- A time-warp 1976 Cadillac sedan with just 38,000 miles on the clock is up for auction.
- The top of the line Fleetwood Brougham rides on a massive 133-inch (3.4 m) wheelbase.
- It features a working soft-close trunk mechanism and optional buttoned leather upholstery.
The recent death of President Jimmy Carter has put a spotlight back on an awkward time in American history when the country, and its cars, were struggling to adapt to massive political, cultural, ecological and economic pressures. Just check out this perfectly preserved Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham to see what we mean.
Built in 1976, the year Carter took won his only presidential election, and the final year before GM embarked on a radical downsizing program that saw it hack pounds and inches from its biggest cars, this Fleetwood Brougham represented the last of the old-school luxury Caddies.
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We’re sure you get a rough idea of how massive this car is from the pictures and video, but just to make sure, here are some numbers to reinforce the message. The Fleetwood rode on a colossal 133-inch (3.4 m) wheelbase and measured 233.7 inches (5.9 m) from one guardrail-shaped 5 mph (8 kmh) impact bumper to the other, making it as long as a modern LWB Rolls Royce Phantom. It was as big as Cadillacs got for people who planned to drive themselves rather than delegate to a chauffeur.
Big stable, few horses
The V8 under the football field-sized hood was also massive, measuring 8.2 litres. But choked by a triangulated attack from a feeble 8.5:1 compression ratio suitable for low-lead gas, primitive emissions equipment and a GM-mandated single exhaust visble in the underneath shots (even the Corvette and Trans Am blew through singles in ’76), it made just 190 hp (193 PS).
Fortunately, given the car’s 5,300-lbs-plus (2,400 kg) curb weight, the V8 still generated a respectable 360 lb-ft (488 Nm) of torque from just 2,000 rpm, which it sent to the rear wheels through column-shifted three-speed auto ’box. So it’s not going to be Blackwing quick, we’re guessing around 12-13 seconds to 60 mph (97 kmh), but then this was the era of the 55 mph (89 kmh) speed limit.
Modern-style luxuries
And Cadillac back then was still firmly focused on luxury, not performance. This car even has a working soft-close (though it doesn’t sound very soft) trunk lid, which was a $68 option. Other items the first owner paid extra for were full leather upholstery and cruise control, inflating the $10,935 base price to $12,266 including destination. That translates to $68,011 in modern money, which looks pretty strong value when you consider that a 2025 Escalade starts at $88k and the fancy Rolls Royce-chasing Celstiq sedan is over three-hundred.
This Brougham, which is up for auction on Bring a Trailer, was delivered new to Coral Cadillac in Pompona Beach, Florida, and had only been through three sets of hands before the selling dealer got its hands on her, helping – along with the mere 38,000 miles (61,000 km) on the odometer – explain the incredible condition. The dealer says he’s had the hood and trunk painted due to fading, but the interior is just as it came.
Things looked very different, and much smaller when the 1977 Cadillacs appeared. The 121.5-inch (3.1 m) wheelbase on that year’s new downsized Fleetwood Brougham was a staggering foot (300 mm) shorter than the ’76 car’s, and the curb weight came down by almost 900 lbs (408 kg). The new smaller Cadillacs were a big hit, unlike Jimmy Carter, who only lasted a single term and was soundly beaten by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election.
Click here to see the full Bring a Trailer auction listing.
