1978 marked the second model year of the newly-downsized Cadillac Coupe DeVille. While being nineteen inches shorter than the previous generation, it was still a large car, riding on a 121.5" wheelbase and weighing 4,270 pounds, all gassed up and ready to go.
Under the hood was Cadillac's 7.0 litre pushrod 425 V-8. Available as the in the same carbureted L33 configuration as the previous year, with a Rochester Quadrajet carb, 8.2:1 compression, and 180 SAE net horsepower, or the new port fuel injected L35, which bumped output to 195 ponies. The only transmission available was a 3-speed THM 400.
This Basil Green Firemist '78 Coupe DeVille sports a Light Beige vinyl landau roof and aftermarket bling in the form of a gold grille and a faux Rolls radiator shell.
When Car and Driver tested a '78 model with the L33 carbureted engine, they managed a zero-to-sixty time of 10.6 seconds and an 18.2 quarter mile at 79 mph. With the California-spec 2.73:1 rear end, the test car topped out at 108 miles per hour, and it took 207 feet to stop from 70.
Fully optioned, the test car's price ballooned from the $10,444 base to what was then an eye-popping $13,375 (it would have been another $744 if you wanted the fuel injection.) That price tag comes to over sixty-five grand in today's money.
This one was photographed with a Nikon D700 and a 35-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens in July of 2020.
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