This 1974 Cadillac Coupe deVille Helped Make GM a Victim of Its Own Success - Review and Test Drive

Cadillac was setting sales records in the early 1970s - right when they really shouldn't have been. The oil embargo was in full swing, OPEC was tightening the supply, emissions and safety controls were eating in to cars that Americans were used to, and horsepower was dropping. And still, Cadillac was selling cars like crazy, the Coupe deVille leading the charge.

Part of this was that while the car was expensive, it was not off-the-charts expensive. A middle class guy could find his way in to one using some creative and longer-term financing, and Cadillac took full advantage of that by upping production and keeping the supply rolling. The problem came with the long term - by making and selling so many, Cadillac harmed the exclusivity of their name - with a deVille on every street corner, the rich started moving toward other luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, with the idea that their higher price and lower production would make seeing other people with the same car a rarity.

While sales did just fine for Cadillac for 1974 and the next few years, the damage was done, and the company would be in a shambles less than a decade in to the future.

Still, this C-Body platform car is one for the ages, and a true moment in time for American cars, now lost completely Driving it is a trip down memory lane, and a welcome change from the all-too-similar cars of today, Say what you will about these old sleds, but at least they had style.

Full review and test drive of a 51K mile 1974 Coupe deVille by Bill of Curious Cars. Vehicle for sale at Autohaus of Naples, on the phone at (239) 263-8500 and on the web at http://www.AutohausNaples.com.