Executive transport is serious business, and Cadillac has been building luxurious people-haulers over 120 years. Its top-rank Fleetwood sedan was even available in the 1960s with three rows of passenger seating. Could this car be considered a vintage Escalade?
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1968 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Click the link to view the listing)
“This land yacht is in excellent original condition,” the listing begins. “The car only has 85,798 original miles, and even has the original spare bias ply tire which has never been used.”
Land yacht is right: This vehicle tips the scales at nearly three tons and has an overall length of over 20 feet – nearly two feet longer than a new Chevrolet Suburban. The seller provides additional detail on the cosmetic condition of the exterior: “The paint appears to be original to the car, and has some natural wear to it, but looks great from five feet away.”
The Fleetwood was another name for Cadillac’s “Series 70” during the late 1960s. It was marketed as a high-end model on the General Motors D-body platform and was available in sedan and limousine body styles. In model year 1968, the design team applied refinements to the grill and parking lights, added length to the hood, and raked the trunk. There were 20 exterior paint combinations – but black, as shown here, was a must-have for the elegance and status of a limousine.
In luxury fashion, the Fleetwood’s interior was appointed for its time. There is a separate air conditioning system for passengers in the rear, along with power windows and power-adjustable front seats. Speaking of the seats, the seating configuration was versatile for its time, with a second row of jump seats folding flat and forward to make additional space for passengers in the far rear. This type of modular seating arrangement with removable seats is commonplace today in crossovers and sport-utility vehicles, even seen on my recent test of the Honda Pilot.
Power for this big ride comes from a big-block 472cid OHV V8 that is upgraded with an Edelbrock carburetor, and torque is sent rearward through a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission. The seller states that recent mechanical work included replacement of the water pump, belts, battery, carburetor, spark plugs and wires, and front brakes. The whitewall tires are also newer.
The seller is asking $17,500 for this Fleetwood “land yacht.” Just make sure it fits in your garage before buying!
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com