Кадиллак Sixty Special: История и Эволюция Модели

the Cadillac Sixty Special
It was built on a wheelbase longer than the standard Series 60 cars. The new Sixty Special utilized a unique "X" frame underneath, which allowed the car to sit within its frame. This not only gave the new Cadillac the stiffest chassis on the market, but it was also 3 inches lower than other Cadillacs with no sacrifice in headroom. The disappearance of running boards along the side and its lack of a heavy belt line molding made the sleek car appear even lower. More important, it allowed shoulder and hip room to increase by over 5 inches without an increase in overall width. When combined with the brand new column mounted shift lever, the cars offered true six passenger comfort. The Sixty Special was powered by Cadillac's standard , V8 engine.1946:
| length = With near annual improvements, this engine was used through the 1955 model year. A new grille was in order for 1949 – this one wider and more substantial than the previous year; the bottom and middle horizontal members framing the bright trim surrounding the parking lights and wrapping around the front fenders. The unusual 1948 instrument panel was replaced by a simplified, more conventional but less exciting arrangement. With only a slight price increase, the $3,859 Sixty Special was now advertised as a six passenger car, and sales reached a record 11,399 units. 1949 was the last year Sixty Special used a two piece windshield with a vertical divider mounted in the center. Four Cadillacs were custom made this year for the General Motors Automobile Show in New York. Three of them used the Sixty Special body – including a two door pillar less hardtop, the first "Coupe DeVille", built on a 133 inch Sixty Special wheelbase. The other two were specially outfitted and equipped standard Sixty Special sedans. The fourth car built for the show was a stock 1949 Cadillac Series 62 convertible – but with a custom western motif interior.

The new GM full size bodies for 1971, at 64.3 inches front shoulder room (62.1 inches on Cadillac) and 63.4 inches rear shoulder room (64.0 inches on Cadillac) set a record for interior width that would not be matched by any car until the full size GM rear wheel drive models of the early to mid 1990s. Following this remodel, the Sixty Special remained basically unchanged through 1976, save for periodic front and rear end facelifts. The car shared the same styling cues with the lesser Calais and DeVille models. The most dramatic of these changes was the addition of rectangular headlamps in 1975 along with a completely new grille. This configuration was carried through until 1977's dramatic downsizing, marking the temporary end of all full size Cadillacs except for the Eldorado. For 1971, the lineup was trimmed down to just one Sixty Special model, the Sixty Special Brougham. It still rode on an exclusive wheelbase, but with all new sheet metal and a distinctive roof design. The formal new roof was clearly reminiscent of Bill Mitchell's original 1938 Sixty Special, with individually framed, rounded corner side glass (outlined by a thin chrome bead). Also new on the vinyl top were C pillar mounted opera lamps and a thick B pillar, which, along with a narrow body filler panel between the front and rear side doors, heightened the car's custom limousine look. Despite the formal new look and higher levels of luxury, sales dropped slightly from 1970, down to 15,200 units. As before, while the coupe and sedan DeVille remained Cadillac's bread and butter cars, the Sixty Special was an exclusive low volume item sold to its most affluent buyers and the fleet and livery business for conversion to formal limousines and airport cars. Engine performance began to decrease with EPA restrictions on tailpipe emissions and grams per mile emissions requirements, forcing gear ratios to taller and taller ratios, dropping to as low as 2.73:1 for 1975–1976. A new common frame/suspension design was introduced in the latest generation Sixty Special which was also used in other GM full size cars. While the other GM divisions used a front steer setup (steering linkage in front of the engine crossmember), all Cadillac RWDs retained the 1961 vintage front suspension (rear steering linkage, eccentric cams in the steering knuckle in lieu of shims, strut rods attached to the framerails for caster adjustment). Rear suspensions were now driven by the Pontiac designed 8 7/8 inch ring gear 10 bolt Salisbury live axle. A new trailer towing package was added allowing larger trailer loads to be pulled. Coupled with heavy duty cooling, 3.23 gearing, high output 80 amp large frame alternator and heavy duty THM400 transmission, the long wheelbase was ideal to pull trailers weighing up to 7,000 lb (3,200 kg). 1972 marked Cadillac's 70th anniversary. One of the few changes that year was the addition of a chrome molding around the rear window. Sales were a robust 20,750 units at a base price of $7,585. The 1972 Sixty Special Brougham weighed in at an impressive 4,858 pounds shipping weight (over 5,000 pounds curb weight). Standard equipment included rear seat reading lamps, automatic level control, and dual comfort front seats. A wide range of upholstery was available in nine colors of "Sierra" grain leather, four colors of "Matador" cloth, a combination of "Matador" cloth and leather, a "Minuet" fabric in three colors, or a plush "Medici" crushed velour. The 1974 model year saw the introduction of the "Air Cushion Restraint System", which activated airbags hidden in the steering wheel and passenger side of the instrument panel when the car was hit from the front only. The option replaced the glove box with a lockable compartment under the dashboard. The system was very unpopular and was dropped as an option after 1976. For the 1975 model year, the 472ci v8 was replaced by the 500ci v8 previously only available on the Eldorado. As a mid year change, a Bendix electronic fuel injection was available for the first time, it was the same system used on the Seville introduced at the same time. The front fascia was revised, with the newly federally approved rectangular sealed beam headlamps. Air conditioning was made standard equipment (even if it was ordered in over 95% of Cadillacs by this time). For 1976 automatic door locks (which locked the car when the transmission was shifted out of park and unlocked them as it was shifted into park) and a reclinable passenger seat were offered as optional equipment. The Sixty Special Series was temporarily retired in 1976 but returned again in a new front wheel drive model for 1987. Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance:An option package available for the first time in 1973 was the "d'Elegance" package. Adding US$750, this package included a unique "pillow style" velour seating trim as well as a more plush carpeting and a few additional features optional on the standard models. The same package was offered on the Coupe/Sedan DeVille models in 1974 with a different seating design. The package would become available on various DeVille, Fleetwood Brougham, Brougham, and Fleetwood models in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s with standard features adjusted to suit the decades. Fleetwood Talisman: Even more exclusive than the "d'Elegance" was the "Talisman" package, available for the 60 Special for the 1974, 1975, and 1976 model years. A talisman is "anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions". The package was so exclusive that it superseded both the "Brougham" and "d'elegance" luxury designations. For 1974 the interior featured a center console spanning the entire interior, with the front section housing a writing tablet and the rear a storage space. This seating arrangement turned the spacious Fleetwood Brougham into a four seat automobile, which possibly led to the discontinuation of the rear seat console in the 1975/76 editions. Seating was initially available in four colors of either leather ($2450) or "Medici" crushed velour ($1800), with the leather dropped after 1974. Matching deep pile interior carpeting and floormats completed the look. The exterior featured a standard fully padded elk grain vinyl roof, exterior badge identifications, and a stand up, full color wreath and crest hood ornament.

For model years 1987 1988, Cadillac offered the Fleetwood Sixty Special as an outsourced and customized variant of the (1987–1988) Cadillac Fleetwood, based on the front wheel drive GM C body platform but with its own bespoke 115.8" wheelbase and 201.5" overall length. GM subcontracted coachbuilder Hess and Eisenhardt to customize standard Fleetwoods in a newly outfitted plant in Madison Heights, Michigan: cutting standard Fleetwoods laterally behind the B pillar; extending and reinforcing the bodywork; covering the cut line with a padded vinyl roof and a wide, ribbed molding at the rocker panel; adding longer doors; and slightly modifying and re installing the interior. In addition to 5 inches of extra rear seat leg room, the Fleetwood Sixty Special included dual rear seat headrests, three position footrests (mounted onto the backs of the 55/45 split front seat) and two illuminated vanity mirrors located in an overhead console. Similarly equipped to the standard size Fleetwood d'Elegance, the Fleetwood Sixty Special included an anti lock braking system (a $925 Fleetwood option) and a stainless steel exhaust system not available on other Cadillacs. In 1987, the model carried a base price of $34,850 ($ in dollars ), roughly $8,700 (1987) over the price of the Fleetwood d'Elegance. The price dropped by $100 for 1988.