Luxury Hauler: 1979 Cadillac “Wagon” DeVille
Update 6/7/23 – After almost two years since we last featured it, this luxury wagon has been relisted here on Facebook Marketplace with an $11k price drop!!! Thanks go to Russell G for the tip!
From 10/20/21 – In the 1970s, if you contacted R.S. Harper Custom Coachbuilders out of Fraser, Michigan, they would build you a custom station wagon out of a 4-door Cadillac Sedan De Ville. Case-in-point is this 1979 Caddy which was one of an undetermined number of luxury cars to be treated to their handiwork. It wears a more recent restoration that needs some rework. Located in Brick, New Jersey, this Caddy people mover could be yours for $15,500 here on craigslist. Thanks for the tip, stalworth Barn Finder Pat L.!
If Cadillac had built a factory station wagon, it might have looked like this, based on the Sedan De Ville d’Elegance. Instead, customizers like R.S. Harper took on the challenge. Since Harper’s creation first hit the road, it’s seen at least 122,000 miles as the odometer is currently broken. It was refurbished in 2015, which included some rust repair, a new paint job, and a reupholstered interior. It also wears a vinyl roof with a roof rack and an integrated rear air dam. Aftermarket wire wheels were added either by Harper or a prior owner and now have Vogue-style narrow whitewall tires mounted on them.
The restoration took place only six years ago, and yet some problems persist today. The rear bumper is showing some corrosion and is missing its rubber impact strip. The driver’s side rear quarter panel also has some rust around the beltline and fuel door. The interior may be okay and the passengers can now listen to tunes provided by an upgraded sound system that replaced the factory unit.
We believe the seller is a dealer as some of the car’s description comes across in the third person. Mechanically, this machine is said to be sound, propelled by a 425 cubic-inch Cadillac V8 paired with a Turbo-Hydramatic. Whether the drivetrain received a refresh, too, in 2015 is not mentioned. If you’re looking for a one-off kind of automobile for Cars & Coffee, you’d likely be the only person in your circle to drive one of these wagons.
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Comments
I’ve always been intrigued by these Cadillac station wagon conversions, but I think I would pass on this one. The upholstery job just doesn’t look that good to me & would be very expensive to redo properly. The drivers side rear quarter panel doesn’t follow the body lines of the front doors, and to me look like they are over 50% bonds. Then there is the color combo. Yellow/beige with brown interior & red carpet? Must be owned by Ronald McDonald.
There’s body filler all over and it was a crappy car to start with.
Too bad they did the mod on a ’79..it was a crappy year for Cadillac and most cars in general. If they’d done it to a early to mid 60s Sedan Deville, it would be something.
Ooooh a 59 wagon would be frickin awesome! Pink, of course, with a pink and black or pink and white interior.
I had a wrecker business years ago (1989-96). I towed in a brand new hearse that was being delivered from the builder to the funeral home (500+ miles) and blew a tire that took out most of the right rear quarter panel. The Bondo had to be there inches thick on that thing.
I used to sell hearses for a living and I will tell you I am not surprised. For as much as they cost new, the build quality is terrible lol.
I read a funny story years ago about a long-haired guy, who, with two more long-haired friends, got a “drive away” gig (this was in the early 1970s) to deliver a new Oldsmobile/Cotner Bevington ambulance to a USAF base in New Mexico from the manufacturer. Everything went well until they entered Texas. After being pulled over, the local law enforcement officers suspected that the ambulance was being used to transport drugs, so they took it to the station and started to disassemble the interior saying, “If we find even one pot seed, you’re all going to prison.” The driver replied, “If the Air Force finds one screw out of place at the delivery inspection, we will advise them to contact you personally to find out why.” The disassembly was reversed, and the ambulance and crew were released without incident.
Love the hood ornament. Really makes the package a winner.
All those photos and none of the engine.
Ugly beast! Similar to the “Family Truckster”.
Gaudy and functional. I think, if you could get it for the right price, it would be a great conversation piece to use on weekend rides, road trips, etc. And, you can haul some lumber in it… bonus.
It would seem to me that the easy way to build a Cadillac Wagon would be to start with the “hull” of an Olds 98 wagon and make the mods to wrap it in Cadillac Sheet metal. If practical, this would save a lot of grafting and re-engineering. The tailgate and surround would have to come from another car, no matter what. Ridiculous to build that from scratch. Anyone know anything about this?
I once knew a bodyman that worked for Lehman Peterson, the original Lincoln Continental stretchers. I asked him how they managed the roofs that were painted and not padded. He told me they used roofs from station wagons. And get this: they pop riveted them down and put a light coat of solder (lead) over the perimeter. Coachbuilding is a fascinating topic that few know anything about, Books on it always focus on the finished product and not the process, which should be at least as interesting if not more.
I would start with the Buick Estate Wagon. I had a fully loaded 73 wagon that was essentially a wagon version of the Electra 225. At least at that time, the Electra was as close as you could get to a Cadillac without getting a Cadillac. It shared a body with the Cadillac, but was enough different to distinguish it. I always toyed with putting a Cadillac front clip and Cadillac tail lights on it, but never did. Another car I wish I had kept.
All GM wagons of this era were Chevys from the cowl back anyway, at least structurally. Oldsmobuick wagons had filler trim pieces to make “Chevy-style” front doors blend with their divisional front clips and high woodgrain trim take rates (Pontiac used the same doors as Chevy throughout the line).
I think it’s time to circle the wagons! This should be a great one to sleep in driving away from all the smoke coming out of Canda! I wonder how many 2 strokes we would have to ride to equal that?
Yes. That’s what I wonder. I guess they should have cut some of those trees for a fire break.
The owner is probably saying now “Will somebody, anybody, PLEASE buy this can?”
*car (although “can” is fitting. LOL
Unfortunate adaptation.
Disproportionate.
Even worse color matching.
I appreciate all the work involved but the first photo triggers my vertigo.
The former owners of US Sugar lived just down the road from us. The wife (really nice lady) could be found with her very nice example of a late 70’s early 80’s Cadillac wagon at the end of their drive doing gardening. (With helicopters on the front lawn it looked like a photoshoot.) It was a gorgeous car and I’m sure they threw $ at the build. This looks really rough, TBH. Like, this appears to have never looked sharply dressed. Hard pass unless you will do it completely over.
Honestly, to my eyes it looks like a Buick Estate Wagon from the front doors back.