The 1970s were not kind to North American car builders because the 1973 Arab oil embargo forced up gas pump prices and produced massive shortages that blindsided domestic car manufacturers due to their poor MPG numbers.
North American car builders dabbled in smaller vehicles prior to the embargo, but their main focus was still large-and-in-charge road beasts with an insatiable thirst for gasoline at a time when pump prices got higher, and petroleum was scarcer than brush cuts during the Me Decade.
Jim Sutherland
Consequently, the 1970s were not kind to Cadillac because they built a very large car for a specific client base, namely an older and more affluent customer. The good news for Cadillac was their target buyers were still very interested in their product and not as concerned about a drastic pump price increase because they could afford expensive fuel.
The 1976 Cadillac Sedan de Ville is an excellent example of a car that defied the post-embargo movement toward smaller cars with better mileage numbers. For example, a ’76 Caddy sedan left the factory with a giant 500 cubic inch monster engine that may not have as many horses under the hood as earlier Caddy models but was still able to gallop down the road-even if it did not win MPG contests that year.
In 1976, Cadillac did what it did best over its long run as an ultimate luxury car: it built an automobile loaded with every creature comfort available at the time. The result was a spectacular cabin experience for the driver and every passenger. Bear in mind the 1976 Cadillac Sedan de Ville was a true six-passenger car sold during an era when that number was either highly optimistic, highly delusional, or both.
As a result, the 1976 Cadillac was able to weather the gas crisis and continue its long legacy of unchecked elegance that helped coin the phrase “The Cadillac of (insert high-end product name here) over the previous decades.
A 1976 Cadillac Sedan de Ville with only one registered owner was slated to hit the block at the 25th annual Michener Allen Classic & Collector Auction from July 24th to July 27th this year.
The car was parked for 15 years before it was revived and recently reintroduced to the road. Fortunately, the Caddy’s fuel tank was drained prior to its long timeout, so the big luxury yacht started right up when it got new gas.
The 48-year-old Caddy ran like a champ after it fired to life and had no trouble coping with 21st century roads after the long sleep. The car’s original owner was a typical Caddy man because his car was pampered by good maintenance up to (and including) its long storage, so it is still a very solid car.
The ’76 Caddy piled up 80,000 miles on the road before its long slumber and clearly benefited heavily from an excellent maintenance program.
This 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville is undoubtedly a cool ride, given the rise of 1970s-era big car popularity in recent years.
It was an unusual listing on an auction list filled with plenty of unusual vehicles.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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