The first generation of the Cadillac Seville was seen from 1976 until 1979 and was first based on the GM X body platform, which was a rear wheel drive platform. This was the same platform that was used for the Chevy Nova. Cadillac added a more stylized body to the vehicle that made the Seville stand out, though the platform had been used before. The German Opel Diplomat was also an option, but Cadillac ultimately chose the X body platform because of budget concerns. In the beginning, the Seville suspension was almost identical to the Nova, right down to the brakes and the lug nuts! It wasn’t until the 1977 model that Cadillac changed up the Seville so that it had different lugs as well as new rear brakes. Luckily for the Cadillac division of General Motors, the Seville air suspension was a hit with consumers despite its very expensive first model, costing almost $12,500!
This first generation of the Seville was powered by a 5.7 liter V8 engine that boasted a Bendix/Bosch electronically controlled fuel injection system. This type of fuel injection was attractive to consumers because it gave the Seville silky handling and performance. The engine was the source of 180 horsepower and could accelerate from 0 to 60 in 11.5 seconds. Cadillac added a 5.7 liter V8 engine in 1978 that was diesel powered, but it was never known as a reliable engine or one that could perform. In the wake of the energy crisis of the 1970s, bigger was no longer better in terms of American cars. Import brands had risen to the occasion by providing cars that offered luxury in more compact, fuel-efficient packages. Cadillac, long known for its opulent land barges, sensed that a change was in the air, and in 1975, it launched the Cadillac Seville coil springs. Marketed as Cadillac’s first “internationally sized” vehicle, the Seville was both the automaker’s smallest and most expensive sedan.
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