I’ve never been what anyone could consider a connoisseur of fine wines, even before I gave up alcohol toward the beginning of last year. I still have extremely limited knowledge in the area of enology, with the only notable rules of thumb that have remained with me being that the type or color of wine served with the meal should match that of the meat, i.e. red wine with red meat, white wine with fish, etc. That’s even probably wrong, but that’s how little I care these days. I would much rather have had a dry martini or Manhattan to sip on with a meal than a glass of wine, but if wine was what was being served, I was usually one hundred percent okay with it. Listen. I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to pretend to have a fancy wine palate, even if I can appreciate nice things just like everybody else.
One other wine fact that had seemed to stick with me was that rosé was generally the most inexpensive and lowbrow variety of wines available. I mean absolutely no disrespect to you if rosé is your favorite or go-to. Lots of people like rosé. I’ve had some before, and it tasted just fine to me. It was crisp and fruity, and if it wasn’t too sweet, it also didn’t leave me with a headache and/or in need of chewing gum afterward. According to one story from the Los Angeles Times from a few years ago, and as echoed in other information available online, rosé takes little time, effort, or cost to produce relative to other wines. Fermentation is brief, so there’s a lot less time between the vineyard to the shelf in the adult beverage aisle at the local Target.
When I came across this 1990 Fleetwood coupe just over four years ago, rosé is exactly what came to mind when I looked at its color scheme. “Antelope Firemist” is the official color for the top half of its two-tone paint job, with “Warm Silver” accents below. I can appreciate a good turn of phrase and clever name, and I admire the poetry that went into naming this pinkish, champagne-like hue. But, no. For its once-prestigious Fleetwood name, this beautifully maintained Cadillac coupe looks like the automotive equivalent of a glass of rosé poured from a box made of the finest laminated cardboard that came from the shelf of the Jewel-Osco supermarket that stands one block away from where I photographed it.
Both car and wine seem like they would be appreciated by a mature lady named Maxine with a beaded cigarette purse in which she always stores a fresh box of Capri menthol lights. The scent of her White Diamonds perfume over the baked-in aroma of secondhand smoke and air deodorizer inside the car is its own evocative blend, enchanting in its own way. It is a familiar scent of my Rust Belt childhood, reminding me of any family restaurant or checkout line at a Meijer store in Genesee County, Michigan. Maxine’s fuzzy, pastel-colored angora sweaters and vivid Avon cosmetics have a certain, Midwestern sense of class and style, recognizable among a certain demographic. She’s a lady and she does her part to look and dress like one as best as she knows how.
An early Lexus LS 400. Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois. Monday, November 5, 2012.
And so our 1990 Fleetwood coupe, which originally had cost $32,400 from the factory (over twice as much in 2021, at around $67,800, adjusted), comes across in very much the same way as Maxine. Even when it was new, it was sporting the adornments of years past in the form of fender skirts, a padded vinyl landau roof, and a two-tone paint treatment. It has already been written about here at Curbside about how the Lexus LS400 was a game-changer in the luxury car market when it first arrived at the beginning of ’89 for the 1990 model year. Its base price of $36,000 ($75,400 / adjusted) was only about 9% more than the $32,980 starting price of the Fleetwood four-door. The 3,800-pound, rear-wheel-drive Lexus also featured a 250-horsepower 4.0L V8 engine. The front-drive, 3,500-lb. Cadillac’s larger 4.5L V8 put out only 180 horses.
We’re not talking about performance here, though. We’re talking about aesthetics, style, and perceived class. This ’90 Fleetwood comes across like the rosé of luxury cars, seeming somewhat inexpensive to produce as it looks almost exactly like the lesser Coupe DeVille, which in fact I had originally thought it was until closer examination of my pictures at home. Maybe the Lexus would be a fine Bordeaux, a red wine which is known for being full-bodied, tannic, and powerful. Before researching at the dimensions of both vehicles, I assumed that the Lexus had a wider, longer stance. I was wrong. Both cars measure exactly 71.7 inches wide without mirrors, and the LS400 is actually six inches shorter than this two-door Cadillac from bumper to bumper. Both cars also share the exact same wheelbase length of 110.8 inches. These numerical facts are hard to believe, as the Lexus simply looks more substantial.
Here’s another fun fact about this ’90 Fleetwood coupe: with sales of only 2,438, it was the only regular-production individual model and configuration of Cadillac that year to actually be outsold by the Allanté roadster, which found 3,101 buyers. Here’s where my rosé comparison falls completely apart. Rosé still seems to be widely popular as a beverage for brunch or even in the afternoon. I may not drink anymore, nor am I dining out even as occasionally as I used to before the pandemic, but I’m not living under a rock. For the 1990 calendar year, Lexus sold about 42,800 LS400s against about 25,300 combined sales of Cadillac’s Fleetwood and Sixty Special. Sometimes more is actually more, and people are ready to pay for extra quality in the very best when they see it. (For the record, sales of the lesser Cadillac DeVille totaled just over 149,000 that same year.)
I chose the Lexus as a comparison vehicle for no other reason than it seemed to be the new luxury car benchmark of its day, much as Cadillac had been for decades arguably up to some point in the late 1960s or the early ’70s. I also want to be clear that I like this Fleetwood. I was taught from a young age to take care of my things, like my toys, clothes, and records, and to take pride of ownership in them. That someone had maintained this erstwhile Cadillac flagship (excepting the Allanté) this well demonstrates a level of caring about something, anything, which seems to be rarer these days. This apparent quality has real value in my eyes. Even during my college years when I might not have been able to afford anything but a box of Franzia rosé to entertain a group of friends, you had better believe I was going to serve it in my very nicest hodgepodge of mismatched stemware I had amassed from Sunshine Thrift Store. Whatever you do and however you roll, always do it with a touch of class. Make Maxine proud.
Wrigleyville, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, October 8, 2017.
The rosé wine glass picture, Fleetwood postcard illustration, and print ad were as sourced from the internet.
As declassé as rosé has become, it seems that winemakers will do anything these days to avoid calling their wines “rosé.”
“Blush” gets used a lot. Or, if going varietal, “White” Something, even if it isn’t really white, more a rosé.
Now, back to cars…
This has me thinking about the approximate time by which the “rosé” label fell out of fashion. Maybe by the early ’90s? I honestly have no idea.
I would bet, though, that rosé was in full bloom when this Riunite commercial first aired.
I just want to know how that guy at the end hits an out-of-the-park homer and yet the ball only bounces a few inches…
Great analogy, and a great point about taking care of your things.
As an aside – that Lexus still looks fresh, which is a quality I really admire in a car; that is, timeless styling. I’m not sure how a designer achieves it, but I know it when I see it. The 88(?)-94 Maxima has that too, although it’s been a while now since I’ve seen one.
Thanks for another great write-up.
Thanks, Alan. You cited two designs I also think still look great in 2021. I remember scratching my head when the ’95 Maxima came out, as well as the 2005 VW Passat. I suppose I was bound to be at least a little disappointed with what followed all of these cars, seeing that these generations were pretty much perfect from an aesthetic perspective. To my eyes, anyway.
Wine… where do I begin? I love the taste of a good wine, but I can’t stand the feeling of being even slightly inebriated so I rarely drink it anymore. Alcohol has the opposite effect on me than on some other people; it makes me asocial. And like I have a headache.
Also a factor is the frustration of finding a good wine. And once I find one, it changes the next year (liquor store pet peeve: “shelf talker” cards bragging about how some wine I’ve never heard of scored 92 points in some wine-snob magazine, only to find the actual bottles being sold are from the subsequent year’s vintage than what’s on the card. And the guy who works there telling me it’ll taste the same when I complain about it). Also, despite what I read, wine doesn’t taste any different to me regardless of what shape the glass is or using some fancy decanting technique. If I find a wine I like, I’ll happily drink it out of a Solo cup. But mostly I stick to vegetable juice, milk, Diet Coke, or a rare Irish creme – stuff that won’t change tastes on me every year.
I was just thinking recently how for the first time I could see myself driving a new Cadillac, specifically the CT4-V Blackwing with the 6 speed manual, or maybe the next-size-up CT5-V also so equipped. Car mags and blogs are gushing about how great they are to drive compared to new BMWs – who would’ve predicted that in the ’90s? Cadillac has had some other decent vehicles over the last decade, but I just couldn’t get past the snooty image I associated with Cadillacs and some of their owners from my formative years. It doesn’t help that the craptastic ’80s Cadillacs coincided with my first decade of being old enough to drive.
This Fleetwood was from when Cadillac was just starting to recover from their ’80s missteps, lengthening their cars, bringing back wheel skirts and big bladelike taillights, and a more powerful and reliable engine. But there was no getting around that the proportions are just off, and it was obviously trying to appeal to those who really wanted a 1975 Coupe de Ville, or at least a 1978, and just had a “has-been” image, probably like Packards did in 1954. I don’t find the styling effort any better than that of the oft-criticized 1980 T-Bird or Mark VI coupe, both of which tried unsuccessfully to reuse 1970s big-car motifs on a shorter, stockier car. So why did these sell reasonably well (at least in lower-end de Ville trim)? I think buyers put up with the awkward proportions because it was practical and very comfortable once you were inside, and reasonably attractive. You and up to five others could stretch out on those comfy bench seats, and the huge windows and low beltline gave you a great vista view outward. For those turned off by the new wave of sports sedans that weren’t all that plush or soft-riding, this was the antidote.
I do actually remember seeing the newly-lengthened ’89 Cadillacs in realtime and really liking them. I was in high school when I first saw one parked on the street in my middle-class neighborhood, and as you mused, I also thought this redesign signaled GM’s recommitment to pulling out of their box-tastic ’80s aesthetic.
I may be in the minority, but I would very much prefer a 1977 – ’79 Coupe DeVille to a ’75. In fact, I’d dig one as a classic (in stock form) today, though it wouldn’t be my first choice.
Yeah, with wine or alcohol in general, part of my thought process is that if I feel like I need a buzz to stand being around certain people or types of people or situations, just cut those things and people out. What’s worse than being annoyed? Being annoyed with a buzz.
I’d rather drive the 77-79 too – same overall appearance and good proportions (maybe better) of the pre-downsized 76, but in a “more manageable” size as GM put it at the time (they avoided ever calling their downsized cars “smaller”, instead going with “new size”, “international size”, or “more manageable”). But the ’85 just looked like a toy car compared to the 77-79 and lacked presence. The 1980 facelift looked good on the sedans – I’ve gone back on forth on whether the pre- or post-facelift Sedan de Ville looked better – but they blew it with the 1980 coupes, which were really just 2 door sedans now with the stiff 4 door roofline. Buyers agreed with me – the CdV actually outsold the SdV 77-79 (perhaps picking off some personal luxury coupe buyers at the height of their popularity – the Eldo was too huge for some of them by 77 and 78), but faltered on the 80 and later, never to recover.
Oh, so much here. First, a Fleetwood coupe! You should get 5000 CC spotter bonus points for this one.
Second, make this car a Deville sedan and it would be a clone of the one our nonagenarian neighbor owned when we moved to our current house. It was (of course) his last car but he was unhappy with it. He felt that Cadillac had failed him.
Third, I am kind of with you on wine. I have a case of wine inferiority because I know what I don’t know about it. I will usually choose a cocktail or a beer over a glass of wine.
Finally, this generation of Cadillac as the box wine of luxury cars! Brilliant! And no, I would not have guessed that this car shares a wheelbase with and is longer than the Lexus LS. The styling on these cars was dreadful in so many ways.
Talk about a product with an ‘image problem’… cardboard boxes are actually a much better container for wine (yes, including high-quality wine) than traditional wine packaging. The plastic bladder inside that holds the wine contracts as it’s used, eliminating air space and allowing it to taste good for weeks after opening. You don’t need a corkscrew to open it. You’ll never get cork taint. It’s much more environmentally friendly and has a much lower carbon footprint. It’s easier to transport, carry and store. It’s more convenient to use, having a spout. It weighs less. It’s less expensive. It won’t break if you drop it.
Disadvantages? well – it’s déclassé…
Just like canned craft beer. There was always a stigma amongst craft beer enthusiasts about beer in a can.
That is until the craft brewers realized that this was better packaging. It keeps out light. This is very important as UV is the ENEMY of Hops. – Don’t get me started on those lame Corona commercials encouraging drinking that stuff out of a clear bottle in the sun on some beach somewhere… No wonder they need the lime stuffed in it. It’s to mask the skunk, but I digress…
Once craft brewers started canning their beers, we beer geeks STFU about it. 🙂
There are a few halfway decent box-o-wines. Bota-Box is better than the cheaper Franzia stuff, but it’s nothing to write home about. And it comes in halfway decent varietals, as well as a pretty good red blend called Revolution, or Evolution… I forget now.
Also, cans are also lighter in weight, and aren’t as tall as glass bottles, so there’s more flexibility in storing it in a refrigerator.
Agreed, about the boxes. Which is why that’s just about all we buy anymore. It’s a much better way to keep it; it lasts for weeks. Since we don’t drink much, that works out perfectly. No need to deal with opening bottles all the time.
And one can find quite nice wines in boxes. Stephanie gets these natural dry-farmed wines from France that are are very good. The fact that they’re “natural” means they don’t have any chemicals and are made the way wines were once upon a time.
And she buys a rose (in a box too). In fact that’s what we have open right now. Not at all too sweet, and quite a good accompaniment for the typical evening meal here, which tends to be rather light.
The rep that boxed rose has is of course well earned from the past, but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying ours.
And if you are someone that does drink a lot, the boxes stack well, too.
I would actually feel a little bit sad for a nonagenarian who had looked forward to owning what he had presumed to be his or her final Cadillac purchase and being disappointed with it. I hope that doesn’t happen to me with any of the things I might look forward to late in my own life (if I’ve been so blessed), but who can predict the future? I’d like to think I’d just suck it up and find at least something nice to enjoy about it. Like some of the cars I write about here, I guess. 🙂
Another great write up Joe. When it comes to wine, I prefer Chardonnay when I feel like wine, which isn’t often. I can see your point about Flint, I just can’t see that city crawling with wine snobs. Lake Oswego, Oregon it’s not. L.O. is a city 5 miles from where I live, but it might as well be in a different country. It’s the Beverly Hills of N.W. Oregon. A wine shop on every corner there.
Thank you. You know, I do remember really liking a dry Chardonnay. What’s funny is that I first picked out a Chardonnay probably following the popularity of that Alanis Morissette song, “Ironic”, where she sings about a black fly in her Chardonnay. I never owned that album, but I did drink Chardonnay for a while in the ’90s.
Wine……..meh, but then I am/was a BIER drinker! Back to the cars; while I have always liked the LOOKS of this generation Caddy I must agree with you that the Lexus-like a fine wine-has aged very well.
A Lexus of this early gen resides about 6 blocks from my house and each time I see it the car still appears fresh and a very clean design.
Thanks for another interesting look at a older car!! 🙂 DFO
Thanks, Dennis. I agree that the very first Lexus LS still looks terrific. Nothing against the new ones, but for my tastes, they look overwrought. The black early LS pictured in my essay would project more of what I’d like to “say”, image-wise.
You nailed it with this car’s name — definitely Maxine.
It’s amusing that this car’s color was called Antelope Firemist. An interesting color for sure, but to me it evokes no impressions of an actual antelope. Maybe an antelope, only if viewed through the mist of a prairie fire?
I knew these coupes became unpopular as the years wore on, but seeing that the Allante outsold the supposedly more mainstream Fleetwood coupe really puts it in perspective.
Finally… wine. I’m 100% with you in not even knowing where to begin regarding having a fancy wine palate. I feel about wine the way most people feel about cars – that I just can’t tell the difference between what’s supposedly good or what’s considered horrendous. No disrespect to wine enthusiasts, but it all tastes the same to me.
Eric, I was riding in a friend’s Buick Rendezvous in Michigan about ten years ago. It was two-tone gold and beige. She was behind the wheel and I was riding in the front passenger’s seat. It was a two-lane road in the suburbs of Flint.
Without warning, a deer actually ran into her Rendezvous and dented the side of it! As a completely unintentional pun, the words “Oh, dear” came out of my mouth.
Anyway, when you mentioned the antelope and a prairie fire, what this reminded me was how the little bit of deer blood on the side of the car wasn’t actually that far removed from the color of this Cadillac.
More fine writing from Joseph. I could almost see and smell “Maxine”, having lived in Michigan in the early ’90s.
With wines (and many other things in life) it’s important not to get too serious – drink what you like and respect others’ tastes. I can also respect someone loving this car enough to keep it in pristine condition – I would get a lot of pleasure from seeing this on the street, as Joe did.
Funny thing with the Lexus is that the original LS seems much more modern and timeless than any of the later iterations. It is well proportioned, nicely surfaced and handsome with its own character, which later iterations lack. Exceptional quality and longevity add to that and I would be sorely tempted by one today. A very significant product from “peak Japan” that was a game changer that “woke up” the established manufacturers and also revolutionized customer service.
Maybe the way to see the two cars is that the Lexus is a Yamazaki Whiskey and the Cadillac is a Jim Beam…
Kanpai
“…Drink what you like and respect others’ tastes.” – Words to live by, Huey, whether it applies to wine, or myriad other things! Thank you for the good words.
First of all, I agree that Rosé can be lame. However, like every car has a story, every wine has its place. Rosé pairs perfectly with Mexican food (or Tex-Mex). And the whole Red/White thing… basically that is true, but which Red? Which White? Too Many Choices!
Some things that work well (IMHO):
Big Steak – Go with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or a Zinfandel (not the pink stuff… save that for the aforementioned Mexican food. 😉)
Burgers – Although an American Favorite, pair these grilled treasures with an Australian Shiraz.
Chicken? – Yeah white, normally. If it’s grilled with a Rosemary centric marinade, then go with a big Chardonnay. In a light salad, you may want to stick to an Italian Pinot Grigio.
Lobster – Albariño, preferably from Spain, but there are a few decent ones from California.
Fish?? – Again, depends on the preparation. Chenin Blanc for you’re going with a butter-centric French preparation.
But then again, I think I’d rather have a craft beer or single malt scotch! 🤣
(Wine is for food, not basic drinking!)
But this site is about cars… I’m just having some fun with your topic Joseph. Great writing as always.
I’ve never disliked these Caddys, but have to agree that the Lexus was a game changer when it showed up on our shores. Suddenly, American luxury cars were outdated. I’d even say that Acura started this a few years prior with their Legend (unless I have that backwards… some Curbivore will correct me if need be).
Oh, and I know that I am always reaching when I call out the CC Effect ®, but I have an appointment to get my flu-shot this evening. What does this have to do with the CC Effect ®? When I entered it into my calendar, I entered it as Vaxine. I had to laugh when I realized that this morning when my wife asked me if the appointment was in my calendar. I told her yes, but that I spelled Vaccine wrong, like the name “Maxine”. Then I read this. Cue the Twilight Zone music…
I love that you spelled “vaccine” phonetically. That sounds like something I might have done if I was in the middle of tackling two or three simultaneous tasks.
And thank you for the helpful pairing table above! I’m sure (or hope, anyway) that someone will get some use out of that!
Also, I’m sometimes actually a little disappointed if the CC readership doesn’t jump on one of my tangential topics and run with it a little bit in the comments. 🙂 I write these essays like this partially for that reason.
Another nice post from you Joseph. Like this old lady comparison.
For the cars itself, i’ll take the Lexus. Nice car, aged well like someone mentioned before. The caddy sadly ever looked cartonish to me, a shadow of itself, stuck in its glorious past.
But to each it’s own. As you daid, good someone take care of it.
Thank you so much. Pride of ownership will always earn any car bonus points and admiration from me.
“Sales of only 2,438 . . . ” Rare, rare, RARE! Last time I saw one, about 20 years ago at the Madison NJ train station. Deep red (burgundy?) body & interior, mint condition, M.D. (doctor’s) plates. Interior was SO plush! One of the last “jewel box beauty” cars–nothing comparable today!
Original MSRP $32,400; today only worth . . . $2375 to $3375??? (avg. retail to high retail) according to NADA. Depreciation, man! If you like these, buy one now; it can only go up from here!
See also:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1991-cadillac-fleetwood-coupe-turning-the-clock-back/
Car I saw looked like . . .
This is a beautiful example. And thank you for linking Eric’s great piece from 2016! I had forgotten about it.
The proportions of these coupes isn’t perfect, but it is a big improvement over the preceding models. The sedans wear the styling the best in my opinion. The Fleetwood coupe was the dolled up model, the cues were more traditional ( old fashioned) than the standard DeVille. It took a lot of scrolling, but I found a couple of photos of a steel topped example. The larger windows and cleaner styling makes them seem more modern. Something that might seem to appeal to a younger buyer. Remember, this was before the sleek ’92 Seville was released. Those Sevilles had a much more modern and upscale interior design. From over forty years the Coupe de Ville was the “go to” luxury car choice. It was a good choice for almost all of those years, at least until the front drive models debuted.
Jose, I completely agree that the ’89 restyle was a good one, and also that the sedans wear this look better than the coupes. Looking at the examples in your pictures, I’m realizing that part of what doesn’t work for me on the coupes are the rear fender skirts – ironically, the one obvious thing that sets the two-door Fleetwood apart from the Coupe DeVille.
Another view.
Is it wrong for me to like this? Where did I leave my gold chain?
Nope. Nothing wrong here!
This seems to be the place to leave an old tale of wine snobbery. Having had a 20 year old box wine habit, I became known as “The box ‘o wine guy” at the various Subaru SVX meets I attended, as I always brought a couple “red & white” boxes of that upscale Almaden for the peons to sip on. None of that rot-gut Franzia for MY friends. Now, changing directions, about 15 years ago I was the “gentleman friend with benefits” to the sister-in-law of a well known wine maker (in high falutin’ circles). He had a hippie background, but became a multi-millionaire when that was “real” money. He shall remain nameless. We were once invited to a small family Thanksgiving feast at his veddy upscale residence on the Jersey Shore. Of course, the chat was intertwined with vino stories from the time the turkey(s) were slipped into the Vulcan oven, ’til the time they emerged – perrrrfect, of course. And at the table we imbibed upon vinos that had names I couldn’t pronounce, but I pretended to give a sh*t, & probably said, “Mmmmm – great finish! just to fit in. So, it was dessert time, & flan? I think was served. And what was chosen to accompany this sweet treat? From the huge wine cooler in the butler’s pantry our host selected……Asti Spumanti. ASTI !! Holy crap – “Yes”, said the host, ” This stuff’s great for desserts”. Had the hippie re-emerged? “Hey, I did well in the wine business, but if one likes the taste of any wine, just enjoy it”. The man’s been a hero to me ever since.
…(Fraaaannnnn-zeee-yaaaahhh!) the wine inna box; Franzia (Fraaaannnnn-zeee-yaaaahhh!) the wine inna box! No more jugs and bottles now doooooo yerself a fay-vurrr! Get the wine that’s inna box; the box locks in the flay-vurrrrrrrrrrr!
(advertising jingles I wish I could expunge from my mind, № 3,990,390)
Totally enjoyed reading this. It goes to reinforce that we should just like what we like, and keep it moving.
Ok”We’re talking about aesthetics , style, and perceived class.”
The awkward proportions go back to the FWD 85s, which were overly downsized (in terms of wheelbase, not front and rear overhang, which plagues this car). But at this point Cadillac needed to adopt more of a European style- be it German or Italian. With a pinch of traditional Cadillac styling cues. An earlier post on the X body Skylark references a Skylark Sport Sedan- a decal package with blacked out window moldings, etc. In 1983, Buick changed the name to T- Type. The Japanese, on the other hand, very successfully adopted a Euro/Japanese look for their cars. There was no Legend T- Type. The “T-Type” was baked into the standard model. Ford was able to do this with the first generation Taurus. GM remained clueless.
These have grown on me over the years. Perhaps that’s because every year I get closer to their intended target market?
As for wine, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am lucky enough to have friends in the business– they buy wines for nice restaurants and the like– and they always get to pick from the wine list when we go to dinner. It’s always good and it’s always one of the cheaper ones on the list, so I’m happy.
Anyone remember Carnac the Magnificent?
“Antelope Firemist.”
*rips open envelope*
“What do you get when a downsized rosé-colored Cadillac has a high-speed encounter with wildlife?”
This is gold. They show old Carson reruns on one of the cable channels here in Chicago. I’m normally away from my TV by that time, but now I feel like watching some of these. 🙂
We need some Me TV time, apparently. 🙂
Wow, you so nailed this car’s human spirit animal. We’ve all known a “Maxine”, and I smile at the memories of some of my own acquaintance.
I think these function well as a “two-spirit” car, as they can also project a masculine vibe, particularly in darker livery, as Jose Delgadillo shows above.
I have a pristine example of one of these living in the next town over. It’s a triple dark blue, and is owned by a mature gentleman. A “Max” to your Maxine.
In this case, comfortably faded yet pressed jeans and fuzzy flannel shirts, with the light scent of Marlboros and Old Spice. Impeccably kept as are his cars, his daily driver being an equally pristine later model Ford Ranger pickup. I’m told he’s a retired machinist, and that this was his retirement car, purchased lightly used.
For me, this is the very last example of Peak Brougham. I just love these, and I keep an eye out, waiting for the day “Max” goes out on the driveway with a for sale sign on it.
I love this. I agree that the color on these, or really on any car, can make all the difference. On the featured car, it’s the pinkish color, landau roof, and fender skirts that clearly identify this car’s “gender” as something feminine to my eyes – even though it’s a completely inanimate object.
I have seen these in that dark blue of “Max’s” sedan, and these look great in it. Here’s hoping Max is still enjoying the prize of what I’d like to presume was a life of hard work and a well-deserved nice ride.
I’m not quite onside, for I’m not Indigenous, and the Indigenous two-spirit concept doesn’t map onto non-Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality—it’s not just a convenient way of saying “both masculine and feminine” or anything like that.
Nevertheless, I see and agree with what you’re getting at. My 7th-grade science teacher Ms. Dunn was very feminine. She had one of these cars, and that seemed appropriate. And my high school dean Mr. Magnusson was a big, tall, ex-football-player type. He had one of these, too, and that seemed equally appropriate.
Spot on with the Maxine analogy! Only, I thought Maxine used to be more of a Bonneville Brougham sort of girl, but it looks like she married well the second time.
The awkwardness of these Cadillacs have their charms, but what I am really drawn to is the range of colors available during this period. Antelope Firemist looks a little too much like a modern griege in these photos, so I would have opted for something else in the Firemist range, like a deep burgundy or blue.
She did better than her sister, Chicago Party Aunt, who drives…..
Anyone?
… a ’78 Cordoba with those gaudy stacked rectangular headlights that never looked right on this car.
A first gen LeBaron convertible?
I owned the Sedan deVille cousin to this Fleetwood – writeup here (https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/coal-capsule/coal-1991-cadillac-sedan-de-ville-i-cant-help-myself/) – even in the same “Antelope Firemist” color!
No, it wasn’t a Lexus LS400 – but the 4.9 finally gave the car some scoot, the interior was comfortable without being too overwrought, and the 89 restyle restored some badly needed size to the car. My only complaint was that for what Cadillac was charging, they could have used better materials (inside and out) – that 9% price increase certainly was worth it looking at the Lexus.
I have no comment on the wine comparisons – scotch is more my speed…usually whatever is on sale. I think Maxine would be proud of my penny pinching to feed the Cadillac habit…
Everything Cadillac did wrong, in one car.