Home Part 2: The Last 100 years 8: Car Manufacturers by Country 8.15 United States 8.15.1. Cadillac History of Cadillac Motor Cars / Automobiles 8.15.1. Cadillac The Cadillac Automobile Company was formed in Detroit in August 1902 using the assets that remained when the short lived Henry Ford Company ceased trading earlier that year. The first car, a 10 hp 2-seater, produced in October 1902, was almost identical to the Model A Ford. Between 1903 and 1908 the company produced the Model A to T range of vehicles (the 1903 “A” models originally called “Runabout” and “Tonneau”). In 1909 the company was purchased by General Motors and later that year produced the Model Thirty. In 1910 Cadillac became the first manufacturer to produce a car with a fully enclosed cab. The electric starter, developed in 1911 by Charles Kettering of Cadillac, was first fitted to Cadillac's “1912” models. Between 1909 and 1930 the company produced some fifteen different models. A vast range of Cadillacs were also manufactured during the 1930s; some 42 different “Series”. The model names between 1936 and 1942 used the year along with the series number; the Series 37-75 being a 1937 Series 75. The “Sixty Special” name was used on many occasions between 1938 and 1993. The Sixty Special Fleetwood model produced in 1941-42 being a fine example; nearly 1,900 being made. The Fleetwood name has also been used to indicate some of Cadillac’s finest cars since the mid 1920s, with greater use being made of the name on models produced between 1941 and 1996. The Fleetwood Brougham produced between 1993 and 1996 was the largest car manufactured in the USA. By late 1949 Cadillac had produced one million cars since its formation in 1902. The first Cadillac to bear the DeVille name was the 1949 Coupe DeVille. From 1965 the name has indicated one of Cadillac's top two models. The twelvth model to carry the DeVille name was produced between 2000 and 2005. It was one of the first cars fitted with thermal imaging night vision technology. The “59 Caddie” was famous for its prominent tail fins, which were based on the fins of the P38 Lightning fighter plane. Over 140,000 of these cars were made. The Eldorado models were produced from 1953, the 304 Eldorado Brougham cars produced in 1957 being fine examples. The last Eldorado was produced in April 2003, replaced by the XLR roadster in 2004. In 1998 Cadillac sold 182,570 cars. Models produced since 2002 include the CTS, DTS, BLS, STS, SRX and the XLR.   [ Back ]