Strange Features & Quirks of the 1980-85 Cadillac Seville Bustleback / Slantback

Learn more about some strange features of the 1980-85 Cadillac Seville.

[@67marlins]

I'm a Ford and Mopar guy, but I tip my hat to Cadillac for the bold step of stying here, in the middle of the malaise era.

[@paulhoffman778]

Agree with you , I am a Ford guy some Mopar, but I always thought these were sharp. I liked the Burgundy and gray 2 tone.

[@michaelbradford4116]

I was a car geek virtually from toddler age and early on learned about Cadillac’s unique trumpet horn. I would even call them out watching TV shows or old movies with clips of noisy, honking big city traffic scenes. I could hear the Cadillac even if it wasn’t shown. So, I was an unhappy camper when my dad bought a new 1977 Sedan Deville, and I learned the trumpet horn version was optional! The car was returned to the dealer a week or two later for the horn installation after I convinced him he otherwise didn’t have a “real Cadillac.” 😊 It was a great horn & a great car! Thanks for another wonderful video Adam.

[@TVHouseHistorian]

I totally know what you mean. Whenever I hear one of those horns, I know it’s a Cadillac without even seeing it. That said, I had a 1988 Buick Park Avenue which had that same horn. I remember it was so loud it made the whole car vibrate! 😅

[@rogergoodman8665]

My grandfather's last new car was a cream colored 1981 Seville. The first time I saw it (9 years old) I said, Grandpop, when did somebody crash into you, are you OK? He started laughing and said nobody rear-ended him and he was fine. Nowadays, I almost never see these and smile and stare at it when I do see one. Thanks for the memories!!!

[@davidwhite3180]

❤

[@Richard4point6]

I am amazed. The car looks as if it just came from the showroom!

[@vwestlife]

The different size caps on the dashboard to make up for the loose tolerances of dash and door panel fitment is such a 1980s GM thing to do!

[@pcno2832]

I've always pictured a solution to that problem involving pieces with oblong holes that could be put on loose, with a bead of quick-setting glue. They could then be slid into the right alignment and tightened up when the glue hardened. The shims were a nice try, though, as long as no one noticed their varying sizes.

[@ZGryphon]

As James May once said about something else, "It's an ingenious solution to a problem that never shoud have existed in the first place." :)

[@flyonbyya]

Not only Loud… but Great sounding horn !

[@wilsixone]

One of Cadillac's most beautiful cars... The paintwork on this car is gorgeous too. Waaaay nicer than any other car of that time.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

These POV tours are some of my favorite videos. You can get some sense of tactile feel for what these vehicles are like to experience. While I maintain this gen Seville looks its best in person, you've certainly done a good job showcasing this one using video! One little quirk you missed, at least imo, are the tail lights. The clear lens that follows the body line, but with your actual res lights inside, is a neat little detail. I'd love to see the turn signals too!

[@TVHouseHistorian]

As for diagnostic mode, these were so ahead of their time. I remember in 2000, our parents brought home a brand new Chevrolet that allowed you to check the diagnostics via the radio. I remember mom and dad being so impressed with how computerized their new car was! I never knew GM had been doing this since the 1980's.

[@hobojack7524]

Work at Linden Assembly where these were only built It was a nice ride for the day. Some of the features you pointed out were run by fiber optics. The key hole got the illumination off the door courtesy light. The front fender indicators off the headlamp and turn signals. The rear fiber optics from the rear tail lights. The were quite a problem in production. Driving screws and being pinched were constant. I told my boss the phone company can run fiber optics for miles but we can't manage three feet.

[@stevekurfess9509]

My Grandfather moved in with us and he had a 1978 Sedan-Deville with the trumpet horn. He kept his car outside and one night the temperature was 20 below zero. We were all sleeping and the trumpet horn began to sound. The extreme cold temperature constricted the horn pad. We pounded on the pad and it stopped. 30 minutes later it sounded again. We finally pulled the horn fuse. Probably woke the entire neighborhood several times that night. Now that was a real horn.

[@ThisCarChannel]

We had an 81. The chrome cap on the grille was one of my favourite features, making the grille look quite imposing. The V864 added an aire of mystery and ran great. If I ever get one again, chrome cap and turbine vane wheels will be a must :) But it is incredible what rare of a sight these Sevilles have become.

[@BogattheMoon]

Did you have one in Canada or UK?

[@troyp9485]

I had an 84 with the alloy wheels. A super rare option at the time.

[@ThisCarChannel]

@@BogattheMoon That was in Switzerland. There were quite a few there up until the 90s. Most, as I remember, had the Elegante trim. I am sure some are still somewhere hidden in garages.

[@BogattheMoon]

@@ThisCarChannel Thanks!

[@TVHouseHistorian]

I remember these being all over the place throughout the 80’s. Now they’re a rarely seen relic.

[@floydthompson8668]

My brother had one of these. One of the most comfortable and quiet cars I ever drove.

[@MarioLT4]

My Dad had an 1982 Coupe DeVille. Similar items. I grew up with that car we all loved it. Also had built in cb radio.

[@mattskustomkreations]

I always liked this body style. Especially in 2-tone silver and maroon.

[@joeburns3386]

Love the videos, each one is like a documentary, and very informative

[@aa64912]

I’ve owned two caddy’s and loved them. Never had one of these but I love their styling

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Adam, this Seville is so elegant looking & the horn is great!!! I like the sound of the horn so much that years ago I got the horns from a Seville in a wrecking yard & put them in a Mark Vll I had, it sounded like a train was coming!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!!! 👍👍🎃

[@WhittyPics]

You sure are a good steward to these old classic cars. My 87 Buick Century had a Bose stereo, It was the best thing about that car. It was miles ahead of any radio in any of my other GM cars of the 70s & 80s.

[@shaneleach7298]

I'm one of those kids born in 72 who went to Toys R Us for matchbox cars and was so upset I couldn't ever find the "box back" Cadillac! I don't know what other kid had such a fascination on big luxury cars!!

[@gregt8638]

I was one of those kids too... as I think Adam was too.😊

[@eyerollthereforeiam1709]

Seeing the carpeted trunk hinges made me think of Ed's video on Pimpmobiles!

[@christopherconard2831]

One of my first thoughts was "And now it's on to Pimpmobile glory."

[@lasuvidaboy]

Great video on the Seville. I always thought the Fixed rear quarter windows on the rear doors along with the frameless design was interesting. Chrysler also used that design on their short-lived R Bodies full-size cars which also featured frameless doors.

[@cardo1111]

An underhood light, I remember those.

[@Jason-xb3jh]

This is one of my favorite cars of the 80’s. 👍✨

[@klwthe3rd]

The best quirk is the Briar Brown exterior color. So many of these cames in such traditional colors: White, Black, Blue, and Burgandy. Nice to see a Brown make an appearance on a truly unique Cadillac. Personally i didn't like the bustleback look in comparison to the older 1977-1979 Sevilles. Somehow it wasn't so offensive on the Lincoln Continental model for me but i'm still not a huge fan of seeing the rear end of a car slop down to a point. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder i guess.

[@steveoh9838]

The stop engine light shines when the ignition is on as a "bulb" check. Much likes today's "check engine" indicator always shines when the key is turned to ignition as well.

[@jettrink7510]

I loved this vehicle in 1984... it is fantastic

[@mcsg_pelecan]

My 1985 Eldorado Biarritz had a locking device on the rear license plate bracket to lock access to the fuel filler which activated with the door locks. I do miss that car...

[@67marlins]

Thanks for posting, Adam. My grandfather always used to say Oldsmobile was GM's, 'experimental car', considering they were the first GM marque to pioneer an automatic transmission; front wheel drive; high-mounted brake lights; etc. I've often wondered whether GM seriously considered this beautiful neo-classic bustleback profile for an all-new Olds 98 or Toronado......just my thoughts.

[@freddyhollingsworth5945]

don't forget about the Oldsmobile diesels....

[@christopherconard2831]

@@freddyhollingsworth5945 I had one in a Cutlass. I wish I could forget it. The transmission it was mounted to also had a mind of it's own.

[@user-ie2ls7wo2d]

Wrong Pontiac and then Olds was GMs experimental cars MAINLY Pontiac was for the most years

[@67marlins]

@user-ie2ls7wo2d nope. You have it backwards. All the innovations were marketed through Olds first, NOT Pontiac. Automatic transmission, front-wheel-drive, high-mounted turn signals, diesel engines, Turbocharger, Rocket V-8, etc.... I'm a Ford guy and even I know it....

[@mavadoroaster]

I drove one! One of the most elegant luxurious cars I've ever sat in

[@mark_osborne]

Bought one of these when it was 18 months old with a bad diesel - stuffed a 403 in it and drove it for 9 years, fantastic vehicle ! it had the 36 rib aluminum wheels with the tiny center caps that allowed for exposed lug nuts, the car was sexy as hell. In all the years I owned it, I never knew that about the cornering light

[@giggiddy]

Was it difficult converting diesel to gas? Was it a direct fit or did everything (mounts, wiring, fuel system, etc) have to be tweaked to make it fit?

[@mark_osborne]

@@giggiddy very simple, bolts right in ! Use the injector pump hot lead to power up the distributor, must fab up a bracket for the throttle cable and TV cable to the transmission, simple. She would roll smoke over the front fenders (and I never hurt the trans)

[@ricksand6477]

Thank you for the tour of this very interesting Cadillac, Adam. Say what you will about the quality, fit and finish not being at their best during this era - there was still something extra special about a Cadillac. The flamboyant exterior was unmistakable to the the marque, as was that beautiful, button-tucked leather interior. All of those little conveniences you pointed out also made for a car that the owner could feel was taking care of their every need - even some they may not have thought of - such as the lighted keyhole - very cool! ( P.S. Those very large trunk hinges were carpeted so that they would not mar one's luggage if they came into contact with anything when closing the deck lid. ) Great coverage on a very unique car, man!

[@jakobschoen6499]

Yes, the horn is impressive. I have secured the emblem over the horn here in Germany, because there are many people here who love to steal emblems. Once my wife and I were in a forest to collect mushrooms and I heard my Seville honking from a distance. When we arrived at the car, the emblem was still present. Someone must have gotten the horror of his life.

[@ihrsohnistauchkeinhauptgew674]

How did you connect it?

[@jakobschoen6499]

@@ihrsohnistauchkeinhauptgew674 There was a special kit for, but unfortunately I have no idea where I got it anymore.

[@joro8604]

I had a hand me down Caddy- Sedan D'. I didn't realize the monitors were to show that the lights were actually working. I thought only that they were an indicator they light was on, not only that they were working too. Kewl.

[@robertmills3682]

Something that I didn’t catch in your first video about this car is that even though this is a front wheel drive car, the engine isn’t transverse mounted. I thought all 80s cars that were front wheel drive were transverse mounted. Learn something new every day.

[@RareClassicCars]

Nope!

[@greyfirestone5119]

Another neat feature was you were able to get on these starting on the 81 models was memory seat for the drivers seat.

[@RyanCarter-MA-XXX]

I had an '84 Eldorado Biarritz and I loved it. The corresponding Seville (like your '84) is also a stunning car and IMHO the pinnacle of Cadillac design.

[@jongoffinet8511]

Really enjoy your channel! Even during the darker years of automotive history, I always thought this Seville was a masterpiece in design. You cannot mistake that iconic trunk profile, and I am amazed by the quirks and features you have pointed out that seem WAY ahead of its time.

[@robarchpdx]

This model, and this example specifically, is ABSOLUTELY beautiful and amazing!!!

[@jimmybanta4520]

I enjoy your productions and vehicles thank you sir

[@ZGryphon]

A lot of your cars make me nostalgic, but this one especially so. Not only did my grandparents have one of these, my own first car was an '84 Toronado, which I think is basically this car with a different interior and a normal trunk. They're verrrry similar from the doors forward.

[@josephpiskac2781]

I knew a guy with this period of Cadillac. He commented on all the lightning features. "Stuff you would never dream of" was his view on it.

[@jeffreydavis9783]

Great video, Adam. I always liked the styling of these - esp when compared with the Imperial or Continental. Also really like the unique interior styling of these - particularly that cozy rear compartment. The seats & door panels were unique to the Seville and I always found them visually interesting with lots of ornate detailing.

[@alexh5257]

Adam thanks for another great video! You also answered a question about what the weird pump noise was on an 85’ DeVille “Fleetwood” I had had in High school 😄

[@wurly164]

My 65 Cadillac had the largest cornering lights ever

[@mikecaseymotors]

I always loved this car but could never afford one. Still looks great today.

[@nomebear]

The door arm rests would crack. I knew of a man in Houston, Texas who made a good living repairing them. The vinyl/foam glove box cover on the Lincoln Town would curl up, and that was another common trim repair.

[@traderdan85]

The temp light comes on with the key reminder because If the engine overheats the chime comes on to attract your attention to the light

[@kurtvonderahe2128]

Had one in the mid 80’s ! Was in sales and drove it well over 2 hundred thousand miles in 3 years no issues! Still love the style but unfortunately you just don’t see them anymore!

[@johnnymula2305]

Seems like a very complicated way to check and diagnose the vehicle. But these were very luxurious cars for the day. Ultra plush and inviting seats.

[@mattskustomkreations]

A theory on the Stop Engine light… perhaps Caddy thought their engines ran so quietly that the light would keep you from grinding the starter by trying to start it again once it was running???

[@johna.4334]

Another great video -thanx Adam.

[@flouisbailey]

Here’s to real bells and fiber optic pipes to show your lamps work. I had a BMW with a lamp out indicator except the lights were fine the high tech was wrong. You got your highs and lows but then you have your Bose.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Excellent video, cadillac had the onboard diagnostic through 2004 sometime I had a 03 and it had it. It was nice as it could scan and delete codes which was quite handy after replacing something.

[@michaelcharach]

That bell sounds like it is out of a pinball machine of that era

[@johna.4334]

Maybe the bell did indeed come from a pinball machine.

[@votingcitizen]

Nice clip of one of the cars I always wanted to own. Those dash pad caps reveal again the GM lack of fit-and-finish. Using caps to make up for poor door-to-dash alignment. Two side mirror controls indeed strange. Why not just have a switch and one control - as is typical nowadays? Strange considering all the other cost driven cheapness yet still paying for two separate joystick controls. Also strange to have a big black plastic plack just to say "Information Center" Nice trunk emblem, but not the greatest - no ducks! I also wish they would have made the rear seat back fold down forward. That is a fairly simple feature that really improves storage capability.

[@devonvictor3210]

Love those luxury cars of that era, Absolutely beautiful car!! Thanks for showing it off. I wish we had classy cars like this today. Really loved the Oldsmobile's of this era as well. I had a Cutlass Supreme 2 door cupe back in the day and really miss it.

[@R.J.1]

Appreciate your channel. 80s Cadillac's are really neat. As are many GM rwd models.

[@paulm6481]

The lights being green for gauge and yellow for stereo really stands out. GM didn’t even care any more..

[@ryanfontaine6131]

AS A 83 SEVILLE OWNER I LOVE YOUR VIDEO'S ON THIS CAR

[@ericclark8500]

I've had many Cadillacs - one of my favorite features is the automatic parking brake release - I think all cars should have it! I don't think any other car companies included that as an option. Also, love the mechanical telescoping wheel! I wish Cadillac would make these luxury style cars again - they were like an American Rolls Royce.

[@RoofysGarage]

You'd better watch your "features and quirks" descriptions! it's getting dangerously close to a certain "quirks and features" KZbinr, and we don't want him to come hunting you down! 🤣 Another great video as always!

[@brettdallman]

I had an 88 Deville for several years. I had no idea they had that diagnostic system. It was a terrific car for me.

[@JohnWest-of5ws]

I just luv my 1985 Cadillac Seville Commemorative Edition. Cadillac only made them in 1985, and only one or two per Cadillac dealership, so there are only a few; There was also an Eldorado Commemorative Edition. Unfortunately my '85 Biarritz isn't one of them. The CE option had almost all possible Seville features, plus the CE extras; for ~$2K more. Only came in combinations of white and blue, mine has blue leather, interior, and white exterior.

[@MRFLASHCO]

I have two and I love em...

[@mammothscott1455]

Lucky you, take great care of them!

[@WLM596]

Beautiful car!

[@jamesfisher9288]

When I took ownership of my 2008 Cadillac XLR-V, I felt the horn didn’t match the elegance & power of the car. So I had a 4-note Cadillac horn from the 1970’s installed & the harmonically blended 4-note horn announces the car much more regally, now.

[@mkernen]

I love this car. I think it is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing it. One quirk I noticed that you didn't talk about is the fuel gauge -reads in gallons remaining??

[@RareClassicCars]

Yes

[@davidwhite3180]

What a beautiful car

[@josevidal6458]

Wonderful Seville.

[@cadmanist]

The reason that 'Stop Engine Temp' light comes on with key-in-ignition and door open is because that serves as that lamp's bulb-check. This is a secondary "over temp" system Cadillac used for many years and effectively bypasses any ignition switch or other circuit in the vehicle. A bi-metallic switch threaded into the driver's side head grounds out at 320F to light this lamp as well as sound a warning buzzer. Conventionally, turning the ignition to Start would ground out various dash bulbs as a check, but doing so with this lamp would cause the buzzer to sound anytime you're cranking, and it only gets more complex when Cad switched to the chime system that had internal circuitry. So rather than add cost and complexity, it was a case of "don't fix what's not broken".

[@vivianvaldi7871]

Don't know how u deal with sound, but if u ever heard of the DJI Mic, might help. Many review & works with phones... or basic level checks would be awesome.

[@rbrobbi]

Had a new 84 Toronado with Bose. Each speaker had its own amplifier within the speaker box itself. The speakers took turns burning and smoking. Our new 84 Toronado was a Lemon.

[@js.2343]

I also think the rear of these cars is very interesting and good looking. Would've liked to see this back on a 1976 fleetwood. Can imagine that would look even better.

[@arthurbecker8081]

Adam loved the video on the Seville, however, I had a 1985 olds triple dark blue that had most of those features and loved it dearly! Wished I still had it! Wish you could do a video on the '85 toro brougham!

[@MrSloika]

Had a 1992 Seville with illuminated entry, it was operated from the key fob. Push the button on the fob and the interior lights and door lock cylinder would light up. An illuminated lock cylinder seemed kind of pointless since you could also unlock the door with the fob. I Also had a 1998 Ford Probe with illuminated entry. Tug on the the door handle and the interior lights and lock cylinder would light up. When you'd get into the Ford and close the door, the interior lights would dim down slowly and the ignition lock cylinder would remain lit up for a while longer.

[@pcno2832]

6:03 I think many of those Bose systems had bass and treble controls that could only cut, but not boost, the frequencies affected, unlike garden-variety GM radios of the time. I'm sure Bose would justify this with some philosophical gobbledygook, but the truth is that any Bose speakers that used those 4.5", 1 ohm drivers that were first seen in the famous (and infamous) 901 series distorted badly when the bass was boosted much at all, so heavy bass was not going to be part of the deal. I think some of those GM/Bose systems were recalled for fires that would start in the sealed speaker/amplifier enclosures, but I have no idea if Sevilles were affected.

[@christopherconard2831]

Old chiche with cars from the era. "No highs, no lows. It must be Bose."

[@MrSloika]

The hinges are carpeted because they don't swing into an interior trim panel, they are exposed to whatever is in the trunk. the carpeting is there to cushion anything that may bump into the hinges and make noise. These cars were known for being whisper quiet.

[@johna.4334]

Huh... interesting.

[@waynemcginnis7665]

The car was sold in the high end market. It was expected that high end buyers would have expensive luggage. The hinges were carpeted to protect the luggage from damage if they came in contact with the hinge

[@donjuanseville3039]

1980......DA BEST YEAR 4 THESE LACS

[@JamesVivada]

I think this particular slant back is the executive package.

[@ohnoohyeah3205]

All about that steady bong.

[@vwgolf6487]

Maybe that "stop engine brake" light is to show its driver that the light itself is working?

[@jliscorpio]

My 1980 Seville has the guidematic option for the high beams. You can choose near or far...but far is never far enough. People are always flashing their high beams at you to turn off your high beams long before the Seville decides to turn them off.

[@elmowilson298]

Well carpeted truk this 80s Seville. For 86 it recovers the medium size for the Touring Sedan model.

[@agostinodibella9939]

Nice car. That sure is a long reach to get the spare tire

[@hotlanta35]

These were very popular back in the 80s

[@jeffsmith846]

I would guess that not one person in a million knew about the twilight sentinel/turn signal trick. I bet you read the owner's manual. Lol

[@madmanmapper]

I think the short answer for why they had the Stop Engine Temperature light come on with the key in ignition is simply that they used the Stop Engine Temperature light (and chime) to also double as the key in chime. Rather than give it it's own circuit.

[@MrJayrock620]

No highs, no lows, it must be Bose 😂

[@scottryan5193]

The light for stop engine illuminates so that the driver knows that it is functioning before driving the vehicle

[@garryjames5338]

I had a 83. 2 tone champagne color on the top and chocolate brown on the bottom. Chocolate brown velour interior. It quiet and drove very smoothly. I would like get another one down the road.

[@Alex-di8ti]

With it being built for refinement and luxury and the other features such as large trunk and mph/kmh switch for the speedometer and good fuel economy. It looks ideal for going on road trips on. I'm UK based, but I imagine this would be good for going for trips around Europe, would definitely stand out in France 😅.

[@landyachtfan79]

You know, it's really funny how I thought this was the ugliest car in the world when I was little, but now I would give anything to have one.

[@loumontcalm3500]

I agree with your youthful opinion. I was in my mid-twenties when these followed the beautiful '76-9 Seville, and I thought GM had lost its mind. I appreciate unusual design, but this Seville looks as if the front and rear were designed by two parties that had no idea what the other was doing. I thought at the time they would be a future "dark horse" collectible. I was prescient on that point.

[@ralphwilliams2396]

Beautiful automobile

[@sammolloy1]

You can also get a 188 MPH speedometer in that thing….

[@judgegixxer]

If mobsters lock me in the trunk of a car, I hope this is the car they're driving.

[@davidwest6878]

My ‘83 Elegante Diesel needs bumper fillers as well. Hopefully someone chimes in with a recommendation.

[@OLDS98]

A lot of features that later appeared on other cars. I know Oldsmobile Toronado later had many of the same features. I know my 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado has on board diagnostics. My 1996 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight has that trunk pull down feature. A lot of things start at Cadillac and make their way down to the other GM brands. Sometimes features make their way up to Cadillac. Those cars are worth the money they charged at the time.

[@gregt8638]

I think the engine overheating light comes on with the ignition key inserted, as a test to verify that it's working. That's at least the impression I was under all these years

[@LincolnRay]

I wonder if you can remove the chime, open it up and put a thin piece of foam onto the plastic housing inside to act as a cushion for the moving chime rod, so you don’t hear that plastic “clunk” noise in between each chime strike. I did that on my Lincoln, and the difference is amazing…sounds like brand new. 😊

[@bobsmithinson2050]

All in the details..awesome