REEDITED: Forgotten Cadillac - 1970 Pillared Sedan Deville Was a Graceful Behemoth

[@Earlywinters09]

Thank you so much for the re-edited version. Great story. Even greater with illustrative photos!

[@danielulz1640]

Yes, thank you, much better.

[@bc5441]

Thanks Adam. The B pillars of the pillared sedans are so delicate, but so are the A pillars of cars from this period. The sculpture and surfacing of the rear deck almost reminds me of the bustle back that will come in the 80s!

[@judsonr1]

The first Cadillac I rode in was my uncle’s ‘69 or ‘70 4-door, white with blue leather interior. As a 6 year old it was very different than my parent’s full-sized Pontiacs. The first time I rode in a charter bus, 10 years later, it was a flashback to that Cadillac and the way it just rolled over bumps. Thank you again Adam.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, GM can build Escalades from here to eternity and they will never match this last generation of genuine Cadillac sedans. 🤩

[@fearsomebeard4290]

You mean gussied up Suburbans?

[@coreyjones1518]

Beautiful big cars! I agree, I like these without the vinyl roof. It makes the design on the roof more obvious. Thanks for the video.

[@DSP1968]

I'm glad you were able to re-edit this video, Adam. Well done, as always.

[@RustyRobinson-g5n]

WOW those type of cars are really something thanks 👍🇺🇸

[@cdstoc]

I love the styling of this generation of Cadillac. To me, this is what a Cadillac should look like.

[@evanbarr9270]

The pillared cars don't rattle .very tight

[@richroj]

thanks Pal for the updated version. I thought something was a miss about the first one 👍

[@RareClassicCars]

It was. A glitch happened when i uploaded it.

[@n84434]

Missing Brochure photos…?

[@vintageflatulence150]

Thanks for the update. I love the '70s, and I love the sedans.

[@danielulz1640]

I think that the pillared roof line looks better. The sail panel looks skimpy on the hardtop.

[@madmike2624]

As usual, Adam is his worst critic, and we are the lucky recipients!!~ Bravo Aam!!!!~~

[@Jack_Stafford]

That 70 green hardtop Sedan DeVille is a dead ringer for the 72 Caprice Classic hardtop my mom had. Even the same body and roof color combo. I remember many people thought it actually was a Cadillac! (Every angle except the rear, which had wide horizontal lights instead of vertical of course.) But from every other angle, it screamed (2 yr old ) CADILLAC !

[@johnwinter9722]

Nicely done and very informative. I have a '69 Coupe De Ville in pristine original condition. Original Ostrich leather, original paint with clear coat added to protect it. 47k miles on it. "Never driven in the rain," per the seller. Maybe... I have the idle shake at times, but after a highway run at 75 mph and a few dips into the secondaries, it is smooth as silk. And, yes the 472 has all kinds of torque and oomph even with the three speed automatic behind it. Your styling discussion was facinating. Hoped you might comment on the V-shaped rear window on the coupes. I admit I am disappointed in the interior. Not at all like my dad's '66 that I learned to drive in. Really enjoy your videos. These were the cars of my youth. Many memories and more to make with my '69.

[@DavidPysnik]

I can appreciate the sculpture, but I still prefer the vinyl roof on most any classic Cadillac. The contrast of the texture and color with the painted body via a stylized border is classy. As mentioned on this channel before, the creases in the car were designed to emulate those in a man’s pair of dress pants. I think of the vinyl top like another accessory, like a vest or top hat. It adds some extra visual interest and distinction.

[@thomastoler2397]

I agree, something seems missing without vinyl tops on most luxury cars from this era.

[@Flies2FLL]

Adam your talk about the creases is spot on~

[@judih.8754]

Thanks for the re-edit Adam. I was always amazed that US car manufacturers would build cars with a B pillar and effectively the same car without. I'm sure they were making money so it didn't matter. As you mentioned in another recent video, they would build so called entry or lower specification cars that would encroach on sister division models and effectively bring their own upper models down. IMO if you're going to build luxury cars don't build lesser models. It dilutes the prestige they seek.

[@roryblake7311]

Great Car! Miss mine, still!

[@jeffrobodine8579]

Adam is a perfectionist which is a positive trait.

[@markcassle3828]

Thanks so much for the fix, Adam. I was aware of it and preferred it as a 14 year old, but I was always a fan of pillared sedans, particularly one of your favorite marques and models; Mercury Marquis.

[@2006gtobob]

Thanks, Adam! Honestly, I'd rather have a pillar car just because the roof would just collapse otherwise. Im guessing it takes some of the shimmy out of the body. My 71 Olds 98 has the shimmy.

[@kcindc5539]

Thanks Adam!

[@johnhenrymcmahon6878]

Hey Adam! I am a total GM/Cadillac guy (tho I LOVE the fuselage era Chryslers) and I think this big ol' DeVille is one gorgeous BIIIG gal. WOW. Dance with the chick you brought to the dance, bro. She can cut a rug ;). JV Johnny ⚾⚾

[@billsoltys7611]

I like this updated video showing mire pics of the pillared sedan. The decklid looks like a tricky stamping. There is a vertical surface that creates a trough between the tailfin that tapers from narrow at the B-pillar to wide at the bumper. This vertical surface comes very close to the edge of the decklid opening.

[@jamesmunson4667]

I love this particular Cadillac Adam! Styling is suberb......keep up the great work😊

[@phillippacker5920]

Great video and thanks for the re-edit...great photos of the pillar car. Now I want one!

[@sgtalstrafficticketblog2452]

Nice recovery Adam, great job!!

[@D65-i5v]

Great video. Love the big caddys despite all the opposition from the THs.Thanks for sharing. 😊

[@brucebratman3331]

Great video. Never focused so much on the exterior styling before. Thanks

[@Jack_Stafford]

Thanks for the re-edit! The new pics are GORGEOUS. Personally, I've been more of a fan of the 1971, smooth bodied big boys, but your focus on the styling details ... now I'm more of a fan of the earlier ones as well. Just one thing... why the extra "spacer" between the rear fender and vertical chrome taillight surround? This was before crash test requirements, and much more elaborate designs in the 50s managed to stamp those rear fenders in one piece (or seams filled, sanded, painted). Those filler end cap panels always scream CHEAP to me.

[@johnfrei9057]

Great work! Can’t wait for Version III!

[@davidellzey8447]

Always a great job on these videos!!

[@miguelluna6842]

Thank you Adam for re-editting the video!!❤❤❤

[@damianbowyer2018]

Wow, Gr8 Re-edit, Adam...The Blue Pillared Sedan Deville from the brochure looks incredible....Basically a Limousine, but not decked-out inside like a limo would be....Huge Engine and very heavy, so plenty of stops to put some gas in, but a car for wealthy execs with a driver back in the day, eh Adam...Be able to get a large golf bag in the trunk, with plenty of space left over. Cheers fm Damo.

[@markbehr88]

I need to add a 1970 model Cadillac to my collection. 👍🤔

[@aaronwilliams6989]

Gorgeous!

[@markwegner6100]

Thanks for the do-over!

[@madmike2624]

Could not agree more on that roof!!~ Majestic / graceful all in one!!~

[@Jack_Stafford]

Something I always wondered, when automakers offered hardtops AND pillared sedans, why would anyone choose the pillars? Especially in a luxury car? (I can kind of understand a bare bones basic Bel Airs or Biscaynes meant for taxis and cop cars, need to be cheaper, less complex and sturdy pillars and window frames I suppose.)

[@RareClassicCars]

Structurally less squeaks and rattles.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@@RareClassicCars and I'm sure better sealing doors (I distinctly remember in our Caprice hardtop everyone given tissues when going through an automatic car wash to catch the water that leaked in.) But it still seems odd to offer both. Odder still, the Fords that had frameless glass, but still had a B Pillar , that seems even more pointless. I love that people had a choice though, nothing like a hardtop with all the windows down, and with a moonroof, nearly a convertible experience! Love your channel, thanks for the response!

[@jedchevalier2364]

Great video Adam. I love the 69/70 Cadillac and I have a 70 convertible. You're right about the style and the confidence inspiring high compression 472. I think you are overly harsh on the interior, as the high back seats are incredible, really giving a Fleetwood touch to the whole line and the shape of the dash is cool with the driver-centric pod. I remade the Mylar strip out of metal and it did wonders to improve the luxury feel. The pillared sedan is one of my favorites. The first one I saw was a 69 in Chalice Gold with a saddle ostrich grain leather interior at the Alpine Nj Cadillac show. It has such a ritzy look compared to the hardtop, a mini-Fleetwood. Here's another question for 1971. Why do some DeVilles have this beautiful textured metal on the dash and door panels and others have woodgrain? The brochure only mentions the textured metal, showing it with the leather and cloth options. Did the woodgrain come back due to customer demand? Was there some production problem with the metal?

[@officehelp]

so pleased others appreciate.

[@Mr.Higginbotham]

Right on.

[@machpodfan]

Good re-job!

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. I liked the looks of the 1969-1970 Cadillacs. This look went on to later influence the 1980's and 1990's Cadillacs. I wonder why they downgraded the interiors... You could match this car with a Oldsmobile Ninety Eight and Buick Electra at the time.

[@mattmahoney4403]

The b pillar on this car adds to the formality of the car. Personally, the vinyl tops on these cars is horrendous. It reminds me a bad fitting toupee! You are correct, the sculpture of the roof into the the concave area beneath the back window, just beautiful.

[@terry3193]

Great video! I agree that it is a behemoth and Cadillac really designed it to look massive and boxy. I prefer the ‘68 as the lines are more “sweeping” and not nearly as boxy, both front and rear.

[@tasaab]

Loved the ‘69, I grew up with a ‘69 DeVille (Convertible) which was Empire Maroon with Black Ostrich leather and white top.

[@tombrown1898]

Who was the principal stylist?

[@RareClassicCars]

I believe the styling chief was Stan Parker

[@UberLummox]

Much better edited. The hdtp. is sleeker and the sedan looks more formal.

[@michaelmullard4292]

Even though the cornering lights are huge, I think they are in proportion to the rest of the car. Indeed, though the car is massive, there is nothing heavy or lugubrious about it, IMO. It evidences a grace and lithe essence that is a testament to the Cadillac design studio.

[@thomastoler2397]

I hated the styling of this generation, but not as much as I hated the ‘67/‘68, and the ‘71/72. These were obnoxious looking beasts with their gaping grilles and the bullhorn fenders protruding. After coming from the early ‘60’s styling which was graceful and had subtle styling cues, along with some dramatic sculpturing, these years looked like bulldogs to me. Thankfully, the 5-mph bumpers in ‘73, forced the styling extremes to be toned down. However, after 1966, it would be 1975 before I would like the styling again, unfortunately by that point, not only was the horsepower choked down by emissions standards, but the instrument panels had become cheaper by using fake wood grain everywhere one looked. All was not bad news on the interior, though, as the seats became much more interesting, and more comfortable with the loose-pillow styling, as well as the carpets becoming more plush, and the sound systems became much better. So if I had to pick between a ‘66 with genuine wood trim (albeit on the Fleetwood only), or a ‘75/‘76 with less horsepower, fake wood, but better seats/carpets/sound systems, I’d still have to choose the ‘66 Fleetwood, but if it were the Sedan/Coupe deVilles, I’d go with the ‘75/‘76.

[@choward5430]

My dad had a '70 Coupe DeVille. I never saw a pillared Sedan DeVille.

[@JohnWalter-i8n]

The last caddy I owned was this car with a vinyl top. I was a behemoth indeed especially when the power steering failed. I also owned a '64 and '66. Both were Coupe de Ville hardtops. The '64 no vinyl the ''66 black vinyl both white.

[@RobertJarecki]

Thanks for this newer version! Although my most excellent comment (which I can't remember) has been lost. 😂

[@ClassicCarMainiac]

This is my Byzantine Gold Sedan deVille Hardtop. I shot these photos.

[@timmcooper294]

Cadillac may have cut back on interior trim quality during this generation , but they did NOT cheap out on that front end !! A friend of mine had a 1970 Deville convertible and I swear that all metal grill weighed 50 pounds ! That was a sweet beast , large and in charge, and way faster than the 1980's s**tboxes we were awash in at the time. When in a proper state of tune, these really move.

[@jayweiss4378]

I can see why Elvis gave these away to friends! Nice models

[@alexmerlin4764]

It seems that it's the same case at the Chrysler makes - hardtop cars had lower roofline)

[@20CentMotors]

Hardtop - squared off rear side window upper trailing edge, sheer roofline, narrow C pillars, fast rake into the trunk lid. This has a smaller appearance enhancing the jumbo lower body. Pillared - rounded rear side glass trailing edge, thicker C pillars, looks more balanced to the jumbo lower body. I bet the pillared style is a quieter car inside.

[@ralphl7643]

The Electra and 98 had the same roof, and they're also hard to find online without the vinyl. I remember frequently seeing an even rarer metal roof '70 Fleetwood in the early 70s. I prefer its sharp window corners, but the sheet metal was plainer than this one.

[@judgedread-q4t]

Interesting that Cadillac used the DeVille name whilst Lincoln used Town Car, translating to the same thing really.

[@joehumenansky8225]

These model years truly lived up to the tagline "The standard of the World.". The body sculpting is like a finely tailored suit. Either the hardtop or pillared sedan are elegant automobiles. The interior styling is a victim of the impinging government safety standards of the times. I have ridden in these examples and the comfort is by no means objectionable. The Cadillac V8 is silky smooth. If the driver can resist keeping their foot out of it decent mileage is obtainable for an automobile of its size. Today's offerings can't hold a candle to these model years.

[@phillipsweeney7978]

No SUVs in 1970 - has there been much progress since then?

[@andrewd7586]

Hence why here in Australia back in the 70’s, Holden made the Statesman de Ville! Even had the same rear with fins but a helluva lot more scaled down. Oh & I noticed the Cadillac at around 8 minutes +/- was named Edan… de Ville!🤣 Unfortunately the S from Sedan (de Ville) had been lost.🥺 Absolutely loved the early model Cadillacs!🥰🇦🇺😎👍🏼

[@danielventura8073]

I think the 67/68 looked a lit more regal than the later years

[@BrianLarson1326]

Blue is beautiful, lol.

[@JohnAnderson-hr4qc]

Just shared the roofline of the De Ville instead of the more formal Fleetwood

[@mannyguyson]

Edit is better. Thanks!

[@andyanderson3352]

I think the pillared sedan had slightly more rear headroom.

[@CA-nm7mb]

I love the 69-70 exterior on these cars, it’s the best looking Cadillac entering the 70’s IMO as the 71-76 models lost that aggressive, beautiful and bold front end. The rear end styling is also beautifully designed with the cathedral styled taillights. I also agree that Cadillac interiors suffered greatly during this time. The quality of materials and increase of cheap plastic trim really made the interiors terrible to look at and even worse to touch. The 4 door Lincoln Continentals and Mark III was far nicer inside with much better build quality too. Cadillacs interiors didn’t really recovery until 1974 with the dash redesign. Materials were still cheap, but better put together than the earlier years plus the dash looked nicer starting in 74.

[@soliton4]

you have interesting taste. i think there is 2 pairs of years where cadillacs just werent beautiful. thats 61/62 and 69/70. but i hate to admit the 70 is growing on me. personally i would love to have a 70 eldorado, mostly for the insane engine, but also because its in my oppinion the last of the beautiful eldorados. from 71 onwards they are just a bit awkward. super huge and clumsy. i had the pleasure of riding a 72 or 73, i cant tell them appart, but the ride is really really nice. so i get why ppl like em

[@JohnAnderson-hr4qc]

Roof line is pure 63 Riviera

[@AtomicBuffalo]

Why did they make both pillared sedans and four door hardtops? Were pillared sedans sold for a lower price? Did people have other reasons to prefer B-pillars? These cars in particular seem to minimize the appearance of the B-pillar.

[@Flies2FLL]

Adam did you release this twice-?

[@RareClassicCars]

First time my software editor made a glitch.

[@davidallen5776]

Not until 1977 would they make another pillared Sedan de Ville.

[@fensterlips]

My personal favorite was actually the previous model, the 1967 and 1968. Didn’t look quite as ponderous and I recall some of the interior quality was diminished after 1968, yes? Say, did you ever pencil out the fuel economy numbers?

[@CharlesWiningham]

I think the Oldsmobile 98 four door sedan shared the roof panel. I don’t think the Electra did. I think I The sedan and hardtop shared rooflines.

[@ce9345]

When I was kid, I has a neighbor that had a 1970 Sedan Deville Hardtop. He owned it since new and it was an ugly dark green with a gold interior. He kept it till 1991 when he bought a 1991 Sedan Deville. All I can say about that 1970 Sedan Deville was it was a BOAT!

[@michaelwhite2823]

Is this a reupload or am i losing my $&@#? Ahh looks like this one has your intended photos.

[@kenk7451]

So in your edit you deleted my comments! (Good ones) ☹️

[@Paul1958R]

11 mpg

[@Flies2FLL]

::IGNORE my comments please!

[@peterdaniel66]

Thanks, I was starting to wonder if my computer was stuck. lol