1966 Cadillac De Ville Coupe

VIN: J6287609; Hardtop; Cascade Green / Black; 429 V8 / Automatic; Mileage: N/A; 429ci 4bbl V8, TH400 3-speed automatic, barn find, wonderful parts car

1966 Cadillac Coupe Deville

For auction, a 1966 Cadillac Coupe Deville showing 30,377 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car presents in barn find condition and does not run, even when a new battery was installed.

Exterior
Every panel of stamped steel on this car is about a football field in length, representing a time when Detroit owned the streets and roamed America like dinosaurs. There are remnants of glory here; the vertical tail light nacelles in chrome, pointed at both ends and taking in a two part lens that mirrors itself. Stacked headlights serve as bookends for the eggcrate grille, split for 1966, and embedded with crosshair covered turn signals. The black vinyl top is long gone, but you can picture it with the Cascade Green paint this car was born with and appreciate the combo. The body is full of patina; faded paint, surface rust, dents and dings, missing trim, cracking body filler, and yes, significant rust through.Â

Interior
Aging and patina color the door panels which also hint at a former opulence and mix black vinyl, carpet, and a weave style cloth insert. That pattern cloth covers the split bench as well and is accompanied by leather panels, weathered and worn and torn in places. The rear bench is a bit better with button accenting and a center hideaway armrest. A once elegant three spoke steering wheel fronts a dusty dash with horizontal gauges flanked by round features while the mid panel contains knobs, an AM/FM radio and a DeVille emblem. Black carpet covers the floor and the headliner above, though aged, is relatively intact. Our trunk is full of parts including wheel covers, wires, hoses, and jack components.Â

Drivetrain
Under the hood we find the 429ci V8, rated at 340 horsepower and mated to a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear axle with 3.21 gearing.Â

Undercarriage
Covered in surface rust and having a few rust holes through thin metal, the underside presents a bit better than we'd expect and appears relatively solid. Power drum brakes were supplied to all four wheels and a single exhaust wears a stock style muffler. Coil springs suspend the car front and back with a 4 link adding to the factory rear system.

Drive-Ability
The car does not start nor receives power from a fresh battery.Â

More than 50,000 Coupe DeVille hardtops were produced in 1966 with a base price of $5,339. If you owned one, you arrived as they were considered the premiere American automobile for masses.