1981 Cadillac Seville Grandeur Opera
Hood length is the first thing that registers. Extended a full 36 inches through a structural rework that removed equivalent length from the rear section, the Opera Coupe presents proportions closer to a prewar touring car than the compact Cadillac beneath it.
Grandeur Motor Car Corporation, operating in Florida and officially sanctioned by Cadillac, achieved this without modifying the frame by cutting 36 inches from the rear and adding 36 inches ahead of the cowl.
Rear doors were eliminated, the cabin reduced to two seats, and chrome wire wheel covers mounted as decorative sidemounts on the extended front fenders, with a small port window cut into the vinyl-covered roof and an upright, Lincoln Mark-series-influenced grille up front.
The foundation is the second-generation Seville, the front-wheel-drive platform introduced for 1980 with independent rear suspension and the razor-edged bustle-back trunk styling, drawn from English coachbuilder Hooper & Co.’s Empress Line designs of the early 1950s, realized by GM designer Wayne Kady under the direction of Vice President of Design Bill Mitchell.
For 1981, the standard engine was the 368 CI V8-6-4, Cadillac’s variable-displacement unit rated at 140 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, with the 5.7-liter Oldsmobile diesel available at no additional cost. The 1981 Seville started at approximately $23,000 before the Grandeur conversion added another $70,000.
Approximately 600 Opera Coupes were built across the 1976-1983 model run.
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