I seem to have gotten carried away in a swoosh of nostalgia after seeing my old 89 Cadillac Brougham. The Cadillac Broughams got a more extensive treatment with a 1987 model posted earlier today, so now would be a good time to say a few words about the last of the Brick Broughams.
I have never been crazy about the final years of this car. Up through 89, there was a certain Cadillac-ness that those cars captured very well. But with Lincoln’s first new Town Car in a decade, Cadillac apparently saw the need to tart up modernize the Brougham.
The big single headlights, the massive lower bodyside cladding and a 2 inch increase in ride height did nothing good for the look of this car, in my view. I have also never been a fan of the door-mounted automatic seatbelts. One would think that GM could have spent a little money on a new dashboard and airbags. This dash went all the way back to 1977 and the steering wheel to 1979, so I think that GM got its moneys worth out of them. GM might have been more successful investing on the inside of this car than with the full restyle of 1993-96.
The only redeeming feature was the switch from the anemic Oldsmobile 307 to the more muscular Chevrolet 305 and 350 V8s. I guess it’s all about your perspective: Are you outside looking in, or behind the wheel.
But here is an example for your consideration. This one is the d’Elegance trim level with the extra poofy seats and the vinyl roof trim over the rear door quarter windows. (The Cadillac of Cadillacs?) Who among us can’t find a little love in our hearts for white leather interiors? I spied this car at my local supermarket a couple of weeks ago, and got a minute to speak with the owner as he loaded his groceries. An older gentleman, this is one of four that he owns. He plainly enjoys the old Cadillacs, and has had this one for about 4 years. It could use a bit of a spiff up, but who among us couldn’t?
So the question for your consideration is this: Do you prefer your Brougham with the extra lipstick or without?
Lipstick, please, but with the real wire wheels.
I prefer the first one that you owned but a 350 mill would be ok with all that weight, WTF are automatic seat belts something we werent inflicted with
Bryce, you are so lucky that your country never had these miserable things. They ruined so many cars. For a good write-up on these gawdawful contraptions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_seat_belts#Automatic_seat_belts
OMG I see what you mean I gradually learn to use seatbelts years ago now thru being fined and a couple of crashes where they helped save a friends life I even fitted belts to a 63 Holden I rebuilt though it wasnt a requirement i didnt grow up using them but I see my daughter and her friends automaticly belt up in my car its been hammered into them with tv ads My car has a drivers seatbelt warning light and a warning on the radio screen until you belt up but it also has a deactivation switch for the front passenger airbag so as it doesnt kill kids.
For Bryce and others – GM cars in North America of this period didn’t really have “automatic” seat belts. Rather, these were a half-assed version of “passive” belts. You “crawled” under them – or – simply unhooked them and buckled them like “regular” seat belts. (I had a ’90 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport Wagon of this vintage).
These are not to be confused with the “hamster track” retractable seat belts forced on NA cars (usually Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi and I believe some Toyotas and Nissans of the ’89-’93 vintage). Those suck – and- they’re only the shoulder harnesses! (not the lap belts!!). Why bother?
Honda had them too, especially the 1991-93 models until airbags became a requirement.
I know as my parents had a 1991 EX sedan. They didn’t bother us too much as we used out belts one way or the other anyway.
When Honda finally added air bags in ’92, the fan-boys then talked as if Honda invented them.
I had a two-door Geo Metro with these GM-style door belts. Just once, out of curiosity I left them buckled when I parked. When I got back in, the lap belt set itself just under my knees.
I went back to using them as normal seat belts.
At least the Caddys didn’t suffer the indignity of the motorized automatic belts that so many other cars of this era were equipped with. The Caddy belts could be used like conventional seat belts, just attached to the door instead of the B pillar.
Never like those headlights. If you retro fit the older style then this would be ok.
I can go either way, but I will admit that the 1980′s version seemed more, well, timeless. Neverthless, these are what one thinks of when the idea of “real Cadillac” comes to mind.
There is a collector in Dallas, TX that LOVES these things and has an amazing collection of them.
http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm
Oh, lipstic for sure for me! That White Whale up there is one of my all time favorites.
I like every single RWD Cadi from 1971-1992, if you couldn’t already tell. Only year that rubs me the wrong way is ’77 with the ugly 2 piece taillights, cheaper, non-padded vinyl roofs, and straps for door pulls instead of the casket handles. And of course the bad engines from the 80s..
So long story short: like both equally. And the extra body cladding: it works pretty well on this car, and I’m by no means a GM cladding fan. But, this car still looks contemporary to me, and I’m not an old geezer. The last of the Bill Mitchell era cars with the “sheer look” (look it up) when GM still styled them…
I like both, but prefer the later versions. There was a business owner in town that had an all-black 1990-92 model with factory gold package and the personalized plate PACEMKR. Frequently seen about town until 2004 or so when it disappeared. The example above would be welcome in my garage.
This will sound really stupid, but I always thought the very curvy gear selector lever was a strong indicator of luxury. I went so far as to pull one from an old Caddy at the junk yard to install on my ’78 Impala, but it had so much pullback on it it would kiss the steering wheel when you went to take it out of Park.
I thought it looked so cool I kept it installed anyway.
Less lipstick, please. The suspension lift (why???) makes this longer-lower-wider beast look as silly as a Chrysler 300C AWD. And we didn’t even get AWD!
Having said that, I’m frustrated that the downsized Fleetwood/Brougham cars never had a “perfect year.” The best engines were in 1994-1996. The best coachwork was in the late ’80′s. The biggest (if not best) engines were in the late 1970s. I gather that the the 1995-1996 models had the best handling, though that term is highly relative. (I almost bought a 1995, but an emergency maneuver on the test drive frightened me back to German cars.)
In spite of all that, these are on my someday-list. Maybe a 1989 for its classic proportions. And a 1995 because it’s the last dinosaur. (No 1996 models for me; no OBD II means no emissions in MA!) Panthers have their charms, but they don’t have tailfins.
The “lipstick” Broughams are my favorite, if only for the cleaner look of the composite headlights and the two-tone taillights. And I especially like it in white.
I understand that if you have a front end accident with one of these, you will have a devil of a time finding a front clip. The 1990-92 front clip is a direct bolt on to any 1980-89 model, and is a very common mod especially for 1980-85 coupes getting the lowrider treatment.
I have one of these almost identical to the one pictured, but not a d’Elegance . . . It has 256,000 miles on it! These things are amazing for durability and reliability! I prefer the non-lipstick look – especially as that extra vinyl roof makes the rear window even smaller. However, you couldn’t get fuel injection until ’91 – and I’m on a strictly NO CARB diet. Not to mention the Fuel Injection gives it the power needed to get out of its own way. So it has to be a lipstick model for me.
The ’90-92′s Broughams were the best ’77-’79 Caddies. Love me some Chevy 350. This girl could scoot. Hoo!
I still would LOVE a Cadillac Brougham. But only an ’86-’91 in this body style. I have had two mid-eighties GM cars (’85 Buick LeSabre Collector’s Edition and ’86 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham) with the 307-4bbl. Decent power – great low end grunt; not a race car – but did what it did well in the cars they were put into – cruisers – and had that distincive “Olds burble/rumble”. On both of mine, I enhanced that sound with Flowmasters and 2 1/2″ pipes.
You could feel more “oomph” on such 307 equipped cars with a lower-restriction exhaust, such as the Flowmaster setup I had. Guesstimate 5 hp gain. I know for a fact I picked up and extra 1-2 mpg – Plus, that Oldsmobile “rocket” deep baritione exhaust note. Sounds like no other car on the planet.
These cars were not SUPPOSED to be “S” type Mercedes wanna-be’s – these were just an evolution of the traditional, BOF, RWD classic American cruisers (although, by this time, Lincoln was doing it much better).
I recently saw a cherry ’91 Brougham (white w/blue velour seats) a guy brought here to Hawaii from Florida – a low mileage estate car. Man! What a beauty!! I waited for him to cruise past just to hear the lamented, and much missed (muted) burble of that Oldsmobile 5.0L (307).
Yes – I do remember seeing in the day a couple of 5.7L (Chevy 350) Broughams. Most were pressed into trailer-towing duty as they had the pre-requisite “grunt”.
I prefer the original 77-79 bodies. Still the classiest. I know a guy who has a 92 Brougham, treats it like a baby. I can’t say I blame him.
Quite frankly, I prefer Hondas.
The “lift” on those were due to the fact that the 350 had too much torque for the standard Brougham suspension. So, Cadillac had to use a beefed up suspension in order to handle it. Also, I’ve heard that the standard “wire” wheel covers couldn’t handle the torque either. So, all Broughams that used the 350 sit a little higher than the others.
So that’s why they were jacked up. Typical GM bandaid fix.
actually, there were TWO 307 V8s.
You could get the normal LQ4–140 hp, but some of the rare chassis codes had 8 instead of V in the VIN ? I think…there was a HO 307 with 170 hp in ’87 and ’88. most of them were 140 hp though.
While not a huge fan of these kinds of cars in any marquee, I love that it’s white (normally nor my favorite automotive color) and add to it, the burgundy red dash and steering wheel to an otherwise all white car!
Classy!
I beefed up mine to what this rougham should have been for its last running traditional size and style. I am not done…im going to make a couple other mild modz to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DRMm6pqmwE&feature=fvsr
I just bought one of these. It’s a 1990 with the 5.7, Academy Gray, non d’elegance. I absolutely love it. It has only 82k on it, and rides/drives like a cadillac should. I think I’m probably the only 18 yr. old who loves these cars. For me, the only way to travel is Cadillac Style!
I currently own this exact car in dark gray with the 307 Olds V8. When I first got it with 70K miles it could only muster 14.8 second 0-60 times. With some carb work and tweaks, a new catalytic converter, tune up etc it now does the same run in 11 seconds which is hardly quick but no longer seriously under powered territory. The Olds mill puts of 255 FT LBS of torque at a low 2000 RPM’s and gives this car enough scoot starting out. The only real place it feels slow is when trying to over take another vehicle on the open road. Otherwise I love it.