CadillacHistory

In the beginning.......1902

Cadillac was founded out of the ruins of automotive pioneer Henry
Ford’s second failed company (his third effort, the Ford Motor Company, �inally
succeeded). When the shareholders of the defunct Henry Ford Company call in Detroit
machinist Henry Leland to assess the company’s assets for their planned sale, Leland
convinced them to stay in business. His idea was to combine Ford’s latest chassis with a
single-cylinder engine developed by Oldsmobile, another early automaker. To that end,
the Cadillac Car Company (named for the French explorer, Antoine Laumet de la Mothe
Cadillac, who founded the city of Detroit in 1701) was founded in August 1902.

The �irst Cadillac was completed on October 17,
1902, and was given its maiden test drive by
Alanson P. Brush, the twenty-four-year-old
Leland and Faulconer engineer who had
contributed substantially to the car’s
design and who would later build the
Brush Runabout.

In 1909 Cadillac was taken over by General Motors in a cash/stock deal. William
Crapo Durant had been after Cadillac to become the �lagship of his new enterprise.

Cadillac’s sister car, the LaSalle, was introduced in 1927. The Depression began
taking its toll by 1930, and by 1932 production fell to only a few thousand units. Had it
not been for the higher numbers by LaSalle and the strong arm of parent General
Motors, Cadillac may very well have perished with many of its great rivals.

Post World War II .......

1948 saw the �irst all-new post war Cadillac. Styling was spectacular. During the
war, styling exercises continued wherever possible, and several scale concept vehicles
were built. These were known as the interceptors. These concepts were then developed
into the 1948 cars. Tail �ins, or rudder-type styling were �irst seen on these cars. During
the early part of this era, a few leading stylists were
allowed a secret viewing of the then experimental
Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The designers
were so impressed with what they saw, that
several themes were incorporated into
their styling exercises. The tail sections
gave inspirations for the �ins.

In 1953 the Eldorado was basically a customized Series 62 convertible. It featured
a belt-line dip, a wraparound windshield, premium trim and every possible

convenience available. Newly available power steering and power brakes were
standard equipment.

1970’s to the 1990’s ..........

In 1970, Cadillac introduced the largest
production passenger car ever, to
market.

In April 1975, Cadillac introduced the
Seville as a 1976 model.

The �irst signs of reincarnation came in The traditional full-size Cadillac that dated
1989. The C-body cars were given from 1980 was continued in the Fleetwood
Brougham, and
later, simply the

Brougham.

increases in length and styling re�inements
that shouted Cadillac. Also improved was
the El Dorado to look more substantial.
The Seville gained anew model call the STS.

This car was the real direction Cadillac
would take on its road to renaissance.

Cadillac began to show some real fruits of the divisional overhaul in 1992. The El Dorado
and Seville were completely redesigned, and became truly world-call cars, if even

equipped with an architectural engine, but this would all change for the 1993 model year.

1993 was also a good year for the
traditionalists. The big rear drive
Fleetwood Brougham was �inally

redesigned.

COMING OR GOING

You knew it was a CADILLAC!

2000 to the present ........

The De Ville came for a makeover in 2000. It sported all the newest technology of the
STS, and upped the ante. Newly optional was Night Vision. This technology was
developed for the aerospace industry and is widely used in
military applications. Cadillac is the �irst to bring it
to the automobile industry. This infrared
system aided in seeing in the dark by
being able to spot obstacles many times
off in the distance that conventional
headlamps could not do.

Blending all-American style with European-inspired handling,the Cadillac CTS has been a
popular choice with luxury sedan consumers for more than a decade. Within that period,
there have been three generations of the CTS.

The �irst CTS is still a fair choice for a used luxury sedan. The second generation CTS,
which featured substantial improvements to its interior, is
a much more appealing car. The most recent
generation of the CTS has grown in both size
and sophistication, and the �irst CTS to truly
be on equal footing with its European and
Japanese competition.

The 2016 CT6 slots into the Cadillac lineup above the ATS and the CTS, which are wonderful
driver’s cars and wheeled embodiments of a purposeful
philosophical shift meant to erase consumers’
still-extant pre-conceived notions of
the brand as a purveyor of
V-8-powered barges or
badge-engineered
disappointments. The CT6
clearly is intended to take
that mission to the next level.

114 years of styling achievements like the Sixty Special, tail �ins and the 1976
Seville. 114 years as America’s premium automobile. 114 years as the most
desirable motor car; one that songs were written-about,and comparisons to as

“It’s the Cadillac of ...”. 114 years as THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD.

Cadillac

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Through the Years

1954 and beyond .......

In 1954, Cadillac received GM’s new
C-body. The car was basically new from

the ground up. In 1954, for example,
Cadillac was the �irst automaker to
provide power steering and automatic

windshield washers as standard
equipment on all its vehicles.
1955 brought re�inements and a face-lift on the one-year-old body.

1956 saw the introduction of a
new model Cadillac’s �irst 4-door

hardtop, the Sedan de Ville.

The 61’s were trimmer
in size and cleaner in

execution.

The 1965 models were new from the ground up. Styling was absolutely
contemporary, and tasteful restraint was the theme. Curved side glass was

employed for the �irst time.