We Found This 1978 Cadillac Seville Elegante in a Denver Boneyard

Jackson Wheeler
3 Min Read


Special-edition Detroit luxury cars from the Malaise Era always make for good Junkyard Treasures, and I’ve been proud over the years to share such discarded classics as a 1980 Cadillac San Remo Dorado, a 1982 Lincoln Continental Givenchy Edition, a 1981 Frank Sinatra Edition Imperial, two 1979 Lincoln Continental Bill Blass Editions, a 1983 Cadillac Cimarron d’Oro, and a 1982 Lincoln Mark VI Bill Blass Edition.

Today we’ve got an example of the most expensive (non-limo) 1978 Cadillac you could buy new: a first-year Cadillac Seville Elegante, found recently in a Denver self-service boneyard.

1978 chevrolet nova sedan in colorado junkyard

Murilee Martin

We can’t talk about the first-generation (1976-1979) Seville without talking about its sibling, or maybe cousin, the Chevrolet Nova. The photo above is a 1978 Nova sedan found in the same yard just a few rows away from the Seville Elegante; it doesn’t look much like its far costlier relative at a glance, does it?

The definition of the relationship between the Nova and the Seville is much more controversial than the relationship between the Nova and its X Platform siblings (Pontiac Ventura/Phoenix, Oldsmobile Omega, Buick Apollo/Skylark).

The first-generation Seville was based on a stretched X-Body platform with better build quality and some upgrades to improve ride quality. Some feel that the 1976-1979 Seville remained a Nova underneath and did long-lasting damage to the Cadillac brand, while others point out that it printed bales of money for the Cadillac Division and should be considered a genuine Mercedes-Benz rival.

1978 cadillac seville elegante in colorado junkyard

Murilee Martin

The Seville Elegante came with two-tone exterior paint and two-tone leather seats, plus real wire wheels and a bunch of snazzy extras. The base MSRP for the 1978 Seville was $14,267, with the Elegante package adding another $2600. That comes to $16,867, or about $81,980 in 2024 dollars.

Meanwhile, the 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280E, ancestor of the E-Class, listed at $16,616 ($81,631 after inflation). Most sources I can find seem to indicate that 5000 first-year Seville Elegantes were sold.

Sadly, the gangster-grade wire wheels are long gone from this car.

1978 cadillac seville elegante in colorado junkyard

Murilee Martin

The engine is a fuel-injected Oldsmobile 350 V8, installed at a time when many buyers of GM cars were angered by engines from “lesser” divisions going under their hoods.

1978 cadillac seville elegante in colorado junkyard

Murilee Martin

Naturally, there’s an 8-track player in the faux-wood dash. This was a $106 Seville option ($521 today).

Driven by Arnold Palmer.

A classic in its own time.

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Jackson Wheeler is a skilled editor at Speedofdaily.com, specializing in automotive content. With a background in Journalism and Automotive Engineering, he combines his passion for cars with his writing expertise to deliver captivating articles. Jackson's deep knowledge of automotive technology and his racing experience make him a valuable asset to the team, providing readers with informative and engaging content.
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