The model received a facelift in 1990 and was replaced by the 1993 rear wheel drive D-body Cadillac Fleetwood.

[1] Cadillac first used the name in 1916 to designate an enclosed 5-7 passenger sedan body style.

[2][3] After 1937, the Brougham name was not applied to any Cadillac for the remainder of the pre-World War II period.

After a five-year absence, the Brougham name reappeared as an option package on the 1965 Cadillac Sixty Special.

The reason for the change was that Cadillac had introduced a new front-wheel drive model in 1985 and named it simply the Fleetwood.

The solution was dropping the term "Fleetwood" from the rear-wheel drive model, leaving just the "Brougham".

Since it was body-on-frame, it was popular among coachbuilders who manufactured stretched limousines, along with the similar but somewhat smaller Lincoln Town Car, as well as traditional Cadillac buyers who preferred the familiar combination of exterior size, heft, and rear-wheel drive.

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.

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.