The first Cadillac “Coupe de Ville” was shown during the 1949 Motorama. Built on a Cadillac Sixty Special chassis, it featured a dummy air-scoop, chrome trim around the front wheel openings, and a one-piece windshield and rear glass. The interior was trimmed in black and gray leather, and included a telephone in the glove compartment, a vanity case, a secretarial pad in the rear armrest, power windows, and decorative chrome interior trim. The prototype was used by GM President Charles E. Wilson until 1957, when he gifted it to his secretary. It was later found and restored in the 2010s, and as of 2017, remained in a private collection in London, Ontario, Canada.
The Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville was introduced late in the 1949 model year, alongside the Buick Roadmaster Riviera and the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, as one of the first pillarless hardtop coupes ever produced. Priced at $3,496 ($47,306 in 2025 dollars), it cost only a dollar less than the Series 62 convertible, and came standard with power windows. It was luxuriously trimmed with leather upholstery and chrome ‘bows’ in the headliner, mimicking a convertible top. In 1951, Coupe de Ville sales exceeded those of the Series 62 Club Coupe, reaching 10,241 units. That same year, Coupe de Ville chrome script appeared on the rear roof pillar to further distinguish it from the Series 62 Club Coupe.
In 1956, the Series 62 Coupe de Ville was joined by the Series 62 Sedan de Ville, Cadillac’s first standard production 4-door hardtop. The Sedan de Ville was more expensive and luxuriously trimmed than the standard 4-door Series 62, selling 41,732 units in its first year and outselling the standard sedan. In 1959, the Series 62 were moved to the Series 6200, with De Villes becoming their own separate series, the Series 6300. The engine output was 325 hp from the 390 cu in engine. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, back-up lamps, windshield wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows, and two-way power seats. Over 53,000 DeVilles were sold in 1959, accounting for roughly 37% of all Cadillacs sold.
The 1960 Cadillac featured smoother styling, with a full-width grille and elimination of pointed front bumper guards. Four-window and six-window hardtop sedans were offered, with the four-window featuring a one-piece wraparound backlight and flat-top roof. In 1961, Cadillac redesigned the Coupe de Ville, featuring new forward-slanting front pillars and non-wraparound windshield glass. In 1964, the DeVille convertible was introduced, and sales reached 110,379 units, accounting for nearly two thirds of all Cadillacs sold. The engine was upgraded to 429 cu in, producing 340 hp. In 1968, the engine was upgraded to a 472 cu in engine.
In November 1971, a showroom-stock 1971 Coupe de Ville placed third in the Cannonball Run, posting the highest average speed of the event at 84.6 mph. The 1974 model year saw the introduction of an optional “Air Cushion Restraint System”, one of the first production examples of what are now known as airbags. In 1980, Cadillac introduced the V8-6-4 engine, designed to improve fuel economy, but it experienced reliability issues.
The two-door Coupe de Ville was discontinued after the 1993 model year. The final Coupe de Ville was produced in July 1993. The Deville nameplate continued on the four-door sedan until 2005, when it was replaced by the DTS.