The Cadillac Fleetwood was a full-size luxury sedan sold from the 1977 through 1996 model years. Its name came from a coachbuilding firm associated with Cadillac for decades, and the Fleetwood became a model line of its own only in 1985.
Cadillac Fleetwood at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1977-1996 |
| Name from | Fleetwood Metal Body Company, bought by Fisher in 1925 |
| First Fleetwood-boded Cadillac | 1927 |
| Stand-alone model | 1985 |
| First generation | 1985-1992, front-wheel-drive C-body |
| Wheelbase, 1985 | 110.8 in (2,810 mm) |
| Second generation | 1993-1996, rear-wheel-drive D-body |
| Coupe | dropped after 1986, returned 1989 |
| Coupe sales, 1992 | 443 |
| Ended | after the 1996 model year |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Fleetwood.
History of the Cadillac Fleetwood
Lawrence P. Fisher, one of the seven Fisher brothers, became Cadillac general manager in 1925 and immediately set about adding exclusive custom bodies to the range. That year Fisher bought the Fleetwood Metal Body Company of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, a coachbuilder with three centuries of English coach-building tradition behind it, and after the purchase Fleetwood bodies were reserved exclusively for Cadillac. From 1927 through 1934 every Cadillac series offered Fleetwood bodies as an option.
Fleetwood bodies and the Brougham
After 1934 Cadillac became more selective: by 1938 the only way to get a Fleetwood-bodied car was to buy a Series 75 or 90, as even the Sixty Special had a Fisher body in its first year. The Fleetwood script and crest appeared on the outside of a Cadillac only from 1947, on the rear deck of the Sixty Special. In 1965 the Eldorado, Sixty Special and Series 75 were designated Fleetwood subseries, and in 1977 the Fleetwood Brougham and the Fleetwood Limousine replaced the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham and the Fleetwood 75.
Front-wheel drive, then back again
In 1985 the Fleetwood became a separate series on a new front-wheel-drive C-body platform, sharing its 110.8-inch wheelbase with the de Ville, Buick Electra and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, and sitting between the Sedan de Ville and the Sixty Special. There was little more than trim difference between the Fleetwood and the de Ville, and the optional d’Elegance package added tufted-button seating. A Fleetwood Sixty Special on a stretched 115.8-inch version of the C-body was offered for 1987-1988. The second generation arrived for 1993, replacing the Brougham as the rear-wheel-drive D-body Cadillac sedan, with the Brougham name reduced to a trim option. After 1996 Cadillac dropped the line as GM ended full-size sedan production in North America, and its big cars were consolidated into the de Ville series and later the DTS.
Design and features
- Coachbuilder heritage: the Fleetwood name carried the prestige of a bespoke body builder.
- d’Elegance trim: tufted-button seating and extra appointments on the front-wheel-drive cars.
- Sixty Special version: a stretched C-body offered in 1987-1988.
- Rear-drive finale: the 1993-1996 D-body Fleetwood was the last of the big traditional Cadillac sedans.
Cadillac Fleetwood versions
- Fleetwood Brougham (1977-1986): the rear-drive car that preceded the stand-alone model.
- Fleetwood (1985-1992): front-wheel-drive C-body sedan, with a coupe from 1989.
- Fleetwood Sixty Special (1987-1988): the stretched version.
- Fleetwood (1993-1996): the rear-wheel-drive D-body car, with the Brougham as a trim.
The Fleetwood was the larger relative of the de Ville and the successor to the Brougham; its long-wheelbase tradition continued in the DTS. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Video: 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Start Up, Exhaust, and In Depth Review
Video by Saabkyle04 on YouTube.
Sources
- Cadillac Fleetwood, English Wikipedia: nameplate history, 1985 and 1993 generations
