If It Hadn't Been For Cadillac...
Where would the auto industry be today if it wasn’t for the innovation, daring, foresight and downright ‘guts’ of Cadillac over the decades?
1902 the first Cadillac is produced and introduces the world to ‘precision engineering’.
1905 Cadillac puts the first four cylinder car engine into production.
1906 Cadillac produces the first fully enclosed car. Roof, doors, glass, the lot. Many other makers did not follow this trend for many many years.
1908 Cadillac is awarded the prestigious Dewar Trophy for mechanical excellence when three Cadillacs are taken completely to bits, the parts are shuffled, the three cars are rebuilt and then raced around the Brooklands race circuit in the UK.
1912 no more crank handles to be turned in the cold, snow, rain or mud and electric starting is introduced by Cadillac, predominantly to encourage more women to drive.
1913 Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy for the second time – the only auto maker to do so. Cadillac is also awarded the title 'Standard of the World’. Cadillac adopts this title as the company motto.
1915 the first V8 in a production car is introduced – Cadillac remain masters of V8 engine manufacture for decades to come.
1926 Cadillac introduce regular servicing schedules by your Cadillac dealer.
1927 Harley Earl joins Cadillac and starts the 'Art & Color Department'. A first for any auto maker.
1928 Cadillac introduces ‘safety glass’ in all its vehicles – what an innovation.
Note: by this time all the world’s auto manufacturers had adopted Cadillac’s pedal arrangement for accelerator, clutch and brakes. Even today every single manual car is made this way.
1937 Cadillac V8 breaks all previous speed and endurance records at Indianapolis Motor Raceway, averaging 95mph for 1000 miles.
1944 Cadillac M24 army tank is acknowledged as the fastest, most maneuverable and most efficient tank of all WWII combatants. It was powered by twin Cadillac V8s.
1948 Harley Earl gives birth to the Tailfin.
1949 1,000,000th Cadillac rolls off the company’s Detroit production line.
1954 Cadillac introduces power steering across all its cars.
1959 Cadillac produces the tallest tailfin ever seen on a car and creates an automotive icon.
1959 Harley Earl retires.
1961 Bill Mitchell, Harley Earl’s protégé and replacement, produces the first 'clean sheet' Cadillac that has had no influence upon it whatsoever by Harley Earl. It is the first car of a new generation of designers. (Lucy!)
1964 Cadillac introduces analog computer technology in 1. Automatic climate control heating and cooling, and 2. ‘Twilight Sentinel’ automatic lighting and headlight dipping. Both are now 'set and forget'.
1964 sadly, this is the last year for the tailfin.
1965 the first tilt/telescopic steering.
1966 the first variable ratio steering.
1970 Cadillac introduces the biggest V8 engine ever to go into a production car - 500ci or 8.2 litres.
1975 the first electronic fuel injection for a production engine.
1978 the first digital computerization in a production car – a trip computer.
1980 the introduction of digital fuel injection.
1981 Cadillac introduces 8-6-4 engine technology; runs on 8 when you need the power, on four when cruising.
... and so the list goes on, up to this very day.
