OK, how’s this for something different? The Cadillac Cimarron, probably the most infamous of Cadillacs on the face of the earth, was available only as a four-door sedan. I have always wondered why they didn’t do a coupe and convertible; after all, it was a Cadillac, if only in name. Well, someone else must have thought the same thing, as proved by this D’Oro convertible currently listed on eBay.
It is billed as “genuine,” but no further explanation is given. It is listed as an ’88, and while the nose is right, out back it has the earlier 1982-84 taillights.
Still, it is an interesting car and, with only 45K miles, could be a fun little summer cruiser with its 2.8-liter V6. It’s quite likely the only one in existence–honestly, how many people would go to the trouble? Maybe CraiginNC can tell us whether Cimarron ‘vert prototypes–if any–were built or not.
Pictures are from the eBay listing, which can be found here along with many more pictures.
Cute. Very cute. I wonder how many of these were made?
On a related note, I find it amazing how many 1st- & 2nd gen Cavalier and Sunfire convertibles are still on the road. I suppose they’re kept as toys, because in my area I see several. A 1st-gen Cavalier convertible looks stunning in yellow, BTW.
Isn’t it funny how the most maligned cars take on a totally different personality in convertible form? Somehow, a ragtop melts the hearts of many nay-sayers!
On an unrelated note, at the same house in my neighborhood that owns a nice red Aztek, they also own an extremely nice black Lumina Z-34! Lately, it’s been parked on the street, so when I walk the dog I can get a very good look at either car.
Now I have to go a bit farther, as I saw a beautiful red 1st-gen Barracuda. I plan on hunting that one down this evening. Perhaps I’ll take my camera and post all these beauties!
Every once in a while a clean 1st gen J-car convertible will turn up on ebay or something, so there are a few of them out there that were kept as pets. Same for early woody Town & Country FWD LeBaron convertible, even more for the LeBarons, I think, since there are usually 3 or 4 pretty clean ones on ebay all the time.
I almost bought a really clean 84 Sunbird convertilbe from an older couple, they kept it really nice, it even had wire caps and whitewalls! I decided against it since I really had no place to keep it out of the weather at the time and I would have felt bad leaving it outside.
I suppose a PT Cruiser woody “Dream Cruiser” will soon fall into that group. I really liked those, too.
What I RARELY see, however, are the later LeBaron convertibles on the street. The ones I DO see are pretty clapped-out. I detailed my 8½ year experience with ours on these pages ad nauseum…
As far as having another toy… Our daily drivers are very happy sleeping snugly in our garage at night and reward us handsomely! So no more toys, at least for now. perhaps when I retire in 3½ years. We’ll see…
All this thing does is make me crave some of these. About the same color as the interior.
Well, they’re ALMOST donuts!
A good donut also covers lots of sins, although you may feel regret after eating two or three…
Yum.
this is Stella d’Oro… fun to eat
Is that the Cadillac dashboard or the Caviler dashboard or? That will tell us how much trouble they went to and perhaps what the donor convertible was. I also wonder if there were any suspension differences between the Cadillac/Caviler/Sunbird? How “authentic” is the conversion?
That is the Cadillac dash, you can tell by the passenger side panel and the faux stiching along the top, not to mention the power mirror and teeny tiny Twilight Sentinel controls on the headlights, also all Cimmys had pushbutton a/c controls like the ones shown here.
The even swapped in the Symphony Sound Delco, they should have gone for the full measure and swaped in a Cimarron dash with the digital display, that would swank.
Any way you slice it, whether it started as a Cavalier convertible or an actual Cimarron, someone went to a whole lot more trouble than it was worth to combine the two. I would imagine the new price for such a conversion would easily top twice the price of a regular Cimarron (which weren’t exactly hot sellers to begin with).
According to the VIN #, the car started its life as an ’88 Cimarron.
Or the VIN plate started its life on an ’88 Cimarron.
So 88 Cimarron donated the dash and front clip to a ___ year V6 Caviler Convertible. The Cimarron perhaps a junk yard find that had been totaled by a rear ending accident? Then find another (older) Cimarron with a clean rear to give the taillights?
Dang that’s a lot of work for a car that never was.
The VIN also shows it started as a 4 door sedan. Looks like somebody reVIN’d a Cavalier convertible. Even an experienced coachbuilder wouldn’t rebody a 4 door into a 2 door. Somebody took the easy way out which also explains the 84 Cimarron taillamps. I guess it was too hard for them to weld in the correct 88 taillamp panel. Rest of the stuff is simple swapping of parts.
“Maybe CraiginNC can tell us whether Cimarron ‘vert prototypes–if any–were built or not.”
Well I can tell you that there is at least a convertible of every car ever made. After 40 years of reading just about every car book and magazine printed that if you search long and hard you will find just about anything that can be imagined.
Then there is some hanky panky going on there with the VIN, its a Cavalier, the 2.8 without the unique Cadillac intake is one of the give aways, there are also some other odd things going on, tthe shifter button is on the passenger side of the shifter, which would work great if your thumb and pinky were reverse, the speedometer needle seems be peeling.
The Cimarron with the V6 had this ribbed intake, that, as far as I know, was not shared with any other 2.8 V6 car.
Transplant Caddy dash, keep the VIN where it is. Someone should run the VIN# through http://www.decodethis.com/ and you’ll find out what the dash started life in.
When I was bidding in a school district auction two years ago I ran the VIN on an old Diplomat through it to find out what was under the hood (since the latch was broken and it wouldn’t open.) Dang handy site for cars that are “new” enough to have VINs.
I want to say that’s the J-body upper intake for all the iron head 2.8’s
I don’t think the Caddy ever switched to the aluminum head 2.8 did it?
Decode this was the site I used on the VIN # the seller has listed. But this thing has got to be an ’86-’87 Cavalier convertible with lots of donor Cimarron parts. Ground effects even look like painted over Z24 bits.
“The Cimarron with the V6 had this ribbed intake, that, as far as I know, was not shared with any other 2.8 V6 car. ”
I think it makes a difference on what year and what model of car it’s in. For example all J-Cars in 87-88 used the ribbed plenum. The A and W-Body used a smooth plenum for 88. Think about it. The Fiero used a unique plenum. The 1990-91 Turbo GrandPrix used a unique plenum. Surely wouldn’t the Cimarron have used a unique design too if it was Cadillac only? Say something that had Cimarron or Cadillac cast into it?
Lt.
I’m pretty sure all of the aluminum head 2.8’s and 3.1’s shared the same intake. The Turbo GP had the different lettering, but it was physically the same piece.
The 88 Z24 should have had the aluminum head 2.8, so it would have had this intake.
the A-body had enough room to have the air intake on the passenger side of the engine compartment so it could share the intake with the rwd 2.8’s. The J-body did not have this room and also had other packaging issues with the drive belts and water pump, so it had a unique intake to grab air from the drivers side, but still be able to get around the distributor.
when the 2.8 went aluminum heads, it also went distributorless ignition, so all of the platforms could have the air box on the drivers side without the throttle body/intake getting in the way of the distributor.
“Worth it” is in the eye and pocketbook of the beholder. I am pretty vehemently anti-GM, and fully acknowledge that these cars were utter junk… but I’ve seriously wanted to do something like this for years.
And the VIN report from e bay shows 4 door sedan. The buy it now price is 16K. Ha Ha.
The seller is a damned fool for asking that much… unless he finds someone willing to pay it. Then he’s my hero.
Frankly, I admire this car BECAUSE it appears to be a custom hack job.
They were only offered as a 4 door sedan…no 2 door Cimmarons were made.
No digital dash?
FAIL!
Digital dash on a j car?
Cool…I wanna see that.
The 1980’s Cavalier Z24’s had a digital dash
ohh yeah. mushy brain today.
the only Z24 I ever drove had a digital dash too.
There were 2 digital dashes available on the J-cars, the Chevrolet one and the Cimarron one, the Chevrolet one was a hybrid of digital gauges with an analog “hockey stick” tachometer, boy did GM love those hockey stick shaped gauges in the 80’s.
The proper Cimarron digital dash is the one that would work in this car, since it fits the standard dash, the Cavaliers with the digital dash had a whole different instrument cluster.
In a world just slightly better than this one, that Cimmaron dash would’ve been standard in the Cavalier. And the Cimmaron itself would never have been made.
Attached: more digital instrumentation from 1980s GM, the third-gen “Starship Camaro.” This Tron-like device was an unpopular option on early Berlinettas, and no longer available by the time my ’89 RS was built. The rep these gizmos have in the third-gen F-body community is not particularly strong, with standard analog gauges being preferred.
All ’86-87 Cavalier RS models had the revised dash, if you didn’t pop for the digital dash you got….a strip speedo. How sporty.
looks like an odd combo of an 80’s Lebaron GTS digital dash and a Pontiac 6000 digital dash.
At least it is complete with tach, oil pres., volts and temp…not something I can say for 99% of modern IP’s today.
As a person who earned his driver’s license in the spring of 1980 I’ve always had a sweet spot for Cimarron.
However, the Cooper tires on this one are just plain wrong.
Are those 13 or 14 in rims? Certain tire sizes are getting darn difficult to find.
Those are 14s. Although Cimarron launched with 13s.
And those wreaths around the locks are another aftermarket sin.
So I guess my unanswered question last night (Best Car You’ve Seen Worst Condition) turned into a blog entry idea for today…? 😉 Put me on the staff!
It’s the CC effect: this had been scheduled for some time. But we always have openings for more CC staff!
I drove a 1984 Cavalier Convertible for 9 years. In my head, this is how I pictured it, Many times in my wishful thinking mode. I’m surprised I didn’t try this, and not go for a 2.0 SS.
I’ve often thought it would be fun to do something like this with a wrecked J-‘vert. It made my day (in a very weird way) to see that one already exists.
While they aren’t digital, aren’t those gauges Cimarron-spec, too? Looks like it has the full “gage” cluster (in GM-speak) that was standard on the Cadillac.
I will believe it once I see the RPO sticker that every 1988 GM passenger car should have! I attached an example RPO sticker.
Sorry for going a little off topic here, but ever notice that Cadillac Cavalier draws lots of negativity but the Cadillac Tahoe and Avalanche get a free pass? And I’m still trying to figure out why the Infiniti G20 isn’t referred to as the Nissan Cimarron.
The G20 had the advantage of not having an identical Nissan. The biggest problem with the Cimmaron is that it was obviously a Cavalier, and that GM tried to position it as an alternative to the BMW 3-series.
I think there is plenty of hate for the Escalade, but it’s not as egregious because the price difference between the Tahoe and Escalade isn’t as big as between a Cavalier and a Cimmaron, because they’ve done a decent job of designing unique sheetmetal on them, and because the Escalade isn’t significantly worse than competitive vehicles (which is pretty much limited to the Navigator, which is just a rebadged Expedition, and maybe the Infinit QX56, which is mostly a rebadged Armada).
The Cimmaron was a poor effort that watered down the Cadillac image, plain and simple. I’m not a fan of the Escalade myself, but I’ll admit it is the modern take on a “traditional” Cadillac. Big, showy vehicle with a commanding presence, V8 powered, not working at competing with the Japanese or German definitions of luxury, and it even has a real name instead of an alphanumeric code. Oh yeah, younger trendy people and executives want to own them, not just old folks. The CEO where I work is on his 4th or 5th Escalade.
Lots of people calling the Acura ILX the Acura Cimarron…
I kind of like it as a cheap amusement, but seriously, whoever built it has way too much time on his hands!
I kinda knew when I first saw the pics that it wasn’t a factory original. Nevertheless, I kinda like how somebody went to the bother of making their own one-off Cadillac convertible. Basically, I’m OK with it in a kinda “if it floats your boat” kinda way. I do have a bit of an affinity for things that are rather unique and out of the ordinary, as opposed to run of the mill. Both on Hemmings and AutoTrader.com, as well as a few car magazines, I’ve come across some other unusual one-offs like this.
OK, if a Cavalier convertible can be modified with enough Cimarron bits to get away with swapping in a Cimarron VIN, then the same thing could be done with a Cavalier wagon. And I want to see someone do it.
+1. A Cimarron wagon would be very cool!
My wife had a cadillac cimarron convertible. I am pretty sure It came that way from the factory because the vin number and title said it was a cimarron convertible. Had the digital dash and was red with tan leather interior and top. It had gold trim which we called the leroy package.
I had an ’87 Cimmaron and that IS the standard Cimmaron dash & gauges. The front air dam and driving lights and wheels are part of the sporty package. This one is missing the ribbed lower body cladding that mine had. As was pointed out, it has the older tail lights and mine did NOT have the trunk lid spoiler. I always wanted to graft the front/rear and interior of mine onto a Sunbird convertible and always imagined this is what the end product would look like. Oh but my wife can be glad this car is long gone…I really REALLY want it!! Unlike most Cimmaron stories, mine was a very good, reliable car. Ran fine till 175,000 miles when I gave it to a friend who managed to sieze the engine after only a few weeks. Grrr. Was gonna run it till 250k miles and retire it!
I built a cimmaron convert 20 yrs ago. I used a 83 sunbird convet(Bryer brown) and a 84 cimmaron 4 dr.It was caddy saffron yellow w/ the brown caddy leather interior. I loved the car so much I am in the pocess of building another. I am using a 87 sunbird convert and a 88 cimmaron. this one will be baby blue w/dark blue leather. It wil also have real caddy wire wheels and a factory continental kit!
Dear Caddy lovers,
I am an Australian bloke and bought a 86 Cimmaron 20 years ago, It has been left original running gea with 13 ” mag wheels 2.8 motor, now has 200000 klms and not a drop of oil burnt
I have put a spoiler on rear boot and just installed a rolls royce style grill from a small wrecked cadilla which. as far as my state and insurance company have found out there are NO cimmarons in Australia and my little sports cadillac turns eyes every day for it is a beautiful cvar to drive and petrol running costs are cheap in comparison to our local cars sadly it has been maligned for to many years and now they are near impossible to find.
It is an icon in my state of Queensland and its bloody fast on its feet.
Cheers from Rob Dalton