Cadillac Timeline of Technology
1 1908 The Dewar Trophy
Henry M Leland’s early Cadillacs developed a reputation for impeccable build quality that stemmed from his experience of manufacturing interchangeable parts. He started by making muskets at the Springfield Armoury during the Civil War and saw that by machining every part to an identical standard, you guaranteed quality and also quicker, easier assembly. In 1908, three 10hp Cadillacs imported to the UK were brought to the Brooklands circuit, disassembled, the parts mixed up and the cars rebuilt –each one driving off happily on a 500-mile trial. To an industry still based on hand-fettled parts assembled by artisans, it was an impressive glimpse of the future, for which the RAC awarded its Dewar Trophy.
2 1912 Delco electric lighting and starting
Only four years on from the Dewar Trophy win, Cadillac was part of General Motors and making more than 12,000 cars a year. In 1912 they introduced a feature the whole world would eventually take for granted: electric starting and lighting. The system was developed by one of the great innovators of the 20th century, Charles F Kettering of Delco and later Cadillac. There’s a tale about a friend of Henry Leland’s dying from complications of a broken jaw sustained when the crank-handle on a Cadillac kicked back, leading Leland to push for a self-starter to replace the dicey business of hand-cranking as
