almost Spartan, had terrible AC, and even a year used cost considerably more. But, as I learned at 16, you could do things to that 300 that, even with the firm for the time Seville suspension would utterly unsettle the latter. And while the Benz top speed might have been 93 mph or whatever, it would do that all day at 85 and be rock solid - because of course this really wasn't 9/10's of its performance envelope, just that of the engine - and diesels can do that.

[@stevebyrne4235]

Lovely '79 example, 350 CI gas, 50,000 miles, at BaT. Bidding opened yesterday.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

OMG, the Opel Diplomat was made too well with the tighter tolerances.... That is a surprise for me as a European. Opel was not renowned to have such tight tolerances, although better than the French cars of the time. I would say Opel was industry average back then.

[@andypittman9850]

The 86-91 Sevilles were even worse for tall people, I am 5'8' could not seat comfortably in the rear, can't imagine anyone taller trying to squeeze in!!

[@bettermost]

Take a look at this 1957 GM Frigidaire new appliance introduction. Wait for the very end. I think it means a very squared off design. Wait until the very end to see the Ladies arm position. GM design was always ahead of its time. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqXJnnSor8uZpLM

[@patcurrie9888]

Timeless design, this Seville and the 79 to 85 Buick Riviera. Navy blue or that era yellow with white interiors would have been my go to choice. After 79 model year I would move over to the new Eldorado with the same color choices. The silver on silver would be a second choice for the Seville. Really well done presentation Adam.

[@christopherconard2831]

When Fisher said the Opel body panels were made with too tight a tolerance this should have sent up red flags across GM. Opel wasn't a high end manufacturer. They built mostly mid to small sized economy cars. Instead they let it slip past while fit and finish in GM cars continued to drop through much of the 80's.

[@gsczr1]

This was a fun video. I remember when the Seville was introduced in 1975. I was living in Ontario Canada at the time. I drove down to the local Cadillac dealership and was very impressed. It looked like a up to date modern Rolls Royce. The car just had class. Of course I was a teenager which meant the Seville was just a dream. My dad and mother drove Caddy's and I tried to talk my parents into getting a Seville but they were of the big car mindset. I have a real soft spot for Cadillac. I've owned many cars including European and Japanese. I always go back to Cadillac. All my Cadillacs have been "V" models. My latest is a CT6-V Black Wing. I think it's the best full size Cadillac ever to come out of Marque. It's a fantastic car. I also have a couple of Lexus LS models. Those cars are beautifully engineered. The fit and finish is first rate. However, The Black Wing doesn't take a back seat to them. It's that good. GM is mostly run by engineers now. Cheers!!!

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

A great-looking car with excellent proportions. A remake with modern detailing would hold its own today. (But not with "diamond cut" wheels).

[@fireflymedic10]

I owned a gm car with a diesel you needed 10 miles to pass anyone lol. Pulled out the diesel and put a 305 gas I believe, felt like a race car after that. Turned me off diesels until dodge put the cummins in there 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. My advice to any one thinking diesel is to make sure it's not "naturally aspirated " they need turbos or superchargers or some kind of boost to make them drivable.

[@donaldwilliams2270]

I have owed a 1987 Eldorado and please do a classic review on that body style , I got it with 155,000 and ran it up tp to 235,000 , with the 252 v8 , loved that car

[@ELMS]

The new channel name is great. If you just presented the car maybe you could keep the old name. But there’s so much background and history in your videos the new name is more appropriate. The videos continue to be excellent. 👍

[@gtopp9619]

My favorite Cadillac. The '79 Seville was a car ahead of its time.

[@nitroitis]

My neighbor has a Elegante' sitting in his driveway... Silver & Black w/ the wire wheels but not running!

[@JSDesign.Hongkong]

I quite enjoyed this video, particularly as I owned a 1979 Seville (not diesel) for seventeen years and 179,000 miles. The first generation Seville is what I would term as a luxurious ‘close-coupled’ 4-door sedan. Mine never missed a beat.

[@CarsandCats]

My Dad bought a new silver '76 Seville. It was a great car! I don't remember it ever being in the shop. He kept it about 10 years.

[@FortShenanigans]

I think it was here on KZbin that I saw that this was Betty White’s last car-don’t hold me to it but I think a 77 Seville-that she would not part with n drove it until the end. Great vid as always Adam - cheers.

[@nycstarport8542]

IMO: The 76-79 Seville, and the 80-85 Seville, you either like them or you don't. 🤔

[@chevken1831]

Diesel engines by GM were bad. The Olds throttle body fuel injection is the engine I would have wanted.