- Here’s a super-stylish Caddy with an old-school V-8-powered layout with rear-wheel drive.
- It features a timeless black-on-black color combination and a metal roof instead of the more common and dated vinyl top.
- There is no reserve, so this could be a lot of car for the money.
Limit attendance? Fuhgeddaboudit. Roll up at Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and driveris part of Hearst Autos). a 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood in black on black, that is pure class. There’s a lot of menace in there, but it’s all dressed up for a night out on the town.
As a brand, Cadillac has often emphasized appearance as a brand value, but some of the best cars it has built have avoided the big-fin vibe. Predating the Escalade on the scene, this car would sit in traffic with subtlety. It’s not trying to rush; it’s the kind of car for someone who’s already at the head of the table.
Fleetwood is a legendary Cadillac nameplate dating back to the 1920s. Originally, the specialized Fleetwood body was reserved for the largest and most expensive Cadillacs, although the Fleetwood mark eventually made its way to the smaller front-wheel drive cars of the 1980s. Its appearance on the rear-wheel drive D-body platform was a return to form of sorts.
Standout features here include newly serviced automatic climate control, powering virtually everything, and electronic suspension control for an unflappable ride quality. The speed-sensitive steering provides maximum support during slow maneuvers, so despite its length this car should be a pleasure to live with.
Moreover, this Caddy has the power if the driver needs to escape quickly. Under the hood lies a 5.7-liter LT1 V-8 – yes, the Corvette engine. In this application it produces 260 hp and 335 Nm of torque, with that power sent to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. It’s part luxury yacht, part powerboat; just dig into the accelerator and watch that Cadillac hood ornament rise.
These mid-nineties Fleetwoods offer a lot of car for the money, and this example is particularly attractive due to its subdued black-over-black paint scheme and lack of a vinyl roof. It has just the right amount of detail, just the right amount of chrome, and the 15-inch alloy wheels with whitewall tires are Goldilocks perfection. Let the youngsters slap spinning 22s on their Escalades; This Cadillac speaks softly, but it’s best to listen.
A low-mileage Cadillac Fleetwood fetched big money at Barrett-Jackson earlier this year, with a bidding war pushing it into the low six figures. This car, with 90K on the odometer and a light patina of use, is rather a bargain and an ideal machine to actually drive. If you want to arrive in style, a Caddy Fleetwood is the right choice. Like a boss.
The auction ends on March 4.
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Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He grew up on British cars, came of age in the golden age of Japanese sports compact performance, and started writing about cars and people in 2008. His special interest is in the intersection between man and machine, whether it concerns the racing career of Walter Cronkite or the half-century-long obsession of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to constantly buy Hot Wheels.
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