In the early 1960s, Cadillac brought some short deck variants to market – known as the Park Avenue. Pictured here is the aftershock – the extended deck Cadillac Sedan DeVille Long Island Edition.
With optional pagoda hardtop.
Yep, a trick of the camera. Same thing makes this Eldo look particularly short-decked.
The roof comes courtesy of Bela Barenyi’s K-55. It was the inspiration for the pagoda roof treatment on Mercedes-Benz coupes. In its original form, you could pitch a tent and sleep on top.
On the SDV Long Island, the optional pagoda hardtop was used as a structural member for a surface built to accommodate a Bell Jet Ranger.
These 1974 Cadillacs fit nicely into their generation.
The 1971/72 have more sculptural front ends, but this year succeeds where the similarly squared-off 1973 doesn’t in having the turning lights outboard. Even the 1975/76 with their rectangular headlights don’t really let this overall shape down. Cadillac styling definitely sustained during this period where its lesser siblings were getting increasingly overwrought and clunky barrierfied.
In the hardtop body, the SDV outsold the Calais 60,419 to 2,324; but to be honest any of these sedans would suit.
Special mention must go to the Fleetwood 75. These years produced a fender/c-pillar treatment that put all other limousines to shame.
The rear end of these 71-76 sedans is a genuine aesthetic success. That razor-sharp trailing edge undiminished since the 64 crisped up the 63. I love them.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
Further Reading
1963 Park Avenue by Dave Skinner
1973 Fleetwood 75 by Paul Niedermeyer
1974 Fleetwood Talisman by Gerardo Solis
DESECRATION! 😲 DEGRADATION! 😢 😭! A real Cruel El DEVILE . 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 .
! Are those operating street car tracks ?! .
-Nate
Although I can’t see the plates, it’s a RHD car. Probably taken in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne (Caulfield or Malvern at a guess), in which case yes the system is fully operational.
My God, I’m old enough to remember those 70’s long wheelbase black Fleetwood 75′ factory limos lined up in my hometown airport of Miami Int for livery duty The drivers would always wear a black suit, gloves and one of those swanky black driver’s hats. The Fleetwood 75 limo had to be the perfect car for gliding home after that long Pan Am flight returning from a shopping trip in Europe with that ample trunk and wonderful back seat.
Barenyi’s K-55 looks like he cut the B pillars out of a 4-door Corvair and shortened both ends. Do a GIS and there are a few other pictures; the clamshell hood and trunk lid look very much like cut-down 1960 Chevy truck units, compounding what seems to be really heavy GM influence on a Mercedes prototype. It would be interesting to see it fully dressed for production with doors and full-featured front and rear fascias in place of the pedal-car like pieces that only suggest a general idea of headlights and such.
The shadow on the ‘C’ pillar in the first picture gives the impression of a ‘wrap-around’ rear glass like some cars had in the sixties! I thought it was a custom job for a second…?