Model Cadillac

Cadillac

How the Cadillac came about is an interesting story. Cadillac was born from the remnants of a Henry Ford Company. Cadillac owners will love this, when Henry Ford departed along with key partners and the company was dissolved. The plan was to liquidate the company’s assets; Ford's money men, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen contacted engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the company’s assets and equipment. What happened was, Leland persuaded them to keep the automobile business using Leland's proven 1-cylinder engine. With Henry Ford's departure a new name was needed, and on August 22, 1902, the company reopened as the Cadillac Automobile Company. Leland & Faulconer Company and the Cadillac Automobile Company merged in 1905.

They named the company after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701, a 17th century explorer.

The Cadillac brand was known for luxury and the name began being used as a synonym for “High Quality” referring to the (Cadillac of this or that) the first being the Rolex being identified as the “Cadillac of watches”. Cadillac also has the greatest of American slogans. The slogan is very American (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit) which refers to the unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence.

Another great American contribution from the Cadillac was in 1934 they had a big hand in the revolution in assembly line technology. With the introduction of Henry F. Phillips phillips screw and driver. Which he introduced to the market by convincing Cadillac to use on their assembly line would increase their profits. Cadillac being the first to use the new technology was very successful. Then everyone else followed suit in 1940.

The postwar Cadillac’s make the best collectables GMs chief stylist Harley J. Earl designed a lot of the classic features like tailfins wraparound windscreens. A lot was inspired by the P-38 Lightning from Lockeed.

You can still find vintage models of the postwar area Cadillac’s to build and collect.