1985 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Hides Surprise in the Glove Box

This 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D'Elegance was bought brand-new from Ken Puttick's dealership in Vero Beach, Florida. The former car dealer and developer passed away in 2021, leaving behind a life story to tell grandchildren. When Mr. Minton, the first and only owner (until 2021) of this Cadillac, bought the car from him, was when Puttick met his wife.

A college graduate, she came to the dealership where he was working to buy her first car. "I am going to marry that girl," young Ken told his manager, as reported by VeroNews. And so he did. Fortunately, he did not treat all his customers like this.

So, when Mr. Minton ordered the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham at the dealership in 1985, nobody proposed to him. He was just asked for the money. He purchased the luxury sedan with the D'Elegance top trim.

He chose to have it painted in Blue Firemist Metallic, and it still wears the original paintwork (except for the front and rear pillars) with pride today. It came with a white vinyl top and an Astroroof over a white leather interior. The chrome trim still shines like the day this car drove through the factory gate in Arlington, Michigan, and so do the hood ornament and the "D'Elegance" lettering on the rear pillar.

The car lived in Vero Beach, Florida, its entire life. It only has 39,000 miles on the clock, covered in 39 years, which translates to just 1,000 miles per year. If that is not a garage queen, we don't know what is.

Besides, there was no way the car could look like that if it had to brave the elements over all these years. In fact, the Cadillac is just very close to clicking 40,000, but 39,000 sounds younger. And true for the moment.

It was owned by a local politician. Mr. Minton sold it to Anthony, the owner of the Speciality Motor Cars YouTube channel, in 2021. He never intended to keep it that long. But it needed a little TLC before it would have been ready to go. And TLC, in this case, translates to detailing and some mechanical fixes.

The shop charged a total of $5,000 to make it look like it did the day it rolled off the production line in 1985. One of the dual headlights had to be changed because it had a crack that led to condensation.

The exhaust is brand-new, and so is the tailpipe. Four new tires, front brakes, front shocks, rear air shocks, rear coil springs, and a front end alignment, plus alternator and battery are also on the list. The AC was also serviced and retrofitted. Because you know, old cars always need something new.

And this Cadillac is surely worth being babysit-ed and TLC-ed. There are tiny, almost invisible paint chips and stains on the hood. Florida's climate must have protected it from rust and corrosion.

The cabin of the Cadillac breathes opulence in the purest classic Cadillac style. Button-tufted sew-style white leather covers the seats, the door cards are in white leather, and the dashboard is an elegant wood panel with cutouts for the air vents, buttons, a radio, and the driver’s cluster with stylish gauges. The elegant dark blue carpeting matches the exterior paint.

The sedan has six-way power adjustment seats, power windows, power roof, plus automatic climate control, and everything that you would not expect from a car that is almost four decades old.

The glove compartment hosts several cassettes with classical music. Those cassettes that few still know how to rewind with a pencil in search of their favorite song. Such cassettes can be played in such classy classics, which are still equipped with the appropriate players. There is also the original owner's manual in there.

The 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is powered by an HT 249-cubic-inch (4.1-liter) V8 engine, which generates 135 horsepower (137 metric horsepower) and 200 pound-feet (271 Newton meters) of torque. The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, but it doesnt make the Cadillac a land rocket. It takes forever to hit 60 mph from a standstill: 13.5 seconds.

But the V8 has to pull a car that is 221 inches (5,613 millimeters) long, 75.3 inches (1,913 millimeters) wide, and 56.7 inches (1,440 millimeters) tall, while it tips the scales at 4,030 pounds (1,828 kilograms).

The refinement of the model is visible all the way to the trunk, which features a liner, and even the spare wheel is covered in it. There is no plastic in sight. On a last drive before listing it for sale, Anthony has his eyes glued to the odometer: the car hits 40,000 miles. He has had this car for over three years and has always tried to keep it under that low-mileage figure. He did not drive it much.

However, look at what he's been missing. The Cadillac moves easily through traffic and drives straight down the road, all in exceptional comfort. The cruise control, which was a standard feature on this trim, still works perfectly as it did on its first day on the road.

The Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was tagged as the Luxury Car Complete in its era. It is a tag that is still valid today. And it's been almost 40 years since this car saw the light of day.