10 Things You Didn’t Know About Cadillac

When Henry Ford left that firm after a boardroom dispute in 1902, his investors tapped engine designer Henry Leland to keep building cars. On August 22, 1902, the Cadillac Automobile Company was officially formed, and it’s been a symbol of American luxury ever since.

In late 1902 and early 1903, Cadillac’s Runabout and Tonneau models were essentially two-seat carriages without horses, powered by Leland’s single-cylinder engine. Each delivered about 10 horsepower and resembled the contemporary Ford Model, which remained in production until 1908.

In 1909 GM acquired Cadillac from Ford’s investors and immediately positioned it at the top of its portfolio, above Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland and Chevrolet. Cadillac also became GM’s go-to brand for institutional vehicles—limousines, ambulances, hearses and more.

Cadillac helped pioneer mass-assembly efficiency with Phillips-head screws. After the Great Depression, Cadillac introduced its mid-priced Series 60 line to boost sales. But the real game-changer came in 1937 when Cadillac became the first automaker to adopt Henry Phillips’s newly invented cross-head screw and matching screwdriver. The rest of the industry followed suit by 1940.

Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founded Detroit in the early 1700s and later governed French Louisiana. Henry Ford’s backers chose “Cadillac” to evoke the spirit of his hometown’s founder—and a sense of Old-World heritage.

That year it became the first automaker to integrate electric starting, ignition and lighting into its cars. For this innovation, Cadillac won the coveted Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club, cementing its reputation for precision engineering.

In 1917 the Army evaluated the Touring Type 55 on the Mexican border and found it supremely reliable. Some 2,350 units were soon sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force.

On November 25, 1949, the factory celebrated by building the 1950 Coupé DeVille—the brand’s first model to break 100,000 annual sales. The DeVille name would go on to become one of Cadillac’s most enduring icons.

9. The Coupé DeVille evolved from the Sixty Special Town Car. Introduced in the 1940s, the Sixty Special Town Car gave rise to the stylish DeVille line, which remained a Cadillac bestseller for decades and defined American luxury coupes.

10. Al Capone’s bullet-proof Cadillac became a presidential limo. The infamous gangster’s 1928 sedan featured armor plating and reinforced glass to ward off rival gang attacks. When Capone was sent to Alcatraz, the Treasury Department seized the car—and in December 1941, the Secret Service pressed it into service as a protected transport for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On November 25, 1949, the factory celebrated by building the 1950 Coupé DeVille—the brand’s first model to break 100,000 annual sales. The DeVille name would go on to become one of Cadillac’s most enduring icons.

Introduced in the 1940s, the Sixty Special Town Car gave rise to the stylish DeVille line, which remained a Cadillac bestseller for decades and defined American luxury coupes.

The infamous gangster’s 1928 sedan featured armor plating and reinforced glass to ward off rival gang attacks. When Capone was sent to Alcatraz, the Treasury Department seized the car—and in December 1941, the Secret Service pressed it into service as a protected transport for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.