A History of Cadillac

When Henry Ford began the Ford motor Company in 1903 he had left behind two previous attempts at automobile manufacturing: the Detroit Motor Company, and the Henry Ford Company. The latter dissolved in a dispute between Ford and his investors, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen. After Ford left with his name and a few hundred dollars, Murphy and Bowen elected to sell off the factory and any equipment therein. However, Henry Leland, the engineer the two hired for the appraisal, insisted that the plant remain in operation. The erstwhile Henry Ford Company merged with the Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company in 1905 and resumed operations under the name Cadillac. The name was chosen in honor of the explorer who founded the city of Detroit.

First Beginnings

The first Cadillac cars were near replicas of the Ford Model A, but its successful debut at the 1902 New York Auto Show brought in over 2,000 orders. In 1909, General Motors purchased Cadillac. The line soon became known for its reliability and innovative construction: from the use of interchangeable components, to offering the first closed-cab vehicles, and implementing electric lights and ignition, Cadillac was at the forefront of the automobile industry. The Cadillac engine was made standard in a number of commercial, public, and professional vehicles, including hearses, limousines, and ambulances. By 1915, Cadillac had begun developing more powerful engines, which made faster cars possible. During the First World War, the United States Military commissioned over 2,000 Type 55 Touring cars from Cadillac for overseas use. Cadillac also revolutionized the manual transmission system in their automobiles, using a gear system dubbed Syncro-Mesh. This system soon became standard in all American manufactured vehicles.

A Distinctive Style

The Cadillac body was distinctive and highly stylized, and the automaker was the first name in luxury vehicles. Cadillac was first car to feature shatter resistant glass for the windshield and windows. The closed cab Cadillac cars were soon outfitted with steel roofing rather than wood and cloth. Although the Great Depression caused a blow to Cadillac’s sales, however, after eliminating a prohibition on the sale of Cadillacs to African Americans, sales shot up a jarring 70% in 1934, doubtless rescuing the company from certain failure. Design was always a major strong suit of Cadillac, and the innovations continued through the forties and fifties, tailfins, heating, and air-conditioning being the most notable. In the 1960s, a control panel was introduced that would alert the driver of a burned out light. The first driver-side airbags were featured in the 1970s. Owing partly to the energy crisis of the 1970s, Cadillac sales declined along with the rest of the industry and remained sluggish through much of the 1980s, when Japanese manufacturing began to dominate the market. The brand remains synonymous with luxury, however, and still enjoys fervent customer loyalty.

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