Historic Car Brands
Cadillac
Cadillac was founded in 1902, named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who established Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his self-designed coat of arms.
Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company. After a dispute between Henry Ford and his investors, who wanted to produce luxury vehicles, while Henry envisaged cars the masses could afford, he left the company, along with several of his key partners, in March 1902.
Ford’s original financial backers, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen, called in engineer Henry Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company, with the intention of appraising the plant and equipment, in preparation for liquidating the company’s assets. Instead, Leland persuaded the pair to continue manufacturing automobiles, powered by Leland’s proved single-cylinder engine.
A new company called the Cadillac Automobile Company was established on August 22, 1902, occupying the Henry Ford Company factory at Cass Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
1903 Cadillac – Smithsonian
Cadillac’s first automobiles, the Runabout and Tonneau, were two-seat horseless carriages, powered by the Leland engine and were practically identical to the subsequent 1903 Ford Model A, which had Henry’s two-cylinder, eight-horsepower engine.
Cadillac displayed its first vehicles at the New York Auto Show, in January 1903, where the vehicles inspired more than 1000 firm orders. Cadillac’s main selling point was its precision manufacturing that allowed the company to claim its machines were better-made than its competitors.
1904 Cadillac 6.5hp rear entrance tonneau on London to Brighton VCR 2010 – KMW
The Cadillac Automobile Company merged with Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing, forming The Cadillac Motor Company in 1905 and was the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed car, in 1906.
Cadillac was awarded the British Dewar Trophy for the most important advancement of the year in the automobile industry: parts interchangeability at a time when most vehicles had many unique components.
1907 Cadillac K at Autoworld in Brussels – Thomas Quine
On Saturday, 29th February 1908, three Cadillac Model Ks were driven 25 miles to the Brooklands race track; completed 10 laps and were locked away. On Monday, 2nd March 1908, they were released and disassembled completely, using only spanners, screwdrivers, hammers and pliers.
Each car was reduced to a pile of 721 component parts, which were then scrambled into one heap by the RAC. Taken from the heap, 89 precision parts were replaced by new parts from Anglo-American’s showroom stock.
Two mechanics reassembled the cars, completing the task by Thursday morning, 12th March. Because the painted parts on the original cars weren’t the same colour, the parts-pile vehicles were called ‘harlequin cars’.
GM Archive
On the following day the three cars completed a mandatory 500-mile run, with the only mechanical failure being a broken cotter pin in the ignition lever of one car that was quickly replaced from stock.
On completion of this test, one of the cars was locked away until the start of the 2000-mile reliability trials in June 1908, in which it won its class.
Cadillac won the Dewar Trophy again in 1912, for incorporating electric starting, ignition and lighting in a production automobile. However, by then, Cadillac had become part of the expanding General Motors empire.
When General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac had already established itself as one of America’s premier luxury car makers. The complete interchangeability of its precision parts had allowed it to employ mass production.
In July 29, 1909, Cadillac became General Motors’ prestige division, devoted to the production of large luxury vehicles. Cadillacs also became limousines, ambulances and hearses, with custom-built bodywork by coachbuilders.
Cadillacs proved popular with longer-distance passenger service operators, including the Nairn Transport Company in the Middle East (Baghdad-Damascus) and Newmans Coach Lines in New Zealand, which bought a Cadillac light bus in 1911.
Cadillac was positioned at the top of GM’s vehicle hierarchy: above Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland and later, Chevrolet.
Cadillac V8 – R M Sotheby’s
In 1915, Cadillac introduced a 90-degree, flat-head V8 engine, with 70bhp at 2400rpm and 180 lb-ft of torque, allowing its cars to achieve 65mph. Cadillac pioneered the dual-plane V8 crankshaft in 1918.
In July 1917, the United States Army needed a dependable staff car and chose the Cadillac Type 55 Touring Model, following exhaustive tests on the Mexican border. Some 2350 of these cars were supplied for use in France by officers of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
In 1926, Cadillac employed automobile stylist Harley Earl, originally in a consulting capacity, but by 1928, Earl was the head of a new Art and Color division. Earl worked for GM until he retired, more than 30 years later.
His first design project was the LaSalle that was conceived as a smaller, less expensive stablemate of the Cadillac. Its name came from another French explorer, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. That marque remained in production until 1940.
1921 Cadillac Suburban V8 – Joanne Pistorius
Cadillac installed shatter-resistant glass in 1926 and introduced designer-styled bodywork in 1927. General Motors of Canada built Cadillacs from 1923 until 1936 and LaSalles from 1927 until 1935.
In 1928 Cadillac introduced the first clash-less, Synchro-Mesh manual transmission, utilising constant-mesh gears, with synchronisers to harmonise revolutions.
1929 Cadillac tow truck in Sydney – State Library of NSW
In 1930 Cadillac released a 452-cubic-inch (7.41-litre) V-16 engine, with overhead valves that developed 165bhp. The development and introduction of V8, V16 and V12 engines certainly maintained Cadillac’s 1915 claim to be the: ‘Standard of the World’.
Cadillac V-16 engine – NickPR
Cadillac also introduced the ‘turret top’, all-steel roof, replacing the industry standard, fabric-covered wood roof.
1929 Cadillac – Doug W
The Great Depression greatly affected the auto industry generally, but particularly the luxury market. Between 1928 and 1933, Cadillac sales declined by 84 percent, to only 6736 vehicles and a committee was set up to decide whether the Cadillac brand would live on.
Not helping sales performance was a policy, reflective of the times in the USA, which discouraged sales to African Americans. Nick Dreystadt, a mechanic and national head of Cadillac service, urged the committee to revoke that policy, after which, Cadillac sales increased by 70 percent in 1934. Dreystadt was promoted to lead the entire Cadillac Division.
1932 Cadillac 355B V8 Sedan – Sicnag
In 1936, Dreystadt released the Series 60 as Cadillac’s entry into the mid-priced vehicle market and to compete with the Packard Six. It was replaced by the Series 61 in 1939, but a popular model that was derived from it, the Sixty Special, continued in various iterations until 1993.
Another factor helped boost Cadillac growth over the next few years: a fastener that revolutionised assembly-line technology.
Cadillac Fleetwood V8 – Arpingstone
In 1934, Henry F Phillips had introduced the Phillips screw to the market. He had acquired the manufacturing rights for this invention from John P Thompson who, in 1932, patented (#1,908,080) a recessed cruciform screw and in 1933, a screwdriver for it.
Phillips convinced Cadillac that these screws would speed assembly times and increase profits, so Cadillac was the first automaker to use the Phillips technology, in 1937. It was widely adopted by 1940, by which time Cadillac sales were tenfold those of 1934.
1936 Cadillac Series 70 four-door convertible V8 – Sicnag
All cars built by the company shared the same basic engine and drivetrain in 1941, and that year saw the introduction of optional Hydra-Matic, the first mass-produced fully automatic transmission. This transmission had been released firstly in the higher-volume Oldsmobile GM brand.
1939 Cadillac Series 75 Town Car Limousine – That Hartford Guy
According to The American Automobile Industry in World War Two, between 1942 and 1945, Cadillac produced 10,670 tanks and armoured vehicles, including 5000 M5 and M5A1 light tanks, 3592 M24 light tanks, 1778 M8 77mm howitzer motor carriages and 300 M19 twin-40mm-gun motor carriages.
Additionally, Cadillac produced parts for the Allison V-12 engine that powered several aircraft, including crankshafts, camshafts, connecting rods, supercharger gears, impellers and other components.
The 1949 Cadillac V8 engine, with overhead valves, set the future pattern for the entire American post-War automotive industry and was awarded the first Motor Trend Magazine Car of the Year prize.
1948 Cadillac – Gedstrom
In 1949 also came the first mass-produced hard-top coupe, a closed-body style without a B-pillar. (Buick released a similar body style at the same time.) Marketed as the Coupe de Ville, this body style became one of Cadillac’s most popular models for many years.
On November 25, 1949, Cadillac produced its one-millionth car, a 1950 Coupe de Ville. It also set a new sales mark of 100,000 cars that was matched in 1950 and 1951.
In 1951, Cadillac began production of the M41 Walker Bulldog army tank, which saw service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
In 1953, the Autronic Eye ythat automatically dimmed high-beam headlamps was introduced.
Post-War Cadillac vehicles also innovated many of the styling features that came to be synonymous with the late 1940s and 1950s American automobile, including tail-fins, wrap-around windshields and extensive use of chrome.
The most characteristic US styling features on Cadillacs were Earl’s tail-fins that appeared in 1948 and grew progressively more prominent until 1959. From 1960 to 1965 they decreased annually until they disappeared by 1966.
Cadillac’s other distinctive styling attribute was its front bumper. What had started out after the War as a pair of artillery shell-shaped bumper over-riders became much more prominent and elevated throughout the 1950s. In the USA they became known as Dagmar Bumpers, because of their similarity to the costumes worn by Dagmar, a buxom early-1950s television personality that featured low-cut gowns with conical bra cups. (She was reportedly amused by the tribute.) These features disappeared from the front of Cadillacs by 1959.
In 1956 came the pillar-less, four-door, hardtop sedan, marketed as the ‘Sedan de Ville’ and a year later that appeared in all standard Cadillacs.
In 1957, Cadillac created the hand-built Series 70 Eldorado Brougham that featured self-levelling suspension, powered ‘memory seat’ function and an all-transistor, signal-seeking car radio. Maybe potential buyers preferred Rollers to Caddys in this upper-class segment, because it was a sales failure.
1959 Cadillac Series 6400 Eldorado Biarritz – Toyota Automobile Museum
A dual-reservoir brake master cylinder, with separate front and rear hydraulic systems, was introduced in 1962: six years ahead of the federal requirement. The first fully-automatic heating and air conditioning system (HVAC) also appeared, along with the three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission that become the GM standard model for several decades.
In 1966, Cadillac sold some 192,000 cars, of which 142,190 were de Villes) and this was exceeded in 1968, when Cadillac topped 200,000 units for the first time.
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible – Dreamcard472
In 1967 and 1968 came many federally-mandated safety features, including energy-absorbing steering columns and steering wheels, soft interior and instrument panel knobs and surfaces, front shoulder belts and side marker lights.
The front-wheel drive Eldorado was launched in 1967, setting a new standard for a personal luxury car. Its simple body design was a far cry from the tail-fin and chrome of the 1950s.
Starting in the late 1960s, Cadillac offered a fibre-optic warning system, to alert the driver to failed light bulbs.
A new 472 cu in (7.7-litre) engine debuted in the 1968 model year and had been designed for an ultimate capacity of 600 cu in (9.8-litres). An interim increase was to 500 cu in (8.2-litres) for the 1970 Eldorado and that engine was adopted across the model range from 1975.
1972 Cadillac Sedan de Ville – Morven
The 1970s saw increases in Cadillac luxury and dimensions. The 1972 Fleetwood was 1.7 inches (43mm) longer in wheelbase and four inches (100mm) overall, compared with the 1960 Series 75 Fleetwood; and the entry-level 1972 Calais was 2.4 inches (61mm) longer than the equivalent 1960 Series 62, on the same wheelbase.
Models had smoother ride quality and vehicle weight, standard equipment and engine displacement were all increased.
Cadillac experienced record sales in 1973 and again in the late 1970s.
The pillar-less Coupe deVille ended with the 1973 model, while the Sedan deVille remained pillar-less until 1976. In May 1975, the Seville was introduced as a competitor to the growing import luxury car market and was marketed as ‘international size’.
1976 Cadillac Coupe Deville D’Elegance – That Hartford Guy
In 1974, driver and front passenger air-bags were offered on some Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile luxury models, but the safety feature proved unpopular and was discontinued after the 1976 model year.
In 1977, Cadillac celebrated its 75th anniversary and its D-bodies experienced the same downsizing as GM’s B- and C-bodied cars.
1976 Cadillac Seville – Greg Gjerdingen
The reduction in size and weight was implemented to improve fuel economy and emissions as a result of the United States Federal Government passage of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations.
The Fleetwood Brougham scored the shorter 121.5-inch wheelbase from the DeVille and looked similar. Both Fleetwood and DeVille models were powered by a downsized 425 cu in (7.0-litre) V8.
The new cars featured higher rooflines and were nine inches shorter, four inches narrower, and half a ton lighter than the previous year, but with a larger boot and more headroom and legroom. Fuel economy and handling improved.
In 1979, Cadillac’s flagship Eldorado coupe also downsized, followed by further downsizing of the DeVille, Fleetwood, Eldorado and Seville.
1980 Cadillac Seville – Nakhon100
Cadillac brought out the 1980 Seville with bustle-back rear-end styling and put this bodywork on the same front-wheel-drive chassis as the Eldorado.
In 1982, the High Technology (HT) engine was developed. It was originally scheduled for a 1983 release, then delayed until 1985, with its intended applications being the downsized front-wheel-drive models Cadillac would introduce that year.
1988 Cadillac Cimarron – FCAR
Sadly, in 1982, the Cimarron was introduced as the brand’s first compact car, but it proved to be marketing disaster that caused reputational damage that eventually saw the Cadillac division’s share of the US market fall from 3.8 percent in 1979 to 2.2 percent by 1997.
1984 Cadillac Sedan de Ville – Berthold Werner
The 1984 sales figures show a total four-door production of 107,920 units and an additional 50,840 two-door units. The new front-wheel-drive 1985 Coupe de Ville and Sedan de Ville arrived in the spring of 1984.
1988 Cadillac Allante – Randy Stern
In 1986 came downsized Eldorado and Seville models and in 1987, the Pininfarina-body-designed Allanté roadster came to market, powered by the HT-4100 V8 engine.
1985 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible – MrChoppers
The Sixty Special returned in 1987 as the top Cadillac in the front-wheel-drive GM C-body lineup, with a planned production run of just 2000 cars. The 1987 and 1988 Sixty Specials were custom-crafted automobiles, featuring a five-inch (127mm) longer wheelbase over the DeVille/Fleetwood on which they were based.
1989-93 Cadillac DeVille – IFCAR
In 1991, Cadillac introduced the Northstar engine family of high-performance 90-degree V engines. The double overhead cam, four valve per cylinder, aluminium block/head V8 design was developed by Oldsmobile’s R&D. It was enhanced in mid-1992 with variable valve timing.
Cadillac also adopted road sensing suspension, variable power steering and four-wheel disc brakes.
1992-1994 Cadillac Seville – IFCAR
For 1992, the Seville was redesigned to better compete with luxury performance sedans from Europe. A year later, the Brougham was discontinued and replaced by the rear-wheel-drive 1993 Fleetwood. The previous front-wheel drive Fleetwood was renamed Sixty Special for 1993. That same year, the Coupe deVille was discontinued, because of the declining popularity of large coupes.
For 1994, the DeVille was redesigned to share the K-body platform with the Seville. In 1995, the high technology engine that had been used in some Cadillacs since 1982 was discontinued.
1995 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz – KingKong
For 1997, the Catera mid-size sedan was introduced as Cadillac’s new entry-level model. The Catera was a rebadged Opel Omega B and was manufactured in Germany. The DeVille was also redesigned that year.
1999 Cadillac Escalade – IFCAR
1999 Cadillac Escalade – IFCARThe late 1990s saw Cadillac field its first-ever entry in the growing SUV segment. The Escalade, introduced in 1999, was marketed to compete with the Lincoln Navigator and luxury SUVs from various import brands.
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