Cadillac De Ville Coupe

Cadillac De Ville Coupe

Specs Mentioned:

Make/ Model – Cadillac De Ville Coupe (1954)

Engine – 5.7 litre, mono bloc V8, 4-speed hydramatic drive transmission

Power – 46.5 hp

In the French language, De Ville means “of the town.” It was only fitting that Cadillac would adopt the moniker “Coupe de Ville” to describe its more upscale-optioned pillarless hardtop trim line as a sign of prestige. Some of the most beautiful examples of the Coupe de Ville option appeared on the Cadillac Series 62 cars produced in seven generations from 1940 to 1964.

In early 1954, Cadillac launched the second generation of the De Ville coupe. Originally created in 1949 to designate a hardtop coupe without a central upright between the door glass and the custode glass, the De Ville designation was attributed in 1954 to the superior finish models of the 62 Series. In line with other Cadillacs, the Primary Objective of the De Ville Coupe is to confirm the predominance of the Cadillac brand in the niche of luxury cars with wide distribution.

The Sedan De Ville became Cadillac’s first-ever 4-door hardtop. The rear end is double finned while the front of the car and flanks are adorned with heavy chrome detailing. The Coupes windscreen featured curved glass and had one of the first pillarless hardtops for a motorcar.

The 1954 De Ville Coupe featured was first registered in Ceylon in 1958 and while early ownership details are murky, it was once owned by Akhthar Mohamed of Kensington Gardens, Colombo 4 and subsequently by Chula De Silva, an eminent lawyer and car collector. The Akbarallys eventually purchased the car which had reached a state of neglect and is said to have looked like a “burnt-out wreck” at the time of purchase. It was thereafter meticulously restored in the fashion of Elvis Presley’s famous Pink Cadillac, both inside and out.