1976-1979 Cadillac Seville
Conversions

The Cadillac Seville was so popular that conversion shops got very creative with their designs for them. The stock four door sedan was stretched, shortened, made into a coupe, a convertible—limited only by imagination, it would seem

Seville EM Conversion (Long Wheelbase)

Built by:
Moloney Coachbuilders
343 E. Illinois Street
Palatine, IL 60067

This conversion was accomplished by cutting the car in half, and then inserting a four inch long extension between the front and rear doors. This was done to increase rear seat leg room.

Cadillac Seville Grandeur Formal Sedan

Built by:
Grandeur Motor Car Corporation
1405 SW 8th Street
Pompano Beach, FL

The Grandeur Formal Sedan had elongated front fenders and hood, with simulated dual side-mounted spare tires. Deep dish wire wheels with spinners and a heavy chrome grille surround completed the conversion.

Cadillac Seville Grandeur Opera Coupe

Built by:
Grandeur Motor Car Corporation
1405 SW 8th Street
Pompano Beach, FL

The Opera Coupe featured a stretched hood and a shortened rear body. Dual simulated side-mounted spare tires were mounted forward of the doors, similar to cars of the 1930s. The look was classic, but not everyone fell in love with this one.

GT Seville

Built by:
GT Enhancements, Inc.

This was basically a stock Cadillac Seville, with suspension enhancements and improvements to more closely simulate European luxury cars. The suspension package was designed to reduce body roll when cornering, porpoising after traversing bumpy surfaces, and nose dive during heavy braking.

Control and stability were improved, and the suspension packages offered came in three levels, each with progressively increased control and road feel. Some performance specifications are below:

Skid Pad: 72 G (stock Seville: 67G; 7% improvement)
Transient Response: 42.4 mph (stock Seville: 37.1 mph; 15% improvement)
Braking Distance from 70 MPH: 222 feet (stock Seville: 241 feet; 8% improvement)

Cadillac Seville Milan Roadster

Built by:
Milan Coach Builders and Milan Convertibles, Inc.
4545 Industrial Street, Suite 5A
Simi Valley, CA 93063

Built on a 96 inch wheelbase, the Milan Roadster body measured 15.6 feet with an overall height of 58 inches. Conversion took approximately 50 hours to complete, and approximately 500 total were built during the four years the first generation Sevilles were built.

Retail cost was $39,500 and dealer cost was $29,995. A kit was available separately, that included most of the items necessary for a local craftsman to make the conversion. The kit was priced at $1,495 but it did not include everything necessary to make the conversion look the same as a "factory" Milan unit. True Milan Roadsters include a fiberglass insert behind the seats, color-coordinated to match the interior color.

Cadillac Seville San Remo Convertible

Built by:
Coach Design Group, Inc.
for Hillcrest Motor Company
Beverly Hills, CA

The Seville four door sedan was converted into a two door convertible. Wire basket wheels with spinners were added, and the wrap-around rear taillights were removed and substituted with 1976 Eldorado rear taillight fixtures.

The price? $46,000.

Cadillac Seville San Remo Coupe

Built by:
Coach Design Group, Inc.
for Hillcrest Motor Company
Beverly Hills, CA

Similar in appearance to the companion San Remo Convertible (shown above), the Coupe featured a rear half vinyl roof with chrome wrap over molding, premium chrome wire wheels, Double Eagle Tires, Opera Lamps, and a modified fixed quarter window that looked somewhat like the one that would be used on the 1985 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Coupe in a few years. The San Remo Coupe also had a modified rear end treatment with Eldorado taillights.

Cadillac Seville Tomaso Coupe
Built by:
Tomaso of America, Inc.
11125 Arcade
Box 5692
Little Rock, AR 73315

Designed by Tom Earnhart of Armbruster/Stageway of Arkansas, stock Sevilles were shipped by dealers to Custom Car and Detail, Inc., of Fort Smith, Arkansas for conversion. It took about six weeks from start to finish, and the price was $11,000 over and above the cost of the Seville itself.

The end result? 20 inches shorter, slightly lower, and a modified suspension. You could order a rear mounted spare tire carrier, if desired.