A Subtle, Elegant Cadillac DeVille Concours Spotted in the Philippines

    While big, American land yachts haven't been seen regularly on our Philippine streets since the 1970's, it can be said that these large, luxurious vehicles are immediately recognizable as a land yacht the moment they are seen, from their huge, letter-based platform, to their either, tan or maroon vinyl roof. And one of these last land yachts of the century, hailing from Detroit, was the seventh gen Cadillac DeVille.


    The featured Cadillac DeVille was its seventh iteration in the DeVille billing, with its first model released way back in 1959. This DeVille was produced from 1994 to 1999. It weighed over two tons and measured over a staggering 209 inches. Its exterior may have been dusty, but it was not short of chrome trimmings, surrounding it all the way to the back.


    Inside, the driver cockpit was in a pretty dilapidated state, with parts and bits that have fallen off. However, its touch of exclusivity was not lost, with a wood trim scaling from its front doors to the surrounding dashboard, its abundant use of tan leather all around the car's cabin, not to mention its plethora of chrome switches on the driver side door. The old Caddy reeked of seniority with its front bench seating, and cassette stereo, characteristic trademarks of a bygone era.


    At the rear passenger area, it was more of the same. Seen more clearly was its premium audio system's speakers on the passenger side door, and its center console air conditioning vents, a luxury item at the time.


    The aged DeVille spotted a popular tan vinyl roof, popular with Concours models at the time, the more deluxe class of the already high-end DeVille. It featured GM's CVRSS system, its continuously variable road sensing suspension, also known as MagnaRide, that used magnetically controlled shock absorbers in order to better fit the driver and its passengers with a comfortable and adaptive ride, which has since then been used by the likes of Land Rover and Ferrari.


    The stuffy car was equipped with a 4.6L V8 engine. It generated more than an overwhelming 270 brake horsepower and 370 Nm of torque, to compensate for its weight, and because of this, it was only able to reach a top speed of 209 km/h, and worse, a fuel economy at an average of 18 to 22 MPG, back when gas guzzlers were a relatively affordable commodity.


    However, this was no hybrid nor sports coupe. In fact, it was the closest thing one could get to an armored truck at the time. It featured keyless entry, anti-lock out, a theft deterrent system requiring its key with its specific resistor to start the car, and a supplemental air bag restraint system, protecting all possible front seat occupants. Its factory installed theft warning system, plastered in big letters on its windows were no laughing matter.


    Nowadays, these mighty land yachts have become increasingly uncommon as gas prices surge and demands for more economical and environmentally-friendly cars rise, more so in a country better fit for tiny hatchbacks rather than full-size SUVs. However, nuggets of nostalgia, such as these, have become an icon of a better time. And as the world starts to shift away from these oil monsters, they are soon to become a valuable collector's item.

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