12 Cadillacs That Everyone Forgot Existed

Cadillac, America’s luxury brand, has produced some truly iconic cars over its century-plus history. While everyone remembers classics like the Eldorado and Escalade, dozens of Cadillac models have slipped through the cracks of our collective memory.

Let’s take a nostalgic cruise through 12 Cadillacs that time (and most car enthusiasts) completely forgot about.

1. The Quirky Cadillac Cimarron

Desperate to compete with European compact luxury cars in the 1980s, Cadillac slapped its crest on a Chevrolet Cavalier and called it a day. The result? Automotive blasphemy!

Underpowered and overpriced, this rebadged economy car fooled absolutely no one. Launched in 1982 with a measly 88-horsepower engine, it remains one of GM’s most embarrassing luxury attempts ever.

2. Allante’s Italian-American Love Affair

Bodies built by Pininfarina in Italy, flown to Detroit on special 747s nicknamed ‘Air Bridge,’ then finished by Cadillac. Talk about high-maintenance!

This ultra-luxury convertible (1987-1993) was Cadillac’s Ferrari fighter, featuring cutting-edge tech and Italian styling. Despite its flashy entrance, poor timing and a $54,000 price tag (nearly $130,000 today) doomed this exotic experiment.

3. Catera: The Caddy That Zigged

Remember that cartoon duck mascot? In 1997, Cadillac imported an Opel Omega from Germany, rebranded it as the Catera, and marketed it with the bizarre slogan “The Caddy that Ziggs.”

Aimed at younger buyers, this oddball sedan suffered reliability nightmares and an identity crisis. Neither sporty enough for BMW fans nor traditional enough for Cadillac loyalists, it vanished after just four years.

4. BLS: The Cadillac That Never Came Home

Sold exclusively in Europe and built on a Saab platform in Sweden, this 2006 oddity never even made it to American shores! Cadillac’s European experiment was essentially a rebadged Saab 9-3.

GM desperately wanted to crack the European luxury market, but buyers weren’t fooled. With awkward proportions and identity confusion, the BLS sold fewer than 7,500 units total before disappearing in 2009.

5. Fleetwood Brougham: The Last Land Yacht

Stretching nearly 19 feet long, this behemoth was the final traditional rear-wheel-drive Cadillac. While the Fleetwood name is remembered, this specific 1993-1996 generation often gets forgotten.

Rolling on a platform dating back to 1977, these dinosaurs featured formal rooflines, opera windows, and velour interiors that time forgot.

Beloved by livery services and older buyers, it was automotive anachronism on wheels.

6. XLR: Corvette in a Tuxedo

Underneath this angular luxury roadster lurked the heart and chassis of a Corvette! Launched in 2004, the XLR was Cadillac’s $75,000 answer to the Mercedes SL.

Despite its folding hardtop, Northstar V8, and concept-car looks, buyers remained scarce. Production quietly ended in 2009 with fewer than 16,000 made.

Today, they’re rare sights that make people ask, “Wait, Cadillac made that?”

7. ELR: The $76,000 Hybrid Nobody Wanted

Take a Chevy Volt, dress it in a sharp Cadillac tuxedo, triple the price, and you’ve got the ELR. This gorgeous plug-in hybrid coupe debuted in 2014 with stunning looks but a stunning price tag: $76,000!

Despite its head-turning style, buyers couldn’t justify paying Cadillac prices for Chevy Volt performance. After selling just 2,874 units total, production silently ended in 2016, making it one of history’s most beautiful sales flops.

8. V12 Town Car: The Depression-Era Ultra-Luxury

Launching a massive V12 luxury car during the Great Depression seems crazy, but Cadillac did exactly that in 1930. These incredibly rare behemoths featured 368 cubic-inch V12 engines producing a then-impressive 135 horsepower.

With custom coachwork options and prices starting at $3,795 (equivalent to $65,000 today), fewer than 3,000 were built. They represent Cadillac’s first attempt at multi-cylinder engines before the more famous V16 models.

9. Mirage: The Pickup Cadillac Never Made

Cadillac never officially built a pickup truck, except they sort of did. The 1975-1976 Mirage was a Cadillac Coupe DeVille converted into a flower car/pickup by Traditional Coach Works with GM’s blessing.

Sold through Cadillac dealerships, these El Camino-style luxury trucks featured fiberglass beds, wood trim, and all Cadillac’s luxury touches. With only 204 ever built, they’re incredibly rare today and can fetch over $75,000 at auction.

10. Cadillac Sixteen Concept: The Modern V16

In 2003, Cadillac shocked the automotive world with this ultra-luxury concept featuring a massive 13.6-liter V16 engine producing 1,000 horsepower. This wasn’t just a styling exercise—it actually ran!

Measuring over 19 feet long and dripping with crystal, aluminum, and hand-stitched leather, it revived Cadillac’s legendary V16 heritage.

Despite executive approval, the 2008 financial crisis destroyed any production hopes for this $350,000 super-luxury sedan.

11. Cadillac Evoq: The Concept That Changed Everything

Before Cadillac’s angular “Art & Science” design language, there was this forgotten concept car. The 1999 Evoq roadster concept completely reinvented Cadillac’s design direction with its knife-edge creases and vertical lighting.

While never produced as shown, its DNA transformed into the XLR roadster and influenced every Cadillac since. Without this forgotten concept, modern Cadillacs would look completely different. It literally saved the brand from design irrelevance.

12. Series 90: The Forgotten V16 Flagship

While car enthusiasts might know Cadillac built V16 engines in the 1930s, few remember the second-generation V16 models. The Series 90 debuted in 1938 with an entirely new 431 cubic-inch flathead V16.

Despite the economic challenges of the late Depression, these hand-built masterpieces featured innovative designs and a smoother, quieter V16.

With just 508 built between 1938-1940, they’re overshadowed by their first-generation V16 siblings.