Cadillac "Trumpet" Horns

Kurt Arends

Kurt Arends

PCS Elected Director 2021-2024
In what year did Cadillac quit using the long trumpet-shaped, optional third note horn? I have seen this trumpet-shaped, optional third note horn used through 1968, but not sure as to how much longer it was used. I know that the 1973's optional third note horn is shaped just like the other two notes. Anyone have an answer for me so I can sleep tonight?
 
I have seen them on 1970 Cadillacs, but they were not as long as the original ones.. Now, if you can't sleep, can you remember when Cadillac stopped offering special horns to appease the City of New York? I remember that they had some that were muted, and other times, they had a city / country switch to turn off a couple of the horns.
 
My old 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood brougham had them. Had the coolest sound I've ever heard. Wish I pulled them before I sold the car so I could have them under the hood of my 76 M+M hearse. I have never seen so many horns under a hood. Pretty cool option.
 
Jeremy Moberg said:
My old 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood brougham had them. Had the coolest sound I've ever heard. Wish I pulled them before I sold the car so I could have them under the hood of my 76 M+M hearse. I have never seen so many horns under a hood. Pretty cool option.
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Jeremy,
Do you know that they were all factory horns? I have never seen more than 3(which was optional) on any Cadillac. All of the '71 and newer Cads that I have seen with the 3 note(trumpet) option had all 3 horns looking the same.
 
Cadillac Factory Horns

Kurt Arends said:
Jeremy,
Do you know that they were all factory horns? I have never seen more than 3(which was optional) on any Cadillac. All of the '71 and newer Cads that I have seen with the 3 note(trumpet) option had all 3 horns looking the same.
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Not to steal your thunder, Jeremy, but to answer your question Kurt, yes, they were equipped that way from the factory. Now Cadillac may not have made them by internal production but they may have been outsourced to a vendor that provided the horns for Cadillac.....:specool:

Don
 
Tri-note trivia

Matthew Mahutga said:
Nothing beats that three part harmony! I've always thought the sound produced is very fitting for a Cadillac.
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Did any of you know that Buick shared the optional Cadillac tri-note horn at times? If memory serves, this was back in the early-to-mid 70's and I think that they did it again in the Roadmaster from 92 to 96, too... A friend of mine growing up always told me the 'train' is coming when he honked the horn on his mom's 73 SDV....we also had 'power window' races to see who could go up/down the fastest....I'll bet that was pretty hard on the battery especially if his mom had to go somewhere and the car wouldn't start!! :batterUp:

Don
 
Kurt, If my memory serves me correctly, I could have swore that Fleetwood had like 5 horns under the hood. Don't quote me on this. All the horns was one of the first things I noticed under the hood of that car and the unique sound it put out. But it's been quite a few years ago that I owned that car. Seemed like that car had most of every option in it minus the the sunroof and 8-track/CB radio.

Don, I remember the first time getting in one of those old 70s cars and hitting the power windows. The speed is just incredible. Any faster and it seems you'd break the window. I'm a younger guy so, most stuff I was used to was fairly slow in comparison.
 
Fast vs. Slow

Jeremy Moberg said:
....Don, I remember the first time getting in one of those old 70s cars and hitting the power windows. The speed is just incredible. Any faster and it seems you'd break the window. I'm a younger guy so, most stuff I was used to was fairly slow in comparison.
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Jeremy, unfortunately since the downsizing that occurred in the '77 model year, things started to go downhill for auto manufacturing and when things were getting to be made in China (early 90's)[aftermarket replacement power window motors, etc.] things really took a dive! Back then, everything was made of metal and for the most part, pretty indestructible and, as you said fast!! :specool: Not this plastic cheap crap or flimsy thin pot metal stuff they make things out of now....:pat:
 
Jeremy,
I have never seen a Cadillac with 5 factory horns, which is why I asked if all of them were factory. I guess someone could have added a horn or two. I just pulled the 4-note horns off of a '70 SDV today. I now have confirmation that they used the trumpet shaped optional horn at least through '70.
 
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