conceptcarz.com

1984 Cadillac Deville

Cadillac's reputation was built on precision engineers, stylish coachwork, and luxurious accouterments, allowing it to rank among the finest in the United States. They were the first volume manufacturer to offer a fully enclosed car in 1906, and participated in the 1908 interchangeability test in the United Kingdom, earning them the Dewar Trophy for the most important advancement in the automobile industry that year. It would continue to lead in automotive developments and refinements, was a paragon amongst its peers, and an aspiration choice amongst consumers. With the demise of competing luxury marques such as Packard during the 1950s, Cadillac's status and importance in the exclusive, luxury car segment continued to grow. Among the models that formed this solid foundation were the Seville, DeVille, Eldorado, and Fleetwood (to name a few).

1984 Cadillac Model Lineup
This list of 1984 Cadillac models included the fuel-injected, four-cylinder, five-speed gearbox (dare I say 'entry level') Cimarron priced at $12,215. It was Cadillac's first post-war compact car, had the company's shortest wheelbase since 1908, was the first Cadillac with a four-cylinder engine since 1914, and balanced both fuel economy and luxury. The four-door sedan had a transverse-mounted engine, front-wheel drive, and used GM's J-body platform. Next on the pricing ladder was the Deville, offer as a coupe priced at nearly $16,000, and a four-door sedan at $16,440. Its wheelbase and length were the same as the Fleetwood Brougham, also offered a coupe ($18,700) and a sedan (19,180), and its 4.1-liter (249 CID) V8 was shared with the Seville, DeVille, and Eldorado. The Seville was offered solely as a four-door sedan priced at $21,440. Apart from the Fleetwood Limousine, the Eldorado was Cadillac's most expensive 1984 model, with a factory base price of $19,330 for the two-door, six-passenger coupe.

The 249 cubic-inch V8 engine had overhead valves, a cast-iron and aluminum alloy block, a cast iron head, 8.5:1 compression, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, digital fuel injection, and developed 135 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and 200 lb-ft of torque at 2,200 RPM. This engine used a revised exhaust system with a monolithic catalytic converter. Due to emission standards in high-altitude regions, the electronic controls were modified. An optional (no charge) Oldsmobile-built diesel engine was available (except in California due to emissions regulations), with a 350 cubic-inch (5.7-liter) displacement, fuel injection, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and 105 horsepower at 3,200 RPM and 200 lb-ft at 1,600 RPM. The standard transmission was a four-speed overdrive.

The wheelbase measured 121.4 inches, the length at 221 inches, the width at 76.4 inches, and the height at 54.6 inches for the coupe and 55.5 inches for the sedan. The Brougham had the same dimensions except for the height which measured 56.7 inches.

The 1984 Cadillac DeVille
1984 was the final year of the styling first introduced in 1977, representing its fifth major update since its introduction nearly the close of the 1950s. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1977, and while it had built a reputation on opulence and its overwhelming stature, its models were downsized as the market shifted to fuel economy. The new C-bodied DeVille was over nine inches shorter, 3.5 inches narrow, and approximately 900 pounds lighter than its predecessor (the fourth generation DeVille produced from 1971 to 1976). The chassis, body, suspension, and engine were new, and thanks to thoughtful engineering, trunk space, rear legroom, and rear headroom increased.

Cadillac management had intended to replace the DeVille and Fleetwood in 1984 with new front-wheel-drive variants, but due to quality control concerns, the rear-wheel-drive, '5th Gen' soldiered on for another year. Essentially a carry-over from the previous year, this was the final time De Ville used the 'V' emblem below the Cadillac crest, as the 1985 models adopted the crest and wreath emblem previously used a Fleetwood exclusive. The new front-drive Coupe de Ville and Sedan de Ville arrived in Cadillac showrooms during the Spring of 1984, so both the 1984 rear-drive and 1985 front-drive models were sold and produced at the same time for nearly half a year. Production figures for the year included de Ville and Fleetwood models, with 107,920 units of the four-door and 50,840 of the two-door.

Styling updates were minimal for 1984, the taillamp lenses now had goldtone Cadillac wing crests, and the bodyside moldings were now color-keyed to the body finish. Electronic level control was now standard. Additional items included on the list of the standard items were power brakes, power steering, power windows, six-way power seats, automatic-control air conditioning, automatic parking brake release, a power antenna, signal-seeking stereo radio, tinted glass, a remote-control left outside mirror, right visor mirror, light monitors, and cornering lights. The whitewall steel-belted radial tires measured P215/75R15 and included a stowaway spare.

The appearance continued to be formal and upright, with the more aerodynamic front end that was introduced in 1980. The grille had a crosshatch pattern with four horizontal and nine vertical divider bars, peaking forward at the center. The license plate was integrated into the bumper with bumper guards, resting below the grille and the quad rectangular headlamps.

Like many manufacturers, 1985 would usher in a new era of front-wheel-drive models for Cadillac, with both Fleetwood and DeVille making the switch. A new transverse-mounted, fuel-injected, 4.1-liter V8 engine with a die-cast aluminum block became the standard engine for all models except for the Cimarron. The DeVille would remain a part of Cadillac's model lineup through eight generations of changes, ending in 2005.


By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022

Related Reading : Cadillac DeVille History

The Cadillac DeVille was a luxury car produced by Cadillac after the Fleetwood name was dropped by Cadillac. Production began in the post-war era, in 1949. It was produced for many years, ending in 2005 when it was replaced by the DTS. The acronym DTS represented DeVille Touring Sedan.The name for the DeVille was derived from its body styling, with DeVille meaning town in French. The....
Continue Reading >>

Related Reading : Cadillac DeVille History

A name used on a variety of Cadillacs luxury car models the DeVille became the largest Cadillac sedan and was eventually replaced by DTS for the 2006 model year. The nomenclature DeVille stands for of the city or town in the French language and comes from its town body which showcased an enclosed passenger compartment and an open chauffeurs compartment. Lincoln used the term Town Car in 1922....
Continue Reading >>

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1984 Deville
$17,630-$158,600
1984 Cadillac Deville Price Range: $17,140 - $17,630

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1984 Cadillac Models
$20,340 - $31,285

DeVille

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
234,171
121.50 in.
8 cyl., 425.00 CID., 180.00hp
8 cyl., 425.00 CID., 195.00hp
$9,650 - $9,860
206,701
121.50 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 120.00hp
8 cyl., 425.00 CID., 195.00hp
$10,445 - $10,670
215,101
121.50 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 125.00hp
8 cyl., 425.00 CID., 180.00hp
8 cyl., 425.00 CID., 195.00hp
$11,140 - $11,495
104,678
121.40 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 105.00hp
$12,400 - $12,770
121.40 in.
8 cyl., 350.00 CID., 105.00hp
8 cyl., 249.00 CID., 135.00hp
$15,970 - $16,440
121.40 in.
8 cyl., 249.00 CID., 135.00hp
$17,140 - $17,630

Related Automotive News