In 1915, GM introduced a 70-horsepower flathead V8 that let Caddy cars run at top speeds of 65 mph, quite a feat for the time. It was also the pioneer of the grandaddy of an automatic transmission, introducing the two-speed Hydramatic in 1941. Again, it was the first car company to introduce a V16 way back in 1930.
Of course, like with all car marques, Cadillac has had its hits and misses and brought out duds like the Cimarron, Catera, Allante, and more. But it has given the world some memorable cars as well.
So let’s remember the eight greatest Cadillacs ever made, and why they were so cool.
8. 1930-1940 Cadillac Sixteen: The Big Boss
In 1930, Cadillac stunned the world by putting in a spectacular V8 under the hood although these were specially fitted cars with limited numbers and built only to order. There was the 1930-1937 Series 452 that carried a 7.4-liter V16, making 165 grand horses. And later came the 1938-1940 Series 90 that used a 7.1-liter V16, now jetting 185 horses.
The cars ran just about as grand as they looked and became symbols of power for the American elite considering they cost 10 times more than a Chevy convertible, which did not come cheap either.
7. 1948 Series 62 Club Coupe: A New Age Begins
1948 was a fresh new era for not just American automobiles, but Americans as well because the war was over, and the world seemed happier again, and on the path to healing. And so Cadillac launched the very sleek Series 62 that carried tailfins, inspired by the Lockheed P-38 fighter plane.
This car is the forefather of the Eldorado, and that very classy and aerodynamic torpedo shape seemed like a fluent transition from the old to the modern and heralded a new era in cars as well.
6. 1953 Eldorado Convertible: Glamour, Encore
The Eldorado first came into the world only as a convertible and was the quintessential glamor car of the 50s, being driven around by not just the stars of Hollywood but anybody who was somebody. The Eldorado is also a notable model because it featured Caddy’s first wraparound windshield, as well as a metal cover to conceal the top when it was down.
5. 1959 de Ville: Tail Fins, Or Wings?
Initially available as a trim on the Eldorado, the de Ville became its own nameplate in 1959, and you could get the Sedan de Ville, or the more popular Coupe de Ville, both with those gigantic tail fins. For the 1959 model alone, these tail fins stood 98-inches high, and for all later models, they were brutally tamped down.
The good thing is that 53,000 de Villes sold in 1959, so there’s always a classic to be found if you too love all things large. At the time, the car made 325 horses, so it was basically an unstoppable if beautiful road beast.
4. 1967-1970 Eldorado Coupe: The Rebirth
Yep, that’s another Eldorado on the list, but it has to be mentioned because beginning 1967, the Eldorado became Cadillac’s first front-wheel-drive, ostensibly to take the Japanese import competition head-on, and it still had 340 horses to offer.
The styling can only be called taut, with hidden headlights on a very sleek and streamlined coupe. The long hood and the equally well-formed rear made the car stunning to look at. This was Cadillac’s way of striking back at the in-house competition because by now, all GM brands had Eldorado-like cars.
3. 1975-76 Cadillac Mirage: All Real If Sinister
If it looks like an El Camino, you are seeing a mirage. Quite literally. The Cadillac Mirage is one of the rarest Caddys ever made, with only 200 produced from 1975 to 1976. Technically speaking, it was a de Ville that had been converted to a pickup truck, and the very first one was bought by stunt drive Evel Knievel.
But this is not the sole customization. Later, Cadillac had a de Ville wagon called the Mirage Sports Wagon, and also a Fleetwood long roof they called the Castillian Fleetwood Estate Wagon.
2. 1975–1980 Seville: A Downsized Caddy
The Seville was small but certainly not low on power, considering it carried a fuel-injected 5.7-liter V8 from the Oldsmobile. Body-wise, it looked like a Chevy Nova that had been stretched a tad, but despite the donor parts, it looked perfectly proportioned and ran like a dream.
It did shock the Caddy purists because of its smaller size, but there were plenty in the younger crowd who could and did afford this expensive car, though in limited numbers. To add to the attraction, there was a Gucci-themed trim as well.
1. 1999 Escalade: Caddy Got Back
By the end of the ‘90s, the significance of the sedan was winding down into a millennium that was first obsessed with SUVs and now comes truck, crossover, and EV crazy. So Cadillac decided that it must get on to the SUV bandwagon and in burst the Escalade.
Large, beastly, and very plush, the Escalade edged out the competition even though, to begin with, it was basically a rebadged Suburban, done up with plenty of lux features. For a while, every movie star had one, and some still have it.
