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1981 Cadillac Fleetwood coupe
Hi I was looking for some information on a 1981 Fleetwood coupe. I have owned many cadillacs my past but have not seen one like this. It has a Rolls Royce style grille and landau bars on vinyle roof and a continental kit and a moonroof. Now I owned a 1984 seville roadster with similar features but would the fleetwood be called a roadster also or was there a different name for this model? Any help would be appreciated thanks
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Anywya, I'm pretty sure it was some kind of aftermarket conversion, and not a factory job.
I dunno, just taking some wild guesses here.
All of that stuff is aftermarket and unless you happen to like that look, this will only detract from the desirability of that car.
There used to be a shop in Compton California that did things to Cadillacs and Lincolns that cost thousands of dollars.
And 1981 was the year of the infamous 4-6-8 engine!
It's easier to find a '77-79 Coupe Deville or Fleetwood coupe, because they were made in larger numbers, and overwhelmingly they had the Caddy 425. I think the 1980 restyle really spruced these cars up though. Too bad you can't get the smoother '80-85 look with the 425. :-(
1930s--Cadillac Golden Age
1940s -- quality but old-fashioned
1950s-- Cadillac renaissance to 1957
1958-59---wretched excess
Early 1960s--cleaner lines, good quality cars
late 60s--still okay, starting to lose their market and vision.
1970s--years of struggle and corporate confusion and quality issues
1980s--best left forgotten, new signs of life near the end
1990s--crawling back up but quality control a nagging issue
2000s --on a comeback roll to credibility and respect
Cadillac in one sentence: the luxury car empire GM built, literally destroyed, and is now trying to rebuild again.
What year Caddys do you like the best? Any particular year/model you're trying to hunt down?
Yeah, the ambulances are cool, too. I could fit a hearse or ambulance in my garage, but I doubt if there'd be enough room to get another car in behind it
There is a club around here and they attend the local car shows and park them there!
Disgusting!
Well in my case, the fascination has nothing to do with death or anything morbid like that. Although if I ever do get one, I'm going to see if the personalized license plate "Expired" is available! :shades:
I think with me it's just that I like big cars, and I always thought that the custom work that goes into a hearse or ambulance, such as the raised roof and extended wheelbase, is kinda neat. And there's just something about a '61-62 Cadillac that I think lends itself very well to hearse styling.
Superior built a good looking '61 Pontiac ambulance/hearse, too. And you wanna hear morbid? They tried marketing these things to the general public for awhile as camping vehicles. They called them Superior Vacation Specials! I imagine that the trips people took in them must have been heavenly.
Unfortunately, I don't think a hearse/ambulance would be very practical for me as a driver, though. And it's not the length that's the problem. The few that I've sat in have that partition at the B-pillar, right behind the front seat, and it keeps the seat from going back as far as it normally would.
One year there was a 1957 DeSoto ambulance at Carlisle, and the owner let me sit in it. It was way cool, but there's no way I would've been able to drive it comfortably. There's an early 80's Buick Electra/LeSabre hearse too, and it has the same problem. Alas, I imagine a 1961-62 Cadillac would have the same problem?
I guess most hearse and ambulance drivers were pretty short back in the day?