Tag Archives: Cadillac

•
Cadillac Voyage Concept

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Forgotten Concepts, Forgotten Concepts

This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.

Cadillac Voyage Concept

First Seen: 1988 General Motors Teamwork & Technology Show

Description: Full-size sedan

Sales Pitch: “Rolling technology laboratory.”

More Forgotten Concepts

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Details:

First seen in 1988 at the General Motors Teamwork & Technology Show held at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, the Cadillac Voyage Concept served as showcase for several burgeoning technologies, including adaptive all-wheel drive, high-tech V8 engines, and voice-recognition phone operation.

The large sedan stretched 212.6 inches long overall–roughly 8 inches less than the contemporaneous Cadillac Brougham. Designed by a team led by GM VP of Design Chuck Jordan, the Voyage boasted a claimed drag coefficient of just .28 Cd–well below that of a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette.

[embedded content]

The Voyage’s power came from a fuel-injected 4.5-liter overhead-cam V8, good for a reported 275 horsepower. A 4-speed automatic transmission and adaptive AWD rounded out the powertrain.

Inside, the Voyage made use of a pair of dash-mounted monitors, one of which supported the car’s navigation system. Mounted to the dash was a hands-free mobile-phone, designed to be operated entirely by voice prompt. The Voyage Concept was followed in 1989 by a coupe variant dubbed Solitaire. The Solitaire Concept followed the same overall design theme as the Voyage, but featured unique styling elements and a Lotus-supplied 6.6-liter V12 engine rated at 430 horsepower.

Forgotten Concept: Oldsmobile Profile

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Cadillac Voyage Concept

CG Says:

Why not? In retrospect it’s easy to suggest that by this time Cadillac ought to have been thinking about SUVs, but in the late Eighties there was still plenty of interest in big, powerful, luxurious sedans.

The Voyage’s 4.5-liter V8 was predictive of the production Northstar 4.6-liter V8, which arrived under the hoods of select Cadillacs only a few years later. As for that drag coefficient, Cadillac claimed the Voyage could reach 200 mph, but that seems unlikely. A roadable version of this vehicle would probably have weighed nearly 5000 pounds, and with only 275 horsepower under the hood… well, 140 mph feels more realistic.

Big question: Why would customers want to see a hands-free phone? I guess a concept car needs visual elements that demonstrate specific features, but shouldn’t a voice-controlled phone be largely hidden from sight?

Forgotten Concept: Lincoln Sentinel

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Cadillac Voyage Concept

Listen to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Follow Tom on Twitter

Cadillac Voyage Concept Gallery

Forgotten Concept: Mercedes-Benz Auto 2000

Written by: Tom Appel on January 14, 2021.

•
1994 Cadillac Deville, Gas Guzzlers of 1994, 10 Worst Gas Guzzlers of 1994

1994 Cadillac Deville

I’m not quite ready to accept the Nineties as the distant past, but maybe I need to. Consider that the first official White House website went live in 1994, and that Quentin Tarantino’s now-classic Pulp Fiction was released the same year. It’s getting hard to remember a world before internet connections and great Vincent Vega quotes. In auto-related news, trucks accounted for 40 percent of all light-duty-vehicle sales for the very first time.

And, speaking of light trucks, you might have expected SUVs to be among the least fuel efficient vehicles of 1994, and you’d be half right. Per Consumer Guide testing, as reported in Consumer Guide Auto Test 1994, there were four SUVs on the list of the thirstiest vehicles we evaluated that year. The remainder, save for the Chevrolet Camaro, were all luxury cars.

Presented here for your consideration and amusement are the 10 Worst Gas Guzzlers of 1994*, as tested by Consumer Guide. (The asterisk in the title indicates that this list is limited to vehicles actually tested by CG, thus explaining the absence of any Lamborghini or Unimog vehicles.) Spend any time with these thirsty rides? Tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More gas guzzlers

Chevrolet Camaro Z28: 13.2 mpg

1994 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

1994 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Body style tested: 2-door hatchback coupe

Curb weight: 3373 pounds

Engine: 5.7-liter V8

Horsepower: 275

Transmission: 5-speed manual

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 17/26

1994 Camaro specs

Honda Passport: 14.1 mpg

1994 Honda Passport

1994 Honda Passport

Body style tested: 4-door wagon

Curb weight: 3545 pounds

Engine: 3.2-liter V6

Horsepower: 175

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 15/18

1994 Passport specs

Jaguar XJ6: 14.3 mpg

1994 Jaguar XJ6

1994 Jaguar XJ6

Body style tested: 4-door sedan

Curb weight: 4075 pounds

Engine: 4.0-liter inline six

Horsepower: 223

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 17/24

1994 XJ6 specs

Lincoln Mark VIII: 14.9 mpg

1994 Lincoln Mark VIII

1994 Lincoln Mark VIII

Body style tested: 2-door coupe

Curb weight: 3768 pounds

Engine: 4.6-liter V8

Horsepower: 280

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 18/25

1994 Mark VIII specs

Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe: 15.1 mpg

1994 Cadillac Eldorado

1994 Cadillac Eldorado

Body style tested: 2-door coupe

Curb weight: 3774 pounds

Engine: 4.6-liter V8

Horsepower: 295

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 16/25

1994 Eldorado specs

Jeep Grand Cherokee: 15.2 mpg

1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee

1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Body style tested: 4-door wagon

Curb weight: 3674 pounds

Engine: 4.0-liter inline six

Horsepower: 190

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 15/20

1994 Grand Cherokee specs

Cadillac Deville: 15.4 mpg

1994 Cadillac Deville

1994 Cadillac Deville

Body style tested: 4-door sedan

Curb weight: 3985 pounds

Engine: 4.6-liter V8

Horsepower: 270

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 16/25

1994 Deville specs

BMW 540i: 15.7 mpg

1994 BMW 5-Series

1994 BMW 5-Series

Body style tested: 4-door sedan

Curb weight: 3804 pounds

Engine: 4.0-liter V8

Horsepower: 282

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 16/23

1994 5-Series specs

Isuzu Trooper: 15.8 mpg

1994 Isuzu Trooper

1994 Isuzu Trooper

Body style tested: 4-door wagon

Curb weight: 4210 pounds

Engine: 3.2-liter V6

Horsepower: 190

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 15/18

1994 Trooper specs

Ford Explorer: 16.1 mpg

1994 Ford Explorer

1994 Ford Explorer

Body style tested: 4-door wagon

Curb weight: 4053 pounds

Engine: 4.0-liter V6

Horsepower: 160

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA-estimated mpg (city/highway): 15/20

1994 Explorer specs

(Click below for enlarged images)

Follow Tom on Twitter

Listen to the very entertaining Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Gas Guzzlers of 1994 Gallery

Gas Guzzlers of 1994 Gallery

Written by: Tom Appel on January 11, 2021.

For GREAT deals on a new or used Toyota check out Alamo Toyota TODAY!

•
Town Sedan

1929 Cadillac Series 341B

by Leigh Dorrington

Note: The following story was excerpted from the April 2012 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine

Cadillac was due for a “quiet” year in 1929, considering the previous season had seen the arrival of all-new Series 341 cars. They came with attractive styling by Harley Earl, fresh off his success with the 1927 LaSalle; a new 90-bhp 341-cubic-inch version of Caddy’s established L-head V-8 engine; and a chassis with wheelbase stretched to 140 inches, a switch to torque-tube drive, and the adoption of 32-inch-diameter tires.

More from Collectible Automobile Magazine

Those core features were indeed carried into 1929, but Cadillac was still able to make some noise in the automotive field—ironically by quieting things down. The marque introduced the “Synchro-Mesh” transmission, which made it easier to shift into second or third gear without a gratingly audible clash of metal. Other improvements for ’29 included internal-expanding brakes at all four wheels (external-contracting bands had been used previously at the rear), double-acting Delco shock absorbers, safety glass, and an adjustable front seat on most models. Fender-top parking lights replaced cowl lamps.

1929 Cadillac Series 341B

1929 Cadillac Series 341B

The 1929 Series 341B came in 11 “standard” models with Fisher bodies, plus another dozen “Fleetwood Custom” styles. Among the former was the “Town Sedan” featured here, a close-coupled five-passenger four-door model with a shortened body that made room at the back for a large detachable trunk.

Written by: Guest Author on December 1, 2020.

•
1975 Mercury Grand Marquis

1975 Mercury Grand Marquis

If you were a computer nerd, 1975 was a big year for you. Featured on the cover of Popular Electronics magazine, the Altair 8800 made its commercial debut, heralded as the first “micro computer.”

Priced at $439, the 8800 was a relative bargain for home computing fans prepared to assemble their own unit.

But as the nation welcomed the Altair and the promise of increasingly accessible technology, we said goodbye to Chrysler’s Imperial brand–at least as a stand-alone make. The Imperial LeBarons were the heaviest and most expensive vehicles in the 1975 Chrysler Corporation lineup. Priced at $8844, the Imperial LeBaron 4-door sedan was also something of a bargain, at least among premium American sedans. For 1976, the most expensive sedan in the Chrysler portfolio would be the Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, which started at just $6737.

Here, we celebrate the priciest sedans of 1975, the last time an Imperial would make the list. Though the Imperial name would reappear twice in the future, it would return first only as a coupe (1981-1983, again as a stand-alone make) and later as a much less prestigious K-Car-derived topline Chrysler sedan (1990-1993).

Note that we only include the priciest model from each brand seen below–this to expand the list to cars other than Cadillac and Lincoln models.

10 Most-Expensive American Coupes of 1976

5 Most-Expensive American Sedans of 1975

Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Sedan: $14,231

1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Sedan

1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Sedan

Engine: 190-horsepower 500-cubic-inch V8

EPA Est. MPG (city/highway): 11/14

Curb weight (lbs.): 5720

Written by: Tom Appel on August 10, 2020.

For GREAT deals on a new or used Chevrolet check out Martin Chevrolet TODAY!