In Cadillac’s fabulous brougham era, there was one Caddy that was even more decadent than the rest: the 1974-76 Fleetwood Talisman.
No, Cadillacs of the early-mid ’70s weren’t especially noted for their restraint. Oversized, overweight, and over the top in most every way, they were powered by enormous 472 and 500 cubic-inch V8s and offered every luxury and convenience feature known to humankind. But for buyers who were seeking even more crushed-velour decadance, Cadillac offered the fabulous Fleetwood Talisman of 1974-76. Some connoisseurs have described the Talisman as the most luxuriously trimmed production Cadillac since the coachbuilt era.
Offered on the Fleetwood Sixty Special platform with its generous 133-inch wheelbase and available only as a four-door sedan, the Talisman wasn’t a separate model as such. Rather, it was an option package (code V4U) that added nearly $2000 to the SIxty Special’s already hefty base price of around ten grand. (At the time, a nicely equipped Chevy Caprice cost around $4500.)
While the package included modest exterior badges on the rear sail panels, an elk-grain vinyl roof, and other touches, the major focus was in the cabin. Overstuffed, ultra-rich Medici Velour covered everything, including the wide front console with its built-in, fold-out writing desk. The first-year ’74 vehicles included a wide console for rear seat passengers as well, and a leather Talisman package was also available. (See our feature on the Motor City’s velour period, “Life in a Trombone Case,” here.)
When the Cadillac rear-drive platform was downsized for 1977 along with the rest of the full-size cars at General Motors, the Fleetwood Sixty Special was discontinued and naturally, the Talisman was dropped as well. Factory records indicate that 1,898 Talismans were produced in 1974, 1,238 in 1975, and 1,200 in ’76, and Cadillac experts believe that only a fraction of them have survived.
How splendidly over the top. This looks like something a villain from “Columbo” might have been chauffeured round LA in…
I remember seeing one at the Cadillac dealer. It was being readied to be delivered to the new owner. Most of the service department gathered around the car, and they all seemed to be asking the same question. Would their lifts, installed in the mid 1950s, be able to lift the car off the ground.
In 1974 my dad and I were shopping for a “practical” car. We ended up at Jack Roach Cadillac in KC. We took home an unbelievable used Cadillac, but I will never forget the Talisman in the showroom. Unbelievable! I can still feel the richness and decadence of that rolling piece of art. I have never before or since seen a more impressive car…including the Eldorado Brougham. It was as if there was a hidden secret in this seemingly classy, but standard Brougham. A secret known only to the elite four passengers gliding down the road in this rolling private club. The consoles should have included champagne and caviar.
It would be nearly 20 years before I would have the honor of owning a Talisman myself. I have owned well over a hundred Cadillacs, including many Fleetwood “75” sedans and limousines, but never…NEVER… anything like the Talisman. Dave (in Colorado)