Cadillac Milestones

1902-Cadillac was established by Henry Murphy, a lumber merchant and mechanic. He and his young mechanic friend Henry Ford decided to start a new automobile with the help of master machinist Henry Leland. They started to work on some plans, and shortly after, Ford left to start his own company. Henry Leland offered his services to the Detroit Automobile Company after Ford left. Both Leland and Ford pursued separate ventures. On August 22 of the same year, the Cadillac Automobile Company was founded. The philosophy was to build a car whose parts are 100 percent interchangeable.

The first Cadillacs (1902-1904) have a single cylinder gas motor. The ground clearance is quite high, and this is due to the roads, or lack of during this era.

1904-Cadillac introduces its first four cylinder engine with a three speed transmission. Designed in an L-head configuration with a horsepower range of 28-30 HP, this design became the American standard for about 40 years.

Under a merger with Faulconer, the Cadillac Automobile Company changes to the Cadillac Motor Car Company on October of this year.

1908-England's importer of Cadillac cars proved in Brooklands on March this year, that the Cadillac automobile is made from fully interchangeable parts. Officials of Britain's Royal Automobile Club picked three new Cadillacs at random from the eight at Mr. Frederick Bennet's dealership. The cars were dismantled, and their parts were mixed. Some new replacement parts from the parts counter were also thrown into the mix to prove this point. Form this array of parts, two of Mr. Bennet's mechanics put together the three cars under the supervision of the members of the RAC. Then, all three of the cars were made to run the 500 mile Brooklands course. All cars passed the test without any trouble, and the RAC awarded Cadillac the prestigious  Dewar Trophy. Cadillac was recognized worldwide for the greatest advance made then in automotive technology.

1909-Cadillac's growing reputation attracted the attention of William Crapo Durant of Flint,Michigan. that year, Mr. Durant chose Cadillac, Oakland, Mr. David Dunbar Buick's cars, Mr. Louis Chevrolet's cars, and Mr.Ransom E. Olds' cars. He proceeded to found a company by the name of General Motors in July of that year, and decided to set these manufacturers as its divisions.

1910-Cadillac's offerings include closed body styles.

1912- Mr. Charles Kettering, an engineer for the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO) helped make Cadillac history once again. The self starting system meant no longer needing to crank the car by hand. In addition the introduction of the DELCO ignition system, meant no more vibrator coils,and telephony dry cells. The lighting system meant that dangerous carbide and water (acetylene) headlights were no longer required.

All of these firsts led to a second Dewar Trophy for Cadillac's legacy of excellence; The only time in history that an auto maker has been awarded this trophy twice.

1915-Cadillac introduced the world's first production V-8 engine. The 5.1 liter power plant developed 70 horsepower. In September of that year, two standard touring cars were driven 100 miles at 70 mph over 80 minutes at the Chicago Speedway.

1916-Cadillac becomes the U.S. Army's official staff car, launching Cadillac's contribution to the war effort during WWI. Henry Leland left Cadillac that year to involve himself with the production of the Victory aero engine; an effort to improve aircraft power plants for the war, which involved the following consortium of companies and individuals: Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, Mr. Leland, Fred and August Duesenberg, and Ettore Bugatti.

1924-The years following the Armistice set the stage for Cadillac's reputation for a product of unsurpassed quality. Cadillac's V-8 was given a new dynamically balanced counter-weighted crankshaft. This led to a very smooth performing engine.

1925-Lawrence P. Fisher of the famous coach-building Fisher brothers became president of Cadillac. Fisher made a tremendous impact on Cadillac's future. First by expanding the factory to produce 47,000 cars annually, and second, by bringing style to the not so distinguished appearance of the Cadillac automobile thus far.

1926-The coach building house of Fleetwood becomes Cadillac's exclusive supplier.

1927-Mr. Fisher hires the great Harley Earl, who begins his career at Cadillac launching two new ideas:

  

* His Art and Colors section;  A team of highly skilled draftsmen,

  artists, and designers dedicated specifically to interior and exterior

  styling.

* The 1927 La Salle.  A Harley Earl creation inspired by Hispano Suiza.

  This less expensive sibling of the Cadillac was named after another

  famous French explorer.  It was designed to fill the price gap between

  Buick and Cadillac.

1929-Every Cadillac automobile comes standard with safety plate glass and a syncromesh transmission. No more double clutching!

1930-Ernest Seaholm, Cadillac's brilliant chief engineer from 1923 to 1943, introduces the famous V-16 engine. If there were ever any doubt about Cadillac's role as the premier luxury car of the United States, the V-16 erased it on January of this year. Later in August, the V-12 engine is introduced.

1932-Cadillac introduces vacuum boosted brakes.

**Aside** Many collectors and stylists will agree with me by noting that 1932 was a turning point in automotive design. The cars of 1932 by far emphasize the spirit of the era. In addition, styling ideas from this year led to some of the most unforgeable classics the 1930's have to offer.

1937-The V-12 is dropped, and Mr. Seaholm radically redesigned the V-16 with fewer parts. Hydraulic brakes become standard equipment on all models. Meanwhile, at Indianapolis, a Cadillac V-8 breaks all previous stock car records at the famous Brickyard.

1938-Harley Earl hired William Mitchell as the head of the Cadillac design studio. Mitchell designed the bold egg-crate grille for this year, and since, created some styles that have defined Cadillac as a styling leader. (Of course, Mitchell's influence went far beyond Cadillac. He gave us the Corvette too.)

1941-Cadillac introduces air conditioning as an optional feature. A very expensive option for 300 cars, it was mainly ordered with the limousine bodies.

The aftermath of the depression left Cadillac no choice but to give up the La Salle. Instead, the Series 61 became the replacement for price ($1445). The V-16 was also terminated, and from this year on, Cadillac remained faithful to the V-8.

The beginning of WWII forces Cadillac to shelve all future plans, and get ready for production of war materials.

1943-Cadillac earns the Army-Navy "E" award for excellence in production of war equipment.

1944-Cadillac introduces the M-24 tank. A light and very maneuverable vehicle for all the theaters.

1948-Cadillac styling introduces the world to the tail fin.

It all started one day towards the end of the war, when Harley Earl and his stylists were invited to an airport near Detroit. They saw the famous Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Its unusual twin boom tail sparked a great deal of interest in the minds of the styling team.

1949-A new V8 design makes Cadillac the most powerful American car of all time. At 160 horsepower, the 330 cid engine's origins date back to the late thirties. During that time, engineers were experimenting with overhead valves and five (instead of three) main bearings. The goal, to attain a higher compression ratio, improving efficiency.

Indeed, Cadillac gained a reputation for having a performance car. Allard and other manufacturers, used these light yet powerful motors as their performance power plants.

Cadillac also celebrated on November 25 of this year its one millionth car.

1950-A Cadillac powered Allard places third at the famous Le Mans course.

1953-The Eldorado is introduced bringing with it a great number of styling cues for the rest of the industry to copy for the 50's. The main styling feature was the wrap around windshield.

A certified milestone car for '53, the Eldorado has always been the ultimate luxury convertible (coupe since '76).

On that same year Cadillac introduced the Ghia. A joint project between Cadillac and the Italian coach builder, only two Ghias were made. ( One was owned by Rita Hayworth) The two seater Ghia features all gold anodized interior and exterior brightwork, custom leather interior, and dual exhaust.

1954-Cadillac offers power steering, power windows, and automatic transmission as standard equipment. An industry first.

1956-The pillarless version of the Sedan de Ville is introduced, Along with a hardtop version of the Eldorado, the Eldorado Seville. On this year the series 62 gets the name Coupe De Ville. Also, the fins of the Eldorados begin to set the trend of tall fins in the late fifties.

1958-Cadillac produced its two-millionth car

**Aside**Cadillac reached a period of dynamic styling from 1957 to 1974. Every two years the body styling evolved, making it one of the most distinctive and elegant automobiles of its time.

1964-Cadillac introduces the automatic climate control system. A sophisticated system which incorporates transistorized circuitry, as well as vacuum transducers, in order to maintain the interior temperature and humidity constant.

1965-Cadillac introduces the tilt and telescoping steering wheel.

1967-The Eldorado debuts front wheel drive as a new drivetrain for the car.

1970-The last year for the DeVille.  The only convertible body Cadillac offers from this time on will be the Eldorado.

1972-Fiber optics are introduced in Cadillacs.  Optical fibers connected to the head and tail light assemblies, tell the driver the status of the lamps, through indicators mounted on the fenders and the top of the rear windshield frame.

1974-Passenger side air bags are optional equipment on all Cadillacs.  A novel concept ahead of its time, it was taken with little interest from customers who weren't interested in paying an additional cost for the option.
Also, on this year, a rudimentary anti lock braking system was available for the rear wheels.  Reluctors mounted on the axles would send a wheel speed signal to a circuit that would then control or vary the brake fluid pressure to the wheel cylinders.

1976-The last Eldorado convertible rolls out.  From this time on, all convertible Eldorados are custom built through coachbuilders such as ASC or S&S.

1977-No more hardtop or pillarless body styles for Cadillac.  The new De Ville series is downsized in dimensions also.  The 472 is no longer used, and a 429 is the new power plant.

1980-Cadillac introduces the 4-6-8; a novel concept in engine control for increased fuel savings.  A computer controls the number of cylinders that fire depending on driving conditions.  Unfortunately, the system had several shortcomings which were improved upon and re-introduced ten years later on the Northstar motor.

1984-All Cadillac bodies are downsized to the standard GM front wheel drive platform.  The traditional rear wheel drive platform is now available as the Fleetwood Brougham in two and four door versions.

1991-New body styles show up in Cadillac showrooms.  The Seville and Eldorado share a longer wheelbase with an updated look.  Also, a new 4.3L V8 power plant arrives under the name Northstar.

1992-The full sized Fleetwood Brougham sees its first face lift in almost two decades.  The platform is designed to work flexibly with coach builders.

1993-Cadillac drops the Coupe de Ville, and introduces the DeVille Concours.  No more two door Cadillacs are available, only the Eldorado.  Also, the Allante is discontinued from the family.  It leaves with a bang as a pace car for the Indianapolis 500, touting a more powerful Northstar V8.

1996-Cadillac discontinues the Fleetwood Brougham platform, leaving the Lincoln Town Car as the last of the full sized American luxury cars.

1997-The Catera is introduced to the Cadillac family. Based on the European Opel platform, a new approach to the entry level Cadillac is revived once again since the La Salle, the series 62, the Calais series, and the ill fated Cimarron.

1998-Cadillac introduces its first sport utility vehicle, the Escalade. Based on the GMC Suburban platform, it brings the marque back to its roots of large bodied vehicles with rear wheel drive and plenty of room.

2003-After 50 years as the quintessential luxury coupe, the Eldorado is dropped from production. The new Catera Touring Sedan or CTS is introduced as an entry level sedan. As a new step in updating the marque's image, the styling cues of Cadillacs past are refreshed in a uniquely abstract package. Also a new two seater convertible, the XLR is introduced as an amalgamate of the Eldorado and Allante.

2004-The V series is introduced to the Cadillac lineup. Answering to the call of performance, the first of the Cadillac family to receive the V badge is the CTS. The CTS V becomes Cadillac's first high performance touring car powered by the venerable 350 cubic inch V8 from the Corvette parts bin.