Vehicle Description
Beautiful 1976 Land Yacht! the 1976 Coupe DeVille! Gracious Luxury
with Monster 500ci Engine Well Appointed as a Cadillac Should
Always Be! Really Low Miles... Beautiful Car! Here at GLCC for a
low attainable price for all! 1976 presented itself to luxury car
buyers as the final opportunity to purchase a brand new, full-sized
Cadillac motorcar. The American luxury car had been a tradition for
decades, and identified its owners as among the fortunate few who
had "made it." Successful in business, investments, or just lucky
enough to be born into a wealthy family, driving a large luxury car
was one of the benefits of having money. A status symbol, for
certain. But also a luxury conveyance that provided the appropriate
atmosphere for those who appreciated the finest in everything they
purchased. The Cadillac motorcar had long established itself as one
of the world's finest automobiles, and it was deemed to be the
ultimate expression of achievement in America. Some identified
Cadillacs with older, established people, yet the fact remains that
many a young entrepreneur, upon realizing financial success and
independence, went out and purchased a Cadillac as one of their
first expenditures. Joining the Cadillac club was never exclusively
for the retired set. It wasn't just the sheer size of a Cadillac,
or the luxurious interior appointments, or the elegant styling that
spoke eloquently of the owner. It was all of these things together,
plus its economy of use, with minimal scheduled maintenance trips,
its fuel efficiency, and its retained value when traded in. And
yes, the knowledge that you and your family traveled in one of the
world's finest cars. All of these things combined made Cadillac a
good value. One of the aspirations of many was to eventually be
able to afford a new Cadillac. Some strained to achieve this goal,
and once exposed to the joys of Cadillac ownership, decided that it
was worth cutting back in other areas if necessary. They could
sacrifice and forego other niceties, but not with their choice of
cars. But this was about to change. The days of hoods long enough
to serve as a pool table were about to end. The oil embargo of
1973, which resulted in gas shortages and closed gas stations
across the country, sent a message to the public. And to the
American auto manufacturers. Inflation during the seventies and an
economic recession during the middle of the decade enforced the
consideration that new car purchases should be made with an eye
toward efficiency. Cadillac got this message loud and clear, and
began designing its first smaller car in late 1973. The result was
the 1976 Seville, which was announced in April 1975 and appeared
early in dealer showrooms on May 1, 1975. At first, Cadillac was
concerned that the luxury car buying segment of the population
wouldn't accept a smaller Cadillac, but growing western demand for
luxury imports indicated there was indeed such a market. The
Seville was an immediate success, and reinforced Cadillac's plans
to down size the rear wheel drive models for 1977, followed by a
smaller Fleetwood Eldorado in 1979. Knowing people were resistant
to change, Cadillac cleverly introduced the Seville beforehand, and
priced it at the very top of the line, between the Fleetwood
Brougham and Fleetwood Seventy-Fives. This allowed Cadillac's
repeat customers to compare the new smaller car with the full-sized
cars. When the new smaller Cadillacs were introduced in 1977, the
public loved them and set a new sales and production record for the
second year in a row. In addition to 1976 being the last year of
the traditionally-sized Cadillacs, it was also the last year for
the Calais series. Introduced in 1965 as a replacement for the 62
Series, which dated back to 1952 and had identified Cadillac's
lowest-priced models, the Calais was named after the northern
French town known for its picturesque scenery. Slow sales doomed
the Calais, as GM's customers preferred to purchase a top of the l