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This 1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Was the Last Great Caddy for 30 Years

As Adam Ferrara, the ex-host of the American spinoff of Top Gear, once said, "The last great car America built in the 20th century was the 1976 Cadillac Coupe Deville". After that, everything turned to downsized, underpowered, cheap, plastic nonsense in his eyes. After seeing one 76 Coupe De Ville for sale on Craigslist, we're starting to understand what Adam was talking about.
1976 Coupe DeVille 21 photos
Photo: Craigslist Indianapolis
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In spite of how low the brand would fall in the years after, we can see Cadillac still held on to key elements that made them the American byword for quality and obscene luxury. It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that Cadillac's level of luxury and exclusivity in its golden years was on par with that of established European luxury carmakers like Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, and even Rolls-Royce. Looking at this last great Cadillac for generations, we can still see why.

With polished chrome, hand-trimmed wood, and supple red leather accenting every nut and bolt of this 76 Caddy, there's an argument to be made the ten-inch longer wheelbase of this Coupe Deville helps smooth out the ride to an even better degree than the equivalent model year Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow or Bentley T2.

Speaking of Rolls Royces, the 6.75-liter (412-cubic inch) V8 under their hoods back in the 70s was dwarfed by the 8.2-liter (500-cubic inch) V8 exclusive to the Cadillac brand. Weighing in at just over 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg), don't expect fuel economy in this behemoth to be any better than ten miles per gallon. Unless you drive like an absolute snail, that is. Then again, much like a classic Rolls-Royce, this Coupe DeVille is better suited these days to the occasional Sunday cruise.

The biggest difference between the two is that one heavily incentivizes being chauffeured around in it, while the other is much better suited for the owner taking the wheel. Then again, the abundance of ashtrays inside this Caddy makes the back seat VIP a place to sit. Kind of like the first-class seats on an old Pan Am DC-7. There's a similar level of room on both. The price for it all? That'd be $15,850 before taxes and fees, which is not a bad deal for what you're getting.
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