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1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible

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Steven Dale Schmitt
04/28/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
the 65 caddy is considered by many to be the most beautiful car of all time - all those right angles and the hood/dash/seatbacks/trunklid at the same level just makes sense... and the 429 motor can really pull that beast around - i drove a 67 eldo that would just LIGHT the front tires....

sometimes when not sure of the year, do you not trust the imprint on the tail light lens? that is how i check the year of older cars....
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/28/09

@Steven Dale Schmitt: Sometimes, the taillights were used for multiple model years, and the year it was approved will be the one stamped on the lens. My '63 Rambler's taillights are marked "61" for instance.
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Osmodious
04/27/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
FYI...that's not a convertible, it's a Coupe with the roof chopped off. The convertible had a completely straight body-line along the tops of the fenders through the door to the back fenders...no kink like on this one. Also, look at the top of the back part of the body, with the phony tonneau cover...no spot for the roof to come out (it's also the full size backseat, whereas the convertible was narrower). Finally, look at the top of the windshield header...it's not a convertible header (which is all metal and straight across, not curved like a standard roof), and there is no spot for latches.

The '65-68's were always my favorites...I prefer the forward-tilt to the '67-68 front end, but the straight tail and interior of the '65-66 (the '67 started the use of tons of plastic on the dash, as opposed to the body colored steel and metal switches).

Anyway, the true convertibles look so cool with that straight body...solid, imposing and sleek. Hope these folks bolstered up the body substantially, or they never open both doors at once!
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/27/09

@Osmodious: While I don't dispute your assertion that this is a hardtop with the roof hacked off, I have to point out that your evidence is questionable at best. I did a small bit of searching and was unable to find a '66 Caddy without the kink, be they DeVilles, Eldorados or Commercial Chassis. Also your beefing up the body comment seems just a bit ridiculous when you consider that the hardtop and soft top DeVilles almost certainly rode on the same over-engineered full frame. Here's a link to someone's Flickr set of their own '66 DeVille Convertible (I wasn't able to hotlink the pic I wanted to, sorry). From what I can see of the back seat, it looks just as wide as this one.

[www.flickr.com]
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Osmodious
04/28/09

@Mike the Dog will work for a Preview Button!:

Yes, I took a look at some of my own pics and noted the kink...seriously don't remember that, oh well. However, the windshield header is totally a giveaway, it's curved on top, providing no place for a convertible roof to latch. Plus, there's no latches, the chopped edge being covered over with upholstery. And, as Phil noted below...there's an armrest in the back (I mentioned the width of the backseat, also).

As to the comment that cutting out a major part of the body structure would not cause any issues...well, I'll defer to your experience here. I've seen several '60's era cars that had this done and all of them collapsed (one rather catastrophically while at highway speed). There's more to a body-on-frame car's structure than the frame itself, most of which is 3000lbs+ worth of body, interior, etc. Personally, you wouldn't get me in that thing unless there was a ridiculous amount of hidden strengthening involved....
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/28/09

@Osmodious: I do agree that it's almost certainly had the roof removed, and I agree with your concerns about a cut car for just about anything but a Cadillac. But those Caddy frames are pretty darn stout, and since the car was a hardtop (no B pillar) to begin with, I don't think the roof contributed much to the overall structural integrity. Try to take it off the frame without bracing it well, and it would definitely fold in half almost immediately. I'd be able to form a more relevant opinion if I could see the car firsthand.
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/28/09

@Osmodious: Sorry if I seemed a little pissy in my initial response, I've been unusually cranky lately.
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Curves
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
This is what we used to call a Land Yacht. The way it screams "excess" is truly an art form; its beautiful.
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something_unique_and_descriptive
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
I've always thought some sort of exotic or classic would be the ultimate company car because it's a rolling billboard every time you drive it. Nobody's going to look twice at a truck, van, or mundane sedan with a company logo on the side... but something like this and they'll take notice.
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MushyHeirloom
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
My real-estate-agent grandfather's loaded Sable wagon is 37 years newer, but nearly the same color and with fancy chrome wheels from the factory.

Something there, but I just don't know what.
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that ain't the way to have fun, son
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
Sorry for the deluge of commentary, I just love these cars....

The rotary knob over there on the left of the steering wheel, under the heater vent...no A/C on this beast...that's where you set your cruise control speed. Nice big 'on/off' switch, which can be left 'on' all the time, as it fookin' should be, and the set button was likely in the end of the turn-signal stalk.

It was cool to turn on the CC, dial in a speed of say 75 MPH, from a current speed of 50, and feel the rush of torque deliver you to long-distance road trip heaven. Piloting a living room, with the sofa-like bench seat and handling to match. Notice both the ignition switch and the radio could use remote controls....

However, someone needs to inform real-estate homegirl this machine is in DIRE need of a replacement horn pad. Oh, and take it to The Guy and have the instrument cluster plastic cleaned/polished. Cloudy = sad

I hope the tilt steering still works. Don't think this one had the telescoping feature, but you could get it in '73. Nice.

Multiple redundant horn buttons, FTW!
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UDMan
04/26/09

@accept it, the global economy is hosed for a while: Oh this has the telescoping wheel adjustment. You were commenting on the horn pad. Well, it looks like a ships wheel (at least I think so because piloting a 1960's Caddy is like piloting a ship!), well, that's the way you adjust the wheel, you twist the horn pad counterclockwise, pull (or push) the steering wheel to the adjustment you like, and then turn the horn pad clockwise to tighten.

While this is not a Cadillac Commercial, this same feature was available on the Corvette, and the Corvair. Watch for the Corvair, and a demonstration of the Adjustment.
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A strolling player got drunk and
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
It's a really cool Cad and everything, but passing up an E-type?!
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K5ING
04/26/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer: I passed on an E-Type back in the mid 70's. My dad would have to co-sign for the loan and wouldn't because of the following facts:

1) It's British, it will break down. TRUE.

2) It's British, it will cost a fortune to fix. TRUE.

3) Kid, you'll kill yourself in it. Umm...TRUE.

An E-Type would be nice, but the owner of this Caddy will have an easier time getting parts and repairs for this car, and families won't fit into an E-Type when it comes time to go look at houses.

Good choice I say.
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A strolling player got drunk and
04/26/09

@K5ING: How long have you been around here? Reliability is boring, dude.
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.357
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
I'd rather have a Mercedes-Benz company car. I'd call my business the Bruce Taxi.
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
I think I'd pony up the extra 5-600 for an Imperial ragtop..

How much for a mid-'60s Caddy "company car" like this:
(yes, I know this an early-'70s model). I almost bought a '73 Caddy ambulance once, but I was 1)too broke, and 2)too married. I've long nursed (ha!) a fantasy of buying an old ambulance for a worktruck and calling my "company" Emergency Renovations or something similiar.
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

@Ash225/6:

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.357
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: It's for the Ambulance driver with style. You know what, if I didn't already have my heart set on a white Cadillac convertible with a red leather interior.

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.357
04/26/09

@.357: ...I would buy the ambulance.
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mechimike
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: Yeah, I'm with you on the Imperial. So much classier. Plus, 440 > 429
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A strolling player got drunk and
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: Slick as hell. I love that front end treatment, the headlights split by turning lamps is odd but somehow beautiful.
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: FWIW, that's a '72. I learned to drive in a '72 Fleetwood.
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/26/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer: Those aren't the turn signals, they're just badges. The turn signals are in the bumper. Oh, and I was wrong above it's a '71, the '72 did have the turn signals there. Old age is starting to affect my memory, I fear.
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Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
04/26/09

@Mike the Dog will work for a Preview Button!: It's a '71, dumbass.
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CptSevere
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: That stylin' ambulance is a '71, same year as the limo I used to have, same commercial chassis, too. Fun facts: My limo had a completely separate heater/air conditioner condenser for the rear seat under the package shelf, with water lines running the length of the car and back, like thirty feet total. Thank god I never had to replace that. The rear end on that car I swear is identical to a one ton Chevy truck, but not full-floating. I had to install new bearings, and the shafts were like two inches in diameter. Inside the glove compartment is a label proudly proclaiming a 3/4 ton load capacity. Of course it had a rompin' 472, the big boat hauled ass. Old Caddies are awesome.
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sos10
04/26/09

@CptSevere: Here a 66 Ambulance... I never like using the word, but... AWESOME is the right expression..

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.357
04/26/09

@sos10: Well, you used the word properly, because that is truly awe inspiring.
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Novaload
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: @Mike the Dog will work for a Preview Button!: That's not driving, that's learning to pilot!
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Deartháir II
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: Well, the ad is right... if it's built on a Cadillac chassis, it will command respect, dammit!

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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
Big iron never looked better. Great color choice too. For the money back then, I might have gone with the Jag. But 36 large doesn't get you anywhere the size and style like this anymore, much less the thirst. And you can get six or eight people into it comfortably, with the top up. Try that with an E-Type.
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Novaload
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
Offhand, could be 65 or 66, they didn't change much.

But it is the most awesome of boats! Tax deduction? It deserves it's own zipcode and status as a principality! I would contract with a realtor who drove this in a heartbeat, rather than the Escalade/Benz/BMW crowd.

And, Ms. Martin, as for your choices for Jag or Benz, let us remember HST this morning: "Do I look like a goddam Nazi? I'll have a natural American car or nothing at all..." (Quoting from memory, might not have that perfect.)

You could put that Prius in the trunk. Or back seat.

Rock on, Caddy Realtor!
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UDMan
04/26/09

In reply to 1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
Murilee, sorry, The car pictured is a 1966 Cadillac. This is a 1967:

Notice the slight slant to the front headlamps for '67.
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Murilee Martin
04/26/09

@UDMan: Whoops, should have looked it up. Fixed.
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