It’s rare to find a clean B-body or C-body General Motors car these days, but they’re truly something to behold these days. They marked the beginning of a new era for GM: front-wheel drive luxury cars—a response to the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Road and Track penned an explanation as to why these seemingly great cars downright failed in the market. They were engineered to push luxury buyers into more fuel-efficient vehicles but didn’t compromise on the details. Their downfall? The end of the energy crisis.
The B-body cars (Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight, Pontiac Bonneville, Buick LeSabre) and C-body cars (Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, Buick Electra, Cadillac DeVille) featured more room than their predecessors, ushered in sharp new looks for the time and they returned respectable fuel economy. But, while GM commissioned the project in response to the disastrous energy crisis, the crisis was only temporarily. GM bet big on the fact the crisis would extend for years, possibly forever. But, it didn’t. Fuel prices eventually sunk back into affordable territory and the front-wheel-drive luxury cars were left high and dry.
As the story notes, the “hottest” luxury sedan of 1984 wasn’t Cadillac’s DeVille, it was the Lincoln Town Car, which was six years old at the time compared to Cadillac’s brand new luxury model.
What sealed the cars’ fate was GM’s decision to emphasize FWD luxury cars. GM didn’t move the cars back to an RWD platform but instead embraced FWD without selling customers on the benefits they provided. The cars weren’t perfect, but they certainly deserved more attention than buyers gave them. It was the beginning of GM’s downfall where marketing and engineering worked closely together to design a product that would market well and sell hundreds of thousands of units.
Those days are long gone, and so is Oldsmobile, but perhaps one day Cadillac will find its footing once again in the modern luxury car market.
Comments
All those car in this article are RWD, not FWD.
might want to look again, they are all FWD.
The three cars pictured in the article above are FWD.
Juju Smith was correct initially. There were placeholder images showing that weren’t changed out, but the images were updated shortly afterward.
They didn’t fail, they sold very well for a very long time. Jack is an ok dude, but doesn’t actually know as much as he thinks he does and doesn’t typically do much research for articles like this because of he ego.
Cadillac IS finding its footing in the luxury car market.
Times are different, you can do a whole lot with AWD systems and the way they deliver power. Hell, when it comes to something like the XT5; in sport mode the average Joe is not going to notice a difference in how sporty the car feels. Yes Cadillac builds Amazing RWD sedans, but when it comes to CUVs, I highly believe that the wheels driving the car only change how well the car does in the snow….nothing else. While I did love the DTS, and I do love the XTS, I think that Cadillac (and Pontiac) had no business building FWD sedans that were branded to be “sporty”. All FWD sedans should be branded as “Ultra Lux”. I Like that Caddy still builds the CT6 and XTS. Each one caters to a different demographic and both sell pretty well for the segment. The new CT6 is light, nimble, and fast; everything needed for a good sports sedan. The XTS is big, comfortable, and quiet; everything needed for a high-end dedicated luxury car.
FWD sedans should not be “Ultra Lux”. Hell, there should be no FWD luxury cars at all. The CT6 is just as big, comfortable and quiet, perhaps more so than the XTS. The CT6 is more of a high-end type of car while the XTS isn’t at a reasonable cost.
Advancements in engineering nowadays will give FWD cars and CUVs sporty character. But to go beyond the limits, RWD is a better solution alongside AWD particularly for super high performance models.
I thought the 1984 DeVille was RWD. The 1985 model was the one that moved to the “economy car” chassis. It was a disappointment. The 1986 and later Seville was much more my speed.
Cadillac started getting goofy looking with the vertical headlights in the early 2000s again.
I don’t consider the Olds Ninety Eight, Buick LeSabre, and Pontiac 6000 as failures. Sure seemed like they were all over the place growing up.
Oh, they were great cars, alright … if you happened to be a mechanic. I have a friend whose amazing Bonneville had more “mechanic test miles” than miles he drove. GM also had no concept of responsibility. After continual all-for-naught fights to get them to replace the transverse-mounted transmission he gave up and bought a Toyota. He has not purchased a GM product since. So no, I need no further “explanation on why GM’s FWD luxury cars failed” than simply one turn-of-phrase: “Garbage In, Garbage Out”.
My parents bought an 1985 Buick Park Avenue. Aluminum wheels and clam shell hood. The car was super nice with real leather and I remember it being loaded out with options! I loved borrowing it for dates! But! I think these cars was yet again a case of GM telling it’s customers what they were going to buy instead of asking what they wanted to buy. These cars would have been euro killers had GM been willing to switch to a RWD platform but instead, customers left for foreign cars like Mercedes and little ole upstart companies called Lexus and Infiniti.
It’s kind of like saying black is their best selling interior……….because it’s all they offer.
I would love to see some numbers backing up these claims. I was alive and kicking then and know that many of these failures sold quite well. Yes, the downsized Cadillacs weren’t universally liked, especially not by the car magazines, who at that time despised even RWD domestics like the Corvette, but they owned the luxury market along with Lincoln at the time.
I know a lot of people want to believe that Roger Smith and FWD killed sales, but the big RWD cars of the ’70s could hardly navigate a parking lot without the headliner coming lose in your face or a hubcap flying off. It was quality, labor, and management issues that went back into the ’70s that really sank them. The cars actually got better as time went along. They just couldn’t get better fast enough to outrun their reputation, or the competition, which was engineering better and better cars as time marched on.
That’s vastly oversimplifying things, but true enough to how I remember things.
My dad had a 1977 Chevy Impala Station Wagon. Built solid as a rock. Aunt had a 1978 Olds 88. Built like a rock. The early 1980’s equivalents that my friends dad had were far more cheaply made, cheap interiors that felt flimsy etc. Of course GM cars were everywhere in the 1980’s , but as the years went on more and more people defected due to poor quality.
The Buick Park Avenue Ultra and Olds 98 Elite of that era were incredible cars. My in-laws owned a 98 and I had the Park Avenue. The 3800 engine is legendary…. then GM killed [it in] the Grand National just when that car reached it’s apex.
Just seeing if I can post a Reply. been a few months, everything I put says that it’s being reviewed by the moderator.
Thanks Alex
The only time I remember GM promoting FWD was the 1966 Oldsmobile Toranodo. The commercial showed one climbing a desert mountain spewing dust from the front wheels. The V8 was in the longitudinal configuration with the transmission from the rear of the engine to the drivers side front wheels. It was well jammed pack. It’s design is like the Avanti, its timeless and still looks good today even today. Jay Leno agrees and has one but he did a resto mod to rear drive. Probably no parts available.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Toronado#First_generation_(1966–1970)
Tons of parts available for the big FWD cars, they made millions between 1967-1978 between the Toronado and Eldorado, plus the drivetrain was also used in the 1973-1978 GMC Motohome too, Leno just changed it to RWD because he as money falling out of his arse that he doesn’t know what to do with…….
I’ve owned 2 big FWD GMs, still own one now.
They did run Citation ads with the car rigidly attached to a trailer, driving down the road with the rear wheels removed. Not a bad stunt. But FWD was a little harder to sell in a “traditional” full-sized luxury car. It had better traction, at least on level ground, but less towing capacity. These cars had more legroom in front and with no intrusion from the driveshaft or rear-axle, more hospitable rear seating for 3 than many of their RWD predecessors and competitors, but if they had stretched the wheelbase a little, they could have had a bigger advantage, which would have appealed to old-fashioned big-car buyers. In fact, there were a few FWD cars of that era, like the 1990 Imperial, the 1988 Lincoln Continental and the 1987 Cadillac 60 special with truly remarkable legroom that was comparable to some of the biggest post-war RWD cars, but I don’t remember them being heavily promoted for that.
They failed? This is news to me. I understand that they sold very well and outsold there land yacht RWD predecessors, had better performance and mileage, handled better, offered better grip in the snow belts and there real only deficiency was a smaller trunk. Where Cadillac themselves went completely wrong was in going almost all FWD and only offering an antiquated RWD full size Brougham with an under powered 140 HP carbureted 307 Olds engine as there only choice in this field. The Town Car was being developed better with more styling updates, fuel injection and more power and in 1990 they Town Car was all new with an all new more advanced 190 Hp 4.6 OHC V8 engine.
This article and the Road & Track article seem not to be well researched. Probably written by 30 somethings who had a nary a clue about the vehicle market at the time. These models sold well for GM in general but their downfall was long term reliability along with fit and finish.
As stated multiple times by comments above; FWD H and C bodies sold like hot cakes! These things were EVERYWHERE. I was not a fan of them either, but in my teen years – early 90s – had the pleasure of driving a few different examples and contrary to the some opinions they were actually solid, smooth, reliable cars (with the 3.8 – the 3.4 was hit or miss).
They had excellent gas mileage, and were better built – if not as stylish – then any of their RWD, 70s predecessors. That said, I don’t miss them. I am only mildly amused at seeing a pristine example these days. Invariably the good ones are being driven by an older person who probably purchased it new and was meticulous about it’s up keep.
It’s difficult to agree or disagree when the article didn’t bother to include any numbers to support this claim that FWD luxury cars were a failure and not accepted; it makes one wonder whether the author has looked at the sales figures for the RWD 2018 Cadillac CTS.
Sad state of affairs when a Cadillac looks like a boxy, content-ed Chevy Cavalier.
Wow, RWD or FWD, they all look like re-badges of each other.
Rather harsh comparison and even more so inaccurate when consideration is given that the exterior dimensions of these two vehicles are eons apart and exterior styling as well was totally different.
I remember, as a young high school student, seeing the new, smaller Cadillac Sevilles and Devilles and thought, “Why that car is elegant as hell.”
My mom rented me a Buick Riviera for my high school prom in 1987 and it had an infotainment center and was sweet!
All these years later, I own a Cadillac CTS-V and a Cadillac CTS.
So, those impressions I had as a young boy paid off, turning me into a future Cadillac customer!
I worked for a Cadillac dealer back then and was trained by GM . The car were horrible back then but did get much better because it was an all new platform so it took some time to get it right and most of the car that they finally got right like the Cadillac Alante they stop production . The HT4100 engine and the 440T4 trans was a nightmare but it got better later and yes GM didn’t market things very well nor did they do everything they could in the quality control department.
In the article, the listing of C-Body is correct, however dates are not cut and dry. The front wheel drive C-Body Cadillac Series 75, Cadillac Fleetwood, Cadillac DeVille, the Buick Electra and Oldsmobile 98 were released in 1985. However the Cadillac Sixty Special was not released until 1987. The dates and platform/Body for the Buick LeSabre, Oldsmobile 88, and Pontiac Bonneville are also wrong. They are not B Body cars. Those three were H Body cars. The Oldsmobile 88 and Buick LeSabre were released in 1986, while the Pontiac Bonneville was released in 1987.
C-Body
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_C_platform_%281985%29?wprov=sfla1
H-Body
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_H_platform_%281986%29?wprov=sfla1
Just an FYI. I emailed the Road & Track author as well. My parents had a 1987 Pontiac Bonneville, and I loved that car. I owned a 1988 Buick LeSabre in college. Loved both cars.
I worked in GM service department from 1978 to 2008 ,saw a lot of some great models go through and also some not so great but to say they failed in the 80’s with the FWD conversion you are wrong . Does anyone remember the commercial of the stuck town car in the snow and the FWD Caddy driver drove that driver home !!!!
The 1980’s was the last decade of post war management thinking. They were under the influence that GM sold vehicles because they were GM. It was the time that Honda and Toyota we’re pushing quality and they successfully stole market share from everyone. By the 1990’s a mix of baby boomer and post war management weren’t doing anything better but worried more about the next quarter profits at the cost of future product development. By 2009 it all ended an GM restructured and they survived quite well I think.
I had many co workers, friends and family were tired of the break downs of US vehicles when warranty was only 12 months. Many switched to German or Asian vehicles because of quality. At one time (1960-1990’s)you had to make appointments weeks in advance at car dealers because the shops were busy. Today they wait for your business. A
I had an 88 Bonneville that I loved. The only repair in its first 100k miles was the starter. I wish I’d had it fixed after smashing the front, since the Intrigue that replaced it was a PITA.
The 1989 model fixed the 3 things that irritated me the most: balky vent controls, small glovebox, and too-low windshield tint.
we have owned 71 Tornado , a 78 cutlass , a 85 88, 88 88 , 90 88 , 97 aurora, 98 88 — all clocked over 100k with the aurora and 98/88 reaching 187 k — all no engine or trans or final drive repairs . pretty damn I think
This article tripped a lot of triggers. I find agreement with some comments from Phil, Member12, Reggie, Joe, Gary, JZ and Tom. These cars were clearly not failures. They had excellent fuel efficiency and were almost unstoppable in snow. We routinely got around 30 MPG on the highway, 35 once with a tailwind Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. The early cars, 4.1s were underpowered for high country but by the time of the 4.9, they could perform even up at the Continental Divide. I owned four of the FWD DeVilles, 85, 88, 91, and 02. The only serious failure was the Body Control Module in the 81. Other than that, the cars were pretty much bullet proof with excellent handling, good gas mileage and very snow worthy. When they disappeared I decided to go SRX AWD and then the CTS AWD. I don’t read car mags anymore because the writers are not “car-guys” or gals in my opinion. But I owe all of you my thanks for reading this piece and getting me stirred up.
The B-body was renamed H-body for this generation of Buick LeSabre, Oldsmobile 88, and Pontiac Bonneville because the B-body introduced for the 1977 model year was still used for full-sized station wagons and the Chevrolet Caprice.
I’ve driven many FWD cars and anyone that’s in tune with what they drive will tell you that the driving dynamics of a FWD car are different than RWD. They’ve improved over the years but I still have no interest in them. They feel nose heavy and unbalanced. In the cold country, where I no longer live, people bought them for better traction in the snow. Sure that works. Most of the weight is on the front wheels. The problem is on icy roads. If the car slides your natural reaction is to let off the gas. It’s like putting the front brakes on and now you’ve lost steering control. Use the same scenario with a RWD car. Let off the gas and the rear wheels slow and the car straightens out and you haven’t lost your steering control. A FWD based AWD vehicle has the same issue as FWD since the majority of the power is still put to the front wheels so you lose steering control on an icy road when you let off the gas.