Bustleback Beauty - 1985 Cadillac Seville
Beneath the Seville's controversial styling lies what was arguably GM's most advanced chassis to date. We drive a 1985 Commemorative Edition.
09/22/2018
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Classics
Over the past decade and a half, the whole notion of "heritage" styling has come to the fore. Plymouth Prowler and Chevy SSR, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Ford Thunderbird. The 2005 Mustang and current Challenger are as close as they can be, visually, to the decades-old originals without violating DOT scripture.
Yet the idea is hardly original--which is, you might gather, part of the point. GM has been a proponent of yesterday since at least the 1970s, when Bill Mitchell embraced his love for the elegance of the pre-war era. The boattail Buick Riviera of 1971-'73 had a tail treatment reminiscent of any number of custom-crafted, sporting Thirties automobiles. Any of the 1973 GM A-bodies, including the A-Special personal luxury coupes, had bold, upright grilles, front fenders that appeared to be separate from the hoods and tails that ended in points until bumper regulations forbade it. Whitewall tires and wire hubcaps, when available, added to the retro flair. Shoot, the original Seville was almost called La Salle.
So in some ways, the new-old 1980 Cadillac Seville shouldn't have been the shock that it apparently was. Forward of the C-pillar, it seemed a trim, lithe vision of a Cadillac in the 1980s, featuring a slicked-back windscreen and square-ish, solid lines. But the tail was morphed into a pastiche of vintage high-end English limousine styling; comparisons to a Hooper-bodied 1954 Rolls-Royce and any number of Daimlers were lobbed about. The style has since been shorthanded as the "bustleback" treatment among proponents and detractors alike, and while you'd think that the abbreviated trunklid would cut into the Seville's trunk space, brochures insisted that the new car had "more usable space" (14.5 cubic feet) than the outgoing Nova-based Seville.
But hidden beneath that retro styling was one of GM's most technologically savvy chassis ever. It was front-wheel drive, of course, a by-product of sharing parts with the new-for-1979 Eldorado. But four-wheel independent suspension wasn't something that GM messed with much beyond the Corvette; torsion bars replaced coil springs in front, presumably to allow the transaxle's halfshafts greater leeway in their movement, while anti-roll bars were fitted front and rear. Electronic suspension leveling was part of the package from the outset, as were four-wheel disc brakes. Save for the front-wheel drive aspects, the chassis's equipment list reads like that of a German sedan that would have cost 50 percent more.
The engine in our 1985-model driveReport car, Cadillac's HT4100, was installed in every car Cadillac built (except for the Cimarron) starting in the autumn of 1981; the 6.0-liter V-8-6-4 had been such a disaster that the switch was widely embraced. The initials HT stood for High Technology, despite much of the technology used on it having been innovated at other times. It incorporated a die-cast, deep-skirt, open-deck aluminum block that was topped with cast-iron cylinder heads, but unlike the Chevrolet Vega aluminum engine, this time GM was smart enough to install wet-iron sleeves in the cylinders. While the cylinder heads were indeed cast iron, much of the intake ports were designed into the aluminum intake manifold; this enhanced the compactness of the cylinder heads themselves, minimizing the use of heavy cast iron. Even the rocker-arm supports were die-cast aluminum. Friction was reduced with low-tension piston rings, specific bearing clearances, and a specially designed low-drag aluminum water pump. A digitally metered twin-throat throttle-body fuel injection system corralled the air/fuel mixture into the intake manifold, but this had been around since the new front-drive Seville launched in 1980.
The resulting engine weighed just 420 pounds, a whopping 210 pounds less than the outgoing 6.0L V-8, and was good for at least two miles per gallon more across the board. There was a penalty, however: The HT4100 was rated at just 135 horsepower, and with just 200-lbs.ft. of torque, it was down a whopping 70-lbs.ft. from the previous V-8.
For 1985, the bustleback Seville's last year of production, Cadillac introduced a limited-run Commemorative Edition. Painted either Cotillion White or Commodore Blue, Commemoratives were stocked with virtually all the available options, plus some specific gold trim, emblems and medallions. The sterling example seen here, owned by Dr. David Kalemkarian and Aaron Thomas May of Los Angeles, is largely original save for a single repaint in its original Commodore Blue.
The taillamp lens is flush with the swept rear styling and looks all-of-a-piece.
Seville's sales numbers did something of a reverse bell-curve during the bustleback years: roughly 39,000 units per year during 1980-'85, with a low point of just 19,998 units for the 1982 model year; total six-year production was 198,155. So once again, Seville bucks the trend. But what it looks like and how it sold doesn't matter a bit when you're behind the wheel. Let's take this one for a spin.
The door opening is fairly narrow for larger folks, but the leather-wrapped tilt wheel helps enormously when you're getting in. Head and shoulder room are, surprisingly, in the league of the previous Seville; the styling pretensions of the bustleback model lead you to believe it would be bigger inside, but it's not. The completely flat floorpan does help, however. The busy driver's armrest controls all manner of functions, including locks, windows, mirrors and the pilot's chair; they all work, and they all exude a high level of quality. White leather upholstery front and rear, a Commemorative Edition touch, adds some visual interest to the rich dark-blue interior, but must be a bear to keep clean.
The HT4100 was going to be introduced for 1983, but issues with the company's V-8-6-4 meant GM moved up its introduction a year. In general, this engine isn't known for its mechanical prowess, but many owners claim theirs is reliable.
Slide the gold-plated key into the ignition. One click, and instead of the normal nasty warning buzzer you get on lesser cars, there's instead a faint department-store elevator chime from somewhere in the interior. A second click, and the V-8 quickly fires up, almost silently. Here's the shocker: At idle, you could feel the engine's vibrations creep into your seat. With traffic whistling by just a tenth of a mile away, this, and the illuminated instrument cluster, are the only indications that the Seville is running.
Shift into drive--with your fingertips, as your right hand need never move off the steering wheel to select gears. Move out into traffic, hit the gas pedal, and the HT4100 engine quickly feels outmatched--stabbing the throttle or smoothly rolling into it doesn't matter at all. Cadillac's little V-8 is creamy smooth at all revs, but it starts making urgent noises a grand before redline; the factory-provided 135 fuel-injected horsepower (or, more to the point, 200-lbs.ft. of torque) labors to haul two tons, with passengers, up to cruising speed. The effortless, floating-on-clouds torque of the big 500-cu.in. Cadillac V-8s of yore has left the building.
In some respects, this makes sense: The Seville was a new-sized Cadillac for a new generation, and it demanded new parameters. Yet you don't get the sense that the car is heavy, only that the engine needs a little more oomph behind it. Once you're at speed, though, the actual driving experience isn't as labored as the acceleration would lead you to believe. Cruising is effortless--there's simply some slight wind noise at the B-pillar to take you out of the luxury-car mood. Speed bumps are treated like children of days gone by--seen and not heard--while the super-light steering makes for easy cornering and handling around town. The flat, plush, button-tuck seats actually keep you in place very well while the car rolls ever so slightly around the bends. There really isn't enough room for you to slosh around.
What the four-wheel disc brake system lacks in pedal feel, it more than makes up for in actual stopping ability; the car stops quickly and effectively, without any drama. And if the Seville owners are to be believed, a 20-22 MPG highway average is regularly obtained. Suddenly, the benefits of 135hp, a transaxle with overdrive and a smaller front end to the wind start to prove themselves in a very positive way.
We find that the second-generation Seville is a car of paradoxes. That taut chassis is more tuned for boulevard cruising rather than twisting back roads, but, then again, that's not what Cadillacs were made for, nor how their owners intended to drive them. It's got an all-new V-8 engine, hyped as high-tech, but made using mostly proven methods and materials--a type of engine that was treated to a deathwatch from its birth. It used a combination of aluminum block and cast-iron cylinder heads that, not a dozen years earlier, had brought many headaches to the engineering staff. It's outfitted with a traditional interior with leather and faux wood, competing with high-tech digital readouts. It sold better at the ends of its life than the useful middle. And, of course, it sported that decidedly yesteryear tail treatment on one of GM's most advanced chassis ever. These contradictory details remain a headscratcher to some, but they add up to a car that is most assuredly under-rated as one of the most technologically forward-thinking machines Detroit built at the dawn of the 1980s.
Owner's View
We're actually both Mercedes fanatics...but we were both in college in the '80s, we both love the '80s, and when we were growing up, if you had this car in your driveway, you'd really made it. It's one of those we always dreamed of having.
"We actually bought this car one Sunday night after a couple of bottles of wine; the photos looked great, but when it arrived, we saw that it had the typical water-based GM paint crackle all over it. We kept it for a year, sent it to our upholstery guy, who redid the interior, then took it to the body shop for the paint. They stripped it down to bare metal for us.
"No one would ever restore one--we're some of the few screwballs who would. And you can't believe the looks we get! Whenever we're out, we get stories from people--'Oh, my grandpa had one,' or 'Mom had one.'
"It's such a fun car to have...my entire staff is dying to ride in that car! They couldn't believe I have it, and they're begging me to go for a drive."-- Dr. David Kalemkarian and Aaron Thomas May
1985 Cadillac Seville
SPECIFICATIONS
PRICE
Base price -- $23,729
ENGINE
Type -- OHV V-8, aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder heads
Displacement -- 249 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke -- 3.46 x 3.31 inches
Compression ratio -- 8.5:1
Horsepower @ RPM -- 135 @ 4400
Torque @ RPM -- 200-lbs.ft. @ 2200
Valvetrain -- Hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings -- 5
Fuel system -- GM throttle-body fuel injection
Lubrication system -- Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system -- 12-volt
Exhaust system -- Single exhaust
TRANSMISSION
Type GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 325 4L four-speed automatic transaxle with overdrive
Ratios:
1st 2.74:1
2nd 1.57:1
3rd 1.00:1
4th 0.67:1
Reverse 2.07:1
Final Drive Ratio 3.15:1
STEERING
Type -- Variable-ratio recirculating ball, power assist
Turns, lock-to-lock -- 2.9
Ratio -- 13:1
Turning circle -- 38.4 feet
BRAKES
Type -- Hydraulic, four-wheel disc, power-assist
Front -- 10.4-inch vented rotor
Rear -- 10.4-inch vented rotor
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction Full-length frame with rubber-isolated body
Body style Four-door sedan
Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front -- Independent; unequal-length control arms; torsion bars; telescoping shock absorbers; anti-roll bar
Rear -- Independent; semi-trailing arms, coil springs, automatic load-leveling shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels -- Steel, five-lug, with hubcap
Front -- 15x6
Rear -- 15x6
Tires -- GM-specified steel belted radial
Front -- 205/75R15
Rear -- 205/75R15
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase -- 114 inches
Overall length -- 205.5 inches
Overall width -- 70.9 inches
Overall height -- 54.3 inches
Front track -- 59.3 inches
Rear track -- 60.6 inches
Shipping weight -- 3,688 pounds
CAPACITIES
Crankcase -- 5 quarts
Cooling system -- 12 quarts
Fuel tank -- 20.3 gallons
Transmission -- 6 quarts
CALCULATED DATA
Bhp per cu.in. -- 0.542
Weight per bhp -- 27.32 pounds
Weight per cu.in. -- 14.81 pounds
PRODUCTION
1985 model year -- 39,755 Sevilles
Pros & Cons
+ Caddy-comfortable at cruising altitudes
+ Possibly one of GM's most advanced cars of the time
+ An inexpensive step-in to the collector-car world
- Polarizing styling
- HT4100 makes acceleration leisurely
- Values don't seem to be on the rise
WHAT TO PAY
Low -- $1,000-$2,000
Average -- $3,000-$4,000
High -- $5,000-$6,000
CLUB CORNER
Cadillac & LaSalle Club
P.O. Box 360835
Columbus, Ohio
43236-0835
614-478-4622
www.cadillaclasalleclub.org
Dues: $35/year
Membership: 6,500
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Rather than a lightweight sports car, the Aston Martin V8 is better considered a GT car, which seems to have a lot in common with American muscle cars. Even with aluminum body panels, the rather substantial Aston had a curb weight just a hair over 4,000 pounds, making it several hundred pounds heavier than a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. It’s worth noting that despite being measurably smaller than the Charger, both cars share very similar proportions, with their long hoods, fastback rooflines, and short rear decks. An even closer comparison comes in the form of a ‘67 Ford Mustang, again with similar proportions but also the Aston having a wheelbase and overall length, width, and height very close to the American pony car.
The 1978 Aston Martin V8 is frequently referred to as a Series 3 since it was derived from the DBS, a model that launched in 1967 with an inline-six engine that was followed by the DBS V8, with a fuel-injected V8 engine. Both versions of the DBS were sold alongside each other into 1972, when, during the model year, the simply named V8 model supplanted both. With an updated front end that included a grille shape more reminiscent of Aston Martins past and a pair of headlamps rather than four, these interims V8s were considered Series 2 cars.
In 1973, Aston Martin dumped what had turned out to be a problematic mechanical fuel-injection system, instead opting for four Weber carburetors for its 5.3-liter V8. Multiple carburetion gives it good company with the likes of a Mopar 440 Six-Pack or Pontiac Tri-Power. That carburetor setup required additional hood clearance that resulted in the large scoop worn by such cars, though it was non-functional in terms of letting in any additional air to the intake.
The rest of the engine department takes a big departure from the standard American iron-block, overhead-valve setup. Aston Martin’s V8 featured all-aluminum construction and dual overhead camshafts on each cylinder head, driven by dual chains. Yes, it had hemispherical combustion chambers, even with just two valves per cylinder. Engineers specced a forged crankshaft and forged chrome-moly connecting rods.
Output for 1978 was estimated at 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque—pretty substantial numbers for a car built during the oil crisis era and before engineers had leveraged electronic fuel injection to win the battle against emissions regulations. In accordance with its muscle car vibe, most AM V8s of the period were equipped with a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic, complete with Mopar factory ratios of 2.45:1, 1:45:1 and 1:1, along with a limited-slip rear differential. A 3.31 final-drive ratio was standard, with 3.54:1 optional. A five-speed manual was available.
Distinctions from Detroit grow once you step inside an Aston Martin V8, which was essentially a handmade car, with very low production numbers. Each of the four seats was covered in leather, a material that extended to the door trim, steering wheel, shift knob and even the center console surround. Carpets were wool. Given its high price and object of luxury aspirations, each car was also packed with plenty of sound insulation to isolate occupants from road noise. Power assistance for the brakes and steering was standard, as were air conditioning, power windows and power locks.
With a 0-60 mph time of “about six seconds,” according to Aston Martin literature of the time, along with a top speed over 150 mph, the AM V8 was in nearly a class by itself. Torque wasn't quite like that of an unrestrained big block American V8 from the peak muscle car era, but the Aston Martin’s V8 engine still delivered power with a swift rush towards a redline over 5,000 rpm, though no such actual red line is indicated on the tach. Suspension included unequal-length control arms up front with an anti-roll bar and De Dion rear axle with parallel trailing arms and watt linkage in the rear. Coil spring were at all four wheels, as were disc brakes, with the rear disc inboard. Not designed to tackle a tight road course, the AM V8 was still noted as a competent high-speed handler.
This 1978 Aston Martin V8 Series 3 features a silver metallic body with a red leather interior. The selling dealer indicates that it was purchased from the second owner who it is believed purchased it from the original owner as he aged out of driving in his 90s. The car appears to have been very well maintained, with the seller sharing that the engine, transmission, paint, body and interior are all “highly original.”
Other information to note on this AMV8 are a slew of services performed last fall, including a “full tune-up,” rebuilt carburetors, new spark plugs and filters, new battery and an alternator rebuild. Everything is asserted to be functioning properly with the car seemingly ready to drive anywhere.
As one of less than 1,000 Series 3 examples made, this 1978 Aston Martin V8 coupe offers a uniquely British take on big V8 performance in a midsize car—a muscle car, but with a different accent.
Head on over to Hemmings Auctions and take a closer look for yourself.
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