1968
**** Cadillac began 1968 with a new power plant. The
472 became one of the most powerful Cadillac engines
(alongside the V-16). Rated at 390 HP, Cadillac's of the
1968-1973 vintage became muscle cars wearing tuxedos.
A Turbo Hydramatic 400 transmission provides smooth
shifting as well as a very civilized ride. Step on the
gas though, and the shifting becomes a kick in the pants
taking you from 0-100 in less than 15 seconds. At 4000
pounds, this car is definitely not a slalom driver; But
when you have 500 ft/lbs of torque, you can correct any
kind of steering deficiencies with the gas pedal.
Indeed, this power plant is still alive. Just go to
any NHRA meet, and you will see variants of the 472 in
dragsters and pro-stockers. The motor is a very well
designed piece of machinery. At 191,000 miles, mine
still can cruise down the highway without skipping a
beat. Gas mileage is pretty good considering the
magnitude of things. On the city I get around 12 miles
to the gallon (that's if I don't use the local stop
light as a skid pad). On the highway is where the Caddy
is king. I average around 17 mpg at 60 mph. Once I
makeshift connected a tachometer to see what rpm's I
pull on the highway. It barely registered 1800 rpm's at
65 mph. No wonder. more info click on Cadillac database
above
