Cadillac Coupe de Ville - A History in Pictures
From 1949 to 1993 the “Caddy” was best summarized by its classic two-door Coupe de Ville. Made famous not only by Cadillac, but also in song, on television and as characters onto themselves in motion pictures, the De Ville quickly grew to become one of the most recognizable automobiles in the world. From Pink Cadillac to Boss Hogg’s cruiser in Dukes of Hazzard and even “The White Whale” in Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Coupe de Ville is Americana.
Introduced to the public in 1949 as a two-door hard top, the Coupe de Ville quickly became a flagship vehicle for the Cadillac lineup. First-generation Coupe de Ville models in ‘49 started at a whopping $3,500, with sales doubling in 1950 and again in ‘51. Many referred to the original Caddy’s as “boats” or “torpedoes” thanks to their bottle nose front end and finned rear. By 1957 Cadillac introduced their historic dual head lamp design, which would remain with the company until the late 1980’s.
When you see most Caddy’s on the big screen, or picture what a classic Coupe de Ville looks like, most people will reference the fourth generation vehicles beginning in 1959. It is a definitive De Ville style - four head lights and rear fins that could pierce the side of a ship.With design and popularity came size - not just in the amount of buyers, we mean literal size! The Coupe de Ville grew roughly 17 inches overall by 1973.
The 1960’s came and went, with a front and rear end overhaul for Cadillac vehicles in 1965. Headlights were turned on their sides, as were tail lights, which were transformed from matching cones to long rectangles. Curved angles (including windows, dash and fenders) were turned to right angles for a more conservative and new-age look to match the boxiness of other American and foreign cars.
As the 1970’s passed, you were more likely to find hardtop De Villes on your dealer’s lot than convertibles. It was the age of low key design and even lower gas consumption. By the 1980’s Cadillac’s Coupe de Ville shrunk in size but retained its tough looks and powerful engine. The 80’s also brought front-wheel drive conversion on a C-Body. This led the way to a four door and extended cab touring version, or “DeVille Touring Sedan” - known today as the Cadillac DTS.
Photos from Wikipedia
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