The Cadillac DeVille series was produced from model years 1959 to 2005. And not only is the company’s second longest-running nameplate (the Eldorado was sold for 49 years), but it’s also among the 20 longest-produced American automobiles. But did you know that the DeVille actually came to be ten years before its debut as a stand-alone model?
Cadillac began using the name in 1949. At the time, it was designated a trim level for the Series 62. But if we go beyond production models, the Coupe DeVille name was first introduced earlier that year on a one-off vehicle built for the first edition of the GM Motorama.
An auto show staged by General Motors, Motorama showcased concept cars, halo models, and upcoming technologies. In 1949, the display included 32 production and custom automobiles from each of GM’s five divisions. Among them was the first-ever Coupe DeVille.
The hand-built prototype previewed the production model that would debut later that year and then became GM President Charles Wilson’s personal car. He kept the coupe until 1957, when he gave it to his secretary.
Presumed lost for decades, the prototype resurfaced in 2014 as a fully restored gem. The transformation was possible thanks to Cadillac collector Steve Plunkett, who purchased the vehicle in unrestored (but solid) condition in 2012. It’s been ten years since the prototype went under the spotlight as a freshly restored rig, and the coupe still shines like it just left the shop.
Finished in dark gray with a silver roof, the Cadillac isn’t exactly striking at first glance, but it has quite a few unique features to brag about. Built on the bones of a 1948 convertible, the Motorama prototype features a longer wheelbase and elements that didn’t make it on the production model.
In addition to the 133-inch (3,378-mm) wheelbase, which is seven inches (178 mm) longer than the regular Coupe DeVille, the prototype has elongated rear fenders with faux vents and chromed step still moldings. The roof also looks different toward the rear (there’s no slanted rear window) and incorporates additional chrome ornaments. I can’t say it’s radically different, but the Motorama concept looks far better than the production model that followed.
While both the exterior and interior are true to the car’s 1949 specs, things are a bit different under the hood. According to Steve, the prototype lost its original 331-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) V8 engine sometime in the 1960s. The car was still with Wilson’s former secretary, who requested GM a replacement engine. The company obliged and sent her a 1957 Eldorado unit equipped with a similar 2×4-barrel carburetor setup.
And here’s where things become weird: GM stamped the block with the original 1949 VIN. This pretty much means the prototype now sports a numbers-matching but incorrect engine—one that was fully authorized by Cadillac. Now, that’s something you probably won’t find in another factory vehicle.
You can learn more about this fabulous prototype, the first vehicle to feature a one-piece curved windshield and side-window defogger, in the video below. It was featured on Lou Costabile’s YouTube channel, which you should definitely subscribe to if you’re into rare classic cars.