Pinky – 1981 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
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Our lovely model Nina is pretty on pink, more specifically, pretty on Pinky. This 1981 Cadillac Coupe DeVille has been reborn under the hand of owner Mike Hernandez of Corpus Christi, Texas. He purchased the car five years ago from an elderly gentleman, it was grey at the time. Since then, Pinky, as the car is sometimes called, has undergone quite a transformation.
The stunning paint job was completed by Candy Man of Corpus Christi. Multiple geometric patterns of Candy paint sparkle with metal flake, giving the impression of diamonds in a glass of pink champagne. The sparkle factor of this car is increased by the seventy-two center gold spokes by Dayton that grace the 13 by 7 wheels surrounded by whitewalls.
The exterior also sports shaved door handles and a rear-window graphic reading “Rollerz Only”, representing the car club to which Hernandez belongs. There is also a classic car license plate and a Big Daddy grill by E and G.
The caddy’s interior was customized by South Texas Custom in Corpus and features white vinyl with pink flake on the dashboard and reupholstered original 1981 seats. The headliner is red suede. That’s swellegant by any definition, we don’t care who you are.
A double-den JVC system powers four 12s concealed in the trunk making this ride look and sound good. Also in the trunk are two pumps and a whammy tank to give Pinky some moves. There are also two 15-inch screens in and some custom lighting in the roomy trunk. The sound system was built and installed by Southern Auto Sports of Corpus Christi.
Although some ‘81 Coupe DeVilles came from the factory with the troublesome V-8-6-4 engine, this low rider features the stock V6 built by Buick with plenty of power (this is the same company that once marketed a V16, they weren’t afraid to sell cars with muscle). In fact the motor is all original. Mike says he will turn his attention under the hood after he gets the car to look good (we think it already does).
Hernandez has been a member of the South Texas chapter of Rollerz Only for about four years. He owned Pinky for a year before beginning his work on it. He and the car have done a few Wego tours and he plans to attend future shows in Victoria, San Antonio and Houston. He says the show car and weekend driver will get a chromed out rear end and bottom soon.
Coupe DeVilles are, of course, no longer produced. They were one of Cadillac’s most popular models from 1949 to 1993. The model cost $13,450 dollars when it was new in 1981, that’s $31,464 in today’s dollars. It was definitely a luxury model meant to impress. We think Pinky does that better now than the day it rolled out of the factory.
