Cadillac Calais

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Cadillac Calais
Manufacturer	General Motors
Production	1965–1976
Predecessor	Cadillac 6200
Successor	Cadillac Seville
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan
Platform	FR C-body
Engine	429 in³ OHV V8 472 in³ OHV V8 500 in³ OHV V8
Wheelbase	129.5 in (1965-1970) 130 in (1971-1976)
Related	Buick Electra Oldsmobile 98

The Calais was a full-size luxury car made by Cadillac from 1965 to 1976. In 1965, Cadillac renamed the entry-level Series 62 the Calais, after the French resort town of Calais. It was available in 2 and 4-door hardtop versions as well as the "formal-roof" 4-door sedan, which was a hybrid with frameless, hardtop-like windows, but with a pillar between them. With the exception of having no convertible, the Calais mirrored the slightly more expensive and well-equipped DeVille.

The primary differences between the Calais and the Deville were trim levels and standard equipment. While the Deville was delivered with such amenities as power windows and 2-way power seats as standard equipment, hand-cranked windows were standard on the Calais. These amenities were, of course, optional at extra cost on the Calais; for 1967, power windows became standard on the Calais line, although a power seat was still optional even in the later-year models.

Leather seating areas and vinyl roof trim were available on the Deville, but not on the Calais (although a high-grade vinyl and cloth, similar to what was seen on top-line Buick Electras, were available). Another item not available on the Calais was the Cadillac-exclusive Firemist paint, an extra-cost metallic paint. Both the high-end Buick and Oldsmobile models shared the GM C platform with Cadillac. Cadillac, always General Motors' technology leader, offered all of their famous optional equipment, such as Twilight Sentinel and the GuideMatic headlight dimmer, on the Calais. In 1965, the new Turbo-Hydramatic, standard on the 1964 Deville, but not the lower-priced Series 62, became standard throughout the Cadillac range – even the Calais. The 429 in³ (7.0 L) V8 also remained the standard engine.

Pricing of the Cadillac Calais started at nearly US$5,000 and the line was only a few hundred dollars more than the Buick Electra 225 and the Oldsmobile 98.

Like all other Cadillacs, the Calais received the 472 in³ OHV V8 in 1968. In 1971, the wheelbase was extended to 130 in, while the big 500 in³ engine arrived in 1975. 1976 was the last year for the Calais, with the similar Deville continuing.

Cadillac road car timeline, 1930s-present -  v • d • e
Type	1930s										1940s										1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Entry-level							60				61			WWII			61																																				Cimarron																								BLS
	355						70/80					62					Series 62													6200						Calais																																Catera						CTS
Mid-size																																														Seville																														STS
Full-size																				Coupe de Ville/Sedan DeVille																																																									DTS
									60S								Sixty Special Fleetwood																									Flwd60S							Fleetwood														Fleetwood
Limousine	355						72/75/85										Series 75											6700								Fleetwood 75												FL			FB						Brougham
Personal Luxury																								Eldorado
Crossover																																																																															BRX
																																																																											SRX
SUV																																																																						Escalade
Roadster																																																										Allanté																	XLR
Halo	V-16																											Brougham