After I showed you a nice blue Caprice Classic convertible a couple of days ago, mention of the other 1975 B-body convertibles was made in the comments, and I recalled that I shot this ’75 Delta 88 at one of the Sycamore Mall cruise-ins in Iowa City last year. But that’s not all…
I saw this ’74 Grand Ville just a few weeks ago, on a bitterly cold and windy day–not exactly convertible weather. Still, I had to get at least a couple of shots of this nicely-preserved one: It was so close to fulfilling my goal of finding a ’73 GV for Curbside Classic! This one looked great in maroon/white/white with the Rally IIs and whitewalls.
photo by PN
So imagine: You wanted one of the last “biggie” GM convertibles in the summer of ’75. Would you prefer your B in Chevy, Olds, Buick or Pontiac form? In what colors? With what options?
Or would you forgo the B-body models entirely and perhaps go full-on Brougham, with an E-body Eldo drop-top, despite its dearer sticker?
image: boldride.com
Personally, I would go for a ’75 Grand Ville Brougham–preferably in black, white or bright red, white interior with red accents, and a white top. And as long as I’m dreaming, I’d also like a fiberglass parade boot! How about you?
Pontiac first, Chevy second, Caddy third.
I’d go with the Pontiac also. When I was growing up, our pediatrician drove one very much like that red one above.
none of the above, for a gm ragtop, I’d have to go with my fathers ’61 Buick Invicta (the year I turned 16). Medium green, light green top, dark, medium & light vinyl interior.
nice car to store your stash (see: French connection, rocker panels)
🙂
Buick, silver, white leather, black roof.
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a Grand Ville in anything but red. Growing up, a buddy of mine’s dad had one in the garage—a ’72? I know it had a 455, but they all did til ’75.. The idea was to fix it up and give it to my buddy when he was old enough to drive.
Because my friend showed zero interest in the project, his dad sold it. That friend ended up driving a series of interesting beaters, but his favorite one ever was a ratty old Caravan. Poor taste, I guess.How cool would a 16 year old kid in a cherry red drop top with a big block under the hood be??
The Grand Ville was later seen for sale in town, cleaned up and looking gorgeous. This was in the mid 90s—I think the car was for sale for $8000, which was at least quadruple what the fixer-upper paid for it. Seemed like an outrageous sum at the time—not so much now!
I saw a really nice original GV convertible at a local show a few years ago. It was a butterscotch color in and out. Never my favorite color, but one of those cars looks really good in person.
I think your buddy really missed out, but then who among us really had good judgement at 16?
As for my choice, probably the Buick, although I saw a white-with-red-interior Eldo at an estate sale recently, and it’s still an impressive, though completely anachronistic, car. No idea what that one went for–more than we could spare at the time, I’m sure.
I’ve seen a light blue one-gorgeous!
Pontiac Grandville, all day long. That maroon one with the white top looks pretty good to me, add white vinyl upholstery with the red dash/carpet. Same wheels and whitewalls as shown on that 74.
Olds second (for the powertrain), Buick 3rd and Chevy last. The beltline to quarter panel transition just looks awkward on everything but the GV. The Eldorado is a whole different thing. If we get to go off of the B body reservation and go elsewhere for a final generation convertible, I’ll vote 1969 Chrysler.
JP, that maroon one did indeed have the red and white interior. I am tempted to go back when the weather is better and knocking on the door. Not to buy, but to get its story and do a full CC on it!
I would definitely take that Pontiac Grand Ville. Nice find Tom!
GrandVille, Buick, Olds, Caddy, Chevy in that order.
I’d go with the Chevy before the Oldsmobile and Cadillac but, like most everyone else, Pontiac is first with Buick and Chevy being kind of a toss-up for second and third.
The Eldorado would be much further up except for those idiotic spacers between the turn signals and fenders. Seeing a Cadillac without the spacers looks hideous and it’s not a worry with any of the other convertibles.
Bill Mitchell had a special convertible made for him that elminated that problem. The front fillers were 75-78 only.
Thats Blue Boy, it eliminates the problem by pre-dating them, its a 1971-72 Eldorado that had been updated with square lights, there was a 1975 vintage Yellow Boy, which was an all yellow Mitchell custom Eldorado.
Yellow Boy sold at auction a few years ago for only $35K, which is low considering its a one off factory custom made for Bill Mitchell
http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=401370
Its worth checking out the link, lots of neat factory custom Mitchell touches, engine turned dash, no wood, custom leather, all chromed engine compartment.
That green ’75 Eldorado is simply divine. The green leather is just perfect although white leather would work too. I’m too hung up on the ’73 B convertibles to consider a ’74 or ’75. ‘Cept the Eldo. I don’t much care for any of the ’73 Cadillacs oddly enough.
That light blue Caprice 1st, then a dark blue D-88, red GV, and light blue LeSabre.
Perhaps nobody has a passion for convertibles that exceeds mine, but, please, hold the white top. Too high-maintenance.
You are absolutely right about white tops. I had 64 and 65 LeMans converts with white tops. Both bought used in less than perfect condition. (The 64 WAY less than perfect.) Maintenance is basically impossible. But they do look great when freshly scrubbed.
My ’90 Mustang (7-Up edition–white top only) went thru 4 tops 23 years and that number should be 5!
Chevy, first and only.
I’m a normally a Cadillac guy, but I never liked the ’71-’78 Eldorados, so I would say Chevy, Olds, Pontiac, Buick Cadillac is my order of preference.
I’ve always been partial to Oldsmobiles – so that’s my choice.
Let me go out on a limb here and declare that Carmine is all over that Eldo!
Me?? I ‘m ok w/ the Buick LaSabre basket case.
The ’71 Delta 88 is one of the best of these, and underappreciated. Small bumper, beautiful taillights, wonderful driver oriented dash layout. They look much less ponderous than later versions.
Ohhhh, super stock III’s
Those were one version of the “rubber” wheels, right?
I highly recommend clicking the pic for the full size version. From the thumbnail, I thought this car was in partial primer.
SLOBBERdrool. This is the most attractive ’71-6 Convertible to me. What an unusual color! I like the 4-spoke Olds steering wheel. I put one of those wheels on the triple white ’73 Delta 88 Convertible I used to have: it looked fantastic and “correct”.
The SSIIIs are indeed “rubber” and the most delicate Polycast wheel I can think of. The rubber is very thick & vulnerable around the outer “holes” and they are so hard to find undamaged. Trim rings for these are just about extinct.
This beautiful 88 belong(ed?) to an acquaintance, and was a complete restoration. I think the color is called Briar, and it’s a really stunning brown metallic. Matching interior.
I thought the wheels looked odd when I first saw the car, but they are indeed correct.
If I’m not mistaken, I think those wheels were only available in 71.
Me too – what a beaut!
I did, very impressive, loaded up too, just like I like them, cornering lamps and outside thermometer!
Don’t forget about that Rocket V8 sound!
I couldn’t have picked better myself. Any of the years I would have picked Olds first, but the 71-72’s are the best looking of the bunch. The Pontiac biggies of this era are just plain ugly.
-1
Actually the ’71 Grand Ville is my second favorite, and they’re practically extinct. Let me know if you find one. Here’s a pic of a Catalina. The Grand Ville was even more fabulous.
I just think they jumped the shark. The Chevy and the Buick stayed relatively conservative, but I never liked the heavy handed beak (and what it devolved into) on the Big Pontiacs and the 1969+ Grand Prix.
The famous Pontiac beak was the product of the famous trio of Pontiac’s revival Bunkie Knudsen, John DeLorean, and Pete Estes. It is believed that Knudsen had a facination with car noses and it has become a prominent feature of the cars that he is associated with. Especially apparent are the Grand Prix, LeMans, and the Ford TBird for 1969 while he was President of Ford. Jack Humbert was Pontiac’s styling chief in the 1960s and largely responsible for the prominent ‘beak’ from the late 1960s to the 1970s. Pontiac’s grille design was a trademark of the marque until the very end.
That beak was polarizing, much as the current Acura beak that’s received so much hate (and which has now been toned down.) The funny thing is that a lot of the Pontiac front ends in the ’60s-70s were reminiscent of the Edsel, which was so derided for its similar front end treatment. Yet Pontiacs sold like hotcakes with it, at least at first. Life just isn’t fair.
Beautiful !!! I love those wheels… and the four spoke steering . Fantastic car.
Wow!!! That is beautiful!! The KING of the 70’s B Convertibles with all the Bells and Whistles. Last night after reading this I flipped through the old brochures and settled on the 71 Olds as the top choice with the Super Stock wheels. Also like where the gills are on the 71. Believe they are on the front fenders on the 72. The color of the one above is, I believe, a one year only GM Color. Always kind of liked it. Plus I am not that crazy about white interior, looks great when nice and clean, but awful when worn or dirty. Don’t like the grill as well on any of the 72 B’s. 2nd choice would be a 75 Grandville and 3rd would be the 71 Centurion. Of course I would not turn any of them away if at the right price. A big B convertible has always been one of my dream cars.
I kind of like the ’71-’74 Eldorados, so they would be a top choice if I had my druthers. The rectangular lights of the ’75-’78 Eldo do nothing for me. If we’re sticking with the cars that I would have seriously considered buying at the time had I not been an infant/toddler during this era, my first pick would be a ’74 or ’76 Caprice convertible (I don’t like the round headlights on the front end of the ’75). Follow that up with Pontiac, Buick, and Olds in that order.
The ’75 Caprice convertible was the last — so there never was one with rectangular headlights. It could be created rather easily, though!
Oldsmobile first, Pontiac second, followed by the Cadillac and Buick, with the Chevrolet in last place.
A 1975 Pontiac GrandVille in white with red interior like in the picture looks very classy. If I am not mistaken, Oldsmobile sold by far the most out of all of GM convertibles of the era.
I’ve never been a convertible person no matter what make/model. Sorry, but give me a moon/astroroof anyday of the week.
I always wondered what goes on in the minds of people who own convertibles yet use the a/c on hot days…?? Why in the heck did you buy the convertible in the first place? Especially in Illinois, where “droptop weather” is a rarity.
1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible: Barrett-Jackson Auction, 2011 – $31,000:
That appears to be a Bicentennial Edition and probably a low-mileage one at that which explains its high price. A regular Eldorado, even in mint but driveable condition, is going to go for no more than $15-18K.
http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/374625.html
I left my good sense in the last car I sold.
The A/C in mine always has been for my wife. When she’s not there, the top is down; I don’t care if it’s 103 outside.
Cause there is nothing like driving with the a/c on and top down in a 5000lb convertible while getting 8mpg…..and then you light a cigar with a twenty.
White grand ville with red guts and a white top for me.
I’d go for a ’72 Caprice convert with sky blue paint, blue interior and cloth seats with a black top, with some tinted glass to give it an ever so slightly sinister look.
Would have to have the F41 handling package in any of these cars to combat the float.
Buick, red/white/white. Magnums and dual pipes. A neighbor had one like that when I was a kid, and it really stood out among the sensible dull cars of mid-’80s Maine.
Do you really have to ask, Buick all the way. I like the light blue with the white interior and top though I could do red with white too.
Add me to the list of folks who would much rather have a 1969 or 1970 300 convertible than any of these GM boats.
Answer: pick 1) the one that’s in the best condition; and 2) white interiors only.
I’ll never forget the scalded arms and legs from the all black vinyl morrokide interior of my 79 Grand Prix. Never again…
Aside fom that, they’re all equally good.
Olds Delta 88. I’ve always had a soft spot for Oldsmobiles.
I’d probably lean towards the Oldsmobile, but that was a decent enough year for Buick styling too. If I got the Caprice I’d have to replace the front end with a ’76, those ’76 Caprices are some of my favorite 1970s designs. Come to think of it, if I found an 88 in bad enough condition I’d upgrade the body to a ’76 98 (I don’t like the idea of altering cars that are already in good original condition).
But I’m not really that big on convertibles, and I’d rather have a ’73 Oldsmobile or ’72 Buick Centurion if I had to pick.
The 1973 Grand Ville and Eldorado convertibles have the most “youthful-looking,” least ornate tail treatments of all these, if you can tolerate their front ends.
No love for the Buick? I’d go Pontiac first, Buick second.
In 71-73, of the B-bodies (incl. sedans and coupes) the Caprice looked great and so did the LeSabre and Delta. The Pontiacs looked great in ’73. Then when the big bumpers came in and that tacky new roofline for the coupes, the Chev and Olds got uglied up. Not a fan of them from 74-76, but the Pontiac and Buick both looked fantastic in those years! The 71-73 sheet metal on those actually suited the 74-76 roof and bumpers. Ditto on the Electra of those years. But the 98? No thank you.
Jimmy Pattison (I think he’s the richest guy in British Columbia) has a 75 or 76 Pontiac Grandville in Red with a white top and white interior. He still drives it around town the odd time when we have a sunny day – and occasionally you will see it parked in front of the Wedgewood Hotel in downtown Vancouver – a pleasant change from the usual Bentleys and Lambos that the ‘new money’ have valeted there. The Grandville commands the most attention for sure.
Hmmm, this a tough one.
Chevrolet last for sure, the interior is too plain, no armrests in the front seats on full sizer? The dash is kinda plain too.
Buick would be the smart choice since I already have a 75 Estate Wagon and a good amount of 75 Buick parts too, I saw a loaded up 455 LeSabre ragtop last year in Daytona, full boat with auto climate control, cornering lamps, vigilite, the works. I could go for a nice Centurion if the option was available.
The Grand Ville is the sporty choice, it was the only “Bee” that you could still get a full gauge cluster(except tach) in, plus it still kept the deluxe door panels with the fancier window/lock switch pod. The Pontiac Rally II’s look good on the Grand Ville, but then again so do the Buicks Road Wheels, there was a curious adjustable pedal option on the full size Pontiacs which is neat
The Eldosaur….what else can you say? My inner pimp/boss hogg/bob guccione says YES. Properly equipped the Eldorado has way more equipment than the B’s, twlight sentinel, guidematic, fuel injection, track master rear wheel ABS, or 4 wheel discs in 76. Plus I always liked that Cadillac went the extra mile and even added a rear lamp monitor on the convertibles, there is just something awesome about a 500 cid engine and that regulation pool table sized hood with the fist sized Cadillac wreath and crest way way out in the distance.
The Olds, never thought much about them, if it had the right equipment and was a 455 I would consider it.
I would go…Eldo first, LeSabre/GrandVille tied for 2nd, Delta 88 3rd and Chevrolet 4th.
I honestly don’t know which way I would go here, as they are all beautiful.
You know, despite the fact that these cars are obscenely huge, and were not always assembled the best, these cars still had style by the mile!
I’ll take the Olds, if for no other reason than the wheel openings are among the most beautifully shaped ever.
Of the above choices, I would have to go with a Buick. If thinking outside the box but in the same general timeframe, as JPC and pfsm have, I would go with a 69 Dodge Polara/Monaco or 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible. Of course, I’ve already voted with my wallet: 1966 Chrysler Newport.
oh – my lifelong love hate relationship with B Body scissor top cars…..I sold both my 69 and 70 Electra 225 hardtop sedans to buy a 72 Delta 88 (with Polycast wheels!) that had been traded in at the Chevy?Buick dealership I worked at, only to come in the following morning to find it had been thrown in to sweeten a wholesale deal to get rid of 2 75 V-6 Centuries. Have wanted a 71-72 88 polycast car since…
5 years later I got my tax return and started looking for a cheap convertible. Before the day was out I had picked up 72 Grand Ville for a quick thousand bucks. Turned out to be one of the best cars I’d ever own, I still have it 23 years later. Neat car, it has the
“hybrid” 5mph bumper in front, but looks like a small bumper car..Love it or hate it, it’s totally Bill MItchell front to back – I like it more than the later big bumper cars.
I bought the car at 180k miles, it now has 280k on it, and I havent taken a wrench to it for the 8 years or so…..and yes, I couldnt resist putting a Caddy parade boot on it.
That’s a beautiful car, and almost as rare as the ’71. It looks like a very similar color to the ’71 88 I posted above. Hang on to that, it’s a real find!
Nice to see such a car have a deserving owner. Congrats on 280K wonderful miles. Although I’m heavily biased toward the ’73s, I think the ’72 Grand Ville is the prettiest ’71-’75 Pontiac convertible.