1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

1976 was the final year of the monster fourth generation Cadillac DeVilles, riding on a 130" wheelbase and stretching a full 230.7" from stem to stern.

It was the second year for rectangular headlamps on the full-size Caddies, a feature that seemed terribly modern after decades of all cars in the US having mandatory round sealed beams.

The 500 cubic inch version of the Cadillac 472 Series OHV V-8, originally exclusive to the Eldorado personal luxury coupe, became standard in the DeVille in 1975. New for '76, however, it could be had with either a four-barrel carburetor or a new Bendix electronically-controlled fuel injection setup. 

The fuelie version of the 500 slowed the Malaise Era power slump of the big block Caddy motor, which by 1976 was down to a dismal 190 SAE net horsepower. With the Bendix option, output was 215 horsepower, which was still feeble compared to the 400 gross horsepower boasted by the 500 back when it debuted, largely due to the compression ratio having been reduced from 10.0:1 to 8.5:1 in order to run on unleaded gasoline.

Power brakes were standard, of course, with discs up front and finned drums in the rear. Track Master skid control was available for the rear drums and another ahead-of-its-time optional safety feature on the '76 DeVille was the Air Cushion Restraint System, an early airbag setup. The latter had been introduced in 1974 and was an expensive and rarely-ordered option, so it was discontinued after '76. 

This Georgian Silver Metallic 1976 Coupe DeVille is one of the last of the big Caddies. For '77, the DeVille would be heavily downsized. Almost a foot shorter and a full thousand pounds lighter, the monster 8.2 Litre motor would be replaced by a new 7.0 Litre 425 Series Cadillac V-8.

The one in the pictures was photographed in May of 2023 using an iPhone 13 Pro Max.