1970 Cadillac Calais

Cadillac produced the entry-level Calais from 1965 to 1976, serving as a replacement for the Series 62. It was named after the French town and resort which is located near the narrowest point in the English Channel. Designer Bill Mitchell styled in a similar fashion to the De Ville and powered by a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a V8 engine mated to a Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. The 1970 Cadillac Calais was available as a hardtop sedan or a hardtop coupe, with prices beginning at $5,640. The Sedan was more popular with 5,187 examples sold, while the coupe found 4,724 willing buyers. Total Calais production of 9,911 vehicles accounted for 4% of the total 238,744 Cadillac production.

The 1970 Calais rested on a 129.5-inch wheelbase platform and measured 225 inches in length. The overhead-valve V8 engine displaced 472 cubic inches, had a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 375 horsepower. The exterior was slightly restyled with a facelifted grille with 13 vertical blades with a cross-hatched rectangular opening. Flanked on either side of the grille were horizontally positioned dual circular headlights encased in bright metal. There were vertical vee-shaped taillights with smaller V-shaped bottom lenses. Calais insignia could be found above the rear end of the horizontal lower belt molding. Standard equipment included an electric clock, cigarette lighters, ashtrays, courtesy lamps, an outside remote control left-hand mirror, a visor vanity mirror, power steering, front disc brakes, power windows, and a Turbo-Hydra-Matic transmission. There were L78-15 bias-belted fiberglass blackwall tires with the rear tires partially hidden by fender skirts.

The second generation of the Calais was introduced a year later, in 1971, and would continue until 1976.
By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2019