"monovich" (monovich)
12/05/2013 at 11:46 • Filed to: Cadillac, Calais, 1970
16
73|
"monovich" (monovich)
12/05/2013 at 11:46 • Filed to: Cadillac, Calais, 1970 | 16
| 73 |
Thanksgiving is a time for flying home to tiny towns in the middle of seemingly nowhwere and spending time with family, at lest for me it is. This year we went to the tiny town of Belpre, Ohio where my wife grew up and stayed in what until recently was the home of Annie Chicketti. Annie passed away last year, but not before she, the daughter of Italian immigrants crammed in exactly 100 years of jam-packed living. She started and ran a restaurant that ran for over 50 years and continues to serve home made pies to this day, she traveled the world, she maintained a crush on Matt Damon, and more importantly to people here, she took great care of her car.
Annie's 1970 Cadillac Calais is a time capsule of 1970s Detroit style. While not completely mint, the car is very very well maintained. Sitting in it one gets the feeling of how different the world was back then and how differently things were made. A look at the odometer reveals a paltry 22,000 miles on the clock. Let's do some math: That's about 511 miles per year.
The car, now in the possession of my wife's parents, is still started multiple times per week and driven just enough to keep things primed.
A twist of the key brings all 472 inches of the V8 instantly to life. The engine simply purrs. The 24 acres of sheet metal between the windscreen and the front of the car remind you that back then the length of your hood directly correlated to your station in life.
My wife and sister in law and I took the car for a single spin while we visited. Honestly, I was terrified the whole time. The car ride softer than a stratacumulous and handled about as quickly. The feeling of driving it is the feeling of owning the ENTIRE road. A small Dodge neon passed on the freeway, racing stripes and dual mufflers in full effect. On any other day of the week the driver would be proud of his ride, but as he passed we made eye contact and his admiration and envy were immediately evident. Caddy style trumps tuner style any day of the week. Standard Of The World, bitches.
I've never driven a car like the Calais, but the experience left me wondering if I could somehow find room in the garage for this one to keep the Beemer and Porsche happy. My tiny car collection would definitely be much better rounded with some classic American metal.
The Calais hasn't caught the eye of collectors quite yet. Not that I know of anyway. But style like this is unstoppable and lines like these don't happen anymore. Tick tock, the clock is ticking.
GhostZ
> monovich
12/05/2013 at 11:49 |
|
That thing is pure sex.
Fed(oo=[][]=oo)uken
> GhostZ
12/05/2013 at 11:54 |
|
Pure, unadulterated Thundersex.
thebigbossyboss
> monovich
12/05/2013 at 11:57 |
|
10/10...would not hoon, would drive slowly down Main st.
quarterlifecrisis
> monovich
12/05/2013 at 12:15 |
|
Ex's family has a 72 Sedan DeVille...same premise, 472, original family owners, virtually no miles. I spent about a week detailing it last summer...nothing like driving an old Caddy around. Nothing.
Slave2anMG
> monovich
12/05/2013 at 12:53 |
|
What a yacht! The Calais was the 'entry level' Caddy...might be why the collectors haven't gone all goofy on them. And my mom's '75 Coupe de Ville had the exact same outside mirror. I recall her car had exactly five options - the padded vinyl top and a right hand mirror were two of them. Can't recall the other three.
911e46z06
> monovich
12/05/2013 at 14:27 |
|
Thing is bitchin' dude. I'm stoked with my stable except for the lack of a huge American cruiser, and the 60s and 70s Caddys are high on the list.
robdev44
> monovich
12/06/2013 at 20:27 |
|
Boss Hogg had the convertible
The Old Man from Scene 24
> monovich
12/06/2013 at 21:00 |
|
I've never driven a car like the Calais, but the experience left me wondering if I could somehow find room in the garage for this one to keep the Beemer and Porsche happy.
Maybe you can simply park the Porsche in the trunk of the Caddy. ;-)
I have a 1970 Buick Wildcat convertible, and there is nothing like driving it with the top down on a nice day. I have also driven an old Cadillac (1972 Sedan de Ville) and there is a noticeable difference in the ride and handling between the two cars.
Saying the Caddy rides like a cloud is an understatement, it's more like being in the womb while your mother is being carried by angels. The ride of the Buick, while smooth, cannot compare with that of a Cadillac.
Handling is much different between the two cars as well. The Wildcat is not a sports car by any stretch of the imagination, but I can go around a curve at speed confident that I will come out at the other side.
The Caddy doesn't corner, per say, it just shifts its mass in the general direction that the front wheels are pointed and lets gravity take over. It's almost as if the car expects the road to alter course to match the direction of travel, rather than the other way around. Understeer in the Cadillac is horrible, that is until the rear tires finally loose grip and you find yourself as the axis point of a 4500 lb steel and glass pinwheel.
One of the other commenters posted "Would not hoon, would drive slowly down Main St." Excellent advice. A slow 'Driving Miss Daisy' type cruise down the street or a 80mph blast down an empty interstate is what a big Caddy like this was made for. Turning is overrated anyway.
Ad_absurdum_per_aspera
> monovich
12/06/2013 at 21:08 |
|
If you are short on space, couldn't you park the Caddy in the garage and store the BMW and Porsche in its trunk?
Seriously, just be careful about "garage rash" when maneuvering something like that in close quarters — or even opening those enormous doors. I've had a few "O Lord, this car is so vast and the bicycle hanging on the wall is so near" moments with smaller vehicles than that!
Even without the poignant family memories that go with, this would qualify as a real beauty, from an era when some very nice modern conveniences (dual circuit brakes with discs in front stand out as a biggie) had come along, but the aesthetic and horsepower intrusions and eventual cheapenings that the 70s would bring were but a cloud on the horizon. Enjoy!
fintail
> monovich
12/06/2013 at 21:51 |
|
And to think, this was the base model. Needs whitewalls!
Vortex
> monovich
12/06/2013 at 23:51 |
|
Thank you Annie Chicketti, for keeps this metal piece of American history in such good condition.
The city of Calais in France, thinking of you.
Michael500
> fintail
12/06/2013 at 23:53 |
|
No, it doesn't need whitewalls! The blackwalls give it that European "touring car" look. I think it looks sportier that way.
The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber)
> Slave2anMG
12/07/2013 at 09:40 |
|
Cars this enormous should not be available without passenger side mirrors.
|
fintail
> Michael500
12/07/2013 at 11:21 |
|
That thing would get stuck on many streets in Europe :)
Maybe with the blackwalls give it some period correct wheels, then. Hubcaps + blackwalls on an American luxury car just doesn't seem right to me.
MotoArigato
> monovich
12/07/2013 at 19:37 |
|
Great photos of a fine car. Any old caddy with a steel roof is a friend of mine. Pillarless too I imagine?
PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
> monovich
12/08/2013 at 01:52 |
|
This song goes well!
And if I had an acre or two to spare, I'd get an old caddy ASAP!
|
monovich
> fintail
12/08/2013 at 14:54 |
|
It's the way it came from the factory, so it's "correct"
|
fintail
> monovich
12/08/2013 at 16:47 |
|
It came with blackwalls? Really? That's something. Might not add value, but I bet it is a seldom seen option (delete). Does it have AC? I know the Calais could be ordered with fairly sparse equipment.
|
Michael500
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 00:28 |
|
OMG, it did? Actually, I'd store those wheels and put the right modern Escalade RWD wheels on it, the silver paint ones, not the ghetto chrome ones. Other that this, I'd leave it alone and enjoy its purity.
Captain Hostile
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:04 |
|
Battlestar Cadillactica! Nothing quite like a huge Caddy.
cougarpanther
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:07 |
|
Your wife and/or sister-in-law is hot.
caddyshack
> fintail
12/09/2013 at 10:13 |
|
False.
No such thing as a "base model" Cadillac.
Any Cadillac model is a Cadillac model, just simply ones that are more obtainable by slightly less successful pimps.
Monsterajr
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:16 |
|
"My wife and sister in law and I took the car for a single spin while we visited. Honestly, I was terrified the whole time. " "
Back in about 1988 I had the chance to drive my buddy's 67' Pontiac Catalina down to DC from Northern NJ. It had a 400 under the hood and bias ply shoes on. I recall a point on the NJ Turnpike when I chose to open her up a little ie I mashed the pedal down. The car took a deep breath, paused then picked its nose up and rapidly approached the century mark. Straight line was fine, but as I was approaching a tractor trailer I thought it best to slow down before changing lanes and hit the brakes, which reacted with even more down time to really think about what was being asked of them. Needless to say, an amoeba would find it difficult to penetrate my tightened sphincter. I did enjoy just cruisin down the highway and getting lots of looks even back then when the car was a mere 20+ yrs old... I need a piece of Detroit iron in my garage too...
npaladin2000
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:23 |
|
On any other day of the week the driver would be proud of his ride, but as he passed we made eye contact and his admiration and envy were immediately evident.
You sure that wasn't barely concealed laughter?
Hart88
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:24 |
|
Rent a garage, put it in there.
JimSlade
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:28 |
|
NP...NICE PRICE....NICCCEEEEE PRRRIICEEEE....
damn thats a fine ride...and RIP to the woman who kept it so nice. Amazing ride...
west-coaster
> The Old Man from Scene 24
12/09/2013 at 10:28 |
|
Technically, a BMW motorcycle and a Porsche should fit into a single garage space (unless we're talking about a Cayenne and a K1600LT). If it's a two-car garage, the Caddy should fit in the other half.
|
JimSlade
> quarterlifecrisis
12/09/2013 at 10:28 |
|
i gave you a star for your dedication to cleaning the old girl up...kudos!
Lars Vargas was hoping 2020 would be quieter
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:29 |
|
I have had several 1970 Cadillacs. They're among my favorite cars in the world. The styling is 100% American in-your-face but still maintains elegance. The 472 engine is ridiculous.
One of mine, a Fleetwood Sixty Special needed a good amount of front-end work. I had it done, and even after the work was done and the handling was crisper (crips being a very relative term) I referred to the round thing in front of the driver that moved the front wheels bakc and forth as the "suggestion wheel".
I love your great-aount's car! What a treasure to have.
|
west-coaster
> fintail
12/09/2013 at 10:31 |
|
Back in the day, a Cadillac riding on blackwalls screamed, "I can barely afford to own this car, and when the original tires wore out, I saved a few bucks by buying blackwalls."
CRX-Wing
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:31 |
|
I think the Calais is by far the best looking Caddy of that timeframe.
With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
> GhostZ
12/09/2013 at 10:32 |
|
Cadillac Cialis?
H4N5 GRU83R
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:35 |
|
That thing is gangster. I love it.
|
quarterlifecrisis
> JimSlade
12/09/2013 at 10:40 |
|
She came out all sorts of purdy. Ended up shooting the car and having some custom canvases printed up as Xmas gifts for her family that year.
|
SodamnInsane
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 10:44 |
|
This was my woodward dreamcruiser this year... best car I've ever been in the cruise with. Comfortable, take tons of people and just roll around all day and look @ classic cars. I really used to love going in muscle cars until the cops stopped all the fun. now this is the way to go.
The Gray Adder
> thebigbossyboss
12/09/2013 at 11:00 |
|
90 on the Thruway. It'll just feel like 65. At least, that's what I'd tell the NYS Police.
|
The Gray Adder
> Monsterajr
12/09/2013 at 11:02 |
|
Aw, man! Grandpa drove big Pontiacs. I miss him.
|
The Gray Adder
> The Old Man from Scene 24
12/09/2013 at 11:06 |
|
Those Constitution-class Cadillacs ought to do at least warp 6.
Mr. Sinister
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:07 |
|
Nice write up!! That is a beautiful example of a survivor Caddy!!
I find my 68 to steer quickly and for the car to be surprisingly nimble for its size, but I am in NO way saying it handles well. What I'm saying is that you can navigate a modern parking lot and park it in modern (read: tiny) parking spaces surprisingly well. Just the other day I really destroyed a tight right-hander in it, at a whopping 30mph!! I can do this corner in my Genesis Coupe at 50+.
Also, using this as an excuse to post another picture of my 68. :)
SathingtonWilloughby
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:10 |
|
I read this as Cadillac Cialis. Perhaps I've seen one too many of their commercials.
albo
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:11 |
|
My grandfather had a 73 sedan de ville, which my sister drove in the early 1980s. It was like driving a king bed down the road. You could store a half-dozen hobbits in the trunk. You had to hold on while getting seated in the back or you'd slide across the smooth leather. Loved that car.
anacanapana
> Michael500
12/09/2013 at 11:12 |
|
In the same way that the USS Nimitz is "sporty."
|
albo
> Lars Vargas was hoping 2020 would be quieter
12/09/2013 at 11:12 |
|
Suggestion wheel. Exactly. Love it.
|
thebigbossyboss
> The Gray Adder
12/09/2013 at 11:14 |
|
Driving a 5.0L Mustang was like that, after driving my 2.2L 10 year old Cavalier.
Was going 87 in a 62 zone before I looked down and was like "oh man!", lol.
bwade
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:16 |
|
Fender skirts and all. Man, that thing is puuuurrrrrty!!!!! "MURICA!
|
monovich
> Mr. Sinister
12/09/2013 at 11:17 |
|
Looks awesome, and you are definitely braver than I am exploring the outer limits of physics in yours. :)
|
monovich
> SathingtonWilloughby
12/09/2013 at 11:17 |
|
I almost typed it that way SO many times.
ninjagin
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:26 |
|
As the owner of an early 70s luxo-barge (a '71 Buick Electra 225 2-door coupe, a very close relative to this Calais) I can say that Buick can give you a very similar experience. No, you don't get the Cadillac name, but the drive is almost the same, at a a cheaper price.
shop-teacher
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:27 |
|
Love this car, and those like it so much! I especially like the pointed back glass. I would certainly welcome that beast into my fleet. I always loved driving my Grandma's Seville. I imagined the hood ornament was the gunsight on my battleship.
|
monovich
> bwade
12/09/2013 at 11:28 |
|
To me this particular angle is just flawless. I love all the sharp lines and creases. It's like a fine suit tailored just-so.
Liberte for le Jetstar!
> Mr. Sinister
12/09/2013 at 11:33 |
|
I had a '64 Olds 88, and it was pretty nimble/easy to park.
Plus, you can drive over things most new cars cannot.
|
bwade
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:41 |
|
I think that is an excellent way to describe it. Nicely put.
VideoPgh
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:47 |
|
Gotta love a side mirror that has enough heft to it that you can use it to beat the jackwaggon who might take it off in the parking lot.
|
Mr. Sinister
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:48 |
|
Thanks!!
I have a lot of experience with old cars. I also have a hot rod 55 Chevy, which makes the Caddy feel like a Ferrari in the bends. The more you drive that Caddy, the more confidence you'll have with it.
My 55:
KamikazePigeon
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:49 |
|
The entire car looks fantastic! But what really caught my eye is how beautiful these side mirrors are.
They just look perfect.
|
Mr. Sinister
> Liberte for le Jetstar!
12/09/2013 at 11:51 |
|
Nice, I love those big 88s!!
It is pretty amazing how much crap you can bowl right over in a big old car. The worst thing that might happen is to knock the alignment out a hair. Everything was built much heavier in the suspension and steering, especially in the full size cars. you really used to get what you paid for.
|
Lars Vargas was hoping 2020 would be quieter
> albo
12/09/2013 at 11:53 |
|
My god I need tgo learn how to type.
Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 11:59 |
|
Love the big land yachts. Dad had a '68 Olds 98 coupe when I was growing up, and followed up with a '76 98 Regency sedan. Coolest thing about the sedan was the lack of a B-pillar so putting all windows down meant the entire side of the car was open.
|
fintail
> caddyshack
12/09/2013 at 12:05 |
|
Ha, good point.
Hell, I've seen Calais with cloth (not velour or velvet, but cloth) interiors - but it was a very garish stylish-in-1971 cloth that would still go well with a fur coat and a fedora.
Nomind
> thebigbossyboss
12/09/2013 at 12:21 |
|
I loaned my LT1 Trans Am to a buddy to go down to a funeral, not even considering that he drove an anemic 84 S10. He said that he didn't even realize he was doing 90 until his co-driver made a comment about how fast they were going. It was about the same place on the speedometer as ~60 on his truck.
GrauGeist
> fintail
12/09/2013 at 13:11 |
|
Whitewalls would be the correct choice, definitely.
They don't make 'em like they used to.
|
GrauGeist
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 13:13 |
|
I love that it's a hardtop - so clean.
|
thedavidbenji
> Mr. Sinister
12/09/2013 at 13:48 |
|
I had a '69 Sedan DeVille...and I agree with you 100%. These things are by no means miatas but can seriously maneuver for something so large. I remember pulling into tight parking lots and spinning that giant steering wheel with a finger and like magic it would just glide in. Having driven quite a few FWD rental cars, I would say most would be embarrassed by the Caddys moves.
In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 14:26 |
|
Didn't Boss Hoggs drive this car?
feuillet
> The Old Man from Scene 24
12/09/2013 at 14:42 |
|
Forgive, please, a different perspective.
I purchased a 1970 deVille convertible in 1971. The car is specifically engineered to cancel sound and vibration, and the suspension is tuned to minimize the transfer of undulations from pavement to chassis. Passive motion cancellation, if you will.
So, to drive it well you learn to work from visual inputs only. Far from finding the cornering characteristics worrisome, some of us revel in the luxury of 'point-and-shoot' driving an original car in factory trim has on offer.
If the car's behaving badly, the spring rates, mounts, ball joints, bushings, dampers, tires or alignment (or all of 'em) need attention. Original tires were not radials; the suspension tuning goes horribly wrong with anything other than OEM bias-ply.
Cheesewhiz
> Liberte for le Jetstar!
12/09/2013 at 16:14 |
|
I had a buddy with a '64 Olds 88 and can attest to its ability to run over things: He ran over HIMSELF after doing right hand doughnuts and the door opening up! He survived with broken ribs and serious contusions to his pride.
|
Cheesewhiz
> monovich
12/09/2013 at 16:35 |
|
My grandfather had a silver '70 just like this stashed at his golf retreat condo in Palm Desert. The whole place was an unused time warp of pre-Watergate premium living, right down to the mint shag carpet, mid-century Regency decor, period magazines and photos of him with Gerald Ford. But the car was literally perfect — Bought new and parked, with maaaaybe 10k miles when we sold it all in 2005. We'd cruise that thing around Palm Springs in Gramps' plaid bell bottoms, cranking Sinatra 8-tracks, and making lists of who we were going "whack" — With a trunk that big, you could bury a lot of gangsters in the desert! Sadly, 6-8 mpg is tough to justify when gas exceeds $.25 a gallon, and storing a 25 foot land yacht can be complicated. I so wish we'd kept that thing.
|
monovich
> Cheesewhiz
12/09/2013 at 17:15 |
|
Great story! Cool memories. There are those that want this car sold and I am hoping that never happens. I'd need a 3 car garage to store it, but I'm hoping it stays unsold so that I can take possession of it when the time is right. Tales of family cars sold are mostly tales of regret.
Chief Illiniwreck
> KamikazePigeon
12/09/2013 at 18:14 |
|
They looked the same at least through 1985 (the internals were probably upgraded/electrified, though).
|
Melvintrude
> monovich
12/10/2013 at 03:25 |
|
Today's main story on Jalopnik is a rather dull troll about how us Yuros are going to love the new Mustang. Meh.
This gorgeous car is another thing entirely. there are lanes where I live in the Cotswolds down which this beauty wouldn't even fit, but I really, really want one.
Sigh.
|
monovich
> Melvintrude
12/10/2013 at 11:17 |
|
Would this thing be taxed and insured on displacement? That'd be horrific.
|
Melvintrude
> monovich
12/11/2013 at 03:22 |
|
It's pre 1974 so no car tax at all in the UK.
Classic car insurance wouldn't be anything scary either
However $9 a gallon gasoline and having to rent an aircraft hangar to park it can't be ignored
|
monovich
> Melvintrude
12/11/2013 at 11:17 |
|
definitely not a daily driver, even here at $3 a gallon.