The Seville's razor-edged 'bustle-back' rear end wasn't a 1980s idea at all — Cadillac's designers lifted it from English coachbuilder Hooper & Co.'s 'Empress Line,' a look from the early 1950s.
Lead trim: Seville 5.7 L LF9 Oldsmobile diesel V8 (105 hp) · up to 180 hp
Cadillac Seville1980–1985
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Cadillac Seville yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Seville's razor-edged 'bustle-back' rear end wasn't a 1980s idea at all — Cadillac's designers lifted it from English coachbuilder Hooper & Co.'s 'Empress Line,' a look from the early 1950s.
While the first-generation Seville had proved quite successful, it failed in its primary mission of winning over younger import buyers (most popular with older women wanting a smaller Cadillac). For 1980 the K-body platform became front-wheel drive, based on the E-body Eldorado, Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado, with independent rear suspension: 114.0 in wheelbase, 204.8 in long, 71.4 in wide (70.9 in for 1983–85), 54.3 in high, 4,178–4,431 lb. The razor-edged bustle-back rear styling drew inspiration from Hooper & Co.'s "Empress Line" designs of the early 1950s, the ultimate realization of GM designer Wayne Kady's conceptual efforts and one of the last designs under Bill Mitchell; it was imitated by the 1982–87 Lincoln Continental and the 1981–83 Imperial coupe. The standard engine was the new digitally fuel-injected 368 cu in (6.0 L) Cadillac L62 V8, with the 350 cu in (5.7 L) Oldsmobile diesel a no-cost option except in California, where the fuel-injected Oldsmobile 350 (L49, 180 hp) was retained for emissions purposes; for 1981 the V8 used the V8-6-4 variable displacement technology and a carbureted 4.1 L (252 cu in) Buick V6 (125 hp) was added as a credit option, with memory seats (two stored positions) and a digital instrument cluster shared with the Eldorado; for 1982 the new 4.1 L (250 cu in) HT-4100 V8 arrived (with reliability issues from weak, porous aluminum block castings and failure-prone intake manifold gaskets), rated 125 hp in one place and 135 hp in another for 1982 and 135 hp for 1983–85 (the page gives both for 1982, so no 1982 rating is entered). Sales were strong at first but a disastrous flirtation with diesel engines, the V8-6-4 and poor quality control eroded its standing. Production totaled 198,155 (39,344 in 1980, 19,998 in 1982, 39,755 in 1985). A fake cabriolet roof option gave the appearance of a four-door convertible for 1983–85, and a monotone Elegante paint combination arrived for 1985.
Collectors Spotted in the Cadillac Seville Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Cadillac Seville yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seville 4.1 L HT4100 V8 (1982) | 1982–1982 | 4.1 L V8 | 125 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 4.1 L LC4 Buick V6 (125 hp, 1981–1982) | 1981–1982 | 4.1 L V6 | 125 hp | 205 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 4.1 L LT8 HT4100 V8 (135 hp, 1983–1985) | 1983–1985 | 4.1 L V8 | 135 hp | 190 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 5.7 L L49 Oldsmobile V8 (180 hp, 1980 California) | 1980–1980 | 5.7 L V8 | 180 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 5.7 L LF9 Oldsmobile diesel V8 (105 hp) | 1980–1985 | 5.7 L V8 | 105 hp | 205 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 6.0 L L61 Cadillac V8 (145 hp, 1980) | 1980–1980 | 6.0 L V8 | 145 hp | 270 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Seville 6.0 L L62 V8-6-4 (145 hp, 1981) | 1981–1981 | 6.0 L V8 | 145 hp | 270 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
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Photographs
This Seville broke new ground for Cadillac: the first one engineered from the start in right-hand drive, letting the brand officially sell it in places like Hong Kong and the UK.
This Seville Touring Sedan won Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1992 — and could still hit 60 mph in 6.9 seconds in STS form, sports-car pace in formal luxury clothes.
The first 1988 Seville STS wasn't built on Cadillac's own line — outside coachbuilder Cars and Concepts hand-built the initial run, reserved for GM VIPs, and unveiled them at that year's Detroit Grand Prix.
This Seville brought back memory seats in 1981, a feature Cadillac hadn't offered since the Eldorado Broughams of the late 1950s, a quarter-century gap.
The Seville's razor-edged 'bustle-back' rear end wasn't a 1980s idea at all — Cadillac's designers lifted it from English coachbuilder Hooper & Co.'s 'Empress Line,' a look from the early 1950s.
The 1978 Seville's optional "Tripmaster" computer was the first full electronic instrument cluster on an American car — built around a Motorola 6800 chip, the same processor family found in early home computers.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.