Of all of the things I talked about with Arthur, the owner of this standout 1983 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, the one thing I forgot was to ask was how to spell his last name. I’m going to claim that I was preoccupied by the overall awesomeness of the Caddy and admit that I probably should’ve made sure to jot down the proper spelling. (Edit: Arthur Petry is the owner.) If you’re around Newnan, Georgia, you can ask him yourself, because you’ll find this just about meticulous C-body cruising the streets, looking for the next mark who hasn’t yet encountered the big bruiser. Here’s a hint, just in case you ever roll up on this car: the “Sleeper” license plate isn’t for show.
Arthur has owned the DeVille since 1991. It used to be his mother’s driver for years, at times was his only car, and hasn’t always been this pretty. It’s gorgeous, but this Cadillac isn’t a survivor story. The Cameo Ivory paint had to be redone after the Cadillac and a deer had an unfortunate meeting. He has gone out of his way to keep the DeVille fresh, though…for example, the often troublesome taillight filler pieces were the last N.O.S. pieces available. The interior looks gorgeous, and overall you’d swear that you were just looking at a restored 1980s barge on mag wheels.
Let him start that 383ci small block and that’ll change your mind right quick. There’s some trickery going on underhood, and plenty of grunt…on the dyno, even in the heat and humidity, the Cadillac put up 472 horsepower and 468 ft/lbs of torque at the rear wheels. And there’s a 175 horse nitrous kit in the trunk in case that isn’t enough. The automatic is built to kill, because the weight of the car has killed off lesser units. The shift from first to second is particularly brutal, barking hard under even moderate throttle. But the Cadillac is a street car first and a track car second. While Art wanted to run the Midnight Drags, he instead opted to do some suspension tuning in the free runs earlier in the day.
Earlier this year, while writing up an eBay find, I mused that an early 1980s Caddy with a healthy 383 under the hood could be something to lust after. I’m happy to say that I was not wrong at all. Whether it was on it’s matched wheels and tires in the show and shine or on it’s radials and skinnies on the dragstrip, this Cadillac rules all.
Ditch the “Old Folks” beige paint for gloss black……
I don’t know how Arthur’s last name is spelled, but I believe the city is spelled “Newnan.” 😀
I’m sure this car surprised more than a few suspects on the street!
Why, oh WHY, would he put a Chevy motor in a Caddy? This car screams for a turbo’d Caddy 500. Love the body and probably wouldn’t be too hard to make it right.
Dan
A tuned port even. with a Super Ram(?)
Nice, but would be even cooler packing a 500 cubic inch Caddy engine.
http://www.500cid.com/
That’s Newnan, GA, not Noonan.
I thought there was a guy they showed in one of the mags that had a silver/grey coupe like this but Caddy powered? The guy was in Florida I think and they fussed over the working AC
I thought there was a guy they showed in one of the mags that had a silver/grey coupe like this but Caddy powered? The guy was in Florida I think and they fussed over the working AC – Cadillac Larry?
last name is spelled Petry and the town is Newnan Ga.
the car pushed a 472 hp and 468 torque on the dyno!
every thing works ac, cc, pw, pdl, gets 24 mpg on the high way
has run in the 11\’s but traction was not to be found.
the car weights just over 3900lbs
the 500 caddy engine was not in the budget
Damn nice!
There’s a big Caddy (“Flash Cadillac”) that ran in Albuquerque that was a nice ride and brutally fast. This one is just fine.
I think “flash” is still around , 30 yrs hence, although in SoCal
Congrats Art, been a long time but the Caddy rocks ! Bring it up to Atlanta Dragway some Friday night and I will make sure the announcer recognizes your handiwork. BTW the traction at that track exceeds anything you ever experienced back in the midwest !
Oh, by the way, I am the announcer.
Some of us just can’t stop doing what we love !
Tony it’s been a long time since keokuk
Beautiful car, Arthur! Well done!
Thanks to the people from bangshift.com for finding and writing about home built cars. I know how hard it is to build a car at home. I know most car builders dont have the extra money to have the car built by a high end shop.
With the help from friends with different type skills it can be done on a workable budget.
Cars built at home never see a trailer, driven to most shows and get dirty. it’s their badge of honor. the only time my car sees a trailer is when I take it to the drag strip and beat the heck out of it and hope it dosent break, if it does i have a way to get it home.