My parents loved this car and owned three of them, a '76, '77 & '79. My absolute favorite was the claret '77 w/plum interior. The car smelled rich, like stocks and bonds.
@LynxStarAuto I had a Buick andca Nova that was on the same chassis. There was no comparison when it came to appointments, insulation, ride, materials, and snob appeal. The cars were special.
Cadillac's only mistake was changing the Seville body style too soon - the redesign didn't excite first gen Seville owners. I worked GM parts at the time and had a customer who made a business out of replacing the ill fated 350 diesel with an Olds 403 and sometimes an Olds 455 - they were a riot to drive with a 455.
@@RareClassicCars It was a pretty straight forward swap: virtually all the brackets pulleys engine mounts just swapped over, even the Olds diesel exhaust manifolds just bolted right up to a gas Olds engine. Just a little bit of wiring had to be changed. It was an economical swap for owners of GM Olds diesels that had an engine that was too badly damaged to be fixed or rebuilt.
My grandparents were serial Cadillac buyers and purchased two in 1976 for their 50th wedding anniversary. They traded them annually and replaced them with another Seville until the redesigned "BUSTLEBACK" came out. They took one look and drove to the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership and never set foot in a Cadillac dealership again!
My first Cadillac was a '78 CDV that I bought in '89. The automatic climate control was shot, so I did a deep dive and rebuilt it. I feel in love with the beautiful, elegant engineering of the control system's mechanical computer. I left it at 74° year round and didn't touch it. It is astonishing how a simple thermistor and transducer "knows" how hard to blow, where to blow, and what temperature to blow to get to 74° as quickly as possible, and then give it just enough to keep it there. On cold mornings it delays ramping up the fan until the coolant temperature is greater than the ambient temperature, so it's not blowing cold air at you. Defrosting bypasses this: I think that is what Adam was doing with the Seville. Trust the computer, Adam, and see what happens.
At the 5:00 mark, you mentioned the sill plate reading "Body By Fleetwood". I remember those saying "Body By Fisher, Interior By Fleetwood". Then again, I did not get to be in too many Cadillacs back then. Come to think of it, I haven't been in many Cadillacs in my whole 70 years.
Yes, Body by Fisher Interior by Fleetwood is correct for this vintage, the RWD Cadillacs still had it into the 80's in the newer square logo. The logo used to be placed on the outside of the passenger side of the seats before.
I remember when they first came out in the spring of 1975. A very nice looking vehicle, saw a lot of them on the road, quickly after their release. Thanks for your Vlog!
In its early years it may have looked like a Cadillac, but platform and parts sharing quickly diluted it to being seen as a gussied-up chev/olds/Buick.
The smaller cars of Europe aren't just due to more expensive gas, an even greater contributing factor is that large cars are too awkward and in many places they simply don't fit comfortably.
Very true, a friend of mine is visiting Rome right now and he messaged me saying how many economy cars he's seen, and of the things I mentioned to him was just that (along with the high gas prices).
My dad has a 78, I drove it yesterday. Just turned over to 50,000 miles. It sure has a floaty soft ride for a smaller Caddy. It actually outrides his 82 DeVille. The strange thing is the features are so common today, that the car would be considered a bare bones model, even a cheap Hyundai and Kia has more options. But in it's day it was rolling technology with very solid comfort and luxury upgrades. It is so comfy it would be hard to stay awake on a long drive.
I wonder if the Cadillac still has thicker metal body panels than a cheaper Hyundai today and surely less hard plastic inside. But amazing how Technology has come so far. Those early 2000s luxury cars with the multi thousand dollar built in gps systems or touch screens surely can't hold a candle to a $150-200 Android Auto Head unit from Walmart or the built in infotainment of any car. Now I'm curious if they can make a car with the ride comfort of the Cadillac but has great handling, because even today cars with good handling still must sacrifice ride quality
One of my best friends had a 1977 Seville that he inherited from his Dad when he died prematurely in 1980. It was a butter yellow colour with a butter yellow leather roof and matching butter yellow leather interior…such an amazingly beautiful car to behold and to drive…thankfully, I was able to drive it often as my friend would routinely imbibe a bit too much when we’d be out on the weekends and he’d gladly hand over the keys…little did I know how special this car would be if I could find it today!
When the Seville was released I thought it was out of this world cool. It was as though they had a real international competitor and sized just right for the times. And it still looks great. Thanks for vid.
It's the other way around. Seville (Mk1) introduced this look and the other makes followed. So the Caprice ('77 and later on) looks like the Seville...
Good styling and some good engineering really came together to prove that even during the height of malaise, GM could still do good work. I think the Seville could've been the beginning of a renaissance for Cadillac, followed up with the excellent downsized 77s and downsized eldo for 79... Unfortunately diesels, the v8-6-4, cimarron, and ht4100 all killed cadillacs reputation by the middle 80s.
Many things killed Cadillac. Then writing was on the wall when Fisher body significantly downgraded their build quality. I was to say it was 73? When they we started using body shims to get everything to line up. After 40-50k, the cars looked like they were improperly rebuilt titles.
That is somewhat unrelated, but I honestly think the 79 Eldorado and its sisters Riviera and Toronado were really hideous cars to look at. Their formal roof line (that I already per se dislike more often than not) really made those coupes look like botched jobs. Americans might have liked those cars (and obv after all GM was content with that 😅) but from M.Y 1974 (M.Y 1977 for C Bodies) GM styling became kitschy and disproportionate. To think that in 1967 GM produced what probably will be the most beautiful American (and not only) cars ever built, aka the B Body 2 door semi fastbacks
Never cared for early 70s Cadillacs styling. But this is a clean design and still looks good although the grille does look like a later model Caprice Classic.
4:28 Those "Body by Fleetwood" door sill plaques, citing a coach builder that could trace its lineage back to the 1700s in Penwortham, UK, were always a little amusing when Devilles and Fleetwoods were coming off the same assembly line. For the Seville, "Custom built for Cadillac by Chevrolet and Oldsmobile" would have been closer to reality.
Fisher bodies are a UK company that made the bodies for Rolls Royce in Oxford England, Royce manufacturing made engines, transmission and chassis, not the body. I can remember in the 70s seeing loads of body pressings stacked in the yard in Oxford before assembly to Royce chassis in Coventry . Where were these made, Flint ???
These cars were a huge success in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County in particular, and of course Los Angeles. Along with the '77-'79 C-Bodies, these are my favorite Cadillacs.
I owned a beautiful blue/blue '76 Seville. The best feature was the Olds 350 that had the Oldsmobile bulletproof reputation. Never used a drop of oil long passed 175K. Loved the shift points even with the tall rear end. The EFI was okay until it wasn't, the under dash "brain," special distributor and injectors could leave you on the side of the road if one failed. I remember having to tow mine sixty miles home off a mountain pass when the special distributor failed. It was not a standard HEI distributor. Two friends also had the first gens and we all experienced a stumble throttle accelerating from a stop.I also remember the drivers arm rest has a hard plastic shell frame that would become brittle and fall apart. I remember trying to fix it when the replacement was no longer available. If you had a feather foot often times I achieved 18-19mpg freeway speeds. A timeless beauty for sure.
Yes the off-idle stumble was a known problem for some, I tried to cover it up by lowering resistance to the coolant temp sensor by adding resistors in parallel to the return circuit. The coolant temp sensor worked "in reverse", meaning, it lost resistance as temperature plummeted (as opposed to gaining) . I was somewhat successful in covering up the 'stumble' but by the time I got the resistance figured out, I probably cut 5 years off my life from breathing un-burnt hydrocarbons
I used to have a 93 Mercury Cougar with similarly slow wiper control; it was downright dangerous how long it took to engage. 2-3 seconds with no wipers after your windshield being inundated is driving blind. I owned an Accord at the same time, and the wiper stalk activated the wipers so quickly it was as if I was moving the wipers directly by hand. Very nice! Zero delay.
if anything, he undersells how hideous the combo switch was. it was just as crappy on an astre as it was on a Cadillac. but on a Cadillac it was a sin. in just 5 years, gm accountants ruined everything, doing their best to ruin Gm.
Thanks for sharing this information. As a mechanic I had to work on these cars when they were fairly new. Not for the faint of heart. Our shop specialized in GM diesel so we had to work on both the gas and the diesel models. This example is beautiful. Can’t believe it’s still exists in this condition. JT: Orlando FLA
The Cadillac Seville was honestly a good handling car with many parts shared with other GM cars. I think it was based on the "X" chassis that also underpinned the concurrent Chevrolet Nova, the Buick Skylark, the PontiacVentura/Phoenix, and the Oldsmobile Omega. I had an aunt that had a 1975 and she had issues with the fuel injection system; otherwise it was a very smooth car. Cadillac was literally ruined with diesels, the V-8-6-4, the High Technology HT-4100 engine, and on and on. They finally went back to the 5.0 liter Oldsmobile engine in 1986 in the full-size cars and IIRC it had a carburetor. One thing that was odd, 1975-79 Sevilles had the antenna on the driver's side. GREAT VIDEO!
One thing the Seville chassis had in its favor, despite the primitive parts, was that the Nova platform was also used in the Camaro and Firebird, really going back to 1967, so it had been tweaked and stiffened for optimum handling over a number of years. Similarly, the Falcon platform used for the Lincoln Versailles had been torture tested in Mustangs and Australian Falcons. Ironically, in both cases, I believe the disc brake option was only made available for the sporty models after it had been made standard on the luxury models.
@@pcno2832 Correct. Later Sevilles had bolt patterns and hardware from the 9C1 Nova used for police applications. True, the Versailles had the 4-wheel disc brakes from the Granada Ghia and the Mercury Grand Monarch. (That is Grand Monarch. not Grand Marquis.) That Australian Falcon is/was one SEXY automobile.
Can anyone have more “at hand” knowledge about classic cars from the 60s-90s than Adam? I really don’t think so. It really is apparent when he does a features & quirks video like this. How does anyone know the years that the trunk supports were encased in plastic rather than mouse fir? -Just remarkable command of the facts.
I worked as a lot attendant the summer of 1975 when the Seville was introduced and it was kind of a breath of fresh air at the time. Smaller, nice handling and still upscale (like the deVilles of the day), it was a fun car to drive. It sounded like an Oldsmobile with the 350 in it. As you commented on the premium pricing, people were surprised that they cost more than the Eldorado. I worked there the next two summers and also got to experience the introduction of the downsized DeVilles which was done at a special invitation only event for current customers with paper over covering the showroom windows, music and fancy foods. It was fun for a 19 year old lot boy....
Bizarre coincidence. I watched this video and then watched the 1979 film Being There. In that film they put a suitcase into the trunk of a 1977 Cadillac limo and utilized the pull down feature (as you discussed in video). The limo pulls away and parked in front of it was a first gen Seville.
I remember how controversial these were when introduced in the spring of 1975. In those days a Cadillac to me was a gargantuan Eldorado or DeVille. People either loved them or hated them.
Sad to see the extensive use of the worst faux plastic wood for this price point. The Seville borrowed to much from the Chevy nova. By the late sixties the accountant mentality eroded the quality of the Cadillac decimating years of high quality reliability and reputation of which it has never recovered.
I actually wouldn't have thought "oh, it's a re-bodied Nova" Not really seeing what you see. Then there's the Lincoln Versailles. Now, without a doubt, THAT is a Granada.
@wilmeyer99 Versailles were plucked of parts when they showed up at the wreckers, mostly by hot rodders. A Granada with triple the price in top shelf parts.
@414alexx Ford 9 inch posi differential, if you look at assembly application, it's right in there with 1957-71 Thunderbirds or the 1964 1/2 to 73 Mustang. The bonus was that the Versailles had rear disc breaks along with the 9 inch diff. 302 ci V8 was next, followed by powered leather seats and halogen lights, as most cars of the era had sealed beams.
Always liked the first year egg crate grille better than the subsequent vertical bar one. The egg crate seemed to have a sportier look to it, and gave the front end a more seamless look.
I want to clarify other GM divisions using the Cadillac wheel: that was the type of steering wheel one received on your Buick or Oldsmobile when BOTH tilt and telescope adjustment features were specified. Tilt only and standard fixed columns received regular divisional offerings.
Best Cadillac steering wheel ever. In the early 2000's I would harvest them from junk yards, clean them up, stare at them and play with them. Mid 2010's sold them all on ebay for a handsome profit but I miss them.
I don't think the electronic controller for Cadillac's EFI systems of that vintage could be called a "processor". It was an "analog computer" which, I believe was related to be Bendix system Rambler and Chrysler pioneered (and abruptly dropped) in the late 1950s and the Bosch D-Jetronic system, which was the first EFI system to be made standard equipment on a production car, the 1968 VW Type 3 (only in the USA and a few other countries). Bosch and Bendix worked, sometimes together, on these systems for years. Cadillac's first digital EFI was a the throttle-body system that became standard across their lineup for 1980. The throttle position sensor itself (which was made by Bosch), might have had 4 bits though (via switches or an optical disc), which could have been fed to an R2R network and converted to an analog signal.
My brother in law had a 76 mid line Eldo that he converted to compressed NG and those air vents were always held up with match books or something...smooth ride in the back seats! thx!
I had a 79 and it was equipped with an air ride system. As I was driving down the road, a corn stalk somehow got up and into the rear suspension and pushed the rod with a micro-switch that controlled the ride height all the way up. Because of this, the system thought there was a massive amount of weight in the rear of the car and turned the air compressor on to adjust the height of the air shocks to compensate and return the rear of the car to a level position with the front. Since the micro-switch was shoved all the way up the switch position never changed and the compressor never shut off and the rear of my Seville got higher and higher. When it hit me what was going on, I pulled over, crawled under the car, removed the corn stalk and went on with my day. I was maybe a quarter of an inch away from everything bursting and the rear bumper was high enough to put a set of large extra wide drag strip slicks like I had on my 68 Chevelle, Lol The only other issue was the super cheap front interior door panels that broke off after a few years of use. It was all plastic and getting new ones was a no go! GM didn't make them and the junk yards were picked clean so I had to improvise. Other than those items, I really liked that car. It was a head turner going down the street, especially with the factory wire spoke wheels, black exterior and burgundy red leather interior. I was the second owner and the first put major bucks out for those options. The electric gremlins were starting to make their presence known and each time it took a little longer to repair so I sold the car to it's next owner and regretfully moved on.
My shop teacher had a 77 in green on green. That car had every available option, including a dealer installed rear load leveling system, which was automatic air shocks. His only gripe about the car was the EFI. He went through 3 Bosche computers and GM could never figure out why. Eventually he converted it to a regular 4bbl Rochester and HEI with the correct 350 intake, and the car made alot more power, but less mileage.
Had a 76 Seville. Later in life The ECM issue got so bad, they'd fail about every 6-9 months. At $600 it just wasn't affordable. I'm surprised it was faster with a carburetor. Makes me wish I'd thought of that.
Back in the early 90's when I was a kid, my neighbor next door neighbor had one of these, and I had thought at the time that it was a generation newer than the bustleback Seville. I was surprised to find out later that this Seville was introduced in the 1976 model year. Goes to show how this design was very much ahead of its time!
I remember going to a family reunion and probably 1982 in Colorado we followed my grandparents with our 240D stick and we kept up until we hit the mountains of Colorado and Grandpa's Cadillac just left us in the dust!
Outside of my 1992 Brougham (5.7L TBI), these 1976-79 Sevilles are my favorite Cadillacs. Very understated and elegant automobile. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Adam, The Pride Before the Fall might have been an alternate title for this video. If I was forced to spend $12-15 thousand on GM cars with Oldsmobile 350 V8s in 1976, I would have picked up a fully equipped Cutlass Coupe and Cutlass Cruiser wagon. Heck, there might have been enough room in the budget to add an Omega with a 350 as well. Can we build one for you? 😁
I always enjoyed the 1976 to 1979 Sevilles, but never owned one, but owned several other Cadillacs from 1974 to 1984 models. I shared your experience with the windshield wiper switch on three of my Cadillacs, plus on two of them, it could be almost impossible to find the off position on the windshield wiper switch over half of the time -- and of course, they would never misbehave for the Cadillac mechanics.
The first gen Seville was my "lust after" car in high school. (Class of '79.) In the mid-'90s, we obtained a 1979 Seville through an online auction. Commodore Blue with red leather interior. I believe we paid $4300. We sold it 6 years later for $3200! It wasn't showroom by any stretch, but it was a decent daily driver, except for those horrible windshield wipers and equally horrible controls. Your attention to detail is what keeps me coming back to this RUclips page. Thanks for all the great memories!
Time 1205 Cruise Cars of this era used an under hood unit that connected to the speedometer cable between the transmission and instrument cluster. ( See time 1845 , look between the master cylinder and fender ) . These cars many times had the cable between the cruise and instrument cluster unscrewed by unscrupulous owners to keep mileage down. Also, the cruise unit was mechanical with flyweights , vacuum solenoids and a vacuum actuator rather than a more " modern " electronic with vacuum solenoids and actuator.
I have a friend whos father purchased one of these with the diesel brand new. He worked in San Francisco and parked in an underground parking lot. The car did not have enough power to drive up the exit ramp of the garage. Needless to say it went back to the dealer that day and he got a gasoline powered car.
Excellent informative video, I had one of these 76 sevilles, I also liked the 3 light headlight indicator on each front fender and the two red "eyes" in the interior center above the back seat that lighted up when you hit your brakes. Car also had am/FM/8 track and a CB with the Cadillac crest on it, I think 23 channels. Everything on the car reliable except when the fuel injection failed, and I live in a large market, hard to find anyone at Cadillac dealerships or private mechanics that could work on the fuel injection system. Otherwise no issues, I sold the car in 1984 and crazy thing 8 years later in Zurich Switzerland I saw one in same gold/tan interior colors mine had. By then, 1992, you hardly saw any of these here and you go halfway around the world and someone using for daily use, and in excellent condition as well. But nice car and great video.
My late father had two Sevilles, a brown one which he brought home in June of 75 and a powder blue one which I think he got around 2 years later. I will never forget the excitement he had when he ordered the first one and waited seemingly endlessly for it. It had what he referred to as a "Rolls Royce grill," which I believe he said was obtainable by special order, and it also had wire wheel hubcaps with the Cadillac logo in the center. Have you ever come across a Seville with a Rolls-Royce type front grill? The effect of it was really like a jewel in the crown and made it highly distinguishable from the standard Seville front. He also had a telephone installed behind the two front seats, and the car had two antennae coming out of each side of the back... which made it look like a space vehicle that could take off at any moment. Great work you are doing on these videos, your presentation and intellect really are wonderful!
Fascinating as always, Adam! Your mention of the shift lever reminded me of another Cadillac idiosyncrasy I've always been curious about: in '71-'73 models, the shift lever was almost at the 12 o'clock position in Park, and in D it was only at around the 2 o'clock position (which was where other GM cars would be in Park). I've always wondered why they did that. The only reason I can think of was to keep it out of the way of the radio controls, maybe?
You are the only other person I've ever seen mention this even though it's so obvious I'm sure pretty much everybody sees it as odd! It gave the appearance of being broken just at first glance I'm sure.
12:00 The most frustrating thing about the cruise control setup on most American cars up until the late 1990s (Ford might have been an exception) was that there was no light to tell you that the cruise control was engaged, and when the car got older, it often took a couple of tries to engage it, not to mention the fact that a light tap on the brake would sometimes disengage it. So, you were always guessing whether it was engaged and watching the speed to find out if it needed a second try.
If you take a closer look at the cruise control panel on this car, you may spot a small circle directly beneath the amber power-on indicator light. That is another indicator lamp. On Cadillac cars of the time, when the cruise control was engaged, that lower indicator would light up green when the cruise control was engaged. I learned to drive in a 1976 Coupe de Ville D'Elegance and remember this firsthand. (I have many other recollections from that car, but not relevant to this thread.) I also remember when the Seville came out. I was 11 and obsessed with cars... could tell many by year, make and model even at night by their distinctive headlamp or tail light configuration. I remember conflicting feelings about the Seville. I liked its design but knew it was based on the Nova platform and had a tough time getting past that bearing a Cadillac badge. I appreciate Adam's insights into both the similarities and differences that help to highlight the Seville's uniqueness. I'm in the camp with those feeling that the design of this first generation Seville has stood the test of time.
Tapping the brake should ALWAYS disengage the cruise control, not "sometimes". Cadillacs had a visual light indicator if in fact the cruise control was engaged during the 1970s.
@@BikerGuyVA I never knew that about Cadillacs, since the only Cadillac I owned that had cruise control was a '68 with the dial-type controls. I know my 1977 Olds 98 did NOT have an engagement indicator, so I assumed that that applied to all GM cars. This is just one example of how Cadillac did a better job of implementing the automated features that were gradually spreading to most other brands. Another is the temperature regulation function of the climate control, which worked much better on the Cadillacs I've owned than on that 98. Another is the turn signal audible indicators, which, on 1990s Cadillacs, grew gradually louder if you left the signal on for too long. Cadillac didn't do everything right, but they led the way on luxury features.
Only 16 throttle speed values? That’s only twice as many as the RC-10 remote controlled car I owned before I saved up for an electronic speed controller. 😂 I love the tidbits of information you provide. Great channel! You’ve gained another subscriber!
I've always loved these cars, and thought they'd make a great platform for hot-rodding- just great proportions all around and look great with the oversized wheels. Thanks for this
Designed by Bill Mitchell, my favorite GM designer. He also oversaw the '77 DeVille downsized redesign after this. I was 12 when these came out and LOVED them...I was always into cars, although I then liked the chrome thin vertical lines in the '79 grill better. A friend of mine aunt and uncle had a brown one, and it's hard to tell on this one bc the interior is black, but when he has the door open here, that seal that lined the door opening was like a corded or woven cloth that looked high-rent (my friends relatives had brown interior so it showed up better than black here). Then the rubber seal around the door opening fit against it. My '97 Mercedes w140 S-class has the same cloth inner seal when you open the doors. Seville was the leader w/that vertical rear glass in '76, then they used similar on the downsized Cutlass/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix in '78.
I really enjoy when you provide the concept drawings. Always wished i owned 76-79 Seville. The color combo in this video is very attractive. Also liked the black on black with red leather.
I remember having the opportunity to drive a Seville in the 70's (I certainly couldn't afford to own one) and being very impressed by the car. It was comfortable, powerful, fun to drive and was a completely different experience than other Cadillac's of the era. I distinctly remember thinking it had a completely different and more upscale feeling than the Nova, despite the obvious similarities.
I still want to own one. A '76 for sure, with the three spoke wheel. Just something about the total package on this car that makes it so alluring to me.
I love your channel, however I wish you could get into “the maligned CORVAIR”. I feel the later 65+ corvair to be equal in innovation as the 66+ Olds Toronado!
I read, and still have the book that says the first two years of these Cadillac Sevilles had Chevy 350cids...! I almost bought a 76 Seville from our junkyard here in Sarasota Florida that had a Chevy 350cid in it from the factory...! I ended up getting a 79 Malibu... We wound up putting an 88 TPI 350cid from a C4...! We put a 91 Camaro 5-speed in it as well... I loved that old green 4-door mid-11 second hotrod...!!! Thanks, keep up your awesomeness...
One of my co-workers during the 1980s claimed that someone in his family was able to special-order a Seville with a 454 stuffed into it. I'm sure this was not in the official options list, but if could have been from one of those lots of cars they build for security firms or oil sheiks. Or, he could have imagined it.
Considering the prices they sold for, based on the Nova, and with an Oldsmobile drivetrain, sounds like the biggest profit margin car ever for Cadillac. It is extremely hard to believe that this car was replaced with the Bustleback Seville, appearing, though not actually so, huge, and extremely ugly...and for good reason did not sell as well as this model.
I remember the "new" bustle-back Seville being promoted in an ad at the time by Gerald Ford. I remember mainly because I had met Jerry Ford and I couldn't imagine he actually liked the look but you hawk what your being paid to promote, I guess.
My first caddie was a 1976 Seville I bought in 1983 from one of my parents friends. Black with red leather. I was a junior in college and I thought I was BMOC. I loved that car!
I owned a 79 Seville in 1989 or so and it was a pleasure to drive. I remember the 350 had a Cadillac unique rhythmic soft clicking sound when accelerating. For some reason it sounded special. Maybe it was the injectors? I'm not sure. When I bought it the previous owner had installed a "Rolls Royce" chrome hood peak on the front which I couldn't remove fast enough. I don't recall the mileage the car got and in today's numbers would probably be considered low. I'm guessing 14 to 15mpg. I'm thinking this could have been the last years for the filler neck behind the license plate which couldn't have possibly been safe. Still, I miss the car and wish I had kept it. Thanks for the nostalgia. Please let me know if you ever want to part with it.
My dad still has one, that clinking is called pre-ignition from crappy fuel and eventually it will do damages to the pistons. Premium fuel stops that special sound and the damages it leaves behind. His runs good with 5 gallons of premium and 12 gallons of 87. But he uses premium all the time . The fuel tank filler would actually kink, closing off the hole by design during a rear end collision, that's why they never blew up when hit from behind like a Pinto would!!
I had a '76 Seville in a rare color combination,and that car was just ...unique in so many ways, and a joy to drive. Yes the fact it was the first mass produced vehicle with EFI & computer meant we were in for some issues, but when it worked it was wonderful. Still miss it to this day.
The W100 Mercedes Benz- the 600- was a luxury vehicle and not really in the same market segment as the Cadillacs, but they were 5540 mm/218.1 inches in SWB and 6240 mm/245.7 inches in LWB variants.
It's amazing just how configurable American cars were with the option selections. Everything seemed à la carte. Honestly, I'm surprised that when a car was ordered with power windows or door locks they weren't individually optioned for each door, meaning that the driver could enjoy the luxury of a power window and/or door lock while everyone else had to crank the windows and lock the doors manually wishing that the owner had checked the option boxes for every window and door. As a kid, I'm 52 now, I don't really recall these Sevilles on the road, and I was a car watcher starting when I was 4! I do clearly recall seeing the bustleback Sevilles. Those stood out so much, and I love them. Too bad GM quality control and fit-and-finish was just atrocious. The cars looked so good as long as one didn't look for too long or closely. There were many other problems, but I'm just concerned with the optics here.
Yes, you're exactly 10 years younger than me, so an 80s kid. Makes sense you didn't notice them. One of the things I realize I loved being from Long Island, you would ALWAYS see the first of everything AND the really nice and/or unusual because-they-were-expensive cars. Even a bunch of one-offs too because Long Island is "car" oriented. I'm sure the area around Detroit is probably similar. Right now, I am automobile-starved as I live in New Haven, Connecticut, probably the antithesis of car-centric. It sucks here. Literally every other car is a Prius, and the ones in between are 15-20 years-old and junk. That's how they roll here, lol.
Also adding to the refined ride was the use of a double U joint at the yoke on the rear axle...very expensive, and visable in the shot of the gas tank and leaf springs, just barely. I don't believe any other GM Vehicle employed that style.
14:30 From what I remember, the trunk hinges on a number of late 1970s GM cars (A, B and C bodies) were unusually springy, thin-looking things, almost appearing as if they were designed to be self-aligning up to a point, but allowing the lid to stick up in the front if the trunk were overstuffed. I wonder if Cadillac covered up the hinges in the Seville to make them look more substantial than they actually were.
I’m a baby boomer who loves cars of all stripes and to this day I’ve never found the 2nd generation bustleback Seville attractive. To me it has always looked like a longer car that got rear-ended by a truck.
I owned 2 Sevilles. A 1976 and a 1978. Only oroblem I ever had was the fuel injection on the 1976. They were great cars style wise. Both cars were white. The 76 w/saddle interior and the 78 in deep burgundy.
Friend had a 79 Eldorado with a 350 and that Bosch injection. Was very problematic, was always changing sensors and the TPS. Even the fuel pressure reg. once.
You do a wonderful job with your videos, Adam. I have truly enjoyed every one that I have watched. I, also, had one of these 1976 Seville's. Mine was White with Black Leather interior. I enjoyed it immensely. Even as a Mercedes-Benz owner, (at the same time), I still enjoyed my Seville for the different vehicle that it was. It was a wonderful road car, and I genuinely admired the look of the automobile.
It is still one of the best looking and one of my favorite Cadillacs to this day. Something you didn’t bring up was the headlight and radio switches. Cadillac had the nice gold crest on theirs which each GM division had a different switch.
I remember being struck by the stainless Mercedes door jamb the first time I saw one. I appreciate your trying to relate it to modern dollar figures. I’ve always bragged about my antique cars doing the same thing. I also never understood the backwards locks or window cranks in their cars. I can’t say more good things about this cars design, as I think the intent was possibly the most beautiful car design era ever in my opinion. It didn’t turn turn out that way but I think this was the beginning of the most beautiful cars in my opinion .
To me, at 64, the most beautiful cars ever made were made in the '70s. But if I were going to buy a mid '70s luxury car, it would have been a Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chrysler Cordoba, or a Lincoln Continental Mark IV or Mark V. Cadillac was a car that just didn't do anything for me during the '70s. In fact I've actually never cared for Cadillacs of any year. While I think the early to mid '70s Lincoln Continental Mark IV was drop dead gorgeous, the Cadillac Eldorado of the same years was just "drop dead". On top of how ugly it was, it was front wheel drive.
@@geraldscott4302 I personally was always a Bill Mitchell fan, to be honest, and I still am. Those 70s intermediates have lines for days lines like Walmart during Covid. There’s no end to their beauty but I with the education Adam had given us all, I have to admit I think Wayne Kady is my automotive design hero. I personally feel, he is the most artistic designer of cars in modern times. I do not discredit Ford or Chrysler in their beautiful creations, nor do I think you have less taste than me. But I felt the need to say that I think Wayne Kady now that I know who he is, is the finest car designer of all time, until I am explained who was Oldsmobiles chief designer in the same time period.
I have a '74 Mark IV survivor (13 K miles) blue on blue. My favorite responses are from 8-12 year old boys. One asked , 'Wow, is that a Ferrari?' another, 'why don't they make cars like this anymore?' My parents had a '64 Caddy Fleetwood that looked pretty good. @@geraldscott4302
This was the model that should have been Caddy's future. Leave it's styling constant, but make the car better and really compete with MB. Instead, Cadillac Guido'd it with the 1979 2nd generation and GM continued down the road to it's demise.
The power door lock switch on my 1983 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe operates the same way as on this 1976 Seville. This apparently became the norm for Cadillacs.
Adam, thank you for this . I am a HUGE Cadillac fan and have owned many and to this day I still believe this was the most beautifully styled Cadillac ever built. Probably the most beautifully styled car ever. Love it. !!! Question.... when you said "Bosch" Fuel Injection, did you mean to say "Bendix" or are they one in the same...? I thought it was "Bendix" they used?. Thanks...
4:59 I’m wondering if it’s because it was based the Nova platform which was built by Fisher. It would make sense that they likely made all the modifications requested in house as well
Interesting Adam. Re the auto selector not aligning. Can you please make a video where you talk about that and show it under hood? I have that issue with my Bustle Back Seville. Cheers. Mark
Авто/Мото
I absolutely _LOVE_ the '76-'79 Seville. 🥰🥰🥰
My parents loved this car and owned three of them, a '76, '77 & '79. My absolute favorite was the claret '77 w/plum interior. The car smelled rich, like stocks and bonds.
It was a Nova with a Cadillac crest 🥴🤨
@@LynxStarAutoNo, it wasn't.
@LynxStarAuto I had a Buick andca Nova that was on the same chassis. There was no comparison when it came to appointments, insulation, ride, materials, and snob appeal. The cars were special.
Cadillac's only mistake was changing the Seville body style too soon - the redesign didn't excite first gen Seville owners. I worked GM parts at the time and had a customer who made a business out of replacing the ill fated 350 diesel with an Olds 403 and sometimes an Olds 455 - they were a riot to drive with a 455.
That would be awesome.
@@RareClassicCars It was a pretty straight forward swap: virtually all the brackets pulleys engine mounts just swapped over, even the Olds diesel exhaust manifolds just bolted right up to a gas Olds engine. Just a little bit of wiring had to be changed. It was an economical swap for owners of GM Olds diesels that had an engine that was too badly damaged to be fixed or rebuilt.
My grandparents were serial Cadillac buyers and purchased two in 1976 for their 50th wedding anniversary.
They traded them annually and replaced them with another Seville until the redesigned "BUSTLEBACK" came out.
They took one look and drove to the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership and never set foot in a Cadillac dealership again!
Ye these are so weird mr Kady wanted it to be eldorado it would look better as 2 door.
I will never understand how those Sevilles were so popular.
@@LynxStarAuto huge interior great looking inside
My first Cadillac was a '78 CDV that I bought in '89. The automatic climate control was shot, so I did a deep dive and rebuilt it. I feel in love with the beautiful, elegant engineering of the control system's mechanical computer. I left it at 74° year round and didn't touch it. It is astonishing how a simple thermistor and transducer "knows" how hard to blow, where to blow, and what temperature to blow to get to 74° as quickly as possible, and then give it just enough to keep it there. On cold mornings it delays ramping up the fan until the coolant temperature is greater than the ambient temperature, so it's not blowing cold air at you. Defrosting bypasses this: I think that is what Adam was doing with the Seville. Trust the computer, Adam, and see what happens.
At the 5:00 mark, you mentioned the sill plate reading "Body By Fleetwood". I remember those saying "Body By Fisher, Interior By Fleetwood". Then again, I did not get to be in too many Cadillacs back then. Come to think of it, I haven't been in many Cadillacs in my whole 70 years.
Yes, Body by Fisher Interior by Fleetwood is correct for this vintage, the RWD Cadillacs still had it into the 80's in the newer square logo. The logo used to be placed on the outside of the passenger side of the seats before.
I remember when they first came out in the spring of 1975. A very nice looking vehicle, saw a lot of them on the road, quickly after their release. Thanks for your Vlog!
In its early years it may have looked like a Cadillac, but platform and parts sharing quickly diluted it to being seen as a gussied-up chev/olds/Buick.
The smaller cars of Europe aren't just due to more expensive gas, an even greater contributing factor is that large cars are too awkward and in many places they simply don't fit comfortably.
Very true, a friend of mine is visiting Rome right now and he messaged me saying how many economy cars he's seen, and of the things I mentioned to him was just that (along with the high gas prices).
Also there are property taxes on engine displacement. At least historically the bigger the engine, the more taxes.
@@seiph80 In many of the cities of Europe the streets are too old and narrow to accommodate large cars.
Mercedes did have the 600 though.
My dad has a 78, I drove it yesterday. Just turned over to 50,000 miles. It sure has a floaty soft ride for a smaller Caddy. It actually outrides his 82 DeVille. The strange thing is the features are so common today, that the car would be considered a bare bones model, even a cheap Hyundai and Kia has more options. But in it's day it was rolling technology with very solid comfort and luxury upgrades. It is so comfy it would be hard to stay awake on a long drive.
I wonder if the Cadillac still has thicker metal body panels than a cheaper Hyundai today and surely less hard plastic inside. But amazing how Technology has come so far.
Those early 2000s luxury cars with the multi thousand dollar built in gps systems or touch screens surely can't hold a candle to a $150-200 Android Auto Head unit from Walmart or the built in infotainment of any car.
Now I'm curious if they can make a car with the ride comfort of the Cadillac but has great handling, because even today cars with good handling still must sacrifice ride quality
Very true@@zzoinks
One of my best friends had a 1977 Seville that he inherited from his Dad when he died prematurely in 1980. It was a butter yellow colour with a butter yellow leather roof and matching butter yellow leather interior…such an amazingly beautiful car to behold and to drive…thankfully, I was able to drive it often as my friend would routinely imbibe a bit too much when we’d be out on the weekends and he’d gladly hand over the keys…little did I know how special this car would be if I could find it today!
Cadillac did a nice job with this car. The seats were comfy and the ride was "pure vanilla" as Consumer Guide Auto 1976 put it.
When the Seville was released I thought it was out of this world cool. It was as though they had a real international competitor and sized just right for the times. And it still looks great. Thanks for vid.
Beautiful front fenders. Almost seemless..
And the interior..
Why can't we have that today? 🛋️
Because no one wants sedans today. Everyone wants a pick-up, SUV or CUV.
Most of the Trucks, Suv, and Cuv are butt ugly and get the same or worst MPG.
never realized how much the front looks like a chevy caprice
It's the other way around. Seville (Mk1) introduced this look and the other makes followed. So the Caprice ('77 and later on) looks like the Seville...
Good styling and some good engineering really came together to prove that even during the height of malaise, GM could still do good work. I think the Seville could've been the beginning of a renaissance for Cadillac, followed up with the excellent downsized 77s and downsized eldo for 79... Unfortunately diesels, the v8-6-4, cimarron, and ht4100 all killed cadillacs reputation by the middle 80s.
That and the mid 80s styling
The mid '80s FWD variants didn't help either.
Many things killed Cadillac. Then writing was on the wall when Fisher body significantly downgraded their build quality. I was to say it was 73? When they we started using body shims to get everything to line up. After 40-50k, the cars looked like they were improperly rebuilt titles.
That is somewhat unrelated, but I honestly think the 79 Eldorado and its sisters Riviera and Toronado were really hideous cars to look at. Their formal roof line (that I already per se dislike more often than not) really made those coupes look like botched jobs.
Americans might have liked those cars (and obv after all GM was content with that 😅) but from M.Y 1974 (M.Y 1977 for C Bodies) GM styling became kitschy and disproportionate.
To think that in 1967 GM produced what probably will be the most beautiful American (and not only) cars ever built, aka the B Body 2 door semi fastbacks
@@ciro356 1979 Cadillac Eldorado was gorgeous. Sales exploded that year over 1978.
Never cared for early 70s Cadillacs styling. But this is a clean design and still looks good although the grille does look like a later model Caprice Classic.
4:28 Those "Body by Fleetwood" door sill plaques, citing a coach builder that could trace its lineage back to the 1700s in Penwortham, UK, were always a little amusing when Devilles and Fleetwoods were coming off the same assembly line. For the Seville, "Custom built for Cadillac by Chevrolet and Oldsmobile" would have been closer to reality.
Fisher bodies are a UK company that made the bodies for Rolls Royce in Oxford England, Royce manufacturing made engines, transmission and chassis, not the body. I can remember in the 70s seeing loads of body pressings stacked in the yard in Oxford before assembly to Royce chassis in Coventry . Where were these made, Flint ???
These cars were a huge success in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County in particular, and of course Los Angeles. Along with the '77-'79 C-Bodies, these are my favorite Cadillacs.
I owned a beautiful blue/blue '76 Seville. The best feature was the Olds 350 that had the Oldsmobile bulletproof reputation. Never used a drop of oil long passed 175K. Loved the shift points even with the tall rear end. The EFI was okay until it wasn't, the under dash "brain," special distributor and injectors could leave you on the side of the road if one failed. I remember having to tow mine sixty miles home off a mountain pass when the special distributor failed. It was not a standard HEI distributor. Two friends also had the first gens and we all experienced a stumble throttle accelerating from a stop.I also remember the drivers arm rest has a hard plastic shell frame that would become brittle and fall apart. I remember trying to fix it when the replacement was no longer available. If you had a feather foot often times I achieved 18-19mpg freeway speeds. A timeless beauty for sure.
Yes the off-idle stumble was a known problem for some, I tried to cover it up by lowering resistance to the coolant temp sensor by adding resistors in parallel to the return circuit. The coolant temp sensor worked "in reverse", meaning, it lost resistance as temperature plummeted (as opposed to gaining) . I was somewhat successful in covering up the 'stumble' but by the time I got the resistance figured out, I probably cut 5 years off my life from breathing un-burnt hydrocarbons
Alot to go through it seems
10:22 You never fail to mention that wiper control switch. I think your disdain for it has grown with each video! 😂
I used to have a 93 Mercury Cougar with similarly slow wiper control; it was downright dangerous how long it took to engage. 2-3 seconds with no wipers after your windshield being inundated is driving blind. I owned an Accord at the same time, and the wiper stalk activated the wipers so quickly it was as if I was moving the wipers directly by hand. Very nice! Zero delay.
if anything, he undersells how hideous the combo switch was. it was just as crappy on an astre as it was on a Cadillac. but on a Cadillac it was a sin. in just 5 years, gm accountants ruined everything, doing their best to ruin Gm.
@@markreibson7030Agreed! I have a 75 Coupe deVille, so I get to experience it firsthand. Luckily, it doesn’t see much rain!
Thanks for sharing this information. As a mechanic I had to work on these cars when they were fairly new. Not for the faint of heart. Our shop specialized in GM diesel so we had to work on both the gas and the diesel models. This example is beautiful. Can’t believe it’s still exists in this condition.
JT: Orlando FLA
Bet you have some interesting stories sir! 🤝It must have felt like you guys were set up for failure on the GM diesel cars back then
The Cadillac Seville was honestly a good handling car with many parts shared with other GM cars. I think it was based on the "X" chassis that also underpinned the concurrent Chevrolet Nova, the Buick Skylark, the PontiacVentura/Phoenix, and the Oldsmobile Omega. I had an aunt that had a 1975 and she had issues with the fuel injection system; otherwise it was a very smooth car. Cadillac was literally ruined with diesels, the V-8-6-4, the High Technology HT-4100 engine, and on and on. They finally went back to the 5.0 liter Oldsmobile engine in 1986 in the full-size cars and IIRC it had a carburetor. One thing that was odd, 1975-79 Sevilles had the antenna on the driver's side. GREAT VIDEO!
One thing the Seville chassis had in its favor, despite the primitive parts, was that the Nova platform was also used in the Camaro and Firebird, really going back to 1967, so it had been tweaked and stiffened for optimum handling over a number of years. Similarly, the Falcon platform used for the Lincoln Versailles had been torture tested in Mustangs and Australian Falcons. Ironically, in both cases, I believe the disc brake option was only made available for the sporty models after it had been made standard on the luxury models.
@@pcno2832 Correct. Later Sevilles had bolt patterns and hardware from the 9C1 Nova used for police applications. True, the Versailles had the 4-wheel disc brakes from the Granada Ghia and the Mercury Grand Monarch. (That is Grand Monarch. not Grand Marquis.) That Australian Falcon is/was one SEXY automobile.
Can anyone have more “at hand” knowledge about classic cars from the 60s-90s than Adam? I really don’t think so. It really is apparent when he does a features & quirks video like this. How does anyone know the years that the trunk supports were encased in plastic rather than mouse fir? -Just remarkable command of the facts.
Thx!
Agreed!
Deserved.
I worked as a lot attendant the summer of 1975 when the Seville was introduced and it was kind of a breath of fresh air at the time. Smaller, nice handling and still upscale (like the deVilles of the day), it was a fun car to drive. It sounded like an Oldsmobile with the 350 in it. As you commented on the premium pricing, people were surprised that they cost more than the Eldorado. I worked there the next two summers and also got to experience the introduction of the downsized DeVilles which was done at a special invitation only event for current customers with paper over covering the showroom windows, music and fancy foods. It was fun for a 19 year old lot boy....
Bizarre coincidence. I watched this video and then watched the 1979 film Being There. In that film they put a suitcase into the trunk of a 1977 Cadillac limo and utilized the pull down feature (as you discussed in video). The limo pulls away and parked in front of it was a first gen Seville.
I remember how controversial these were when introduced in the spring of 1975. In those days a Cadillac to me was a gargantuan Eldorado or DeVille. People either loved them or hated them.
My neighbors bought a new Seville in 76, it was an elegant car with the Rolls Royce grill. A true timeless classic!!! 👍👍🦃
Seville had a Cadillac grille, not a Rolls Royce one.
@@MarinCipollina that's it
Sad to see the extensive use of the worst faux plastic wood for this price point. The Seville borrowed to much from the Chevy nova. By the late sixties the accountant mentality eroded the quality of the Cadillac decimating years of high quality reliability and reputation of which it has never recovered.
You could use the bumpers as seats! They looked terrible and Volvo like….. (I know why it was needed but they could have done it better)
I actually wouldn't have thought "oh, it's a re-bodied Nova" Not really seeing what you see. Then there's the Lincoln Versailles. Now, without a doubt, THAT is a Granada.
@wilmeyer99 Versailles were plucked of parts when they showed up at the wreckers, mostly by hot rodders. A Granada with triple the price in top shelf parts.
@@captlazer5509😂 what do you say was the most wanted parts or usually first to go?
@414alexx Ford 9 inch posi differential, if you look at assembly application, it's right in there with 1957-71 Thunderbirds or the 1964 1/2 to 73 Mustang. The bonus was that the Versailles had rear disc breaks along with the 9 inch diff. 302 ci V8 was next, followed by powered leather seats and halogen lights, as most cars of the era had sealed beams.
Always liked the first year egg crate grille better than the subsequent vertical bar one. The egg crate seemed to have a sportier look to it, and gave the front end a more seamless look.
That is the one single design detail of my 71 Le Mans that I will never forget, "body by Fischer" and a blue carriage on the door sill.
I want to clarify other GM divisions using the Cadillac wheel: that was the type of steering wheel one received on your Buick or Oldsmobile when BOTH tilt and telescope adjustment features were specified. Tilt only and standard fixed columns received regular divisional offerings.
Best Cadillac steering wheel ever. In the early 2000's I would harvest them from junk yards, clean them up, stare at them and play with them. Mid 2010's sold them all on ebay for a handsome profit but I miss them.
Interesting that the throttle position sensor has 16 discrete states, kind of of amazing a 4 bit processor could run a fuel injection system at all.
I don't think the electronic controller for Cadillac's EFI systems of that vintage could be called a "processor". It was an "analog computer" which, I believe was related to be Bendix system Rambler and Chrysler pioneered (and abruptly dropped) in the late 1950s and the Bosch D-Jetronic system, which was the first EFI system to be made standard equipment on a production car, the 1968 VW Type 3 (only in the USA and a few other countries). Bosch and Bendix worked, sometimes together, on these systems for years. Cadillac's first digital EFI was a the throttle-body system that became standard across their lineup for 1980. The throttle position sensor itself (which was made by Bosch), might have had 4 bits though (via switches or an optical disc), which could have been fed to an R2R network and converted to an analog signal.
The space saver spare was an option on California built Chevrolet Caprice Classic 2 door models 1978 & 79. The full time spare was standard equipment.
Dad's 1975 Monza came with one.
My brother in law had a 76 mid line Eldo that he converted to compressed NG and those air vents were always held up with match books or something...smooth ride in the back seats! thx!
I had a 79 and it was equipped with an air ride system. As I was driving down the road, a corn stalk somehow got up and into the rear suspension and pushed the rod with a micro-switch that controlled the ride height all the way up.
Because of this, the system thought there was a massive amount of weight in the rear of the car and turned the air compressor on to adjust the height of the air shocks to compensate and return the rear of the car to a level position with the front.
Since the micro-switch was shoved all the way up the switch position never changed and the compressor never shut off and the rear of my Seville got higher and higher. When it hit me what was going on, I pulled over, crawled under the car, removed the corn stalk and went on with my day.
I was maybe a quarter of an inch away from everything bursting and the rear bumper was high enough to put a set of large extra wide drag strip slicks like I had on my 68 Chevelle, Lol
The only other issue was the super cheap front interior door panels that broke off after a few years of use. It was all plastic and getting new ones was a no go! GM didn't make them and the junk yards were picked clean so I had to improvise.
Other than those items, I really liked that car. It was a head turner going down the street, especially with the factory wire spoke wheels, black exterior and burgundy red leather interior. I was the second owner and the first put major bucks out for those options.
The electric gremlins were starting to make their presence known and each time it took a little longer to repair so I sold the car to it's next owner and regretfully moved on.
Your knowledge of 70s to 80s cars is formidable. They need to hire you on Barrett Jackson
I don't think they can afford Adam. 😉
Do you really think that he knows more about cars than April Rose?
My shop teacher had a 77 in green on green. That car had every available option, including a dealer installed rear load leveling system, which was automatic air shocks. His only gripe about the car was the EFI. He went through 3 Bosche computers and GM could never figure out why. Eventually he converted it to a regular 4bbl Rochester and HEI with the correct 350 intake, and the car made alot more power, but less mileage.
Had a 76 Seville. Later in life The ECM issue got so bad, they'd fail about every 6-9 months. At $600 it just wasn't affordable. I'm surprised it was faster with a carburetor. Makes me wish I'd thought of that.
Back in the early 90's when I was a kid, my neighbor next door neighbor had one of these, and I had thought at the time that it was a generation newer than the bustleback Seville. I was surprised to find out later that this Seville was introduced in the 1976 model year. Goes to show how this design was very much ahead of its time!
I remember going to a family reunion and probably 1982 in Colorado we followed my grandparents with our 240D stick and we kept up until we hit the mountains of Colorado and Grandpa's Cadillac just left us in the dust!
Outside of my 1992 Brougham (5.7L TBI), these 1976-79 Sevilles are my favorite Cadillacs. Very understated and elegant automobile. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Your best video in a while, and I like them all.
Great job, and thanks for sharing 👏🏻
Adam, The Pride Before the Fall might have been an alternate title for this video. If I was forced to spend $12-15 thousand on GM cars with Oldsmobile 350 V8s in 1976, I would have picked up a fully equipped Cutlass Coupe and Cutlass Cruiser wagon. Heck, there might have been enough room in the budget to add an Omega with a 350 as well. Can we build one for you? 😁
Peak GM cynicism on full display. Their contempt for their customers was never higher.
I remember the wheels looked HUGE!
It's about the round wheel arches and the wide track. Car makers copy this till today.
I always enjoyed the 1976 to 1979 Sevilles, but never owned one, but owned several other Cadillacs from 1974 to 1984 models. I shared your experience with the windshield wiper switch on three of my Cadillacs, plus on two of them, it could be almost impossible to find the off position on the windshield wiper switch over half of the time -- and of course, they would never misbehave for the Cadillac mechanics.
I've owned a few of these and I love them! Thanks for featuring it.
The first gen Seville was my "lust after" car in high school. (Class of '79.) In the mid-'90s, we obtained a 1979 Seville through an online auction. Commodore Blue with red leather interior. I believe we paid $4300. We sold it 6 years later for $3200! It wasn't showroom by any stretch, but it was a decent daily driver, except for those horrible windshield wipers and equally horrible controls.
Your attention to detail is what keeps me coming back to this RUclips page.
Thanks for all the great memories!
Time 1205 Cruise Cars of this era used an under hood unit that connected to the speedometer cable between the transmission and instrument cluster. ( See time 1845 , look between the master cylinder and fender ) . These cars many times had the cable between the cruise and instrument cluster unscrewed by unscrupulous owners to keep mileage down.
Also, the cruise unit was mechanical with flyweights , vacuum solenoids and a vacuum actuator rather than a more " modern " electronic with vacuum solenoids and actuator.
I have a friend whos father purchased one of these with the diesel brand new. He worked in San Francisco and parked in an underground parking lot. The car did not have enough power to drive up the exit ramp of the garage. Needless to say it went back to the dealer that day and he got a gasoline powered car.
Excellent informative video, I had one of these 76 sevilles, I also liked the 3 light headlight indicator on each front fender and the two red "eyes" in the interior center above the back seat that lighted up when you hit your brakes. Car also had am/FM/8 track and a CB with the Cadillac crest on it, I think 23 channels. Everything on the car reliable except when the fuel injection failed, and I live in a large market, hard to find anyone at Cadillac dealerships or private mechanics that could work on the fuel injection system. Otherwise no issues, I sold the car in 1984 and crazy thing 8 years later in Zurich Switzerland I saw one in same gold/tan interior colors mine had. By then, 1992, you hardly saw any of these here and you go halfway around the world and someone using for daily use, and in excellent condition as well. But nice car and great video.
Some were body tagged ST75, and titled as 1975 models. I have seen a couple of the 75 Sevilles in person.
One of the handful of American cars worth buying between 1972 and 2001.
My late father had two Sevilles, a brown one which he brought home in June of 75 and a powder blue one which I think he got around 2 years later. I will never forget the excitement he had when he ordered the first one and waited seemingly endlessly for it. It had what he referred to as a "Rolls Royce grill," which I believe he said was obtainable by special order, and it also had wire wheel hubcaps with the Cadillac logo in the center. Have you ever come across a Seville with a Rolls-Royce type front grill? The effect of it was really like a jewel in the crown and made it highly distinguishable from the standard Seville front. He also had a telephone installed behind the two front seats, and the car had two antennae coming out of each side of the back... which made it look like a space vehicle that could take off at any moment. Great work you are doing on these videos, your presentation and intellect really are wonderful!
Fascinating as always, Adam! Your mention of the shift lever reminded me of another Cadillac idiosyncrasy I've always been curious about: in '71-'73 models, the shift lever was almost at the 12 o'clock position in Park, and in D it was only at around the 2 o'clock position (which was where other GM cars would be in Park). I've always wondered why they did that. The only reason I can think of was to keep it out of the way of the radio controls, maybe?
That would be my guess
You are the only other person I've ever seen mention this even though it's so obvious I'm sure pretty much everybody sees it as odd! It gave the appearance of being broken just at first glance I'm sure.
@@wilsixone I noticed it at the time, but never thought it at all odd.
I always found that extremely odd too. My guess it was a rather uncomfortable movement, customers complained and they changed it back.
There was also a tax on horsepower in Europe which would contribute to smaller cars.
12:00 The most frustrating thing about the cruise control setup on most American cars up until the late 1990s (Ford might have been an exception) was that there was no light to tell you that the cruise control was engaged, and when the car got older, it often took a couple of tries to engage it, not to mention the fact that a light tap on the brake would sometimes disengage it. So, you were always guessing whether it was engaged and watching the speed to find out if it needed a second try.
If you take a closer look at the cruise control panel on this car, you may spot a small circle directly beneath the amber power-on indicator light. That is another indicator lamp. On Cadillac cars of the time, when the cruise control was engaged, that lower indicator would light up green when the cruise control was engaged. I learned to drive in a 1976 Coupe de Ville D'Elegance and remember this firsthand. (I have many other recollections from that car, but not relevant to this thread.)
I also remember when the Seville came out. I was 11 and obsessed with cars... could tell many by year, make and model even at night by their distinctive headlamp or tail light configuration. I remember conflicting feelings about the Seville. I liked its design but knew it was based on the Nova platform and had a tough time getting past that bearing a Cadillac badge. I appreciate Adam's insights into both the similarities and differences that help to highlight the Seville's uniqueness. I'm in the camp with those feeling that the design of this first generation Seville has stood the test of time.
Tapping the brake should ALWAYS disengage the cruise control, not "sometimes". Cadillacs had a visual light indicator if in fact the cruise control was engaged during the 1970s.
@@BikerGuyVA I never knew that about Cadillacs, since the only Cadillac I owned that had cruise control was a '68 with the dial-type controls. I know my 1977 Olds 98 did NOT have an engagement indicator, so I assumed that that applied to all GM cars. This is just one example of how Cadillac did a better job of implementing the automated features that were gradually spreading to most other brands. Another is the temperature regulation function of the climate control, which worked much better on the Cadillacs I've owned than on that 98. Another is the turn signal audible indicators, which, on 1990s Cadillacs, grew gradually louder if you left the signal on for too long. Cadillac didn't do everything right, but they led the way on luxury features.
Only 16 throttle speed values? That’s only twice as many as the RC-10 remote controlled car I owned before I saved up for an electronic speed controller. 😂
I love the tidbits of information you provide. Great channel! You’ve gained another subscriber!
The best looking Cadillac 👍🏼
Thanks for this one, Adam.. Early 1970s Cadillacs sill plates proclaimed "Body by Fisher" with "Interior by Fleetwood" underneath that.
I've always loved these cars, and thought they'd make a great platform for hot-rodding- just great proportions all around and look great with the oversized wheels. Thanks for this
I recall the Seville having Epoxy Threadlock on a lot of body part fasteners. I bet there were a lot of P.Oed Body Men
Designed by Bill Mitchell, my favorite GM designer. He also oversaw the '77 DeVille downsized redesign after this. I was 12 when these came out and LOVED them...I was always into cars, although I then liked the chrome thin vertical lines in the '79 grill better. A friend of mine aunt and uncle had a brown one, and it's hard to tell on this one bc the interior is black, but when he has the door open here, that seal that lined the door opening was like a corded or woven cloth that looked high-rent (my friends relatives had brown interior so it showed up better than black here). Then the rubber seal around the door opening fit against it. My '97 Mercedes w140 S-class has the same cloth inner seal when you open the doors. Seville was the leader w/that vertical rear glass in '76, then they used similar on the downsized Cutlass/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix in '78.
The LaSalle would’ve been such a good name!
I really enjoy when you provide the concept drawings. Always wished i owned 76-79 Seville. The color combo in this video is very attractive. Also liked the black on black with red leather.
I remember having the opportunity to drive a Seville in the 70's (I certainly couldn't afford to own one) and being very impressed by the car. It was comfortable, powerful, fun to drive and was a completely different experience than other Cadillac's of the era. I distinctly remember thinking it had a completely different and more upscale feeling than the Nova, despite the obvious similarities.
Looks like a 78 Impala/Caprice
It's the other way around. Caprice/Impala (and many other GM models later on) followed Cadillac Seville's edgy and boxy "sheer look".
I still want to own one. A '76 for sure, with the three spoke wheel. Just something about the total package on this car that makes it so alluring to me.
I love your channel, however I wish you could get into “the maligned CORVAIR”. I feel the later 65+ corvair to be equal in innovation as the 66+ Olds Toronado!
I read, and still have the book that says the first two years of these Cadillac Sevilles had Chevy 350cids...! I almost bought a 76 Seville from our junkyard here in Sarasota Florida that had a Chevy 350cid in it from the factory...! I ended up getting a 79 Malibu... We wound up putting an 88 TPI 350cid from a C4...! We put a 91 Camaro 5-speed in it as well... I loved that old green 4-door mid-11 second hotrod...!!! Thanks, keep up your awesomeness...
One of my co-workers during the 1980s claimed that someone in his family was able to special-order a Seville with a 454 stuffed into it. I'm sure this was not in the official options list, but if could have been from one of those lots of cars they build for security firms or oil sheiks. Or, he could have imagined it.
Well that would be wrong.
Considering the prices they sold for, based on the Nova, and with an Oldsmobile drivetrain, sounds like the biggest profit margin car ever for Cadillac.
It is extremely hard to believe that this car was replaced with the Bustleback Seville, appearing, though not actually so, huge, and extremely ugly...and for good reason did not sell as well as this model.
I remember the "new" bustle-back Seville being promoted in an ad at the time by Gerald Ford. I remember mainly because I had met Jerry Ford and I couldn't imagine he actually liked the look but you hawk what your being paid to promote, I guess.
I had a 1978 and loved it so much.
I owned one of these and I loved it, I wish I still had it..
My first caddie was a 1976 Seville I bought in 1983 from one of my parents friends. Black with red leather. I was a junior in college and I thought I was BMOC. I loved that car!
One Of The Most Beautiful, Elegant Quiet, Smoothest, Good Handling Automobiles In The World.🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
I owned a 79 Seville in 1989 or so and it was a pleasure to drive. I remember the 350 had a Cadillac unique rhythmic soft clicking sound when accelerating. For some reason it sounded special. Maybe it was the injectors? I'm not sure. When I bought it the previous owner had installed a "Rolls Royce" chrome hood peak on the front which I couldn't remove fast enough. I don't recall the mileage the car got and in today's numbers would probably be considered low. I'm guessing 14 to 15mpg. I'm thinking this could have been the last years for the filler neck behind the license plate which couldn't have possibly been safe. Still, I miss the car and wish I had kept it. Thanks for the nostalgia. Please let me know if you ever want to part with it.
My dad still has one, that clinking is called pre-ignition from crappy fuel and eventually it will do damages to the pistons. Premium fuel stops that special sound and the damages it leaves behind. His runs good with 5 gallons of premium and 12 gallons of 87. But he uses premium all the time . The fuel tank filler would actually kink, closing off the hole by design during a rear end collision, that's why they never blew up when hit from behind like a Pinto would!!
I had a '76 Seville in a rare color combination,and that car was just ...unique in so many ways, and a joy to drive. Yes the fact it was the first mass produced vehicle with EFI & computer meant we were in for some issues, but when it worked it was wonderful. Still miss it to this day.
Love it, want to own one someday!
Great Styling
Great Ride and Size
Cadillac Comfort
Olds Reliability
Sounds like a winner to me !!
The W100 Mercedes Benz- the 600- was a luxury vehicle and not really in the same market segment as the Cadillacs, but they were 5540 mm/218.1 inches in SWB and 6240 mm/245.7 inches in LWB variants.
It's amazing just how configurable American cars were with the option selections. Everything seemed à la carte. Honestly, I'm surprised that when a car was ordered with power windows or door locks they weren't individually optioned for each door, meaning that the driver could enjoy the luxury of a power window and/or door lock while everyone else had to crank the windows and lock the doors manually wishing that the owner had checked the option boxes for every window and door.
As a kid, I'm 52 now, I don't really recall these Sevilles on the road, and I was a car watcher starting when I was 4! I do clearly recall seeing the bustleback Sevilles. Those stood out so much, and I love them. Too bad GM quality control and fit-and-finish was just atrocious. The cars looked so good as long as one didn't look for too long or closely. There were many other problems, but I'm just concerned with the optics here.
Yes, you're exactly 10 years younger than me, so an 80s kid. Makes sense you didn't notice them. One of the things I realize I loved being from Long Island, you would ALWAYS see the first of everything AND the really nice and/or unusual because-they-were-expensive cars. Even a bunch of one-offs too because Long Island is "car" oriented. I'm sure the area around Detroit is probably similar. Right now, I am automobile-starved as I live in New Haven, Connecticut, probably the antithesis of car-centric. It sucks here. Literally every other car is a Prius, and the ones in between are 15-20 years-old and junk. That's how they roll here, lol.
Also adding to the refined ride was the use of a double U joint at the yoke on the rear axle...very expensive, and visable in the shot of the gas tank and leaf springs, just barely. I don't believe any other GM Vehicle employed that style.
14:30 From what I remember, the trunk hinges on a number of late 1970s GM cars (A, B and C bodies) were unusually springy, thin-looking things, almost appearing as if they were designed to be self-aligning up to a point, but allowing the lid to stick up in the front if the trunk were overstuffed. I wonder if Cadillac covered up the hinges in the Seville to make them look more substantial than they actually were.
I’m a baby boomer who loves cars of all stripes and to this day I’ve never found the 2nd generation bustleback Seville attractive. To me it has always looked like a longer car that got rear-ended by a truck.
Agree 100%. I hated the redesign, to me GM took a beautiful downsized car and wrecked it.
The "garbage truck" styled Seville.. I hated that one.
I owned 2 Sevilles. A 1976 and a 1978. Only oroblem I ever had was the fuel injection on the 1976. They were great cars style wise. Both cars were white. The 76 w/saddle interior and the 78 in deep burgundy.
Friend had a 79 Eldorado with a 350 and that Bosch injection.
Was very problematic, was always changing sensors and the TPS. Even the fuel pressure reg. once.
Fitting that seville is the top shelf. The city of seville/sevilla was considered the sun of Europe for many years.
You do a wonderful job with your videos, Adam. I have truly enjoyed every one that I have watched. I, also, had one of these 1976 Seville's. Mine was White with Black Leather interior. I enjoyed it immensely. Even as a Mercedes-Benz owner, (at the same time), I still enjoyed my Seville for the different vehicle that it was. It was a wonderful road car, and I genuinely admired the look of the automobile.
It is still one of the best looking and one of my favorite Cadillacs to this day. Something you didn’t bring up was the headlight and radio switches. Cadillac had the nice gold crest on theirs which each GM division had a different switch.
I remember being struck by the stainless Mercedes door jamb the first time I saw one. I appreciate your trying to relate it to modern dollar figures. I’ve always bragged about my antique cars doing the same thing. I also never understood the backwards locks or window cranks in their cars. I can’t say more good things about this cars design, as I think the intent was possibly the most beautiful car design era ever in my opinion. It didn’t turn turn out that way but I think this was the beginning of the most beautiful cars in my opinion .
To me, at 64, the most beautiful cars ever made were made in the '70s. But if I were going to buy a mid '70s luxury car, it would have been a Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chrysler Cordoba, or a Lincoln Continental Mark IV or Mark V. Cadillac was a car that just didn't do anything for me during the '70s. In fact I've actually never cared for Cadillacs of any year. While I think the early to mid '70s Lincoln Continental Mark IV was drop dead gorgeous, the Cadillac Eldorado of the same years was just "drop dead". On top of how ugly it was, it was front wheel drive.
@@geraldscott4302 I personally was always a Bill Mitchell fan, to be honest, and I still am. Those 70s intermediates have lines for days lines like Walmart during Covid. There’s no end to their beauty but I with the education Adam had given us all, I have to admit I think Wayne Kady is my automotive design hero. I personally feel, he is the most artistic designer of cars in modern times. I do not discredit Ford or Chrysler in their beautiful creations, nor do I think you have less taste than me. But I felt the need to say that I think Wayne Kady now that I know who he is, is the finest car designer of all time, until I am explained who was Oldsmobiles chief designer in the same time period.
I have a '74 Mark IV survivor (13 K miles) blue on blue. My favorite responses are from 8-12 year old boys. One asked , 'Wow, is that a Ferrari?' another, 'why don't they make cars like this anymore?' My parents had a '64 Caddy Fleetwood that looked pretty good. @@geraldscott4302
This was the model that should have been Caddy's future. Leave it's styling constant, but make the car better and really compete with MB.
Instead, Cadillac Guido'd it with the 1979 2nd generation and GM continued down the road to it's demise.
That first design looked awesome, it could be used today.
The power door lock switch on my 1983 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe operates the same way as on this 1976 Seville. This apparently became the norm for Cadillacs.
Recently I was in the market for a LUXERY car sad to say today they can't be found.
My Uncle had a 77 Seville, silver/black two tone paint, the faux spare treatment to the deck lid.
Adam, thank you for this . I am a HUGE Cadillac fan and have owned many and to this day I still believe this was the most beautifully styled Cadillac ever built. Probably the most beautifully styled car ever. Love it. !!! Question.... when you said "Bosch" Fuel Injection, did you mean to say "Bendix" or are they one in the same...? I thought it was "Bendix" they used?. Thanks...
My father owned a 1974 Chevrolet Caprice Classic four door hardtop and the passenger seat had a manual recline similar to this Cadillac.
4:59 I’m wondering if it’s because it was based the Nova platform which was built by Fisher. It would make sense that they likely made all the modifications requested in house as well
If I can find and afford one of these classic cars, I hope to own one, one day. Just a magnificent design. One of the best of its time.
Interesting Adam. Re the auto selector not aligning. Can you please make a video where you talk about that and show it under hood? I have that issue with my Bustle Back Seville. Cheers. Mark