Cadillac: America’s Premier Luxury Car

The iconic American luxury car, Cadillac, is the second oldest American automobile brand and is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world. The company has a long history of making spacious luxury sedans matched with powerful V8 engines and the brand has a storied history of being a symbol of American ingenuity and prosperity. If Detroit is the “motor city” of the United States, Cadillac is its Beverly Hills.

Despite many changes through the years with gas prices and economic instability, Cadillac has remained true to its roots of producing powerful full-size luxury sedans. From the classic El Dorado to the trendy Escalade, Cadillac has always produced automobiles with more than just the driver in mind. The Cadillac luxury extends to passengers who are looking to stretch out or might be unfortunate enough to have to lay down with its lineup of limousines, ambulances and hearses.

Since the early days of the automobile, the Cadillac brand has been a status symbol in the United States. The “caddy” has been in countless TV shows and movies and has been used to transport many important dignitaries from Washington D.C. to parade routes across the country.

History of Cadillac

Cadillac Runabout

Cadillac was founded in 1902 after the Ford Motor Company was dissolved. Two of Ford’s financial backers, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen, consulted with Henry M. Leland to help liquidate Ford’s assets. Instead of appraising all of Ford’s remnants, Leland convinced Murphy and Bowen to produce automobiles using his own single-cylinder engine. The Cadillac company was started later that year and the first two Cadillac models, the Runabout and Tonneau were produced.

Cadillac quickly established a reputation for the precision and details of its manufacturing process. The company was purchased by General Motors in 1909, becoming its prestige division used to develop larger luxury vehicles, including institutional vehicles. Cadillac went on to produce cars using V8, V12 and a V16 engine that made Cadillac the standard of the world. Cadillac developed the overhead valve V8 engine that set the standard for the U.S. auto industry in 1949.

1941 Cadillac Series 60 Special

Cadillac was hit hard by the Great Depression but made a rebound by producing a mid-priced vehicle, the Series 60, released in 1936. In 1939, the Sixty Special was introduced and became so popular that it remained in production until 1993. When the Phillips screw was introduced in 1934, Cadillac was the first automobile manufacturer to incorporate the screws and drivers in the production of its vehicles leading to savings in production costs.

Cadillac introduced the Fleetwood in 1929, the Phaeton in 1931 and the Cadillac 90 Town Car in 1940. One of the best selling Cadillac models, the Coupe de Ville, was introduced in 1949. It was the first mass produced hardtop convertible. Tailfins were introduced to Cadillacs in 1948, inspired by the Lockheed P-38 Lightening airplane. The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham came with a memory seat function that memorized seat positions for different drivers and recalled them on demand.

Many of the biggest Cadillacs of all-time were produced in the 1970′s. The craze during this time was for bigger and longer vehicles, leading to the production of bigger and more powerful Cadillac models. The 1970 El Dorado was an example with its 500 cu inch, 8.2 liter displacement engine. Following the rise in gas prices, many models were downsized during the 1980′s and 1990′s. The company’s first front-wheel drive compact automobile, the Cimarron was produced during this time.

Milestones and Innovations

1950 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

In 1906, Cadillac was the first volume manufacturer of fully enclosed automobiles and received an award for the interchangeability of its parts in 1908. This was a significant advancement in the mass production of automobiles.
Cadillac was the first automobile manufacturer to introduce an electrical system that enabled starting, ignition and lighting.
In 1918, Cadillac pioneered the dual-plane crankshaft for its V8 engines.
Cadillac introduced the first clashless Synchro-Mesh manual transmission which utilized constant mesh gears.
Cadillac implemented the first V16 engine in 1930 with 458 cubic inches and 165 horsepower. It was lauded for being the quietest and most powerful engine in the United States.
In 1926, Cadillac introduced shatter-proof glass and an all-steel roof.
In 1937, Cadillac was the first automaker to use the Phillips screw and drivers to speed assembly times and increase the profit margin on each vehicle.
In 1950, a Cadillac Coupe De Ville rolled off the line representing the millionth Cadillac produced, which was quite an accomplishment at the time.

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac calls this model “a wolf in wolf’s clothing”, probably more for its supercharged V8 engine that produces 556 hp and moves the car from 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds. The supercharger incorporates a twin 4-lobe rotor design that makes it quiet while adding greater performance. The CTS-V Coupe also has dual-mode Magnetic Ride Control that can read the road up to 1,000 times per second to enable constant traction and driver control. The CTS-V Coupe also has features like a Nurburgring-tuned chassis, Brembo brakes and Recaro seats.

The interior is more focused on the driver with elements that are thoughtfully placed to be convenient and yet in places that allow unobstructive driver control. LED tracers communicate RPMs and a G-Meter measures lateral acceleration to give drivers an indication of performance at a glance. There is a rear vision camera for backing up and a blind zone alert to warn drivers if objects appear in their blind spot. The car is packed with features in cars that cost much more and boasts what was a production car record time of 7:59.32 in negotiating the Nurburgring course (2010).

Cadillac Escalade

The Escalde SUV has been a very popular Cadillac ever since its introduction 1999. It has plenty of power, with its 6.2 liter V8 engine that produces 403 hp, and has plenty of luxury features like 3-zone climate control and heated and cooled front seats. The Escalade has many safety features like its rear vision camera with Rear Park Assist that sounds a warning and superimposes a warning triangle when objects get too close. It has Stabilitrak with rollover mitigation to help improve the vehicle’s stability and can even adjust engine power and individual brakes to maintain stability during emergency maneuvers or rough driving conditions. The interior is beautiful and includes a rear seat entertainment system, a navigation system, power fold-and-tumble seats and retractable assist steps for help entering or exiting the vehicle. The Escalade is a world-class luxury SUV.

Cadillac ELR Coupe

Cadillac ELR

The futuristic Cadillac pairs an electric drive system charged by a gas engine to power the car to a top speed of 106 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration in only 7.8 seconds. There are LED lights throughout the vehicle, Bose active noise cancellation, four driving modes and a Cue Infotainment System for supplying some noise inside the cabin. The ELR coupe has a range of 37 miles on its battery alone and 340 miles on battery and gas generator combined. The car is not only Cadillac’s most advanced vehicle ever, but one of the most advanced luxury vehicles in the world today.

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