Description
The 1987 Brougham was built at the Clark Street Cadillac Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan, as the Fleetwood Brougham had been in 1985–86. Before the shift to the Arlington Assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, some early model year 1988s were produced at Detroit Assembly in late 1987 before the plant's December closure, and construction continued at Arlington through 1992. The 11th digit of the VIN indicates plant assembly. A "9" as the 11th digit indicates a Detroit Brougham; a "R" indicates an Arlington Brougham. Many of the Arlington assembled examples also had a state of Texas/GM Arlington decal on the rear side quarter glass.
VIN "9" Broughams were produced 1986–1990 and, although rare, can be found as "commercial chassis" vehicles, and generally have a higher output Oldsmobile 307 LG8 Engine and different transmissions (typically the TH400 three speed), depending on the use. Generally speaking, minor differences between 1987 and 1988 (VIN 9 and Y) can be found, such as carburetor assembly. While these cars all used Rochester Quadrajet Electronic four-barrel carburetors, differences include an electronic (Detroit) versus vacuum (Arlington) Idle Load Compensator, as well as an electronic (Detroit) versus climactic (Arlington) choke system. The vin "9" engine is the high output version of the base LV2 307 vin code Y and shares most parts with it. The HO engine is the same engine that was used in the rear wheel drive Oldsmobile 442. While not as powerful, it is a reliable engine with proven, although dated, technology.
The Brougham wore a cross-hatch grille in 1987 and 1988 which was an identical re-cast of the 1981 Fleetwood Brougham/DeVille grille. The Brougham received a new vertical-slat grille for 1989, which was equal to the 1982–1986 grille with three horizontal sections. A 1990 facelift, the only one since the Fleetwood Brougham was restyled for 1980, was necessitated by a radically redesigned Town Car from rival Lincoln. For 1990, the Brougham received a new digital instrument cluster inside, and composite headlamps, contemporary taillamp lenses, flush bumper moldings, new lower body moldings and an optional Chevrolet 350 V8. Additionally, door-mounted front seatbelts became standard in order to meet federal safety standards, as the 1990-1992 Brougham was the only and last Cadillac model without a driver's side airbag.
For 1991, the LV2 V8 was replaced by a Chevrolet FI V8 that produced 170 hp, while the Chevrolet 350 produced 185 hp. The 1992 Brougham received no major changes, as it was the final year. The fuel injected engines proved to be reliable contenders and provided a marked power improvement over the Oldsmobile 307 carbureted engines.
For 1988–1989, the "Premier Formal Vinyl Roof" option became available, costing $1,095 and covering the roof as well as the B-pillar and the rear quarter window surround. For 1990, a variation of this roof treatment became standard in conjunction with the Brougham's facelift that year.
