31st Oct 2012, 21:15

You are right in a way. These cars were carburated for the longest time, while Lincoln embraced EFI in 1980. Not only that, but Cadillac didn't do a good job on updating these cars throughout the 1980s. The body style became dated and the interior remained unchanged since 1977. GM also made the mistake of charging up the wazoo for one of these cars, while Lincoln's more advanced Town Car was priced more along the DeVille's range. That's why Lincoln was easily able to outsell Cadillac in 1988, and why the Brougham was never really able to stand up to Lincoln.

Don't get me wrong, these are still incredible cars. I own a 1985 Lincoln Town Car, and am thinking about buying a late-1980s Brougham to keep it company. I'm just stating the reasons why these cars eventually met their demise.

3rd Apr 2013, 11:45

I don't know why a lot of people knock the downsized 1977 Cadillacs; they looked good and at 221 inches in length, they were only slightly smaller than a 1971 Cadillac. Plus, they still looked good and properly proportioned, which cannot be said about the downsized Ford and Lincoln models for 1980.

The only thing that killed the downsized GM cars was their crappy engines. The V8-6-4 for 1981 and the crappy HT-4100 for 1982 both had no business in these large luxury cars. Cadillac should've kept the 368, but I guess they risked losing market share to Lincoln's more advanced and fuel efficient Town Car. To me, 1981 was the last year for the DeVille, as at least the V8-6-4 could be deactivated.

Thankfully, the body style continued in its form for years after, as the Brougham with the underpowered but reliable Olds 307. It got a real upgrade in 1990, with the introduction of the optional Chevy 350 engine for extra power.