The Cadillac Concours was the best-equipped version of the de Ville, Cadillac’s long-running full-size luxury sedan. To understand the Concours it helps to know the de Ville line itself, which began as a 1949 hardtop coupe and lasted eight generations.
Cadillac Concours at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Line | Cadillac de Ville |
| Name | French de ville, “of the town” |
| First de Ville | 1949 Series 62 Coupe de Ville |
| First price, 1949 | $3,496 |
| First-year sales | 2,150 Coupe de Ville |
| Sedan de Ville | added in 1956, 41,732 sold in its first year |
| Separate series | Series 6300 from 1959 |
| Convertible | de Ville convertible from 1964 |
| Last de Ville | 2005 full-size sedan |
| Successor name | Cadillac DTS from 2006 |
Based on one source, the de Ville series article, which does not describe the Concours trim in detail; the article covers the line the Concours belonged to.
History of the Cadillac Concours
The name de Ville comes from the French de la ville, “of the town”. In French coachbuilding a coupe de ville was a short closed carriage with an inside seat for two and an outside seat for the driver, meant for use in town. Cadillac first showed a Coupe de Ville at the 1949 Motorama, built on a Sixty Special chassis with a dummy air scoop, chrome around the front wheel openings and a one-piece windshield and rear glass. The prototype was used by GM president Charles E. Wilson until 1957.
From hardtop coupe to separate series
The Series 62 Coupe de Ville went on sale late in the 1949 model year, one of the first pillarless hardtop coupes ever produced, at $3,496 – a dollar less than the Series 62 convertible. It sold 2,150 cars in its first year, 4,507 in 1950 and 10,241 in 1951, when the chrome script first appeared on the rear roof pillar. A Sedan de Ville joined it in 1956 as Cadillac’s first standard production four-door hardtop, and with 41,732 sold it easily outsold the standard Series 62 sedan. In 1959 the Coupe and Sedan de Ville moved to their own series, the Series 6300, and a de Ville convertible was added in 1964.
The 1959 cars
The 1959 Cadillac is remembered for its huge sharp tailfins with dual bullet taillights, jewel-like grille patterns and two roofline configurations. All the 1959 Cadillacs, including the de Ville, shared a 130-inch wheelbase, and the 390 cu in engine gave an even 325 hp. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, power windows and two-way power seats. Over 53,000 de Villes were sold in the first year of the separate series, about 37% of all Cadillacs. The 1960 cars were smoother and more restrained, with lower tailfins, a full-width grille and an X-frame chassis.
Design and features
- Hardtop bodies: the pillarless Coupe de Ville was among the first of its kind in America.
- Luxury trim: leather upholstery and chrome bows in the headliner to imitate a convertible top.
- Power equipment: power windows, power seats and power steering were standard on de Villes.
- Concours equipment: as the top de Ville trim, the Concours added the fullest specification of the range.
Cadillac Concours versions
- Coupe de Ville (1949-1993): the original two-door hardtop.
- Sedan de Ville (1956 onwards): the four-door hardtop and later sedan.
- de Ville convertible (1964 onwards): the open version of the series.
- Concours: the most luxurious de Ville trim of the 1990s.
The de Ville line sat alongside the Eldorado and the cheaper Calais, and it was continued by the DTS. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Video: 1999 Cadillac DeVille Concours
Video by skbarker192528 on YouTube.
Sources
- Cadillac de Ville series, English Wikipedia: name, 1949 origins, sales, 1959-1960 cars
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