It’s official: the Cadillac Limo, a.k.a. the U.S.S. d’Elegance, has met it’s demise. Feel like pouring one out for another barge gone to the crusher? Don’t. It wasn’t great. Yesterday, the car was driven to the local salvage yard, it’s 368 still puking blow-by smoke like a freight train of old working a hill, it’s body coming apart faster than a leper’s, the dash mangled, the interior full of scrap parts, the body breaking apart. The car should’ve been dead ten years ago, but it got it’s final ride of glory before it meets it’s end as one flat pancake on a ship headed across the Pacific. The weird thing…I kind of miss it. Not the actual car itself…it was frightening from the word “go”. But the idea of a big, comfy Cadillac limo did grow on me. I’m kind of bummed that I never got to ride around in the back of that gigantic beast before I sent it off to the great parking lot in the sky. The legroom was incredible in the back and even as big of a steaming turd as that car was, driving it was always pleasant: grounded, no lack of power to move around in traffic, surprisingly effective brakes for a car with a curb weight of 5,080 pounds, and smooth operation of whatever was still operating.
You don’t buy a cheap extended-wheelbase car. You just don’t. If you had taken a blacklight to the Caddy I had, the glow would’ve been seen from the International Space Station. But if you find one that has been cared for, one that has been doted on since new, one that has a minimal amount of cocaine in the carpet from all of the years gone by, then you jump in and prepare yourself for pampering. Cars like this 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 were not meant to be driven…they were meant for you to ride in as someone drove you. Stretch your legs out, you’ve got the space. Don’t like the station? That’s cool…there’s controls to change the station right next to you in a lit panel. Need an ashtray for that cigar? You won’t be lacking at all. And if you don’t think that a 1970s Caddy is going to stand out on the road, buddy, do we have news for you. Don’t worry if the 472 or 500 under the hood has grunt…you know it does. Don’t worry if the driver’s ok. It’s a Cadillac…what could he possibly want besides enough room to park?
Find different wheels, polish the paint until it shines, and don’t stop until you see the lights of Vegas. If it was good in five-hundred dollar, rolling hazard style, imagine what a healthy example is like. Old-school luxury…you’ll love it.
Craigslist Link: 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75
A friend has a 72 that belonged to a little old lady that she drove herself. Looks like it will clean up nicely.