• The 1965 Cadillacs were classic full-size luxury cars.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  The 1965 Cadillacs were manufactured by the Cadillac division of General Motors, based in Warren, Mich.. The large automobiles set the standard for luxury cars and was one of the first brands to fully develop the V-8 engine. By 1965, Cadillac was in a tight competition with Lincoln and the Chrysler Imperial for the title of America's premier personal luxury automobile. The 1965 Caddies offered more conservative, toned-down styling after the excessive chrome and extravagant tail-fin designs of the late-1950s.
  
  

1965 Cadillac Models

• In 1965, Cadillac produced a wide variety of models and body styles. The "budget" Calais Series 68200 included a coupe, hardtop sedan and a four-window sedan. The De Ville Series 68300 featured a convertible, coupe, the hardtop Sedan De Ville and a four-window sedan. The Eldorado Series 69300 consisted of a two-door convertible model. The Series 60, Special 6800 had a sedan model and the Series 75 included a sedan and a Fleetwood limousine body style.
  
  

Engine

• The various 1965 Cadillac series cars featured big-block 429 cubic-inch, overhead valve, 90-degree, V-8 engines with hydraulic valve lifters. The cast-iron block motor had five main bearings on the crankshaft. The slipper-type aluminum alloy pistons utilized two compression rings with a single oil ring. Gas was provided by a mechanical fuel pump and a downdraft-style four-barrel Carter carburetor with an equalized manifold and an automatic choke. The engine had a coil and distributor ignition system with a 12-volt, 13-plate battery. It used a 42-ampere high-capacity generator with a 55-amp version on air-conditioned cars. The power plant produced 340 horsepower at 4,600 rpm with a maximum torque rating of 480 foot-pounds at 3,000 rpm. Its bore and stroke was 4.13 inches by 4 inches with a 10.5:1 compression ratio.
  
  

Chassis

• The 1965 Cadillacs had Fleetwood or Fisher bodies on full-perimeter frames. Only a hint of the rear tail-fins remained and curved side windows were added for the model year. Vinyl roofs were available in four different colors for the Sedan and Coupe De Ville models. The headlights were vertically stacked and roof pillars were used in the sedan body styles. The cars had semi-floating axles with hypoid differentials. They featured hydraulic power steering with optional tilting, telescope steering wheels. The 12-inch duo-servo power brakes were self-adjusting. The front and rear suspension was a helical coil type. The cars had a single-pipe exhaust system and used a centrifugal water-pump cooling system with a tube and center radiator. Kelsey-Hayes slotted-disc, 15-inch wheels with tubeless tires were standard.
  
  

Dimensions

• The Calais, De Ville and Eldorado series cars had 129.5-inch wheelbases. Series 60 cars had a 133-inch wheelbase and Series 75 cars had a 149.8-inch wheelbase. The most common model, the 4,560- pound Sedan De Ville, was 224 inches long, 79.9 inches wide and 54.5 inches tall.