1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville: Naples Yellow Persuasion!

There’s just something about those old luxury cars-Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler. Those of you who’ve been reading my old car posts for a while can generally predict that I’ll probably be going on about some 1960s-1980s U.S. luxury sedan or coupe that most people under 30 will not recognize, nor care about. “Like, that’s old, I love my Prius/Altima/silversilvermist combover! Who cares about that ancient gas guzzling car dude?” Well, I do.

I freely admit I am somewhat of an anomaly. When I first got my driver’s license, I followed my parents lead, and drove Volvos for nearly two decades. Then, at age 33, I bought my first Lincoln Town Car. At age 35 I traded my last Volvo for a SECOND Lincoln Town Car. And have been driving them since. Sure, I still like Volvos. I like lots of other non-Broughamy cars too. And yet…these classy Cadillacs, Lincolns, Imperials, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Mercurys have always had a hold on me.

This goes way, way back. As a kid, my three favorite toy cars were a Matchbox Cougar Villager, and a Continental Mark IV and Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham by Pocket Cars. As a kindergartner, I was more interested in the Cadillac Fleetwoods and Lincoln limousines that Thomas Magnum or Michael Knight were chasing than the Trans Am or 308 GTS they were pursuing in.

The bad guys just seemed to have the cooler cars. The Broughamier cars. It is not a coincidence that one of my favorite 1970s detective shows was Cannon. Of course, he drove a Continental Mark III, later traded for a Continental Mark IV.

It is common knowledge that I especially like triple-yellow Cadillacs. There’s just something about a yellow Cadillac I guess! So let us move on to today’s featured triple yellow Cadillac, a 1977 Coupe de Ville painted in classic Naples Yellow.

In the year of our Lord 1977 all new Cadillacs, with the exception of the Eldorado and Seville, changed dramatically. Nearly all big GM cars were downsized, from Caprice Classic to Bonneville to Fleetwood Brougham. And despite the huge makeover, they still looked great, thanks to GM Styling boss Bill Mitchell’s ‘sheer look.’

They were damn good looking. Despite the rapid weight loss plan, the 1977 Cadillacs were still very attractive, and as luxurious as any of the 1971-76 gunboats. And with the 425 CID V8 under the hood, they still had plenty of punch. While it was true that very few Coupe de Villes or Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegances went to gymkhanas out at the airport, they would most certainly giddy up when you floored the chrome-trimmed go-pedal!

Folks trading in their 1974 Coupe de Villes and Sedan de Villes on one of these would have found a not unfamiliar environment, with Sierra grain leather as far as the eye could see, though cloth or velour interior was still the standard interior trim, depending on the model. Automatic climate control, and power everything-windows, mirrors, door locks. Twilight Sentinel, cassette or 8-track stereos, an available Astroroof, and other assorted lux goodies were all on offer.

After all, these were Cadillacs. Though even a zero-option Sedan or Coupe de Ville was a very nice car to drive, most went out the door with plenty of extras. The Cadillac name still had cachet in the late Seventies, and it just wouldn’t do to arrive at the country club in a de Ville with standard wheel covers and no vinyl roof! Perish the thought!

And this was no lame just the seats and a business-size-envelope-sized contrasting trim panel on the doors. No, this was a YELLOW interior! The dash, headliner, pillar trim, steering wheel and even the gear shift knob for the Turbo-Hydramatic were color-coordinated. Nice!

While all the trim and details are somewhat lacking compared to Cadillacs of the 1950s and 1960s, I still like the interiors of these cars very much. Sure, there was a lot less metal and a lot more plastic inside than say, on a 1964 Sedan de Ville, but it was still nicely designed and finished. And safety standards, as now, as ever, aren’t frozen in time. GM, like everyone else, had to adapt to the standards of the time.

I’ve always loved these door panels. They looked so cool at night, with the red-and-white courtesy lamp with Cadillac crest glowing! There was still plenty of Cadillac attention to detail too: Full length armrests, door assist strap, plenty of woodgrained trim and chrome door release, door lock and power window controls.

The back seat was equally nice. with real space for real adult human beings. While these cars were definitely smaller than the 1976 model, interior space was just as good-and in some cases, actually better. These were still true six-passenger motor cars. And the back seat passengers received their own lighted ash tray and lighter. Heck, it was the ’70s. Everybody smoked! They were like cup holders in the ’90s.

This one was spotted on the electronic bay several years ago. There was a time not so long ago when you could pick these up for a song. And while you could still probably find a decent example for decent money, they are definitely not the $500 used cars they used to be! And exceptionally nice ones with low mileage like today’s featured car go for good money. This car sold in 2014 for $14,100. Not bad!

Many may grouse about spending that on a ’70s car, even a nice one, but that’s still substantially cheaper than a bare-bones midsize 2018 sedan. And let’s face it, even the current crop of luxury cars don’t have the chrome, trim, color options and sheer Broughamtastic presence of a car like this! I bet the winning bidder was very happy!