Coachbuilt: Cadillac DTS-L

There was nothing quite like a DaBryan…

 

The DTS-L was a discrete 6″ stretch 

America’s favorite luxury car received a “Cadillac Beauty Treatment” for the 2006 model year. The ‘seamless’ bodywork lowered its drag coefficient (Cd=.32) with precisely tight surface-to-surface relationships. Intelligent design reaped the rewards of an almost seamless union of elements coming together to create the Cadillac DTS.

The DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan) replaced the DeVille series. Cadillac and Accubuilt teamed for a special edition that was produced for the 2007 & 2008 model years. The DTS-L was a discretely stretched executive sedan with the Livery package. The dramatic profile of the DTS-L announced its owner’s arrival before they even exited the car. This was another exciting Coachbuilt cameo appearance…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”

2006 DTS with Livery Package

Accubuilt Industries is a diverse specialty vehicle manufacturer of more than 136 years. Based in a modern 175,000 sq. ft. facility located in the beautiful Midwest in Lima, Ohio, Accubuilt houses Sayers & Scovill, Superior, and DaBryan Coach Builders. Accubuilt’s offerings are certified and approved by the Cadillac Master Coachbuilder program and Lincoln Quality Vehicle Modifier program.

Accubuilt is the largest Cadillac Master Coachbuilder accounting for more than half of all custom-bodied Cadillacs. They transform traditional cars into high-quality prestige vehicles of distinction such as the Cadillac DTS-L. Every detail in its conversion was carefully orchestrated and precision hand-crafted to perfection, this is the hallmark to their exemplary reputation for manufacturing limousines and livery vehicles of extraordinary fit & finish.

S&S was founded in 1876 as the Sayers & Scovill Company by William Sayers and A.R. Scovill. They created funeral coaches of distinction. S&S are the Masters of coach building that created the superlative standards of craftsmanship and design which remain a true S&S virtue to this day. Over 130 years later the S&S Coach Company is the only true survivor of the pre-automotive funeral coach era still in continuous operation. Sayers & Scovill is still recognized as the leader in professional car excellence.

The Superior Coach Company dates back to 1915 when the Garford Motor Truck Company of Elyria, Ohio transferred production to Lima, Ohio manufacturing heavy trucks. They introduced a line of special bus chassis forming the Superior Motor Coach Body Company to produce deluxe motor coach bodies for Garford bus chassis. In 1925 The Superior Motor Coach Body Company introduced a line of hearse and ambulance bodies. They produced professional cars built on the Studebaker chassis.

Later in the 1930s Studebaker merged with Pierce-Arrow producing a line of hearses on the Pierce-Arrow chassis. By 1936 the company expanded to include Superior Models on Pontiac chassis. The first Cadillac coaches were introduced in 1938. In 1940 the company’s name was changed to The Superior Coach Corporation. In 1981 Superior Coaches acquired the Sayers & Scovill brand merging to the name “S&S/Superior of Ohio.” Superior Coaches and Accubuilt Industries diverse brand names have made the company a powerful force in the car manufacturing market.

The company has earned its markets through funeral home conglomerates, independent mortuaries, and liveries…both in the US and around the globe. A significant amount of Accubuilt’s business comes from exporting to foreign markets. Accubuilt supplies more products to the funeral home market than any other company in the western world and Canada.

Accubuilt’s vehicles occupy 75% of the market internationally and at least 60% of the US market. Accubuilt goes the extra mile for quality control; before the vehicle leaves the factory a QC audit is performed to ensure stringent standards are met. Most of Accubuilt’s custom product components are made in-house, therefore, should a client need a part it can usually be shipped overnight.

2008 DTS-L

DaBryan Coach Builders was founded in 1979. They build limousines of the highest quality backing them with service to match. DaBryan has twice been awarded the “Best Product Demonstration” award at the Las Vegas LCT National Limousine Show for producing the show’s most forward-thinking, elegant vehicle. A commitment to the industry, financial stability, quality, excellent customer service, and longevity are all attributes of this premier coachbuilder. A DaBryan is the limousine of choice for the discerning client.

The Cadillac DTS-L was an ultra-luxurious sedan with a discrete 6” stretch made by DaBryan Coach Builders for the 2007 & 2008 model years. The standard Cadillac DTS was 207.6” in length with a 115.6” wheelbase. DaBryan increased its length to 213.6” and the wheelbase was stretched to 121.6” creating a traditional luxury sedan in a contemporary motorcar.

DaBryan used Cadillac’s W30 Livery package that included the short wheelbase extension as an incomplete vehicle requiring an upfit to facilitate an extension up to 8”. This was the coachbuilder’s platform with four-wheel independent suspension. The bodywork was enhanced using 6” longer rear doors making the extension anonymously incorporated into the architecture.

DTS-L was a masterpiece from DaBryan

The W30 Livery package included the coachbuilder’s incomplete chassis, Adaptive Remote Start, 150 amp alternator, Electronic Level Control, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, Tri-zone Electronic Climate Control, Professional Vehicle Protection Plan (PVPP) Extended Warranty 3-year/150,000 extended service agreement, Magnasteer variable assist rack & pinion power steering, P235/55R17 all-season blackwall radials, 17” X 7” machine finished aluminum wheels with painted accents, exotic genuine Dark Babinga wood trim, and illuminated rear seat vanity mirrors.

The interior of the DTS-L was as distinctive as its exterior. The additional 6” provided a larger rear door as well as more legroom. The DTS-L out-shined the competition. It was the traditional-sized luxury that Americans were accustomed.

There were not one but three choices for the leather upholstery. Nuance leather with its buttery soft touch and sandstone grain, Tuscany and its tanned semi-aniline leather rich and sumptuous in texture, and Tehama a luxurious aniline leather usually found in fine home furnishings, all were truly elegant selections to make this special luxury sedan even more exclusive.

 

Natural Dark Babinga wood trim graced the instrument panel and door garnish rails. Standard features included: an air purification cabin filter, analog jewel clock, Electronic Cruise Control, automatic programmable power door locks with central locking feature and deck lid release, power windows, LED back-lit instrument panel, Electrochromic rearview mirror, tilt steering wheel with fingertip controls, Electronic Tri-zone Climate Control, LED front and rear reading lamps, and Theft-Deterrent system. The DTS-L was everything a Cadillac should be and more…

Accubuilt installed optional features for the DTS-L included lighted writing tables for rear seat passengers, two 12-volt telephone/computer power ports, carpeted rear seat footrests, DVD system with fold-away monitors, parking assist (back-up alarm), full-width rear floor mat with “DTS-L” embossing, power rear window sunshade package, front seat heating/cooling with rear seat heating, and an audio system with navigation, voice recognition, and eight speakers. The DTS-L was a highly bespoke luxury sedan to satisfy the most discerning owner.

The Cadillac DTS-L put the driver in total command. With its broad wheel stance, superbly crafted chassis, stability & traction control, the DTS-L was the ultimate American grand touring sedan. Stabilitrak electronic stability control, robust stabilizer bars, low spring rates and a longer wheelbase made boulevard travel intrusion negligible.

Electronic Level Control maintained its poise adapting to changes in load and driving situations encountered. Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) replaced the mechanical link between the accelerator and engine throttle with electronic controls resulting in precise fuel-to-air measurements for optimum fuel efficiency and a clean-burn to keep the EPA happy.

The full function traction control applied brake pressure and decreased engine torque at all speeds for more control under any driving condition. Four-wheel independent suspension combined with front-wheel drive gave the wheels excellent traction and directional stability. The Cadillac DTS-L was a driver’s car in every sense.

Cadillac DES by Accubuilt Industries

DeVille DES was also a discrete 6″ stretch

The Cadillac DTS-L was a network of technology. The DTS-L performance command network linked critical motion systems such as engine control management, transmission control, Stabilitrak with ABS, integrated body control, GM Goodwrench remote diagnostics, and radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control. Then there was the personalized control network that included the Electronic Climate Control, Driver Information Center, Air Bag Safety diagnostics, intellibeam controller, Adaptive Remote Start, and OnStar communications coordinate vital control systems.

The DTS possessed technology advancement similar to upgrading a computer operating system. Information travels fast between all components complements of a powerful electronic operating system. This system supplies rapid communication up to 50 times faster than previous systems, between critical vehicle performance and personalization functions.

The DTS-L was more than just a beautiful automobile. The classic simplicity of its design aided its aerodynamic efficiency. Its crisp dramatic lines dispel the wind. With precisely tight surface-to-surface relationships it appears virtually as a single piece of polished steel with a drag coefficient of 0.32, thus, increasing its efficiency slicing through the atmosphere. The DTS-L had bodywork devoid of unnecessary seams, rendering former welding techniques redundant.

Body panels were created as a single component eliminating any possibilities of corrosion in out of sight places. For example, tolerances of 0.08-inch between the tail lamp and deck lid help to reduce wind noise. Flush mounted front and rear moveable side glass keeps residual high-frequency “whistling” from entering the cabin. The DTS-L was virtually a seamless network of aerodynamic efficiency.

 

The Cadillac DTS-L by DaBryan Coach Builders was a contemporary version of classic Cadillac luxury. DaBryan built custom-bodied Cadillacs of distinction by experienced artisans with knowledge of the craft handed down through generations of dedication. Custom crafted Cadillacs were a part of the lifestyle.

Accubuilt and Cadillac partnered on a continual basis building exclusive hand-crafted bodywork at a restricted pace to retain exclusivity. The Cadillac DTS-L extended wheelbase luxury sedan was another spectacular coachbuilt cameo appearance…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”

 

“As the Standard of the World Turns”