Cadillac Cimarron (J-car). 1982–8 (prod. 132,499). 4-door sedan, F/F, 1796, 1991 cm³ (I4 OHV), 2837 cm³ (V6 OHV). A good idea: build a Cadillac that could take on the BMW 3-series, and do it cheaply, on J-car platform. Seville showed that Cadillac could go smaller and succeed, but at least that car did not look like the Chevrolet Nova. Here, Cimarron was essentially a Chevrolet Cavalier (1982–94) clone, yet the price was nearly double. Few were fooled into buying the smaller Cadillac—at least not at the prices the company wanted to charge. Four-cylinder engines did not help perceptions, though V6 arrived in 1985 and was standard from 1987. Final year production of 6,454; cancelled afterwards. Sector not filled till European-market BLS launched, based on the platform of a European J-car successor.

Manufacturing locations: Janesville, Wisconsin, USA; Southgate, California, USA

Marque: Cadillac | Successor: Cadillac BLS

Off-site link

• K. Ernst: ‘Lost Cars of the 1980s—Cadillac Cimarron’, Hemmings Daily