The RAREST Cadillac Nobody Wanted To Buy

In 1961, Cadillac did something no one expected: they built a SHORTER Cadillac. Not cheaper, not smaller-engine, just shorter. This is the story of the short deck Sedan de Ville, later renamed the Park Avenue, built from 1961 to 1963 on the exact same full-size platform, same 129.5 inch wheelbase, same interior as a standard Cadillac. The only change: seven inches chopped off the rear overhang, aimed at customers whose garages and city streets couldn't handle a car this big. It flopped anyway. Sales collapsed from 3,756 units to just 1,575, making it rarer today than the Fleetwood 75 limousine. And yes, Cadillac used the name Park Avenue years before Buick ever did.