The 1984 Seville Was The Coolest Sedan Of Its Era

"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror) 04/27/2015 at 11:37 • Filed to: FORGOTTEN CLASSICS, FC, ESSAY

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Two-tone paint job like a modern Rolls-Royce, Fastback shape a la Audi A7, wire wheels like on a 1934 Bentley, burgundy tufted leather seats like in a fancy cigar lounge and a Jaguar-inspired Mahogany-plated dashboard, the 1984 Seville was a ode to the Eighties. Coincidentally, it was built in New Jersey.

Welcome to Forgotten Classics

As demonstrated in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the goal of this series of essays is be to bring cars that are getting no love back in the limelight. FC is also a thorough analysis of why such cars remained obscure and never got the praise they deserved.

Launched in 1975 and named after the cultural capital of Spain, the Seville’s mission was to steal sales to the increasingly popular European luxury sedans from Europe.

The first generation, although somewhat popular, failed at that mission and the culprit was identified as the long trunk.

For the second generation, the NYC-based GM brand decided to fix that problem by almost completely amputating the car’s rear protuberance. The end result was stunningly Euro and the optional Diesel V8 helped reinforced that sophisticated image.

Unfortunately, while the car had everything to please wealthy Germans, Swedes and other foreigners from Europe, the car wasn’t even sold over there. In its homeland, the second gen Seville was maybe a bit too much for wealthy Texans who clearly preferred cars with a trunk. While it was not a complete failure, the second gen Seville consistently sold less than its predecessor, hence a return to a more conventional form for the third generation.

But let’s come back to the second gen, because it’s a very interesting car and also the subject of this week’s article. The second gen Seville was designed by Bill Mitchell, the guy that designed the 1966 Riviera and the 1961 Corvette Stingray. The car was not only a masterpiece from the outside, but the cabin styling was infinitely posh while making a huge statement. For lovers of technologies, this car was like a rolling Las Vegas high-tech convention. Among a gazillion things, It featured the first ever electric seats with memory.

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Pictured here, the interior of a 1984 Seville with red leather and Mahogany inserts.

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The reason it failed probably reside in its avant-garde , but also its price. The Seville, especially in higher trims, was not for faint-hearted wallets, and since it was just a few year prior to the democratization of car leasing, most people just couldn’t afford it. This is a shame because the Seville was distinct and competent automobile that successfully blended influences from the past, the present and the future, and it stood-out compared to other luxury cars from the tail-end of the malaise-era .

Thank you for reading.

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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:43

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There’s nothing that says sophistication like the Oldsmobile Diesel. If it weren’t for those pesky Mercedes and Volvo ones flooding the market with their inferior and unreliable models and ruining the diesel’s reputation in America, we would probably have seen more American gems like the Olds Diesel.

Margin Of Error > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 11:46

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Early VW Diesels were a nightmare.

505Turbeaux > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:47

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I was totally going to suggest this to you last week when you were doing your AMA. Awesome

dogisbadob > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:47

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too bad new Caddys don’t have these anymore :(

dogisbadob > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:48

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same headlights as the C5 Corvette, except that they’re glass here, and plastic in the Vette (plastic so they could use weak motors for the pop-up headlights)

Margin Of Error > dogisbadob 04/27/2015 at 11:50

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Filed under TIL, thanks !

Margin Of Error > 505Turbeaux 04/27/2015 at 11:50

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Thanks !

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:52

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If only all engines could be as good as the Olds Diesel or the Cadillac V8-6-4...

LongbowMkII > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:54

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These are hideous inside and out. I said it.

Margin Of Error > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 11:55

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I heard the 8-6-4 was plagued with issues, but still it pioneered cylinder-deactivation tech that is widely in use today.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 11:55

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Nah, that was just propaganda from the big Japanese automakers who were afraid of Yankee ingenuity.

Margin Of Error > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 11:59

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With all respect, I’m not sure about that, the Japanese were not really in that market back then.

Margin Of Error > dogisbadob 04/27/2015 at 12:02

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Blame it these people ...

dogisbadob > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:04

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Mercedes still has them

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:05

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That’s just what they want you to think. They’re a sneaky bunch. One minute there’s no sign of them, and the next thing you know, the USS Arizona’s being attacked by Mitsubishis and Subarus.

Margin Of Error > dogisbadob 04/27/2015 at 12:06

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But only on the ultra high end models, and they are retractable.

If Caddy can put its shit together and build the Sixteen, it will have one.

Margin Of Error > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 12:07

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True that

Scallootch > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:07

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This car gives me a sudden urge to watch a supercut of ‘80s primetime car chases.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:08

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Get out me trap house

That said, the second generation Seville was cool/weird as hell in a good way (though the interior leaves a lot to be desired for me). There’s an old dude who owns one just like in the lead image who lives in my town. I always get a kick out of seeing him driving it around.

Margin Of Error > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/27/2015 at 12:10

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Of course they are better and faster cars from that era, but in terms of coolness or should I say “cocaine-ess”, the Seville is hard to beat.

Margin Of Error > LongbowMkII 04/27/2015 at 12:11

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You must be pleasant in social gatherings.

Your boy, BJR > dogisbadob 04/27/2015 at 12:17

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Mine does!

Your boy, BJR > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:22

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Outkast bumpin’ up and down the street/Slantback Cadillac ‘bout 5 niggas deep

-Outkast, Bombs Over Baghdad- Big Boi’s verse

I approve

desertdog5051 > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:30

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I always like the looks of the gen 2.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:34

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It certainly has cocaine-ness in spades. I don’t think sedan of its era can hold a candle to the Seville in that regard (though the sedan specification is necessary because Vector is the most cocaine-y car in the history of the 80’s). I think the Alpina is pretty damn cool though. Alpina has always made me think of the teenage son of a very wealthy business man that has learned to have refined tastes but still kind of acts out just because they can.

In my mind, their pitch for the B7 went something like this:

Alpina: We’re going to make an M5 before you do, but we’re gonna turbo it and add a funny stripe.

BMW: Uh... Can’t you wait until after we officially start selling the M5?

Alpina: Nope.

BMW: Oh... Okay, but do you have to keep doing that ridiculous stripe?

Alpina: Yup.

BMW: Well, I suppose that’s your prerogative...

Alpina: We’re going to do the same with the 6 Series, by the way.

BMW: We already knew that.

Alpina: Yeah, but fuck you anyways...

BMW: ....

Alpina: Love you.

BMW: *sigh* Love you too...

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 12:39

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Or the HT4100. Can’t forget that advanced, ahead-of-its-time powerhouse.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/27/2015 at 12:42

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Throttlebody fuel injection! Overhead cams! Very hi-tech. Much advanced.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 12:50

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No overhead cams. Pushrod. But... still. 135 HP for a 4200-lb front-wheel-drive boat...

JR1 > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 12:53

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Love the two tone paint.

Never carried for the proportions. But it is an oddity so I agree it might one day be collectible. I would totally buy one for the right price.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/27/2015 at 12:55

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Oops, meant to say overhead valves.

AMC/Renauledge > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 13:05

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Nope. The things that killed the 1980-85 Seville were:

Extremely shitty engines from 1982-85.

The best engine you could get in 1981 was a Buick V6.

Styling that went from timeless and avant-garde in the first generation to baroque and broughamy and throwback in the second. It was a 1930s car with 1980s proportions and it totally sacrificed the forward-thinking design progress of the 1st generation. And thus it turned off most of the buyers Cadillac gained from 1976-79.

The 1980 Seville was a look TO THE PAST, not the future. It was the OPPOSITE of avant-garde.

AMC/Renauledge > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/27/2015 at 13:06

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You’re forgetting the HT4100. Which was even worse than the V8-6-4 and Olds diesel.

Margin Of Error > AMC/Renauledge 04/27/2015 at 13:09

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Would you call this “baroque” ?

Margin Of Error > JR1 04/27/2015 at 13:10

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I wonder for how much a clean example (aka not dunked) go

Margin Of Error > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/27/2015 at 13:13

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COTD

JR1 > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 13:15

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http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Looks like 14k is the magic number on autotrader

Margin Of Error > JR1 04/27/2015 at 13:17

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Dang, that’s the price of a clean Marauder ..

They’ve certainly already started to appreciate

Rock Bottom > dogisbadob 04/27/2015 at 13:21

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ORLY?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > AMC/Renauledge 04/27/2015 at 13:56

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Well, duh. Those other two are some of the best engines ever made. The High Technology engine with it’s throttle body fuel injection and overhead valves was (while high tech) not in the same league as those other two marvels of Detroit engineering.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/27/2015 at 14:52

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Sorry, the DeLorean was the most cocainey car ever. It was inspired, fueled and funded by cocaine. Allegedly.

AMC/Renauledge > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 15:25

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No. But I would call the 1980-85 Seville baroque, with its bustleback, overstuffed tufted interior, liberal use of chrome, and many padded roof options.

Especially compared to the 1976-79 Seville as well as the contemporary Mercedes, BMW, and Jaguar offerings of the time.

If you think that Seville started the trend of two-toning, you’re severely mistaken. Also, the Seville is a bustleback sedan. The Wraith is a boattail fastback coupe. HUGE difference.

AMC/Renauledge > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/27/2015 at 15:30

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Didn’t the 1982 HT4100s have the same horsepower and less torque with “digital” tbi, as the Buick 4.1 V6-4bbl had?

Pretty sure the Buick V6 got better mileage as well. Cadillac totally wasted its money on the disastrous HT4100.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 04/27/2015 at 21:10

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But it’s not expensive enough. You can’t be seen in a $65k* car when your favorite past time costs $100 per gram!**

Now the Vector... That thing cost some serious dough. Like $448,000 in 1990 serious. Which is $804,000 in today money, which is fucking serious for a car literally made out of cocaine.

Yeah, you heard me right. I said literally . As in actually literally .***

Little known fact: The guys at Vector ran out of bondo so they started using cocaine mixed with water. Because there was already a small amount of flour used to cut the cocaine, it resulted in a strange paste-like substance that worked very well as a body filler. It had the added bonus of being snort-able when you sanded it!****

And before you get all snippy with me about Vector using body filler on a brand new car, let me ask you if you really expected body panels put together by Vector to fit... Of course not! It was Vector! However, even with their shitty build quality and loss of workers due to a strangely coincidental amount of heroine overdoses, the cars turned out great!*****

Your result was this:

Looks like a pretty decent paint job, right?!?

NOPE!

Cocaine!!

Yeah, that’s just clear coated cocaine!!!

And you could buy it for $448,000!!!! which was a steal considering how difficult it was to import cocai-er... I mean, parts. Right... Car parts.

In conclusion:

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*price new + inflation to match with the next figure

**not that I would know

***not actually, literally, or actually literally

****this is science and therefore irrefutable

*****did you think Gerald Wieger payed his workers enough to do cocaine? HA! Fat fucking chance. But he did pay them enough to start a respectable heroine addiction. Good ol’ Jerry.

ranwhenparked > Margin Of Error 04/27/2015 at 21:36

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This is one of those cars that I’ve always wanted to own, but could never justify buying. It’s like, if you have the cash to buy a car just to fool around with, you can afford a better car.

They are quite stylish though. Bill Mitchell’s parting gift.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Margin Of Error 04/30/2015 at 15:56

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I always thought the first-gen Seville to be a very handsome car, the apex of the boxy GM. I’d love to take one for a drive today.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Margin Of Error 04/30/2015 at 20:14

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Wait: that isn’t actually a Cadillac , is it?

Seriously, though: I wouldn’t want that car unless it had 900 horsepower.

What is that, anyway, exactly?

Margin Of Error > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/01/2015 at 08:41

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That’s an RR Wraith