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Floating Style 472 Cu Inches of

Detroit Know-How

Ultimate Town Car

The 1969 Deville took many styling cues from the successful and critically acclaimed El Dorado from 1967.  This vehicle is loaded with V-Shapes, angles and lens work that were dropped just one year later – what a shame.  The hood and trunk come together in a “V” shape.  Views from above demonstrate “V’s” at the end of the front and rear fenders.  The rear tail light lenses and bezels are a study in industrial design and again abound with the shape that puts the V in Deville.

The Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac family crest is proudly on display all over this vehicle.  The trunk lock cover snaps open with the weight and quality of all trim work on this car – heavy and purposeful.  The Cadillac logo is also the center piece of the wheel covers that suit this car so well -- another industrial design achievement of the brand that ruled the road with so much authority at the time.

Fins & Flair (Link to more photos)

The front turn signal bezels hold lenses with vertical bevels etched into them.  Each one is a stand-out piece of rolling art.  Together, they almost give a chandelier effect.  The same is true for the rear tail lights.  The front head lights were integrated into the grill for 1969 which allowed for the very rare and highly stylized turn signals.  In 1970 these lenses were gone for good.  The rear tail lights became integrated into a single chrome fender cap – a form they held for many years.

Visit the following link for many more photos -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/105315473@N02/

Float Like a Butterfly

Cadillac engineers of the time must have had a goal relating to fingertip control of an immense mass of rolling metal.  That’s just what this car begs of the driver.  The arm rest on each side is comfortable and the overall feel and nature of the driver’s cabin encourages reaching highway speeds and keeping this beauty rolling with just a couple of fingertips on the wheel.  Maybe the typical distractions of the time required occupied hands?

This may just be the longest hood on a production car of all time.  It was lengthened 8.5" in 1968 to accommodate the space-age recessed "hidden" wipers.  They extended it 2.5" in 1969 just for good measure.  Similarly, the waist line of the Deville was “raised” for 1968.  This was to provide the rear passengers more “privacy”.  A quaint sentiment to say the least, but another industrial design cue indicative of a time long past and one we will likely never see again.  What exactly was going on in those back seats anyways?  Ah, the stories they must hold!

Restored for Parading About

This vehicle underwent a full restoration in the mid 1990’s.  The owner of the car had a passion for Cadillac’s and restored one white one and one black one for each of his sons.  They stayed in his possession for quite some time and were only used in parades in his small home town.  He feels this one has less that 1,000 miles sense the restoration.

The intended recipient of the black one simply never came along proper storage for the vehicle.  The father is now quite advanced in age and needed to let it go.  It was restored to very presentable driver condition.  The paint has held up well, but is not of concours quality – was not meant to be.  The interior shows some wear, but again has held up nicely.  The passenger side rear inside door panel has a few cracks.  Of all interior work, this is probably the most pressing should you decide to take it up a notch.

The white vinyl top has also held up well.  There are a couple of small imperfections near the rear window on the passenger side (see photo).  The owner during restoration decided to pull the motors for the power top.  It wasn’t going to be used often enough to need it.  So, the power top is not functioning.  He said the wiring is all there so, it should be as easy as sourcing a motor to get it running again.  He also did not bother to fill the air conditioner with Freon.  The compressor sets right on top of the engine and seems to spin and work just fine.

There is a brand new exhaust system including muffler.  She purrs like a kitten – albeit a very large kitten!  Pretty important function for such a stately car. BTW, mileage is what it read on odometer.  The previous owner could not verify even back in the 90's when he restored it.

Bidding, Q&A

As for the reserve price – I intend to keep it under wraps out of respect for the bidding process.  It is set well below where the bids are likely to reach.  Simply bid the amount you feel comfortable spending and treat the bidding process with the same respect.  Please do not hesitate to call or text me if you have any questions or would like to arrange to see the vehicle.  My cell is (816) 786-7534.

This is a whole lot of car!  It kind of feels like an open air magic carpet ride.  I hope she gets to see a few more scenic jaunts.