Cadillac Fleetwood (1st Gen) 1985-1992

A new front wheel drive C-body platform was introduced in 1985. The Fleetwood shared the same 110.8 inches (2,810 mm) wheelbase as the other C-body cars, the de Ville, Buick Electra, and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. The Fleetwood Brougham continued to use the RWD platform, (which was redesignated as "D-body" for 1985) through 1986.

There were little more than trim differences between the Fleetwood and the de Ville. The d'Elegance package which had previously been available on the de Ville instead became a Fleetwood option. For 1986, Fleetwood was an option package on the de Ville and technically not a separate model. It returned to separate model status in 1987 (as "Fleetwood d'Elegance") but the coupe version was discontinued until 1989.

The 1987 and 1988 Cadillac Sixty Special used a stretched 115.8 inches (2,940 mm) version of the new C-body, while the 1985 through 1987 Series 75 used a 134.4 inches (3,410 mm) stretched version of the same basic platform.

The aluminum 4.1 L HT-4100 V8 was replaced by the 4.5 L HT-4500 for 1988. The engine was upped to 4.9 L for 1991's HT-4900.

Starting in 1989 the Fleetwood coupe remained on the old 110.8 in (2,810 mm) wheelbase, while the sedan saw its wheelbase increased to 113.8 in (2891 mm). The US$30,000+ sticker price was a bargain compared to the large German luxury cars of the time, but Car and Driver felt that there was no comparison. They felt that the ride was "harsh", surprising when combined with a "feeble" .67 g of cornering grip. And the 155 hp (116 kW) V8 could only manage 10.9 s to 60 mph (97 km/h) for the 3,615 lb (1,640 kg) car.

Power jumped to 180 hp (130 kW) from the same 4.5 L engine for 1990 through the use of a dual-stage intake manifold and other changes. It was replaced by the 200 hp (150 kW) 4.9 L HT-4900 for 1991.

The Fleetwood departed the front-drive lineup for 1993 (as the Fleetwood name went on the new rear-drive replacement for the 1992 Brougham). Sixty Special continued in its front-wheel drive form, as it had since it was reintroduced in 1987, but this would be the last year. To visually differentiate the 1989–1993 De Ville from the upper-rung Fleetwood and Sixty-Special models, the front-drive Fleetwoods and Sixty Specials use fender-mounted "spats" or skirts over the rear wheels, while De Ville had full rear-wheel openings. For its final-year, there were 5,292 Sixty Specials built in 1993, including 688 with the optional "Ultra" Package that featured 22-way adjustable front seats, designed in Italy by Giorgio Guigiaro. This distinctive seating package had been standard on the Sixty Special since 1989, but in 1993, it became a $3,550.00 option. While it was based upon the deVille, the Sixty Special included eleven items as standard equipment, while those eleven items were optional at extra cost on De Villes, and in addition there were options for the Sixty Special, that were not available on the deVille, such as "Memory Seat" for driver with two recall settings, an "Exit" button" when pushed automatically powered the driver seat all the way rearward, and dual front seat power recliners. On the exterior the rear wheels were partially covered with the fender skirts, giving the car a longer and more "formal" look than the deVille.

Both the Fleetwood and De Ville were coded as C-bodies in the fourth digit of the VIN. The fifth digit coded the De Ville as "D" (with the later Touring Sedan becoming "T"), the Fleetwood as "B", and the Fleetwood Sixty Special as "S". The Sixty Special became the "G" code for 1991, and switched back to "B" for its 1993 run.

[SIZE="1"]Source: wikipedia.org[/SIZE]