1969 Cadillac DeVille

The flamboyant and dramatic tail fins, jet-age styling, and excessive uses of chrome of the 1950s were followed by a more sober, restrained elegance of the early 1960s as the Cold War era began in earnest. The Cadillac DeVille nameplate remained in use from 1949 through 2005, generally serving as an intermediate model positioned between the Series 62 (later Calais) and the more upmarket Eldorados.

The 1965-1970 generation DeVilles were based on a perimeter frame platform with a 129-inch wheelbase with several body-style choices including both two-door (hardtop and convertible) and four-door (hardtop and sedan) versions. The styling was created under the direction of Bill Mitchell, with design cues of the late 1960s Cadillacs featuring curved side glass and vinyl roofs, while the tail fin was finally part of the history books. Power was initially from a 429 cubic-inch V8, eventually growing in size to 472 cubic inches from 1968, and rated at 375 horsepower.

The 1969 Cadillac DeVille styling was similar to the Eldorado, devoid of the stacked headlamps, the vent windows were replaced by rear quarter glass, and the roofline was more squared off. The overall length increased slightly, by 2.5 inches, and the front featured an all-new grille with a stronger horizontal theme, flanked by dual headlamps. Standard equipment now included an all-new ventilation system, along with front and rear armrests. Additional amenities included dual rear cigarette lighters, twin front and rear ashtrays, two-way power-operated horizontal front seat adjusters, rear center armrests, electric clock, Mirror Group, concealed three-speed windshield washers and wipers, variable-ratio power steering, power windows, and dual power brakes. The eight-cylinder engine was backed by a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission and a controlled differential was a $52.65 extra. Soft Ray tinted glass, head restraints, automatic climate control, automatic level control, cruise control, and leather upholstery were a few of the amenities found on the options list.

The entry-level Calais was priced at $5,660 for the hardtop sedan and $5,485 for the two-door hardtop coupe. The Sedan Deville listed at $5,950, the Coupe DeVille at $5,720, and the convertible DeVille at $5,900. Both the Calais and the DeVille rested on a 129.5-inch wheelbase platform. The front-wheel-drive Fleetwood Eldorado two-door hardtop coupe, priced at $6,700, had a 120-inch wheelbase. The similarly-priced Fleetwood Sixty Special had a 133-inch wheelbase and was priced at $6,780 for the sedan and $7,110 for the Brougham. The range-topping Fleetwood Seventy-Five had a 149.8-inch wheelbase for the $10,840 sedan and $10,980 limousine, and a 156-inch platform for commercial applications.

All 1969 Cadillac models were powered by an overhead-valve V8 engine with a cast-iron block, a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, 10.5:1 compression, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and delivering 375 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and 525 foot-pounds of torque. The Turbo-Hydramatic was standard with various axle ratios throughout the line. The Deville and Calais used a 2.94:1 ratio, while the Eldorado had a 3.07:1 ratio, and the Seventy-Five had a 3.21:1 ratio. The DeVille was capable of zero-to-sixty mph in approximately 8.1 seconds and its 26-gallon fuel tank kept the thirsty engine fed.

Over 72,900 examples of the sedan DeVille and over 65,700 of the Coupe DeVille were built in 1969, along with 16,445 of the convertible DeVille. The buying public preferred the DeVille more than any other 1969 Cadillac, accounting for approximately 73 percent of Cadillac's 1969 production. Cadillacs remained very popular, and 1969 was the fifth consecutive year for record sales and the first-year sales exceeded 250,000 units (this represents calendar year figures; Cadillac's total production declined by 2.9 percent over the 1968 model year).

1970 was the final year for the Bill Mitchell styling introduced in 1965. All GM full-size vehicles were completely redesigned for 1971.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2021