A Brief History Of Cadillac 1980-2000: Northstar And SUVs
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During the 1980s and 1990s, the look and performance of Cadillac would change greatly. Reductions in size would continue, a compact sedan based on the Chevy Cavalier would prove a disappointment, and a competitor for the Mercedes-Benz SL convertibles would arrive with fresh Italian styling. A new engine platform would be the standard of performance in Cadillac coupes and sedans, and in the late-1990s, SUVs would enter the Cadillac lineup, as luxurious family-haulers would come into demand.
The Seville was redesigned for 1980, featuring an all new “bustle-back” and a switch to the Eldorado’s front-wheel-drive chassis.
The early 1980s saw further reductions in size across the Cadillac lineup to meet with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards.
1981 Cadillac Seville
Standard digital heat and air conditioning controls were introduced to all Cadillac models in 1981.
The Cadillac Cimarron was introduced in for the 1982 model year. Based on the Chevy Cavalier, the Cimarron was poorly received by the Cadillac faithful. Auto journalist Dan Neil listed the Cimarron as one of the “worst cars of all time,” adding it “nearly killed Cadillac and remains its biggest shame.”
In 1983, Cadillac debuted the optional Delco/Bose stereo system. The cassette stereo was priced at $895, and was only available on Eldorados and Sevilles. It would not be available in DeVilles and Fleetwoods until 1985.
1989 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
The 1985 Cadillac DeVille was transformed with a transverse-mounted front-wheel-drive configuration, the first for any American manufacturer. Digital instrumentation was introduced on DeVilles and Fleetwoods in 1985.
Redesigned for 1986, the Eldorado and Seville models were much smaller in dimension and stature. Both were powered by transverse-mounted 4.1-liter V8s.
The Pininfarina-bodied Cadillac Allanté debuted for the 1987 model year, with bodies shipped from Italy to the U.S. for final assembly. The Mercedes SL competitor was powered by the transverse-mounted HT-4100 V8.
1989 Cadillac Allanté
Cadillac’s Detroit, Michigan Clark Street assembly plant, which had been in service since 1921, was shuttered in 1987.
Traction control was available for the first time on the 1990 Cadillac Allanté.
Cadillac made history in 1991 with the introduction of the Northstar engine. Originally developed by Oldsmobile, the high-performance 4.6-liter 90-degree V8 was General Motors’ most complex engine, featuring aluminum block and heads, double-overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder.
Beginning in mid-1992, Cadillac introduced the Northstar engine as part of the Northstar System that included variable valve timing, suspension that “read the road,” four-wheel disc brakes, and variable power steering. The 1992 Seville was redesigned with some styling elements lifted from the 1988 Cadillac Voyage concept. The new Seville made Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list.
1988 Cadillac Seville STS
The Northstar engine was available in the Cadillac Allanté for its final year of production in 1993. Freshly redesigned for 1993, the all-new rear-wheel-drive Cadillac Fleetwood replaced the aging Brougham. The front-wheel-drive Fleetwood from previous years was renamed the Sixty Special. 1993 was the final year for Coupe DeVille production.
The 1994 Cadillac DeVille was redesigned on the same platform as the Seville, with a slightly longer wheelbase. DeVilles came with standard driver front airbags, full digital instrument cluster, digital information center, and dual-zone climate control.
The High Technology (HT) engine line that had been in production since 1982 was discontinued in 1995.
Continuously Variable Road Sensing Suspension, or CVRSS, was introduced in 1996, as was Magnasteer Speed Sensitive Steering.
The OnStar Vehicle Safety and Security System was introduced as an available option on all Cadillacs for 1997, and StabiliTrak was available for Sevilles, Eldorados, and DeVilles.
Along with a restyling in for the 1997 model year, the DeVille introduced a standard SRS passenger’s-side front airbag, as well as new stereo systems, and the TheftLock security system.
1999 Cadillac Escalade
The entry-level Cadillac Catera sedan debuted for the 1997 model year. Aimed at mid-size European marques, the Catera was itself European, a rebadged Opel Omega built in Russelsheim, Germany.
The Chevy Tahoe-based Cadillac Escalade bowed for the 1999 model year as a direct competitor for the Lincoln Navigator. Massaging lumbar seats are available for the first time in select Sevilles, DeVilles, and Eldorados.
There was little in the Cadillac lineup that looked anything like the models of just two decades ago. Technology, styling, and performance would launch Cadillac into the new millennium.
To be continued.
Also:
Cadillac 1902-1917: the Birth of the Brand
Cadillac 1920-1940: the Pre-War Years
Cadillac 1940-1960: WW II and Beyond
Cadillac 1960-1980: Innovation and Excess
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Don’t know if this will be a red flag to someone at Cadillac but I am going to shift gears from the 80’s/90’s and mention the current Cadillac advertising campaign. It looks like they are after the residents of Watts (Los Angeles) or the South Side of Chicago…. I’m sorry, but the music and themes of these ads are not directed at the Cadillac owners across America. If you want to see a perfectly themed advertising campaign for high end automobiles in America, watch the Lincoln ads…. GM and Cadillac continue on the wrong track. Put out quality sedans, gasoline powered, and Americans who want the “Standard of the World” would buy the product…. But the advertising message is clearly turning off most of us who have been Cadillac owners in the past.
Tom P: I think I know what you are saying. I firmly believe that we/they must be careful in all this due to a racially charged environment any more. The product should sell itself and they should not be making that decision as to which demographic they pander to.
This is why I’ve felt for years now that the advertising has been way off. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s the color of the people in the ads, the type of music they play, the locations they choose, or the racing down the streets/roads/sands dunes. It’s all way off. What Cadillac especially needs to do is go back to placing the cars in still ads (no movement) with a luxurious backdrop or setting. Keep people out of the ads. One of the most memorable ads I’ve ever seen (print) for Cadillac was a red DeVille with a white top sitting in front of a large white house with greenery around. It simply said something like this: The best salesman Cadillac ever had. The car stood out due to the color contrast and everything looked elegant. I saw this ad when I was about 13 years old (1979) and it took me a while to understand as I was looking for a person. It finally hit me that the ad was saying that the car itself was Cadillac’s best sales person. It was advertising like that and some from the 50’s and 60’s where they showed just the car. I feel that’s the way it should be.
You are absolutely right……. Advertise the car!!!!!!!!
Much of this was poor management and bad unsound decisions that were made from the early 80’s onward. The fact that Cadillac rushed the Cimarron out the same year as the cheaper Cavalier/J2000 etc with the 1.8 carbureted engine and didn’t wait one more model year when the better TBI 2.0 engine came out is baffling. The fact they wasted all the resources and development on the variable modulated displacement system on the 368 engine when all they needed to do was use the digital fuel injection system and the 200R4 4 speed transmission to achieve the same basic results (better combined and highway economy numbers) until the smaller FWD cars came online.
They also rushed the HT4100 into production 3 years before it was well baked with disastrous results putting low output 125-135 HP engines with a mere 190-200 LBS FT of torque into 3800-4000 LBS full size luxury cars that were popping intake gaskets killing cams and leaving many a pissed off customer on the side of the road. Sticking Buick carbureted V6 engines as credit options for years 1980 to 1982 didn’t help that downward spiral. The overly downsized C and E cars were the final nail in the coffin and things have never recovered or have been the same since with less and less market share the result.
Of course not all was bad. The full size RWD C body recovered some grace with the switch to the Olds 307 and better still the Chevy TBI 305 and 350. Cadillac enlarged the 4100 to the superior 4.5 and 4.9 engines. The E and C body cars were stretched and given more Cadillac identity and the 1992 on up Eldo and Seville were the best they have been in years. The Northstar also came on which was both good and bad and the Escalade would start a trend that has for better or worse paved the way to our current SUV craze.