Bad Automotive Ideas: The Unbelievably Cheap & Rare 1973 Cadillac Calais (with no AC!)

Take a look at this super rare 1973 Cadillac Calais--one without air conditioning!

[@GeoffGeorge-x3j]

Well, this is cool, I made it to KZbin! So the car in question was my grandfather's and my grandmother's. I guess it was what they could afford at the time. After my grandfather passed, my grandmother basically drove it to the grocery store and back, which is why today it only has 18,461 original miles on it. She loved the car so much that if it rained she would pull it in the garage and hand wash it. They were hard working European immigrants and this car was a symbol of success for them. When my grandmother passed, my mom and sister didn't know what to do with the car, so I bought it and kept it for the last 20 odd years. I just don't have time for it, but there is a lot of interest and as the video says it's a rare one 😁

[@jeffreydavis9783]

It’s also gorgeous! Let me know if you’re interested in selling her!

[@12yearssober]

Id hold on to it. Definitely a one of a kind beauty!!!

[@12yearssober]

What state were they in when they bought it?

[@dforrest4503]

What a great story. To start as immigrants and end up having a Cadillac had to be a matter of great pride for them.

[@genebigs1749]

I like the Calais a lot! The simplicity of the design, especially without the vinyl roof is beautiful! I really enjoyed seeing it on the video. Kudos to your Grandmother for taking such good care of it!

[@tomb7382]

My friends dad had a 1972 Calais Sedan without AC, no vinyl top, no power door locks... NOTHING! He absolutely loved that car. My friend called it a Cadillac Biscayne!

[@emmexfyv]

LOL the Cadayne - perfect - at least they didn't leave some of the taillights off the Caddy

[@sammolloy1]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@billyjoejimbob56]

In my high school years early 70s working at a gas station, we had a regular customer with a '70 Calais coupe... No A/C no power locks or seat, and the car had crank up windows. We also had a funeral director as a customer... his '67 Cadillac hearse was better equipped!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

The weight reduction bro Cadillac 😂

[@rager1969]

It's weird that Cadillac thought they needed a cheap version, since their whole identity was you pay up for the quality and luxury of a Cadillac. If you wanted to save money, Buick and Oldsmobile was right there for you.

[@marko7843]

Absolutely, I would have taken a 98 or an Electra!

[@BillLaBrie]

Very general manager of Cadillac through the 80s was pushing for more and more volume at the cost of everything else. You can see where it got them.

[@j.kevvideoproductions.6463]

I think it all came down to sales per division, which would then lead to budgeting for the ensuing market year. Caddy figured they could get an additional 5000 cars sold if they sold strippers, so that's what they did. Just my opinion.

[@kylefowler5082]

GM of yesteryear was a different company. Each division was really its own company and ran the way its upper management saw fit. They really competed with each other for sales as much as they did with outside brands. This car is also pre-platform sharing between brands. In those days it was common you bought a certain brand car because you believed in the quality and reliability of just that brand and not so much in its "sister" brands. The person that bought this car didn't want a Buick or Oldsmobile; he wanted a Caddy because he trusted the brand name more. He wasn't so much after the class statement (unless he was a budget baller lol) he probably thought Cadillac cars superior to the other brands in quality.

[@Wiencourager]

At least on imperials you could forgo the autotemp and have manual AC. , and if you didn’t get air at all you could add the optional vent windows.

[@rexfaucher9773]

My grandparents owned a five &dime store from the 50s-70s. Grandpa owned Buicks most of his life. In1956 he bought a Roadmaster 4 door hardtop with every option. The car cost more than a Cadillac. My dad asked why he didn't buy the Cadillac, gramps said" If his store customers looked down from the hill and seen a Caddie, they would think he was making to much money from them." No one questions a Buick. Thanks for the video......RF

[@bill90405]

My uncle had a Zenith TV store and he always drove a 98 for exactly that reason. Lived over the store, and played his golf at the municipal golf course too. Worked for them.

[@vwgolf6487]

Some of the earlier Calais' had manual windows! I appreciate the clean look of the outside of this car.

[@DSP1968]

Power windows were not made standard on all Cadillac models until 1968. Lincoln had made them standard on all models in 1961, Imperial slightly later IIRC.

[@pcno2832]

I normally like cars without vinyl tops, but the '71-'73 Cadilac coups looked a bit weird without one, since Cadillac put the imprint of the vinyl section into the sheet metal for some reason.

[@gregt8638]

Keep in mind that Cadillac did not just offer the 'bargain base car' in the Calais. Before that, is was called the 62 series which they renamed the Calais in 1965 . The Calais was the 62 series that they finally gave a proper name to. Actually, the 62 series is what you had before they started adding the Deville name to a more deluxe 62 model, which was a 63 series.

[@Wiencourager]

@@DSP1968I’ve driven a 63 imperial with manual windows. A friend had a 73 New Yorker sedan with manual windows.

[@user-pgchargerse71]

I had an uncle who had a '69 Calais with no a/c. Meanwhile my Aunt (his wife) had a '72 Plymouth Fury loaded with just about every option available, including automatic climate control, split power seat with passenger recliner, and cruise control.

[@palmermccall7309]

Circa 1991, I took a couple of weeks to drive my 1970 DeVille convertible from western North Carolina to Los Angeles. I stopped at my brother's place in New Mexico for an overnight, and when I got ready to roll further westward, the car wouldn't start. A quick disconnect of the fuel line at the carburetor showed no fuel during cranking, so the hunt began for a fuel pump. I think I spent 2 days making the 15-mile trip into Santa Fe and back, visiting every parts store. Finally, a guy looked up a fuel pump for a 1972 DeVille/Calais 472 *without* air conditioning, and the arm on the fuel pump was a match! I was pretty much astonished, because I didn't realize that Cadillac had made any cars in this era with no AC. (The convertible had AC/automatic climate control.) My brother and I had no way to lift the convertible, so I spent the afternoon looking down at the left side of the engine, then reaching up behind the driver's side front wheel and installing the fuel pump by visual memory and feel. The next morning, the car fired up on the first try, and I was on my way!

[@marko7843]

@@palmermccall7309 I don't know which is stranger, the fact that they had a different fuel pump based on the climate system, or that your engine had the wrong pump installed! It obviously didn't make any difference to performance in all the years before the pump died... 🤔

[@jw77019]

We had a 1965 Calais that was acquired when my aunt’s father traded it in. It had very low mileage and was plenty fast. The only thing about it that was much different from the deVille was the brake and accelerator pedals didn’t have chrome. It had an FM radio with no signal seeker. The original sticker was in the glove compartment and the total cost was in the mid-$6,000 range. The automatic comfort control was over $600. It had two front seat belts with retractors but no seat belts in the back. My father later gave it to me. I sold it in 1985 for$650.00 with 75,000 miles. It was like new on the inside because it had been covered in plastic bubble seat covers when new. It got 7 mpg, 12 highway. It was the only car I ever took up to 120 mph. I was 16.

[@app_manifestation]

Why did you sell it for so cheap?

[@ebwholesaler]

@@app_manifestation Back in 1984,1985,1986 it was very common to 'find' 8,9,10 years old cars for $50,100,150 or $ 300-400 dollars for a clean one (46,000 miles). People changed cars (buy new) every 1-2 or 3 years back then. A 'new' Ford Escort was 4,995 $ CDN or $ 4500 US where i lived. An ugly squared Chrysler 'K' car was in the $7,500 to 9,995 $. Back then when i was 18, (still) i couldn't afford these 79-85 Cadillac models (Eldorado Biarritz, etc) which were selling for $ 2,500 - $ 5,000 dollars 6 or 7 years used (brand new 15k-20k). We kids, began our first cars ownership with anything FREE from family OR anything below $ 400

[@Lamtitude]

@@app_manifestationthat wasn’t cheap for a 20 year old, high mileage car in 1985. Most cars lose 50% of their value within 5 years. He sold that car for 10% of it’s initial cost 20 YEARS later with a lot of miles on it (relatively speaking for the time). That sounds like it would be market value for 1985.

[@retroguy9494]

@@Lamtitude Sounds about right. I bought my first Cadillac when I was in college in '85. It was a 1977 Sedan DeVille D'Elegance with around 80K miles and I think I paid around $3,500 for it.

[@app_manifestation]

@@Lamtitude i assumed he meant $650 adjusted for inflation. 2k seems normal for a 20 year old car with high mileage

[@eddstarr2185]

My father had a wonderful conversation with a Cadillac dealer in 1970. The dealer remarked how almost all Cadillacs he saw in the 1950's were either Series 61 or Series 62 models. By 1965, he noted how Cadillac owners drifted towards more luxury/more flash, and speculated that the Great Depression/WWII generation, that had preferred less "showy" Cadillacs, were responsible for keeping the Calais series in production for so long. Some of Cadillac's most long term and most loyal customers were frugal and were fans of the understated Calais series.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

FACTS.

[@douglasrizzo9210]

@@eddstarr2185 I agree with him completely.

[@mydsmber05]

That makes complete sense. I think it’s also why you could still buy a Deville or Fleetwood with radio delete (complete with a credit for not having the standard radio) and you still had to pay extra for stuff that was standard on a Honda Accord like a power trunk release and a rear defroster until the late 80’s.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@mydsmber05 Also, the Japanese subsidized their auto industry, so they operate as if they are government agencies - no need to worry about profits, whereas our auto makers are all private companies. No profits? Eventual bankruptcy.

[@douglasrizzo9210]

@@mydsmber05 Yup. Everything was a'la carte in those days. A Rear defrost wasn't standard until 1980!

[@sprague49]

One night back in the seventies, an acquaintance showed up at my apartment to drive us to dinner. He'd just bought a brand new 1975 Calais coupe. He said he'd craved owning a new Caddy since he was a kid and now at 28 this was the only one he could finally afford. Even so it took every penny he could scrape together. The color was Firethorn Poly according to the window sticker and it was the first time I'd seen a Cadillac without a vinyl roof in years. I thought it looked classy that way. I remember it was upholstered in some sort of stripped corduroy material that closely matched to exterior color.

[@gm12551]

I wonder how long he could afford to hold onto the car

[@douglasrizzo9210]

@@sprague49 It was trimmed in Morgan Plaid cloth. Very desirable interior trim option for that car.

[@noscwoh1]

I once was the custodian of a '69 Calais in the early oughties. I could see why it sold back in the day. If you were upper-middle management or were doing rather well, you could go for an optioned-out Olds 98 or Buick Electra, sure...BUT why would you if for the VERY SAME PRICE you could have a gen-u-wine Cadillac in your parking spot? That's a mighty big pull to move you up a slot in your GM progression. Become a Cadillac Man a few years early and trade in for a DeVille in a couple of years! BTW, I had to rebuild my '69s auto climate system, and it's an absolute work of genius. Vacuum manifolds, contact wipers, and thermistors, and the whole system is beautifully engineered. And the 472 was such an amazing engine. Gosh I miss that car.

[@MarinCipollina]

I had a 1970 Coupe de Ville, and it was a very reliable and quite stylish automobile.. I wish I still had that one. Those were the last of an era.

[@bikeaddictbp]

I grew up in a rural area northwest of Toronto. My dad never owned a car with air-con until 1989 (at which point it was standard equipment on the model that he wanted, so he had no choice), and I think the first car I owned that had air-con that worked was in the late nineties. It's common in some parts of Canada to have a "winter car" that you don't care about, and which can be thrown away without regrets after the rust holes get too big. Often this is a used car, but several manufacturers made special low-priced de-contented economy cars available to fill the market for someone who wanted a winter car that had a warranty. Of course, no air-con in those.

[@sheehy933]

My first car was a Cypress Green 1971 Cadillac Calais 4 door. It did have AC although I never used AC back then. There was nothing "cooler" than driving around with a 4 dr hardtop with all 4 windows down. 2nd car was a Balmoral Green 1972 SedanDeville with white leather interior and white vinyl top. They were 10 year old used cars by the time I got my hands on them but were very reliable. $500 for each of them.

[@ebwholesaler]

Best of times, wasn't it ? Best memories....

[@atlscorpatlscorp2620]

I'm glad you did this video. I grew up in the south where every Cadillac I saw had AC. I went to Maine for the first time when I was about 9 or so. We drove there in a Chevy with AC, and while there, encountered a family that had a Cadillac without AC. When I got home and told people about this they all thought I was lying to them. I'm glad to have it confirmed that you could get one without AC. In places like northern Maine you really don't need it.

[@jeffreydavis9783]

I’m actually a huge fan of the Calais model. I just love the effort Cadillac put into making these cars CHEAP! No wood grain on the dash. No wood grain on the doors. No brake/accelerator dress-up trim. No puddle lights. No rear seat center armrest. No rocker mouldings. And yet, due to their rarity, they remain some of the most sought-after Cadillacs you can find! The lack of rocker mouldings & vinyl top (an option) meant less rust too.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

Many people intensely disliked plastic wood. Also, vinyl tops eventually cause rust. This car was for them.

[@retroguy9494]

Just goes to show you how times have changed. I remember back in the 80's you could pick one of those up for a song and a dance. Because people thought they were ugly and way under equipped for a Cadillac.

[@stormythelowcountrykitty7147]

What a remarkable car!

[@Scramble4r]

​​@@retroguy9494agreed. I remember these too. They were so cheap used no one wanted them. For another $200 you could get a fully loaded Coupe Deville. I paid $400 for my 75 Coupe Deville in 87. 500ci. I used to beat 302 Mustang 3 speeds starting out in low gear with the hydromatic turbo trans. LOL And I was twice their weight!

[@walterkersting9922]

@@retroguy9494 When you say woodgrain you mean fake? I mean with the money you save on Calle couldn’t you just put some actual wood in the damn thing?

[@craigroosa9321]

Good looking car in white and no vinyl top ! So clean in design ! Pure class !

[@williammodlin2621]

I have personal experience with the GM auto climate control of this era as I owned a 1976 Buick Electra 225. It worked wonderfully. I had to change the temperature setting 2 times per year, spring and fall and it always kept us comfortable. Any car I’ve had since then requires daily if not hourly fiddling to keep things in line. Thanks for your great videos of these old beasts. I love them (the old beasts that is).

[@madmike2624]

I'll bet you could count on one hand, the amount of Cadillacs built without A/C!!!~~

[@jkmarshall3553]

I was born/raised in FL... you wouldn't even need a hand down here.

[@donswier]

1902 model year maybe?.☺️

[@dmandman9]

@@jkmarshall3553you could barely find a 1973 impala or caprice in Florida without AC. 😂

[@t.b.g.504]

By the few people who would complain 'It's soooo cold...'

[@MarinCipollina]

AC started gaining wide adoption by the early 1960s in the US South.

[@gleuszler]

The Chevette Scooter of Cadillacs!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I love the Chevette Scooter!

[@DEEPCYCLEGARAGE]

Replace all the emblems with Chevette emblems!😁

[@martinliehs2513]

The precursor to the Cimarron?

[@jamesslick4790]

@@martinliehs2513 No, because for all the cheapening of features, Mechanically and body wise, the Calais IS actually a Cadillac!

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

I was thinking it was the Harley Sportster of Cadillacs.

[@nickolaslewis1560]

And yet, the car is equipped with Twilight Sentinel. That's a hoot!

[@isaactuuri6488]

dude for real, how is that logic

[@MarinCipollina]

@@isaactuuri6488 Twilight Sentinel was much cheaper than Climate Control

[@marko7843]

And rear defogger!

[@jwelchon2416]

It was common up thru the 80's for people to buy cars without A/C north of the Iowa line and in the Northwest. My uncle had a 62 Cadillac convertible that came from Detroit and it didn't have air.

[@Greatdome99]

Nobody in Seattle bothered with A/C in those days. Now that it's standard, everyone has it set on "cryogenic" if it gets above 70F, which is a 'heat wave' to natives who rarely see sunshine.

[@larryonofrio588]

I think I saw a vent pull over the transmission tunnel for the center vents.

[@douglasrizzo9210]

Excellent work as always, Adam. I will add that Cadillac did not have Climate Control as standard equipment until August, 1974 for the 1975 model year. Please note that this particular Calais has a very rare combination of options. While no Climate Control, it does have the rear defrost, am-fm radio (no tape player!), and the auto dim headlights. A radio was not standard until the 1975 model year. Note that the car does not have power door locks, also not standard until the 1975 model year. This car is Cotillion White with a dark blue Mayfair Cloth interior. Despite being a low line car, Mayfair cloth was well received by Calais buyers as it was similar to the upper trims in DeVille at the time. The only Cadillacs to have A/C standard were the Fleetwood Series 75 Executive Sedan and Limousine, which not only had A/C but TWO A/C (or Climate Control from 1964, onward) for front and rear with separate controls. Calais are prized today among Cadillac collectors because of rarity. The holy grail is a 1976 Calais with a Cabriolet roof and astroroof options. Allegedly only 4 were made!

[@pcno2832]

What surprises me is that they bothered to stub the outer AC outlets with those tacky plugs. I'd think it would have cost them less to just leave out the compressor and make the vents the same. By the early 1980s, the dwindling number of cars that were sold without AC often came that way.

[@regalgs51]

Dang, you really know your stuff!

[@douglasrizzo9210]

@@regalgs51 Thanks! I try!

[@douglasrizzo9210]

@@pcno2832 For '74, non A/C cars had the outer vents, with pull knobs for fresh air. One year only, as 75, A/C was now standard.

[@kc9scott]

@@pcno2832 At the time, most every car brand filled the unused dash holes with blank plates if you didn’t get things such as A/C or radio.

[@drmattyk]

Adam. It’s uncanny that you’ve featured so many cars that I have owned. Coming of age in the 90’s I loved old American iron which put me at odds with everyone. Owned a 1972 Deville NO AC. This was in Calgary. I suspect relatively common for the region. Same shitty temp selector and the funny rad hose reminding you you’re missing something. Really appreciate the video. If I recall, there was a vent lever that would open fresh air for that middle vent. It wouldn’t close well and I had to stuff a sock inside the vent in the freezing winter! Cold air came in all the time.

[@MrBanacek]

Seeing these cars from this time always surprises me at the way folks were able to equip their Cadillacs, in the day when you could still order them. Options on this Calais that I saw were: 1) Right Side Mirror 2) Rear Defogger 3) AM-FM. 4) Auto Dimming Headlights!! 5) Factory Mats 6) Waste Basket. Yup, almost a fully loaded no-air Calais. Can't be another one like it Adam. Love it!

[@MarinCipollina]

The waste basket was standard.

[@brianjudd5625]

Owned several cadillacs over the years, a 76 coup deville , 79 coup, and currently a 2006 DTS lux lll performance and enjoyed them all. Great video.

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

Calais also had roll up windows. I can see some opting for a low spec Cadillac with the jumbo 472 back when this model was being fashioned. Less weight, less complexity, maybe get the cool automatic lights option... the stereo... and pay less than a Buick.

[@DejaView]

@ACF6180T As to first standard A/C there are likely a certain few rare vehicles that will pre-date AMCs introduction in the early '70s. This is one of them. You may find a copy, on line, of the May 1966 issue of "Four Wheeler" magazine. It had a brief article on the new "luxury" Jeep Super Wagoneer. Standard was a 270hp 4bbl carb 327 V8 (the AMC version, NOT Chevrolet) mated to GM's Turbo Hydramatic. (Which was interesting because even Chevrolet offered THM only with the 396 V8 in '66). The Super Wagoneer, precursor to the later "Grand" Wagoneer, featured standard bucket seats, console shift, power steering, power brakes, and yes... standard air conditioning! No mention of power windows or locks (except tailgate window was power operated as standard) Add in a padded vinyl top & some other special exterior trim items & this was a pretty "upscale" off road utility vehicle for the times. They were priced at just over $6000, a small fortune at the time & even though it wasn't executed in exactly a "Cadillac" manner remember that it was actually somewhat more of a truck based vehicle than a car. But there you have it, the "Grandaddy" of todays luxury SUVs had standard A/C in 1966.

[@geofjones9]

Air condtioners became standard on cars because of fuel economy regulations. Government tests proved that an air cond. car did better on highway mileage than non air cond. because with air the windows stayed rolled up, reducing drag.

[@jeffrose133]

Actually became standard Jan1 1974. In this year, they all had it and had to be special ordered without it. The exception would be commercial vehicles where no ac was more common. Thanks for another great video.

[@davidfulginiti5985]

in 1970 I was starting my working career, I need a cheap car-----------my uncle gave me a 1963 series 62 the cheap caddy. ran great couldn't keep gas in it! love your vids!!!

[@nathanexplosion5478]

I own a 1964 Series 62 coupe, which was functionally the Calais model for many years. It likewise has no vinyl top, which I love because it along with lack of extra stainless strip around the roofline vs. Deville series accentuates the clean, crisp styling of the car as the brand pivoted from the styling excesses of the late 50’s. It likewise has lower level interior fabrics and carpeting than standard in Deville, yet was still luxurious appearing and feeling. My uncle had a 1973 Coupe Deville, and the entire interior appearance and build quality was miles behind the 64, and frankly wasn’t all that different than our 1975 Chevy Malibu Classic wagon. Something interesting about my 64 series 62 is although it has no vinyl roof it is rather highly optioned. It has climate control, power windows, seats and antenna, am/fm radio, auto-dimming headlights, twilight sentinel and trunk light. The one de-contented feature it doesn’t have that I wish it did was a front center armrest. Strangely, it does have a rear center armrest, you figure that should have been an obvious cost cut too.

[@jonathang2017]

My grandmother had a 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, without AC.

[@Napier363]

Sacrilege!

[@gregt8638]

This was okay when you lived in San Francisco or Santa Barbara and did not need air conditioning ( except maybe one day a year)

[@jonathang2017]

@@gregt8638 My grandparents lived in Woodside, so AC not really needed very often.

[@zeroceiling]

A Fleetwood Brougham….without AC…I believe was illegal.

[@DavidPysnik]

@@zeroceiling If not, it should have been!

[@currentsitguy]

Learned to drive in a 67 Calais. I also drove the family at 16 from Pittsburgh to Florida. The lack of AC sucked but it really was a comfortable trip car.

[@aidanfeighery6634]

I have a 1967 Cadillac Eldorado in Ireland, been in the country since basically new. No AC, no vinyl top, and has the bucket seat interior (black). Big project but still a stunning car.

[@thomastoler2397]

I’m convinced that at times, car manufacturers would spend more making a separate feature for the stripped-down models, than they would by using their uuper-level feature, and gaining their economies-of-scale discount. And yes, sometimes I think it was simply to shame their customers for buying the base model. Whatever the truth may be regarding that thought, I think it was a big mistake to their image to put such cheap materials in a car that bears their name. I also feel that way about using simulated wood, as well as vinyl seating instead of leather, but then, were it up to me, I’m not sure where I would draw the line re. that philosophy, as I might have insisted on leather for the door panels, the instrument panels, the seat backs & sides, or anywhere else that one might have a need to touch the surface. This of course would cause an astronomical increase in the price, and consequently, the sales figures would plummet. Perhaps offering it in a limited production model such as the Fleetwood Sixty Special would be possible. I just know that if I were wealthy enough to purchase a 60 Special back in the day, and were given the option of having leather and genuine wood in all the aforementioned areas, I would have done it. I realize that one could always have ones car customized by after-market suppliers, but that’s not quite the same as “factory equipped”, but then again, the mystique of “factory equipped”, strongly suggests how gullible I can be regarding car marketing, but then,the styling departments aren’t paid those big bucks for nothing, their opinions & tastes are usually results in the best looking product.

[@MG-sj1em]

That's a nice white 1973 in the beginning, but the wire wheel covers weren't offered for a couple of years after....As for Calais, my 2nd Cadillac was a Silver Calais sedan, It had smooth black cloth interior. It had electric windows but the wing windows were cranks. It had A/C but not thermostat type just A/C, heat like a Chevy. It lacked some of the appointments a DeVille had like fake wood, Calais had brushed Stainless Steel or black. No seek on the radio, just small stuff. I've only ever seen 1 Calais since and it was newer. It was a nice car, wish I still had it but I was young and only kept it a year. Thanks for the great video.

[@rjanderson7394]

Of the 12 Caddys my Dad owned, his first 3 were Calais models His '65 not having electric windows nor a vinyl roof! His '67, '69 '@ '71 had everything except the vinyl roofs. Then from '73 to '95 all were LOADED Sedan de Ville de'Elegances @ Fleetwood Broughams! My favorite was the '73 which was a Metallic Broze with a Camel colored top and Leather int! "Carnut" since '51, owning over 80 vehicles, Love your show!

[@sampropper3128]

I totally agree With you Adam! I I never can understand how people back in the day would buy a Cadillac without many options. I have my dad's nineteen eighty seven fleetwood brougham without a Tilt telescopic steering wheel and when we ordered The car at the dealerI had an argument with him. I have the car to It this day in mint condition now. About Five years ago I went to I went to the salvage yard and bought a tilt Telescopic column and installed it last . May life is now happy! I

[@g.l.g.6064]

Back in the 1960 our neighbor got a 1961 Cadillac 4 door sedan with the short rear trunk the car had no radio, no power windows, no A/C, black wall tires, cloth interior basically a Chevy Biscayne with a Cadillac name. Her husband drove a 1960 Cadillac convertible with every option, wire wheels, tri power, continental rear tire kit, bucket seats, wide whites and a tonneau cover for the rear seating. Candy apple red with white leather interior. A 16 yr's old dream car and he would get a new car ever 2 years! In 1965 his wife got a new Fleetwood loaded and every two years she got a new one until she passed away in 1994.😎

[@DavidPysnik]

Funny, the greatest sacrilege to me of that list you gave is the black wall tires. No full-sized Cadillac sedan or coupe made before 2012 should have black walls.

[@Sevenfeet0]

A little Cadillac history....I think the surprising thing is not that you found a Calais without air conditioning. The real surprise is that air conditioning wasn't standard in all Cadillacs until 1975! So yes, that gorgeous Eldorado that belongs to Adam could have been ordered with just a heater and no A/C (yes, I know...unlikely in Texas where the car came from). The only Cadillacs that did have A/C standard during the 60s and early 70s was the Fleetwood 75 limousine. Also, the "Calais" name directly replaced the Series 62, a nameplate that dated all the way back to 1940. Back then, Cadillac all had number models until you began seeing models like the 1949 Coupe DeVille, the 1953 Eldorado and the 1968 Fleetwood Brougham (which would eventually replace the Sixty Special, another pre-war name plate). I'd agree that the Calais wasn't that popular. As a kid in the 1970s, I don't remember seeing that many of them compared to DeVilles (my grandparents each had one...a '74 and '76). Even Cadillac's marketing material described the Devilles as their most popular cars. I would probably guess that the early Calais's in 1965 were a lot nicer than the 1973 model featured here since as Adam as detailed in other videos that Cadillacs were more nicely appointed pre-1968. After that, real wood got replaced with fake wood and other niceties were costed out of cars, even the nicer Fleetwoods. By 1973, yes Cadillac interior designers were just "phoning it in".

[@marko7843]

Yes Adam, I actually HAVE seen a non-A/C Caddy! It was just a couple years ago that I came across a 1975 hearse in a parking lot. I think the general design was the same, but it did have the thick, fluted, 'plastichromed' handles on the levers that matched the later toggle switches for the cruise control, antenna, rear defog, etc. I thought it particularly cruel for the mortuary's employees to have to sit in a slow funeral procession without air conditioning while undoubtedly wearing suits... but I guess the clients in the rear never complained. 😁 I also remember the Calais not having rear cigar lighters (The barbarians!) Another interesting tidbit is that even before air conditioning, Cadillac had automatic temperature control for the heater and defroster in the 1940s! There was a single lever for under-seat heaters and another for the defroster, and the farther you moved the lever the warmer the car got. I think the fans were only two speed, but it had a copper capillary tube to sense cabin temperature just like the thermostat in my refrigerator.

[@MarinCipollina]

Hearses and ambulances were special builds.. They shouldn't be considered in the same light as consumer Cadillacs.

[@Doc1855]

We had a 74 Sedan De Ville. It became mom’s second car after buying a 280Z. My sister and I would race all of the Large Cars in town. With the Big block 472 V8, that Caddy would peel rubber like crazy. We won every race. We’d pack 10-12 kids in the car, everyone pitched in a buck and we’d put it in the tank. Back then gasoline was less than 70 cents per gallon, then we’d go party. Our town was unincorporated so we only had Sheriffs and they were very cool. We were very roudy back then. I had a blast growing up and I still do today

[@careful...Icarus]

Thanks for this video. I had a 1972 Calais that I still regret selling 30 plus years ago. Creamy beige exterior with a rusty brown leather interior. Mine did have AC,tho it didn't work very well lol. 472 cubic inch beast that could certainly get out of its own way if given enough runway. Unfortunately I was in my 20s and things started going wrong with it. Essentially nickel and diming me. So I sold it and bought a very pimping '83 Deville.

[@leegunter5223]

I remember the Calais but I knew right off the bat the car was from Canada! You show so many luxury vehicles from Canada with no AC like a Caprice with a 454 and no AC!

[@ACF6180T]

The 1st thing I thought was; What a Cadillac without A/C unheard of. The 1st automotive manufacture to offer A/C standard in the 70' s I believe was none other than AMC go figure. I do like the Cadillac's without the vinyl roof though.

[@eastvancadillac]

My 1968 Eldorado was a factory non A/C car. I recall reading somewhere that less than 1% of the Cadillacs produced were non AC cars. That stat might have been for 1968.

[@rovervitesse1985]

My 1975 LeSabre was the other way around. Also canadian but the original owner cheaped out on almost every option (no power locks, no power windows, no power seats, no power antenna etc) BUT he did check the boxes for luxury broquet upholstery, automatic climat control and the 455 engine.

[@geraldsnyder6482]

Oddly in 1983 my boss bought a 1983 Fleetwood and it didn't have a rear defrost. It was optional and you had to buy it as part of a package with outside thermometers. I always poked fun and told my boss I was happy I could only afford a Buick LeSabre because the rear defrost was standard equipment.

[@charlesdalton985]

Like you said, being Canadian this isn't surprising. But let's also consider the customer base. These people likely road around (or drove) Model As. Even with the seeming paucity of options on this car, it had to feel magical. Imagine having a heater, power steering/brakes, and automatic transmission, etc. none of those were available 40 years prior. Excellent coverage as always ~ Chuck

[@BrandonBuckaudioanarchy]

I remember the first Cimmaron I ever saw. It came into my father's shop and I had to go get it and bring it in. The last thing I was expecting in a Cadillac was a 5 speed manual, lol.

[@claynesbit7552]

I like the all black dash with out wood grain

[@wagonmaster1974]

In 1977, I bought my sister a 1967 Calais coupe. Robin's egg blue, dark blue interior, no vinyl top. The only tangible options it had were: floor mats, cornering lights, AM radio. That's it! No A/C, wind up windows, manual seat, fixed steering column. No clock, no door lights, no cruise control, no auto headlights, no power door locks or trunk release, no under hood or trunk light, as well as no interior courtesy lights. Driver side only exterior mirror, not even a day/night interior mirror. No vanity mirrors, either. Ran/drove great, good body. She drove it for about 10 years. It was a reliable car, but ZERO luxury appointments.

[@dougfisher1813]

That's nuts! A bare bones caddy with no AC. It's strange I have a 76 dodge dart with factory AC and it still works. These were considered economy cars.

[@barriobajaj]

I remember seeing a '74 Cadillac Calais in a junkyard with a pimped out Deora package with the continental truck lid, thick padded top with slotted side windows and smaller backlight and a chunky RR grille. I guess it was a way for the dealer to add a markup to such a cheap car. About 25 years ago a customer who frequented my job owned a '75-'76 Calais that was white with no vinyl top. His Calais' didn't have rocker trim or a tilt/tele wheel. It did have an AM/FM stereo, pull straps instead of coffin handle pulls and no rear center armrest. Still an attractive interior. My '72 Cadillac S&S Victoria funeral coach had the same plain Calais dashboard and peddles. It had a manual bench seat. Door armrests were off of a '68-'72 A body car with the cheap '71-'73 Cadillac pull straps. I think the fact that Cadillac still made 2,000 commercial chassis cars a year through '76 for coach builders gave Cadillac more room to justify all the cheap bargain bin Calais parts as both shared the same parts. Calais was sunset in '76 so my '77 Superior Crown Landaulette coach had a Fleetwood interior up front as the Crown was the upscale model. The exception was a vinyl bench seat with two way (front/back) power and limo pull straps but it still had the wreath and crest on the side, steering wheel and door lights along with the door mounted map lights. Lesser funeral coaches and ambulances shared their front interior with the DeVille. One unusual feature in my Crown was that the car was radio delete. It had a woodgrain block off filler where the radio would be and a block off panel where the power antenna would go. There was no antenna nor a hole to accommodate one later. The Notorious Luxury site wrote a couple of scathing Calais articles worth checking out. Oldsmobile revived the Calais name from 1979 through 1991.

[@user-pr8zn6iw5t]

As a "kid" I worked for a Cadillac dealer for a bit over a year spanning 1973 and 1974. I remember 1 Calais, maybe 2 that was sold in a year. They just didn't fit the "Standard of the World" image. I would guess for what a cheaped-out Calais cost, the same buyer could get a nicely equipped Olds 98 or Buick Electra. It's funny how the brochure photo made the Calais look much better than it did in person.

[@rushmore8]

I had a 73 Cadillac in high school that I bought from a neighbor for $500. It originally came with A/C but it didn't work. I didn't have the money to fix it but who needs it when you have a hard top convertible!

[@josephdipalma5989]

Maybe they had a specific hose for a non-ac car, but the parts store only stocked the ac style hose. I'm pretty sure that hose has been changed sometime in the last 50 years. Very cool car. I really loved that black one.

[@krazmokramer]

The engine view really brings home how huge these cars were! That 472 cu.in. engine looks tiny compared to the space it is in. THANKS for this video!

[@Napier363]

Growing up a neighbor had a 1974 Cadillac Coupe Deville Calais that was bright green, no vinyl top with green plaid interior. It was an oddball.

[@garymann1271]

When I was in college, my landlady had a green Calais sedan with that green plaid interior. It was the weirdest interior I’ve ever seen in a Cadillac.

[@Napier363]

@@garymann1271 What’s weird is I hated it then but now think it’s really cool. I miss green interiors.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

I liked that plaid interior.

[@49commander]

I would agree that the Instrument panel looked like something a base fleet model Chevrolet would used! Makes a Ford LTD Instrument panel look like a luxury car!!!

[@johnpalmer9088]

I worked at a GM dealer early 1970 we had two big cars without ac a 98 olds and a cadillac calais they were not hard to do a tune up

[@DavidPysnik]

Yeah, a tune-up is not difficult as you can almost stand in the engine bay.

[@davidklauer3422]

Excellent My dad got a new 73 green/white white coupe deville that we destroyed before he got his new 75 coupe deville He was a doctor and had a corporation we other three other radiologists He was good friends with the Caddy dealer, so they started leasing cars in ‘71 The dealer loved them because they usually turned cars in after a year My dad liked the 73 even though it fell apart because of my brother’s abuse of it, and we moved to Texas with it and dragged an over weight U-Haul trailer behind it and destroyed the shocks and springs Oh the good old days

[@markst.germain9286]

My grandfather left me his 72 calcais, medium blue. My friends called it the grandpallac.

[@dave1956]

The newest Cadillac that I have ever seen is a 1969 Calais hardtop sedan. It was bought new by an old couple in my hometown. No tilt, cruise, power door locks or a radio. It was light green metallic with no vinyl roof and a black vinyl interior. It did have whitewall ties.

[@MarinCipollina]

So a 1969 Cadillac is the NEWEST you've ever seen? How odd.

[@krs965]

Mid way through 1974 Auto Climate Control would become standard. There was a price increase at that time. Other options also were added, fender mounted lamp monitors became standard too. I had a new ' 74 Coupe de Ville, my early printed owners manual pictured a manual heater operator instruction.

[@goldendrums777]

Great Video Adam, two years ago I serviced two low milage Cadillacs from a one owner family. A 69 coupe DeVille and a 68 Fleetwood. The Fleetwood had NO AC! Same picture in the engine bay as the 73 here. What was more hilarious: you had those manual operated air doors in the kicker panel area...in a Fleetwood! 😂. Otherwise beautiful cars. Had 27k miles on it . Even the factory plastic wrap was on the seats. So bad you can't post pictures here...I would like to show that

[@B3burner]

Cool! I’ve a 1973 Coupe DeVille that’s Cotillion White as well.

[@haweater1555]

It was GM founder Al Sloan's concept of different brandnames for different price points. Consumer starts with an entry level Chevrolet, then aspires to a Pontiac, then upgrade to an Oldsmobile, then graduate to a Buick, and finally a Cadillac to those who have achieved the pinnacle of success. Then the independently managed brand divisions wanted to move outside their areas and cover all basis. Thus we get the polar opposites of Chevy Caprice and Caddy Cimmaron.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

The Cimmeron was a HUGE mistake. Almost destroyed Cadillac.

[@DavidPysnik]

@@jamesbosworth4191 Cadillac indeed should have known better. Despite that, we get the Catera after it. Then we get the CTS, but that was actually successful. It shows how far manufacturers moved away from “bigger is better” by the early years of the 21st century. The biggest of that time was the Lincoln Town Car which was only 215 inches long and, in the 70s, would have been a mid-sized car at best. (I know there were long-wheelbase Town Cars, but they were rare, particularly as privately owned cars given most were used as livery vehicles).

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@DavidPysnik This was not a new model, it was a model that came out in 1940 and given a name in 1965. Lots of these were sold in the 50s and 60s. Many Senior Citizens did not feel the need for AC, and more than a few were leery of power windows and power seats, as they were not all that reliable back in the day. Many of those buyers had experienced used late 40s/very early 50s cars with them as used cars, and had trouble with them, (they were hydraulic, not electric, and you were supposed to use brake fluid in the system, but just as wheel cylinders and the master cylinder eventually leak, those systems also could leak, and ruin the door panels, and rust the bottom of the doors.), so it wasn't always a case of being a tight-wad, they just wanted total reliability. Also, many people in the late 60s and 70s, when plastic wood was the thing, strongly disliked it. Vinyl roofs were also frowned upon, as they eventually cause rust. Often severely so. Many older people, when they buy a nice car, figure that it will be the last car they buy, so they want it to last. You have to look at the market as it was in that era, not through modern eyes.

[@fredmauck6934]

I had a neighbor who drove a '69 Deville without AC

[@steves9905]

I love the Calais in these years! they could come with the coolest plaid upholstery which was awesome. one of my bucket list items is to get a car with plaid seats, whether Porsche, Mercedes, or Cadillac! I would have to have a/c tho, if for no other reason that to fill up the empty spaces on the dash

[@wjtinatl]

My dads first Cadillac was a ‘68 Calais coupe, pale yellow over Parchment vinyl. No vinyl top, but being in Miami it did have A/C. Dads business took off and the Caddy was traded for a new 70 Mark III, fully loaded. That Caddy was pretty plain but dad made up for it from the Lincoln forward.

[@davidelplaneta272]

Mom always had a Cadillac every three or four years from 1966 until about 1980 when the dairy business started to lose money. After that she had a Sevllle for about seven years, and then an ElDorado Biarritz for about five years and a few more different Caddies until she passed away in 2010. She mostly drove DeVilles, but tried other models from time to time. The biggest one I remember was the 1970’s Fleetwood Brougham. A giant heavy car with a 472 cid engine. Gas prices were not a factor back then.

[@LearnAboutFlow]

Wow, this brings up something else I never knew. I always assumed, regardless of make, that vents were, well, vents and air conditioning just made the air cool. I never knew there were cars that had vents only for air conditioning.

[@MarkWG]

My mother had a 1973 Cadillac Calais Coupe back then in the mid-70's. It was very dark green and had a special, heavily-padded, white, "crown landau" top that only covered the sail panels and crossed over. It looked unique. Our Calais actually DID have woodgrain applique on the instrument panel and passenger side. I have never seen a blacked-out dash before like the one shown here. We did of course, have climate control air conditioning being in Texas. It did not have woodgrain applique on the doors or rear passenger compartment. But I still loved that car! It got lots of attention with that cool custom top. Great stereo system also, with 8-track.

[@allisons3663]

A neighbor of mine had a 1985 DeVille without a rear defroster! I couldn't believe they would make a Cadillac like that at that point.

[@johnhall8364]

Growing up in Maine I saw no AC caddies from the 60’s and 70’s regularly. I owned a 69 Eldo that no options to speak of. No AC, standard two way seat, no vinyl top, no tinted glass even the windshield. It did have an AM radio and leather seats. It was an attractive color combo with factory red paint and white leather.

[@grege6287]

The Calais was actually a new name for the Series 62, which the Deville was derived from. The camera black trim in real life is actually very attractive, especially with an all black interior. Some might argue it looks better than the plastic woodgrain used on the DeVilles. Lastly, "AutoMoments" did a KZbin video 9 years ago on a Kelly Green 1972 Eldorado convertible. It was also built without air-conditioning

[@MarinCipollina]

I always thought brushed stainless steel would have been a big improvement over the fake woodgrain that was so popular in the late '60s and well into the '80s.

[@bungeycord5971]

I can remember visiting relatives up in Connecticut with my parents in the early 70s and they would criticize our car that had air conditioning (we lived in the south) saying it was a waste of money. Most cars far up north did not have AC according to what i was told.

[@isthisreal7274]

I inherited this car with 36k miles in 1978 with AC And fancy roof. I was 21 years old. I call it the princess cruise. I kept this for many years. I gave it to a family member when i bumped up to a Seville. The ride in that car was the best ever.

[@novaseline4u]

Up until 67, they still had crank windows too. No vinyl roof option for Calais models at all. Calais took the place of the Series 62 in 1965.

[@ralphl7643]

As a kid, I went to the dealer when my grandmother bought her '72 Calais. In the showroom was a Coupe de Ville without A/C, which must have been a tough sell in hot and humid North Carolina. The dealer was bought out a year or two later. Hers had lamps on the doors, but she may have paid extra for them. The cloth may be the same, but the stripes were vertical. Surprised the "wood" wheel survived intact in Canadian winters. My used '74 Fleetwood's engine shook so badly when cold, thanks to EGR, that that curve in the radiator hose may have been needed to keep it from coming apart. Mine broke two exhaust manifold bolts, so I could burning gases before the metal expanded.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

I used to plug the vacuum line to the EGR. Made the engine suddenly feel like it grew about 50-75 cubic inches. Would un plug it about a month before smog-check time, then after passing, plug it back up. My present vehicles, 54 Chrysler and 73 GMC Camper Special, never had EGR.

[@SteveBarlow-n3i]

In the 70’s I worked in a garage where a customer had a 67 Calais with crank windows!

[@rjbiker66]

I think cheaping out on dash vents is weird. You could fit this with a vintage air kit and have a nice car.

[@chrisjordan6693]

I had a friend that had a 74 coupe DeVille without air

[@Romiman1]

Quite the most beautiful base model ever built...

[@tedlawrence4189]

I own a '67 Calais coupe in Gold. No leather or air. 34,000 miles. Nice car.

[@charlesbrenner3570]

Growing up in 60s and 70s Wisconsin, lots of cars didn't have AC. Our summers were short.

[@stevesanderson524]

My dad had a sky blue 1968 Calais. Frank Shirey Cadillac. Oak Lawn, across the street from Chicago.. It was a beautiful car. The hard top set it off. He worked around the corner from the Caddy dealership- Shirey- so the temptation of the 1970 Coupe De Ville was too much for him. Traded the '68 for a gold Coupe with a black top. Again beautiful... both had AC!!

[@billfeld5883]

I loved our 1973 Cadillac Calais, with a engine work it was back up to 400 hp and I didn't have the electrical problems that some people had with the more expensive models!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@tasaab]

I have seen the heat only controls, as well as the radio delete plate on a 1976 commercial chassis ambulance.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I never understood why cars without A/C didn't have dash vents. I mean, some people like warm air through the vents. Not just the floor and defrost. It always seemed odd to me. But of course now they've gone to the opposite extreme. Everything must have A/C and a bunch of other things that people like me don't want. Don't get me wrong. I love a loaded luxury car. Well a classic car anyway. Can't stand modern vehicles. But I've always had a fondness for stripped down economy cars. Either full-size, mid-size, or compact. A car with little or no options is simple and easy to get along with. I'm rambling again. But yeah. Hopefully somebody else feels the same way

[@davestewart2067]

Yep. Agree. I’d buy a new Silverado if one could still get a five on the floor, and delete the AC. Crank windows too please along with rubber floor covering.

[@user-zh4cq4zy1n]

Adam, very cool, back in '76, my mom was gifted a '72 Caddy, Coupe De Ville, from my brother Mike who was then in the USMC. Wow, that car was so fantastic, "forrest green, with a white, vinyl top...... I was l;13 yrs . old, did lots of reading, and studying of/about Cadillac's. Read about the Calais.......never, ever seen one. I was "Promised" that can, and when the time came, 1980, I had to turn it down......for one tire: L78x15, was going for $45.oo. At 18 yrs old,,,,,nope, couldn't afford that!

[@dansmusic5749]

This was an era where cars were tailored to individual taste. As we all know there are many people with differing tastes and priorities about finances, social image, what looks good/bad etc. Hence there are many “odd” cars from the pre 1980s that reflect this individualism. It was “have it your way”. Then the standardization came and we all started to agree.

[@DanEBoyd]

I prefer the vinyl top on a '71-'73, but I do dig the slick-top - especially that extra, usually unseen, character line in the C-pillars, just aft of the quarter glass. Love those pre-Colonnade Coupe Devilles, and other two-door Caddies!!!

[@Streamer22]

Sometime in the 1970s the Canadian federal government introduced a $100 excise tax for all cars manufactured or imported with an air conditioning system. It was a response to the OPEC embargos, and predicated on the assumption that AC wasted fuel. The tax remains in place today, and even applies to newly imported used vehicles.

[@audubon5425]

Not a Cadillac but I did run across a Lincoln Mark III without a/c in a junkyard north of Fargo when I lived up there 25+ years ago

[@ShadeIsLikely]

My great grandmother used to get a new Fleetwood Brougham every three years through the ‘60s, ‘70s, into the early ‘80s. And she would have to order it because she would NOT have a radio in it! There would be a blank face plate over the opening where the radio should have been. It didn’t look bad, but definitely odd. And strangely, there would still be speakers in the doors, dash, and behind the back seat. She was convinced that radios were a distraction that caused accidents, and I suppose that was her form of protest? But since she was the only one who ever drove her car (my granddaddy wasn’t allowed to drive it except to get it out of the garage) I never understood why she just didn’t turn it off. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it has to be on. She wasn’t eccentric, and in most ways very forward thinking, but for some reason she layed a heavy blame at the feet of car radios. 😂 (I sure do miss her…and her beautiful Cadillacs)

[@stoundingresults]

Rich people (I'm assuming if they upgraded every 3 years) are oddballs. I worked at a motel in San Diego, CA near sportfishing hub and some weird things I saw was one real estate investor with a half a pallet of energy drinks as supplies

[@ShadeIsLikely]

@@stoundingresults Um...OK.

[@KCCardCo]

Had a neighbor nearby and she had two coupe's. She bought them brand new. She didn't drive and had a driver drive for her and the driver would always put on a chauffeur's cap anytime he took her anywhere and he looked like the old school chauffeur. I saw the cars being driven into the late 90s.

[@chrisgoebel9187]

HEY ADAM! Thanks for showing this ultra-rare 1970s Caddy with no air conditioning! I've NEVER seen a 1970s Caddy without AC ever before. I suspect the no AC take rate was less than 1%. I wonder if the buyer was surprised by how cheap the dash looked when he took delivery of this no doubt special order car because it was not pictured in the sales brochure. Buy the weigh, even the lowly AMC "AMBO" (Ambassador) had AC standard in 1973. I agree the dash looks ridiculously plain, cheap and just awful especially with those 2 black blank plastic plates covering where AC would blow out of the passenger side of the dashboard. IMO, the dashboard looks way worse than a 1973 Chevy Bel-Air with no AC. And, this is a Cadillac; "the standard of the world". HA! The positive of this car is that it looks gorgeous without the vinyl roof, just like the 1972 black beauty Calais that you passed on buying. THANKS ADAM for your continued EXCELLENCE IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY PRODUCTIONS

[@plebeian_egalitarian]

A lot of old timers back in the day would skip buying a car with A/C if they lived in a cold or even moderate temperature area. They didn't want to pay the extra cost for just another system to break on their car. I really like this car, it has the Cadillac look but is much simpler- less to break down over time. Cadillac had to have had these certain types of buyers in mind when they rolled this model out. They wanted the Cadillac look and quality, but with the simplicity of a car from 20 to 30 years earlier. It wasn't necessarily all about a cheaper cost in other words.

[@robertlutgen7636]

Good looking car! Like the clean exterior and interior look!

[@cpt444]

I'm 70 and grew up on Long Island. RARE was the car that had air conditioning! The ONLY cars I remember having AC back in the 60's to early 70's were indeed Cadillacs, Lincolns, and an occasional Imperial. Almost Nobody ordered AC in our middle class neighborhood!