A Brief History of the 1973 Cadillac
The completely new designed Cadillac represented one of the largest cars available, with front shoulder room of 64.3-inches. Overall the new design looked much wider than previous Cadillacs, with a sheetmetal gap between each pair of headlights partially giving the illusion. Fenders no longer peaked at the beltline emphasizing the low front fenders and higher hood as it transitioned off of the grille. Eldorado was also completely new, including the availability of a convertible for the first time. In 1972 the separate parking lights were now placed into that headlight separation, but other changes were very minor. By 1973 both the headlights and also the grille were flush with the sheetmetal, losing their recesses, and the grille got wider. A more massive bumper that went straight across the front without dipping was designed for the new five-mph bumper standards. Some grille carried below the center of the bumper. All through this period Cadillac exceeded previous year’s sales, and by 1973 had surpassed 300,000 units a year. Air bags were available in 1974, called “Air Cushion Restraint System.” Half-vinyl tops also came onto the scene this year, and the “d’Elegance” was a trim package on the Deville line. 1975 saw the introduction of rectangular headlights, surrounded by painted sheetmetal, with the grille featuring fine vertical bars. “Astroroof” was an option that could be used as transparent skylight with the sunroof open. The last year for this body series saw interiors with plaid, velour, knit, and leather combinations. Vinyl tops were now padded, and Coupe Deville tops could be ordered with a vinyl roof with the belt molding tied into a band that continued over the top. This was the last of the big Cadillacs, as 1978 would see a major downsizing as GM dealt with emissions and economy requirements both from the government and also customers.
1973 Cadillac
The federally mandated five mph bumper standards resulted in large energy-absorbing bumpers that ran straight across the front without the dip at the grille. Bumpers were also flatter without angling back as they traditionally did. Bumper guards were also farther apart to frame the grille. This was the last year for the hardtop Coupe de Ville, in anticipation of federal roll-over standards that actually were never mandated.
AVAILABLE MODELS:
1973
- Body Style
- Fleetwood Convertible
- Fleetwood Eldorado Coupe
- Calais Coupe
- Calais 4-Door Sedan
- Deville Sedan
- Deville Coupe
- 60-Fleetwood Special Brougham
- 75-Fleetwood 4-Door Sedan
- Fleetwood Limousine
- Commercial Chassis
- Engine Options
- 472ci-4bbl, 375hp
- 500ci-4bbl, 400hp
1973 Cadillac VIN Decoder:
First Character: GM Division
Second- Fifth Characters: Series
- B ~ Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham
- C ~ Calais Coupe/Sedan
- D ~ Coupe/Sedan Deville
- F ~ Fleetwood 75 Sedan
- L ~ Eldorado
- Z ~ Commercial Chassis
Third and Fourth Characters: Body
- 23 ~ 4-Door Limo w/Aux Seat
- 33 ~ 4-Door Limo w/Center Window
- 47 ~ 2-Door Hardtop Coupe
- 49 ~ 4-Door Hardtop Sedan
- 67 ~ 2-Door convertible Coupe
- 69 ~ 4-Door Pillar Sedan
- 90 ~ Commercial Chassis
Fifth Character: Engine
- R ~ 472ci-V8
- S ~ 500ci-V8
Sixth Character: Year
Seventh Character: Assembly Plant
- Q ~ Detroit, Michigan
- E ~ Linden, New Jersey
Eighth-Thirteenth Characters: Production Sequence