• Seller: Gary F oster
• Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
• Mileage: 30,762 Shown
• Chassis #: 6D47S6Q264060
• Title Status: Clean
• Engine: 500 cui V8 With 4-barrel Qudrajet
• Transmission: 3-Speed Turbohydramatic 400 Automatic

When did the “Standard of the World” epithet cease to apply to Cadillac? Judging by the comments on Barn Finds, it would be somewhere between the introduction of the 4.1-liter V8 and the 1985 downsizing. To others, the last of the “real” Cadillacs were the 1976 models, such as this Coupe DeVille. It was the end of the line for the real locomotives, with 500 cubic inches of Cadillac power (OK, 190 horsepower) under that expansive prow. There will always be fans of the true land yachts of the 1970s, and this one’s for them. It’s now a Barn Finds Auction, and we hope you show your approval by parking it in your garage (if there’s room for it, of course).

It’s true, this Caddy is a beauty. The seller sums up the color scheme as well as one can do; it has “original Cotillion white paint with original Firethorn Red vinyl top and Firethorn Red leather interior,” which simply looks like all the money in the world on a big Coupe DeVille. If Dallas were on television in 1976, one of the Ewings would have driven this car. Regarding the “big” part, it’s 230.7 inches in length, over 19 feet. Perhaps size is the measure of a “real” Cadillac, the ones that people get all glassy-eyed about. Those gorgeous ’50s Cadillacs were almost as big as this ’76; all of the big Cadillacs had presence.

This 30,762-mile example is all original, down to the floor mats with Cadillac insignias. There’s cruise control, a power antenna, an AM/FM radio, air conditioning, power windows, power seat; in other words, all the options one would expect when one spent around $10,000 on a new car in 1976. The steering wheel is surprisingly sporty, and everything is in mint condition. I don’t see a crack or a tear anywhere.

Under the hood is the biggest of the Cadillac V8s, the 500. People like to joke about its power rating, but it still had 360 lb.-ft. of torque (net, not gross), and that is what you need to pull around over two-and-a-half tons of luxury car. What’s the hurry anyway? When you’re cruising in a car this luxurious, enjoy the ride! After 1976, the 500 was no more; the downsized ’77 would revert to the downsized 425, which (if nothing else) doesn’t sound quite as impressive. In case you were curious, this DeVille does not have fuel injection; there’s a Quadrajet atop the intake manifold (which I would consider good news).

If you are a fan of ’70s luxury cars, and you like them original, I can’t imagine what would keep you from buying this one (except money, of course). The typically-cracked bumper fillers have even been replaced, so you can buy it and enjoy it immediately without a long list of things left to do. Good luck with your bidding, Cadillac fans!

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