Cadillac · 1977–1986

Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham

The Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is a luxury car manufactured by Cadillac from 1977 through 1986. In 1987, the Fleetwood Brougham name was shortened to simply Brougham, with production continuing through 1992 with only minor updates. Cadillac used the "Fleetwood" name as a prefix between 1934 and 1976 on several of its most expensive models, always designating an elevated level of luxury. From 1957 until 1961, Cadillac used the "Brougham" sub-designation for its exclusive four-door Eldorado models. In 1965, the "Brougham" name was first affixed to "Fleetwood" on the Fleetwood Sixty Special as an upgraded option package, which included a vinyl roof and special "Brougham" script lettering on the sides, but it was not a separate model. In 1966, the Fleetwood Brougham was added as a separate model, accompanying the Fleetwood 60 Special, which continued through 1970. In 1971, with the Fleetwood Brougham outselling the Fleetwood 60 Special by a large margin, the two models were consolidated into a single model, the Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham, and would continue with this name through 1976. The car's name was shortened to Fleetwood Brougham with the 1977 downsizing across the GM car line. The "d'Elegance" and "Talisman" sub-models were also sometimes used to designate upgraded option packages.

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Predecessor: Cadillac Sixty Special · Successor: Cadillac Brougham

All Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Evolution of the Fleetwood designation

Lawrence P. Fisher was the Fisher brother most closely involved with Cadillac in its early years. In 1916, he joined the Fisher Body Company, which had been formed by two of his brothers in 1908. Larry (as people knew him) was one of four of the seven Fisher brothers who brought Fisher Body Corporation under the General Motors umbrella in 1919. In May 1925, Alfred P. Sloan, then the head of General Motors, appointed Fisher as Cadillac General Manager, an office he retained through 1934. Fisher immediately went to work adding exclusive, custom bodies to the Cadillac range. Thus he oversaw the purchase of the Fleetwood Metal Body Company by the Fisher Body Corporation in September 1925. The Fleetwood Body Company of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, was founded by Harry Urich in the nineteenth century. It began as a small community of craftsmen founded by Henry Fleetwood, Esq. of Penwortham, near Lancaster, England (the Fleetwood family flourished in England in the 17th and 18th centuries). The rich traditions of 300 years of coach-building that the Fleetwood Body Company applied to its work on cars secured for it a high reputation in automobile circles worldwide by the 1920s. Coachwork was built by Fleetwood for a variety of luxury makes through 1924. However, after the Fisher Body Corporation purchased the Fleetwood Body Company in 1925, Fleetwood bodies were reserved exclusively for Cadillac. By 1929 GM had purchased the remaining stock holdings of the Fisher Body Corporation and thus became sole owner of both the Fisher and Fleetwood companies. Originally an enclosed carriage, drawn by a single horse, for 2–4 persons, “Brougham” owes its name to British statesman, Henry Brougham. Cadillac first used the name in 1916 to designate an enclosed 5-7 passenger sedan body style. In t

Fleetwood Brougham

For 1977, GM significantly downsized their full sized cars. The DeVille and Fleetwood Brougham rode on the same 121.5" wheelbase and were powered by the 425 cubic inch (7.0 L) V8. This engine was basically a de-bored version of the 472/500 (7.7 L/8.2 L) V8 of previous years. Compared with the 1976 Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham, the Fleetwood Brougham had a wheelbase 11.5" shorter and weighed nearly 900 lb (400 kg) less. The new Fleetwood Brougham, which had lost its exclusive longer wheelbase, was now virtually identical to the lesser Sedan de Ville. Other than the name, there were only subtle exterior differences between a Fleetwood Brougham and Sedan de Ville, including a slightly reshaped B-pillar and rear side windows. The 1980 refresh eliminated this distinction. The interior of the Fleetwood was more plush and offered more features as standard. Size comparison between 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham and 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham In 1980, GM gave all of the full-sized B and C-body line new sheet metal to tidy up the styling and improve aerodynamics. The basic dashboard design, introduced for 1977, was retained. also new for 1980 was a two-door Fleetwood Brougham Coupe, which featured an exclusive formal landau vinyl roof. The 425 cu in (7.0 L) engine, a reduced bore 472, was further debored for 1980-81 to 368 cubic inches or 6.0 liters in order to comply with newly-enacted CAFE standards. For 1981, the 368 was provided with a modulated displacement system designed by Eaton Corporation, controlled by a digital computer, which locked off intake and exhaust valves to two or four of the eight cylinders, thus running effectively as a V6 or V4 under light load conditions when in third gear, and over 35 mph (56 km/h). This engine, called the "V

Brougham

For 1987, Cadillac revised its model nomenclature for its premium sedan lines. To reduce market confusion over the smaller front-wheel drive Fleetwood (introduced in 1985), the D-body Fleetwood Brougham was renamed the Cadillac Brougham. Produced since 1977 with only incremental changes since its 1980 update, the Brougham was offered through 1992. For 1993, the D-body Cadillac was restyled and rebranded as the Cadillac Fleetwood; the Brougham name also returned, becoming a trim package.

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Specifications

name: Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
Model years: 1977–1986
Manufacturer: Cadillac (General Motors)
Assembly: Detroit Assembly, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Predecessor: Cadillac Sixty Special
Successor: Cadillac Brougham
Class: Full-size luxury car
Layout: FR layout
Platform: C-body, D-body
Wheelbase: 1977–79: 121.5 in, 1980–82: 121.4 in, 1983–86: 121.5 in
Body style: 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe
Engine: 250 cuin HT-4100 V8, 252 cuin Buick V6, 307 cuin Oldsmobile V8, 350 cuin LF9 Diesel V8 , 368 cuin L62 V8, 425 cuin L33/L35 V8
Transmission: 3-speed TH-400 automatic, 3-speed TH-350C automatic, 4-speed TH-200-4R automatic
Length: 1977–79: 221.2 in, 1980–86: 221.0 in
Width: 4-door: 75.3 in, 2-door: 75.4 in
Height: 1977: 57.2 in, 1978–86 4-door: 56.7 in, 2-door: 54.6 in
Kerb weight: 4000 -
Designer: Bill Mitchell
Related: Cadillac De Ville, Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98