Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance
Car-ID: XT0040
Vehicle Description
The Gulf War rages in the middle east. The Soviet Union dissolves. George Bush senior rules the United States as president: Are the memories still fresh? This is 1991, the year this Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance rolled off the assembly lane in Arlington, Texas. A car that seemed to come from a different era even when new. The late 1980s/ early 1990s were all about downsizing, but here we have a 5.6 m two-ton sedan, completely old-school – except maybe the engine, because the V8 with merely 5.0 litres of displacement and a power output of 127 kW (170 hp) is small by American standards. In every other field, this sedan oozes conservatism. And it knocks back the years, with its brown metallic paintwork virtually free of visible rust and chrome in very good condition.
On the inside, too, the plush leather seating looks well-kept. The list of amenities is long in a Brougham: power windows, cruise control, climate control, electrically adjustable seats, rear-seat reading lamps and of course a stereo sound system.
This Cadillac has an unwarranted mileage of only 77,000 mls and comes with the American title.
Once an anachronism, today an authentic modern classic!
In the 19th century, a “brougham” was a light horse-drawn carriage. Cadillac used the name to denominate their luxury sedans as early as 1916, and then intermittently as an option package or subseries of their full-size models. In 1987, Brougham became a Cadillac model in its own right, the last remaining rear-wheel drive model in the lineup after the Fleetwood and DeVille had been downsized and converted to front-wheel drive.
The Brougham, effectively the same model that had been sold as Fleetwood Brougham since 1984, was continued as the top of the line Cadillac and was built with only minor changes, mostly regarding the radiator grille, until 1992. An optional “d’Elegance” package was available which offered an even more luxurious trim level.
All Broughams came with V8 engines with either 5.0 litres or 5.7 litres of capacity, which were mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.
The Brougham was also the last Cadillac that came without any airbags. The contemporary sales brochure marketed it as “The classic spirit of Cadillac” – “crafted in the finest Cadillac traditions”.
