Home About Links Hobbycraft Photos Downloads

1903

First airplane, the controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.

Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville piloted the Wright Flyer, which flew 120 feet in 12 seconds, marking a significant milestone in aviation history.

Beginning of the Cadillac automobile, is among the first automotive brands in the world, fourth in the United States only to Autocar Company (1897) and fellow GM marques Oldsmobile (1897) and Buick (1899). It was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), the French explorer who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms.

By the time 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 lay the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles.

Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company. After a dispute between Henry Ford and his investors, Ford left the company along with several of his key partners in March 1902. Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment in preparation for liquidating the company's assets. Instead, Leland persuaded the pair to continue manufacturing automobiles using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. A new company called the Cadillac Automobile Company was established on August 22, 1902, converting the Henry Ford Company factory at Cass Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

The one cylinder Cadillac continued to be offered through 1908 in the runabout, tonneau or delivery bodies under a variety of Model designations. The Models A, B, C, E, and F shared a single-cylinder 98.2 cu in engine rated from 6.5 to around 9 hp depending on model. The cylinder was horizontal, pointing rearward, and was cast from iron with a copper water jacket. Bore and stroke were square at 5 in. The engine was named by its manufacturers, Leland and Faulconer, "Little Hercules".

Throughout 1903, 2,497 units were built. The 2-seater runabout cost $750 ($26,247 in 2024 dollars).

The Model F was the primary new Cadillac model of 1905 priced at $950. It had a sharper hood and radiator.

On July 29, 1909, Cadillac was purchased by the General Motors (GM) conglomerate. Cadillac became General Motors' prestige division, devoted to the production of large luxury vehicles. The Cadillac line was also GM's default marque for "commercial chassis" institutional vehicles, such as limousines, ambulances, hearses and funeral home flower cars, the last three of which were custom-built by aftermarket manufacturers. It became positioned at the top of GM's vehicle hierarchy, above Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland, and later, Chevrolet.

In 1912, Cadillac was the first automobile manufacturer to incorporate an electrical system enabling starting, ignition, and lighting.

In 1915, Cadillac introduced a 90-degree flathead V8 engine with 70 horsepower at 2400 rpm and 180 pound force-feet of torque, allowing its cars to attain 65 miles per hour. This was faster than most roads could accommodate at the time. Cadillac pioneered the dual-plane V8 crankshaft in 1918. In 1928, Cadillac introduced the first clashless Synchro-Mesh manual transmission, utilizing constant mesh gears. In 1930, Cadillac implemented the first V-16 engine, with a 45-degree overhead valve, 452 cubic inches, and 165 horsepower, one of the most powerful and quietest engines in the United States. The development and introduction of the V8, V16 and V12 helped to make Cadillac the "Standard of the World". A later model of the V8 engine, with overhead valves, set the standard for the entire American automotive industry in 1949.

In 1934, Henry F. Phillips introduced the Phillips screw and screwdriver to the market. He entered into talks with General Motors and convinced the Cadillac group his new screws would speed assembly times and therefore increase profits. Cadillac was the first automaker to use the Phillips technology.

On November 25, 1949, Cadillac produced its one-millionth car, a 1950 Coupe de Ville.

In 1953, the "Autronic Eye" was introduced. This feature would automatically dim high-beam headlamps for the safety of oncoming motorists.

The 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 heater–air conditioning system also appeared, as did the three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission; it would become the GM standard model for several decades.

The front-wheel drive Eldorado was launched in 1967, setting a new standard for a personal luxury car.

1967 Eldorado

The 1970s saw new extremes in vehicle luxury and dimension. The Fleetwood had grown to a length of 225.5 inches (18.79 feet) and a width of 79.6 inches, and a height of 55.5 inches.

1970 Fleetwood

1977 was Cadillac's 75th anniversary and saw the introduction of the downsized de Ville coupes and sedans. The redesigned Fleetwood Brougham was now similar in appearance to the lesser Sedan de Ville. Other than the name, there were only subtle exterior differences between a Fleetwood Brougham and Sedan de Ville. The interior of the Fleetwood was plusher and offered more features as standard. These new cars featured a higher roofline, resulting in a vehicle that was more than nine inches shorter, four inches narrower, and half a ton lighter than the previous year, but with a larger trunk and more headroom and legroom. lineup included the two-door Coupe de Ville ($9,654) and the four-door Sedan de Ville ($9,864).

1985 saw the new front-wheel-drive de Ville and Fleetwood models released.

The 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.

In 1991, Cadillac introduced the Northstar engine, which was a family of high-performance 90° V engines produced by General Motors from 1991 to 2010. Regarded as GM's most technically complex engine, the original double overhead cam, four valve per cylinder, aluminum block/aluminum head V8 design.

In 2005, the Cadillac STS was introduced as the successor to the Cadillac Seville, which beginning in 1988 was available as an upscale performance-oriented STS (for Seville touring sedan) version, and comfort-oriented SLS (for Seville luxury sedan). The following year, STS received Cadillac's then-new Northstar System, including the aluminum DOHC L37 Northstar V8 engine.

In 2016, the Cadillac CT6 was introduced and was the brand's first full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan since the discontinuation of the Fleetwood in 1996.

The Cadillac XT6, a new seven-seat luxury mid-size crossover SUV, went on sale in the third quarter of 2019 as a 2020 model

* * *

My Cadillacs:

1993 Cadillac Deville

1997 Cadillac Deville (Ervin and Mary)

2002 Cadillac Seville

2009 Cadillac Escalade