Barn-Bound 30 Years: 1966 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
In the battle for dominance of the U.S. luxury car segment, Cadillac almost always beat out Lincoln. That margin would be more than three to one in 1966, the year the seller’s Sedan DeVille was built. This car has been laid up in a barn for multiple decades along with some other automobiles and the seller suggests it may be an easy restoration project. Found in Spokane, Washington, this Caddy is available here on Facebook Marketplace for an undisclosed amount. The seller is fielding offers and says he will accept the first “reasonable offer” in cash.
The DeVille began as a trim level on the Cadillac Series 62 and became its own model later. The first Caddy to bear the name was the 1949 Coupe DeVille and the marque would call it a wrap in 2005. Third generation DeVilles were built from 1965-70 and 1966 editions were minimally changed over the prior year’s models. New to Cadillac that year was variable-ratio power steering and optional front seats with carbon cloth heating pads built into the cushions and seatbacks. The cars were powered by a 429 cubic-inch V8 capable of producing 340 horses, all of which all were needed to propel the 4,500-lb. machines.
This ’66 Sedan DeVille (actually a 4-door hardtop) is one of 60,000 built that year which was more than 40% of total DeVille production. The seller scored it in a package deal and the car has been barn-bound since the late 1980s, flat tires and all. No mention is made of its mechanical condition, and it looks as though it hasn’t been touched in ages. So, what it will take to get it running again is unknown.
Once cleaned up, the gold paint may be okay although there are a couple of rusty spots that might go beyond skin deep. The interior looks good and may only need a really good detailing to be serviceable again. The seller quotes one online source as the car potentially being worth $15,000, but Hagerty suggests $8,000 in Fair condition is top dollar. Considering the mysteries of the car’s mechanical well-being and potential undercarriage rust from laying on the floor of the barn, that amount appears optimistic.
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Comments
Easy restoration project? My guess is that you’d be chasing
electrical problems for a long time with this one.
I always like to point this out when people (many who’ve never-
owned a British car), make the Lucas jokes,or say that the electrics
are junk.
My reply is – “If you find an older Cadillac that’s been sitting for years,
you expect every electrical system to work perfectly?”.
“The seller is fielding offers and says he will accept the first “reasonable offer” in cash.” IMO, the seller is fishing and this would be a waste of time. With no starting point mentioned, what does he consider to be reasonable??
“The seller scored it in a package deal”, and hopes to sucker a huge profit from someone, not withstanding the unknown condition of electrical/mechanical/rust issues! Just my $0.02 worth!
$0.02, that’s about all that I would offer this flipper.
Can’t recall the last time I saw an Atlas battery (Chevron house brand.)
I was selling Atlas tires and batteries in the 70’s from a Standard Oil station.
My neighbor owned an Amoco station in Burlington, Vermont and he carried Atlas tires and batteries.
Talk about a ‘low-rider’! (and the seller couldn’t be bothered to remove the used tissues and wipes from the front seat? EWWW!)
This has been on Facebook for a while. My biggest concern is that it is sitting in dirt. We all know what happens to a car sitting in dirt.
This is a $500. car all day…..anyone who would pay more would be foolish.
Two items on the body condition of this Caddy, first for some odd reason I have come across very few Cadillacs of this vintage that didn’t have a rust issue (Cancer Rust) on the bottom of the front fender. The climate didn’t matter. Must have been a drainage issue. AS for sitting on a floor for ages, Spokane is as good place as any to not have huge moisture issues.
William,
The right front fender bottoms rust badly on all 1960s GM cars if equipped with Factory air conditioning. The water removed from the cabin air was directed down the outside of the cowl, just behind the front fender.
Plus, the front fenders have a inside support welded on as part of the fender assembly. The area behind the outer fender skin, and the inner fender support, didn’t get properly painted, & bare metal was there from the day the fender was created.
So this rust condition was built-in when the cars were new.
run, Forrest, run!
Nice one Russ. Definitely a barn find! Not a fan of listings with fictional asking prices, but I do like old Cadillacs. Zero prep, fake asking price, and no decent picture of the undercarriage or driver’s seat = “How about $700?” Well the interior is pretty nice so call it $1200. Interesting that 4500 lb is 100 lb more than a BMW 750Li and 1000 lb less than an Escalade. Heck a loaded Camaro convertible is almost 4000 lb these days. This could make a nice find if it’s not hiding a bunch of rust underneath. Best wishes to the new owner!