A Closer Look At Tim Allen’s Custom 2000 Cadillac DeVille

This custom DeVille has some very cool trick up its sleeve courtesy of its famous hollywood star off Home Improvement.

The Cadillac DeVille was first introduced as a standalone model in 1959, the DeVille name was initially introduced as a trim level for the Cadillac Series 62 back in 1949. The long-standing luxury vehicle of the Cadillac line up has seen eight full generations before it got replaced by the Cadillac DTS following a new naming convention for the American automaker.

The last generation of the Cadillac DeVille was offered in the year 2000 up until 2005, the design of this latest generation was substantially different to its predecessor. The DeVille now built on GM's newly introduced G platform was available in four different trim levels: the base model, the DHS (DeVille High Luxury Sedan), the DTS, and last but not least, the TAD DeVille DTSi.

TAD stands for "Tim Allen Design", as the name implies, the DTSi is a special high performance trim of the DeVille designed by none other than comedian Tim Allen. An example of this car has recently gone up for sale on Doug DeMuro's auto auction platform.

Keep reading to understand what exactly is the TAD DeVile DTSi and also why it was so special.

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Thankfully the TAD DeVille DTSi isn't just some simple cosmetic changes. This high performance sedan comes with a plethora of modifications to increase its actual, well performance. Starting with the most important part of any vehicle, its beating heart, the improved engine sitting under the hood. Unlike most performance variants of normal sedans, the DTSi didn't go the forced induction route, no turbocharger or supercharger boosting the power from Cadillac's Northstar V8. Engine modifications include improved air filters, headers, and also custom pistons and quad exhaust. All those changes gave the DTSi roughly 400hp, which is close to 100hp more than the already upgraded DTS model and 125hp more than the base model. A very respectable increase in power considering that the V8 remained naturally aspirated.

Other than the expected engine modification modifications, the Tim Allen's DeVille offers some additional changes to improve the handling of the Cadillac. Simple upgrades to the car's suspension, springs, bushing, and anti-roll bar, changed the Cadillac's handling characteristics from its traditionally comfy and soft ride to a rougher but sportier ride. Additionally, the DTSi sits on bigger wheels to accommodate the larger and wider tires 18" tires. Last but not least, upgraded Brembo brakes were fitting to the performance machine to match the added power and new shoes. These changes meant that this DeVille would not only have the power to match its looks but also the handling capabilities to make it worthy of the sporty credentials.

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As far as visual changes go, the TAD DeVille is rather subdued, making it a perfect sleeper. As a whole, the car looks almost like any DeVille, but if you pay attention to the subtle details, you will appreciate all the small but tasteful changes that differentiates it from its run-of-the-mill siblings. Amongst them are small "TAD" badges, a bigger grill with the Cadillac logo glued to it instead of sitting on the hood, and the new wheels and quad exhaust previously mentioned. Nothing extravagant got added to the car to ruin the simple and elegant Cadillac design language.

As one would expect from a luxury automaker like Cadillac, this massive sedan did not lack behind when it came to bells and whistles. This top-of-the-line trim, the Tim Allen Design DeVille, got equipped to the brim with state-of-the-art car tech. From the more usual fanfare of the time such as climate control, automatic windows, navigation, six-disc CD changers, and seat memory to rarer features like touchscreen controls and a ceiling-mounted rear parking sensor. The DTSi also featured LED taillight, although fairly common in the present, at the time it was a novel idea. But most unusual of all is the presence of a thermal night vision camera hidden behind the front badge that allowed the car to display heat signature in front of the driver window.

The end result of this exercise was the birth of an improved, but rather underwhelming version of the DTS. The car did not deliver the performance and handling characteristics to rivals its competitor and was rather forgettable. All in all, the TAD DeVille received a fairly average Doug Score, but it doesn't mean that the DTSi was a failure. In many ways, the creation of this, at the time, unusual Cadillac paved the way for the V series in the manufacturer's lineup. This means that we have Tim Allen to thank for the existence of the CTS-V and its successors. The DTSi was finally sold for $35,000, roughly 11 times more valuable than its spiritual successor the 2004 CTS-V.

James Huang is a writer and automotive enthusiast from Canada. He spends his days learning everything he can about car, down to the smallest details.