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When you think of Cadillac, your mind probably goes to luxurious and large vehicles that people of all ages love to drive. But there are a number of other things about this historic American automotive company that many people don’t know.
The Very First
There is some dispute about which car company came first in the United States. Some people believe it’s General Motors, which started in 1908. Cadillac started as the result of a failed attempt by Henry Ford to start an automotive company in Detroit. An employee of that company, Henry Leland, had an idea to combine the newest frame with a different style of engine, and the first Cadillac vehicle was born. The next year, in 1903, Leland displayed the car at the New Year Auto Show with a price tag of $850.
Cadillac Used the First Electric Starter
If you’ve ever seen images or heard much about the first cars, you may know that they required hand-cranking to start. The motivation to invent and use an electric starter actually came from a personal experience of Leland, Cadillac’s co-founder. A friend of his family was in an accident while hand-cranking a car that took his life, so electric starters had a unique meaning for Leland.
About a decade after the first Cadillac appeared at the New York Auto Show, the first electric starter appeared in a Cadillac automobile. Modern cars all contain electric starters, so this innovation was a game changer in the industry.
Famous Caddy Owners
The notorious gangster, Al Capone, owned a Cadillac before he went to prison. His vehicle had a few unique twists, including a bulletproof exterior. Upon his sentencing, the first bulletproof limo was impounded. There are some theories that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the same bulletproof Cadillac after the United States started fighting in World War II.
First Electric-Powered Headlights
Many people also don’t know that Cadillac introduced the first headlights on an automobile that received power from electricity. These lights appeared on a Caddy in 1912, around the same time that the company introduced the electric starter. The next year, Cadillac earned a prestigious award for the headlights.
The company also won an award in 1908 for having interchangeable parts for its vehicles. In order to prove the truth of this claim, members of the Royal Automotive Club dissembled three Cadillac cars, swapped the parts, and reassembled them. Those involved drove several hundred miles in each car without any problems.
Changing Design Themes
As driver needs have evolved and changed over the years, Cadillac designers and engineers work hard to keep up. The latest theme for automotive design is “art and science,” which allows the company to focus on the science behind vehicle design and performance. Instead of sticking with what’s tried and true, Cadillac chooses to move forward and create automobiles that combine luxury with power for a truly unique driving experience.
With a long history and American roots, Cadillac continues to impress and raise the bar higher with each of its new vehicles.
Image “Cadillac-logo” via Wikipedia Commons by CaddyChao used under CC BY-SA 4.0
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