1976 Cadillac Model 75 Fleetwood Limousine

Last of the BIG CADDY Limos! David: 303.947.0444

OPEC, the original oil cartel, had made it difficult to import fuel starting in 1974. So, all of Detroit was working heavily on downsizing. Offering not only small cars, but making their largest cars smaller. Cadillac fell victim to this in 1977. I was there selling cars (sold my first new car in 1978). I watched people trade one year old New Yorkers for Omnis and Horizons. This was really ludicrous when you consider that gas back then cost about 50 cents a gallon – but the Arabs scared the hell out of the entire world by choking off the oil supply and Detroit reacted.

All Cadillac limousines were built in the Fleetwood plant by the oldest and most experienced of the Fleetwood employees. The cars were built off of the moving assembly line, placed on dollys and pushed from station to station. The limousine production was so low that in any one year, Cadillac lost money on each car produced. The idea was that when someone saw a Cadillac limousine, they wanted to buy a Cadillac car. It was a rolling advertisement so these cars received the best materials, craftsmanship, and unique features to make them the best that America could produce.

This absolutely gorgeous monster of a limousine is unique in many ways and it starts as most of NGD’s cars do – with a story:

I purchased this vehicle from the original owner’s son. It came out of New Jersey. The original owner owned a small hardware store in a small town and as his son told me, “He didn’t go to dinner, he didn’t go on vacation, he didn’t wear suits, but he always drove Cadillac limousines – that was his treat to himself”. I saw the evidence because out back of the property where I viewed this car were 5 old limousines moldering into the ground as they had been driven as daily drivers. This particular car was ordered when his father was ill. By the time the car arrived, he was too ill to drive it so it immediately went into storage and was driven sparingly on good weather days only.

This car has a host of very special equipment ordered especially for a long time Cadillac customer. First – it has no vinyl roof – very uncommon. Second – it has a moon roof in it – virtually unheard of. Third, it has the leather back seat option and what I think is a special order ultimate leather package because even the jump seats are made out of leather in the front and back. Unique to this car, (because it was actually to be driven daily as a regular automobile) it does not have delay wipers! I guess the old man just didn’t like that feature because the rest of the car is absolutely loaded up beyond what most limousines have for options in the chauffer’s compartment. Most limousines were ordered without any creature comforts for the driver because they were for short hauls and things like stereos or cruise control was just unnecessary but most notably – that crazy sunroof. Dare you to find another one in the world.

The car has all of its original paint on it and other than minor chips on the front, it is amazingly perfect. However, in my possession a rag with some thinner was placed on the cover and it ate the paint in a small spot on the left hand side of the hood (what a f*cking shame!) The chrome nose guard is not original to the car but came to me like this and I think it adds an air of distinction to the vehicle. The rear fillers as on most of my Cadillacs have been replaced with vastly superior hard plastic painted fillers that are available after market however as on all my Cadillac’s, I spend about two days filing and fitting these so they fit better than the factory ones ever could have. Also, I have been extensively through the air conditioning most Cadillac dual system air conditioners do not work properly from the factory. I have been through this one to include pulling the rear box and modifying the control system for the R12/R134 and installing a modern 10 cylinder compressor and dual condenser fans. This Cadillac is COLD COLD COLD front and back. The interior is in a word: perfect. The leather back seat is so vastly superior to the Brocade models, I can’t even describe it. The only other thing I have done is added some limo tint to the quarter windows for privacy (easily removable). This car has been driven and perfected, unlike most Cadillacs of 1976 and unlike any limousine you are ever going to find.

The under carriage shots show theoriginsof this car which is New Jersey. However what you see is only a light dusting of surface rust bloom. The door jambs, under hood, core support and inner trunk are perfect, unlike Cadillacs from back east. An undercarriage detail would be a simple thing to perform. Even thecarburetororiginal plating looks like it just came out of a box.

As with all NGDCARS offerings and unlike most collector vehicles, this car is completely drivable. Many collector cars are just shiny, pretty things, this one is beautiful and is fully capable of being driven and enjoyed.

David: 303.947.0444

If you click on any of the photos below, you will be taken to a gallery of all the photos I have of this car.