A total of 266,548 Cadillac’s were sold this year, although this number sounds like a lot, it was nothing compared to Cadillac’s golden years. In fact, just two years earlier, Cadillac was selling nearly 50,000 more cars to their public. This slow decrease in sales made the Cadillac executives nervous, they needed to know how and what it would take to fix the problem?
One decision was to eliminate the smaller compact Cadillac known as the Cimarron, the 1988 Cadillac model year marked the last for this not so popular luxury car.
One of the major changes that occurred during the 1988 year was the introduction of the new 4.5 V-8 engine. This new and improved engine gave Cadillac a needed boost in power; in fact, no other engine in over a decade gave the Cadillac it’s “get up and go” like the 4.5 V-8.
The Cadillac Allante celebrated its second year as a luxury roadster. Although there was no major styling changes made to this European American hybrid, there were several new options made available, for one the luxury car was available now in both red and black. As well, Cadillac offered their Allante customers a great warranty deal, a 7 year/ 100,000 mile limited warranty, in fact.
The small entry level Cadillac, the Cimarron was refined for the 1988 year. This included the new and improved standard body color lower grooved molding, a great set of 14 inch alloy wheels, which were only options in 1987, as well as a well equipped speed-density fuel control system on the luxury V-6. But as stated earlier, nothing could save the compact luxury car from its demise, which inevitably took place this year.
Major changes occurred for the El Dorado, which was credited with receiving a
Cadillac refurbishment, or as Cadillac called it a “more distinctive styling”.
Everything from the sheet metal to the tail lights were reconfigured for the
1988 Cadillac El Dorado.
As a result, a more refined and polished El Dorado made their way onto the
highway. As well was the new look of the Seville, which also received some major
restyling for this year. As well, such innovations as electronically controlled
anti-lock brakes and a more refined suspension system was featured.
