The Cadillac de Ville was a model name used over eight generations, first as a trim level of the 1949 Series 62 and later as a car in its own right. The last model sold as a de Ville was the 2005 full-size sedan, at the time Cadillac’s largest car.
Cadillac de Ville at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Years | 1949-2005, eight generations |
| Name | French de ville, “of the town” |
| First car | 1949 Series 62 Coupe de Ville |
| First price | $3,496 |
| 1949 sales | 2,150 |
| Sedan de Ville | added in 1956, 41,732 sold |
| Own series | Series 6300 from 1959 |
| Convertible | from 1964 |
| 1959 engine | 390 cu in (6.4 L), 325 hp |
| Wheelbase, 1959 | 130 in (3,302 mm) |
| Successor | Cadillac DTS from 2006 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the de Ville series.
History of the Cadillac de Ville
The name 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, intended for use in town. Cadillac showed its first Coupe de Ville at the 1949 Motorama on a Sixty Special chassis, with a dummy air scoop, chrome around the front wheel openings and a one-piece windshield and rear glass, a black and grey leather interior and even a telephone in the glove compartment. The prototype was used by GM president Charles E. Wilson until 1957.
The pillarless hardtop
The Series 62 Coupe de Ville went on sale late in the 1949 model year and was, with the Buick Roadmaster Riviera and the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, among the first pillarless hardtop coupes ever produced. At $3,496 it was a dollar less than the Series 62 convertible and, like it, came with power windows as standard. Sales were 2,150 in the first year, 4,507 in 1950 and 10,241 in 1951, when chrome script appeared on the rear roof pillar. In 1956 the Sedan de Ville joined it as Cadillac’s first standard production four-door hardtop and sold 41,732 in its first year. Both moved to their own Series 6300 in 1959, and a de Ville convertible arrived in 1964.
1959 and after
The 1959 Cadillac is remembered for its huge, sharp tailfins with dual bullet taillights, jewel-like grille patterns and matching deck lid panels. Every 1959 Cadillac shared a 130-inch wheelbase and the 390 cu in engine gave 325 hp. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, power windows and two-way power seats, and 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, with lower tailfins, a full-width grille and an X-frame chassis. The line continued through the front-wheel-drive generations until 2005, when the nameplate was retired and the car carried on as the DTS.
Design and features
- Pillarless hardtop: one of the first such coupes in America, with a headliner shaped to imitate a convertible top.
- Luxury trim: leather upholstery and chrome bows in the headliner on the early cars.
- Power everything: power windows, seats, steering and brakes were standard on de Villes.
- Tailfin icon: the 1959 car with dual bullet taillights is the best-known Cadillac of all.
Cadillac de Ville versions
- Coupe de Ville (1949-1993): the two-door hardtop.
- Sedan de Ville (1956 onwards): four-door hardtop, later a pillared sedan.
- Convertible (1964 onwards): the open de Ville.
- Concours: the top de Ville trim of the 1990s.
- de Ville (to 2005): the last, front-wheel-drive full-size sedan.
The de Ville was the parent of the Concours trim and the rival of the cheaper Calais, and it was continued by the DTS. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Video: 1970 Cadillac DeVille
Video by RK Motors on YouTube.
Sources
- Cadillac de Ville series, English Wikipedia: name, 1949-1960 cars, sales, 2006 rename
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