Sunday, January 16, 2011

1983 Seville Elegante Coupe—A Natural?


C H O P — After finding the sketch of a bustleback Seville coupe I did in haste thirty years ago, I thought it might be time to use my Photoshop skillz to create one. I had a couple of hours "off" tonight, so I made one. This one is pillarless, and is a bit lower than the sedan. I moved the front wheels forward several inches to give it the appearance of a longer hood, also tucking in the front bumper a little bit. I made the distinctive sloped rear deck slightly more horizontal to go with the "faster" roofline I gave this coupe. Other changes include a slight reshuffling of trim pieces and the fitting of much larger wheels—covered with 20 inch wire wheelcovers, lol. I think this car would have been a natural for Cadillac! 

Would it have slotted in above the Eldorado, or do you think this could have been the Eldorado? In the latter part of the fabulous Fifties, the Eldorado came as a convertible, tjhe Biarritz, or as a hardtop, the Seville. Since the bustleback Seville and the severe notchback Eldorado coupe of the '80s shared a platform, would it have been a better idea to have them share styling, too? I'm really loving this coupe right now!

11 comments:

  1. It would have to be a burgundy, like a fine wine....
    : ) Actually Claret and Black would be a nice treatment, very British royal!

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  2. Hello Casey,

    I love this. This is perfect ! All the little changes work wonderfully. The absence of the b-pillar and white walls are a masterful touch.

    As an Eldorado ? If you are asking.Yes! Would you change a few minor things-taill lights and what not, just for that extra Eldorado touch?

    I'd love to see those beautiful-yet-brutal looking hubcaps of the 67 on this.

    Wonderful. Bravo. Perfection !
    Could this be my new all-time favorite?

    And ain't it nice to have an old dream come true !?


    AP
    Malibu

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  3. thanks, AP. maybe there will be a facelift of this at some point! Those '67 Eldo wheels sound like a good touch.

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  4. What a treat!
    Not only a new chop but it's based on a great classic. I love this generation of Seville, and you've really enhanced the lineup. This is a car that Cadillac should have built.
    But I also love the same generation of Eldo, which I consider another great classic. I say they should have offered them both! The Eldorado had 2 models, coupe & convertible, and with this car the Seville had a 2nd also.
    This chop is outstanding by every measure, and a car I would love to own. Perfection!

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  5. This is a wonderful revision of the Seville. The reproportioning works particularly well. Cadillac had a nice dark blue toward the end of the run of these 80-85 Sevilles and I think it would be handsome in that color. This looks much better than the ones that were offered in the 80s -- I think they probably didn't make very many of them.

    Paul, NYC

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  6. Bring back the big 2 door coupe or even a stretched wheelbase CTS Coupe w/ a longer hood would do.

    The CTS 2 door is the nicest Caddy in decades!

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  7. Agreed, Woody! I've done this Coupe de Ville using the CTS coupe as a base:

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_szY6czURhx0/TEeb8fj1tlI/AAAAAAAABbU/XhYpKOuRTMg/s1600/coupedeville2.jpg

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  8. Cadillac should have done the opposite of what they ended up doing -- build this as the Eldorado and then build a notchback Seville. The bustleback Seville sedan was seriously ugly (the original drawings I saw decades ago, which included fender skirts, didn't translate well to the actual product). I would argue that fastbacks are better as coupes than sedans.

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  9. Thanks Steve! I've actually started a 4 door Eldorado from this generation, with its severe notchback. I just have to find time to finish it. I think it makes quite a good looking sedan.

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