Many of Cadillac''s customers, not knowing what to expect with the upcoming down sized Cadillacs of 1977, decided to replace their current Cadillacs earlier than they normally would have. For instance, a long-time Cadillac customer named Kilby decided on a new 1976 Sedan deVille in Claret with a White vinyl roof and White Leather interior because she knew she liked the current models, and she said she didn''t feel safe in a smaller car, no matter how well built it might be. Kilby pampered her car, planning on keeping it much longer than anything she''d ever owned. And when we say Kilby pampered her car, that''s almost an understatement. Her cars were always garaged, washed weekly and waxed monthly. If the weather was bad and she didn''t absolutely have to get out, she didn''t. By the time the 1977 models debuted, Kilby''s Sedan deVille was barely broken in, and still looked brand new. In fact, her local dealer invited her to come look at the new models, and she did. Kilby was impressed with them, especially with the interior dimensions which seemed just a little smaller to her. But she said she''d keep her ''76 Sedan deVille for a while, just the same. Kilby used to buy a new Cadillac every three years. By 1982, she was still drivingand pamperingher Claret ''76 Sedan deVille.

With customers like Kilby, and an improving economy, 1976 was a record shattering year for Cadillac, which was led by the new Seville, with sales in excess of 60,000 copies by the end of its longer than normal model year. Things were good in 1976, the big Cadillacs decorated America''s finest homes just as they always had, Elvis Presley was still thrilling his fans, disco was putting a spring in everyone''s step, and our country was celebrating its 200th birthday.

Things would change in 1977. Some for the better, some for the worse. The 1977 Cadillacs still decorated America''s driveways and disco was still gaining in popularity, but Elvis had left the building for the last time and the big birthday bash was over. We had entered a new period of awareness and responsibility. Things were still the same in many ways, but some of the fun was gone. Families were still thrilled at that first ride in the new Cadillac, but it wasn''t really the same as it had been in the past. The image of the big American luxury cars had been a part of American culture for a long time, and it would take some time to get used to the new reality of smaller, more efficient, luxury cars.

Read More

Read Less