1972 Cadillac DeVille

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1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976

When Cadillac first used the name 'De Ville' in 1949, it represented a trim level on the Series 62 and was initially available in a two-door 'Coupe de Ville' configuration. It was one of the earliest pillarless American coupes ever built. A four-door hardtop Sedan de Ville was added to the Series 62 range in 1956 and it was an immediate success, outselling the standard-trim sedan by such a large margin that the De Ville badge became its own series in 1959. The DeVille Series would enjoy a very lengthy lifespan, lasting through to 2005.

The fourth-generation DeVille styling arrived in 1971 (and would continue through 1976) and brought about increased interior space and an unmatched interior width that would go unmatched until the early 1990s. The early versions were equipped with the familiar 472 cubic-inch big-block engine paired with GM's TH-400 three-speed automatic transmission. An even larger 500 CID V8 was introduced in 1975.

The styling introduced in 1971 included a wide hood with full-length windsplints, a prominent center crease, a V-shaped grille with an egg-crate pattern, a Cadillac crest on the nose of the hood, wraparound front bumper, a horizontal beltline along the body side, and hidden windshield wipers. There were rocker panel moldings with a DeVille signature script affixed to the sides of the rear roof pillars. Body styles included a coupe and sedan, with the 1972 Coupe selling for $6,390 and the sedan at $6,170. The sedan was slightly more popular than the coupe in 1972, with 99,531 of the former and 95,280 of the latter. Power was from a 472 cubic-inch V8 with overhead valves, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 345 (SAE) horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

The styling of the 1972 Cadillac models was similar to the previous year as General Motors focused much of its efforts on keeping pace with shifting marketplace demands for more fuel-efficient and safer vehicles. The DeVille was priced above the Calais for 1972 and body styles included a four-door hardtop sedan priced at nearly $6,000 and a hardtop coupe at $5,770. Sales of the Calias were much lower than the DeVille but similar to the previous year, with 3,875 examples of the hardtop sedan and 3,900 of the hardtop coupe. Above the DeVille was the Fleetwood Sixty Special priced at $7,635 for the four-door brougham. A total of 20,750 units were built. The Fleetwood Eldorado convertible was priced at $7,680 and the hardtop coupe at $7,360. The hardtop coupe had 32,099 sales compared to 7,975 for the convertible. Catering the limousine and commercial platforms, Cadillac offered the Fleetwood Seventy-Five with prices that exceeded $12,000.

All 1972 Cadillacs were fitted with the 472 cubic-inch V8 except for the Eldorado which employed a 500 CID V8 with 235 (SAE net) horsepower.

Cadillac built a total of 194,811 examples of the DeVille in 1972 representing approximately 73 percent of Cadillac's total production. This was a significant increase over the 135,426 examples built in 1971, yet lower than the 216,243 units built in 1973.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022