Ladies and gentlemen, we have here one of my favorites, the 1971-76 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The top-of-the-line owner-driven Cadillac. Luxurious in space, in gadgets, and in power. The best “owner-driven” Cadillac money could buy. Despite the upper-crust European makes seeing increased sales, here in the heartland Cadillac and Lincoln were still the go-to marques for full-sized, uncompromising American luxury.
All Cadillacs save the Eldorado used the body shell introduced for the 1971 model year, updated with the expected annual front and rear end styling changes. By the early 1970s Cadillac was attaining ever higher and higher production records.
As a result the cars, though still luxurious and remarkably cosseting, were perhaps a bit more commonly seen. Especially where the higher-ups worked and relaxed: Office suites, country clubs, and the like. Judge Smails’s kinds of places, ha ha!
And so it was that in autumn of The Year Of Our Lord 1970, Cadillac debuted their 1971 models. All of them, from Calais to De Ville to Eldorado, were redesigned and bigger than ever. And remarkably attractive. The top owner-driven Cadillac was, once again, the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the 1971-76 Fleetwoods, as one of the first old car brochures I got as a kid was the huge prestige catalog for the 1971 Cadillac line. In 1971, for the first time, the sole Fleetwood sedan was the Sixty Special Brougham.
1969 Fleetwood Sixty Special. Owned by Jim Jordan.
The prior year, these were two separate models, the Fleetwood Sixty Special, and the Fleetwood Brougham. The primary difference between the two was the Brougham received a padded vinyl roof and the appropriate Brougham badging, while the Sixty Special featured a painted roof, or ‘slick top.’
Yes, Cadillac was on a roll in the early 1970s. They set a record in 1973, producing 304,839 luxury automobiles. And for good measure, the five-millionth Cadillac came off of the Clark Avenue production line that same year.
The 1974 models were restyled front and rear to comply with the 5-mph bumper requirements. While still smooth, the nose and tail were a little bit more squared off. Brougham fans will be happy to hear that the spectacular Fleetwood Talisman debuted in ’74, with decadent velour trim for you and three of your best friends, and center consoles front and rear!
The taillights were moved from the chrome bumper ends to below the trunk lid. Production-wise, things were not as quite as spectacular as 1973, as the first gas crisis hit in autumn of that year, right around the same time ’74 Caddys were first appearing in dealer showrooms. Model year production dropped by about 60,000 units. But this wasn’t really a Cadillac problem; all the car makes suffered, except for those whose lineups consisted of compacts and subcompacts, anyway.
Many West Coast and East Coast higher ups were getting into W116 Mercedes S-Classes and BMW Bavaria 3.0s, but there were still plenty of folks who equated Cadillac with success. Those traditional buyers were Cadillac’s bread and butter. True, the 1971 redesign had resulted in even bigger Cadillacs than in the recent past, but the upcoming Seville would provide an option for those desiring a trimmer Cadillac, but with all the expected luxuries, quiet ride and V8 power.
In addition to the aforementioned rectangular lights, the Fleetwood, de Ville and Calais got a revised eggcrate grille. Many new colors and upholstery selections were available as well. And the expected long option list, which by 1975 included several AM/FM stereos, tape players, Astroroof, turbine wheel discs, and Firemist paint, just to mention a few.
The ’75 Fleetwood Brougham retained its pillared sedan styling, that and the longer wheelbase being the biggest exterior differences from its less expensive Calais and Sedan de Ville siblings.
Naturally, Fleetwood Brougham interiors were even nicer than lesser Cadillacs. Monticello velour was a new option, as shown here in the 1975 brochure. It was available in six different colors. Six! Imagine that, with most new 2018 autos having maybe three interior colors. But back then, there were so many more choices!
The Monticello velour looks pretty wild and crazy to modern eyes, but back then, this was plush. This was top American-style luxury, circa 1975. I had the pleasure of sitting in this car and I can tell you it was most cushy. A very nice place to be. Driving a 1975 Fleetwood Brougham is very much like piloting your living room around the city.
Here’s what you got over a Sedan de Ville. That three extra inches or wheelbase all went into the rear compartment. Such room! You also got those retractable foot rests, another Fleetwood Brougham exclusive.
As Broughamtastic as the Monticello velour is, I would have sprung for the Sierra grain leather myself. Maybe white leather with red carpet and trim? Or navy blue leather, with matching paint and top? In 1975, there were so many color choices, inside and out!
At introduction, the Fleetwood Brougham set you back $10,414. But inflation twice bumped up the MSRP model year 1975. First to $10,424, and later to $10,843. Back then, sticker shock was a fact of life of new-car shopping, but most Cadillac owners probably weren’t too worried about it, ha ha!
This Cerise Firemist 1975 Fleetwood Brougham is a near showroom-condition car. At the time I took these photographs in the summer of 2013, it had only 38,000 miles on the clock. I was driving by Bocker Cadillac in Freeport, Illinois and this car was sitting right out front. I had to stop immediately!
It is interesting to read the original window sticker, which was folded up inside the owner’s manual in the glove compartment. This car is loaded with options, like Cerise Firemist paint ($139) and an AM/FM Stereo Radio/Tape Player ($89). Interestingly, the opera lamps cost extra. It is also interesting that a passenger-side remote mirror was still an option in 1975, even on a Fleetwood Brougham.
This car was in remarkable condition! And the color combination was very sharp! Cerise Firemist was a new color for 1975, one of several extra-cost paint choices.
The former owner of the Cadillac dealership was the first owner of this Fleetwood Brougham, and when he recently passed away, the dealership started liquidating his collection of 30+ vintage Cadillacs.
Gary, a salesman at the dealership, greeted me and was more than happy to open up the car for me. The sales manager, Chuck, was able to give me some of the car’s history as well.
This car looks just great, and I hope it found a new owner who will love it and keep it as it is – a time capsule to a time when 500-cu in V8s, velour upholstery and 234-inch-long Fleetwoods could be found at your local Cadillac dealer. The perfect car to drive from Chicago to Las Vegas, the GM Harrison air conditioning blowing out tiny ice crystals even in 90-degree heat!
The 1971-76 Cadillacs were the last true, unapologetically gigantic Cadillacs, and the Fleetwood Brougham was the best of them all. Unless you wanted to be chauffeured around in a Fleetwood Seventy-Five, this was the biggest, baddest Cadillac of the year. And the last of the true land yachts.
After the 1976 model year, as you all know, the Cadillacs were downsized along with their C-body brethren. And although the new cars were superior in many ways, they just didn’t have the sheer presence of these final Nimitz-class Fleetwoods. But superior survivors such as this one remind us of what once was!