Cadillac

The origins of this company date back 1899 r., when it was in the American city of Detroit Henry Ford, with the support of the town mayor, founded the first car factory under the name Detroit Automobile Company. The factory did not do well, so the millionaire Murphy and the entrepreneur Leland took over, creating Cadillac Automobile Co. It was named after the founder of the city of Detroit, the French nobleman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

The first single-cylinder A models had a horizontal engine and a 2-speed planetary gearbox. Only the K - w model brought the company more success 1906 r., which with a 4-cylinder engine and power 22 kW (29 KM) he was developing speed 80 km/h. Do 1914 r. sold 75 000 pieces of this model.

In September 1908 r. Flint millionaire and owner of a Buick car factory, William Crapo Durant, founded the General Motor Company. A month later they bought the Oldsmobile company, and the following year, Oakland, later transformed into Pontiac, a w 1909 r. also a Cadillac, whose CEO was Leland.

H. Leland, a toolmaker, learned his profession from a well-known weapon manufacturer, Colonel Samuel Colt. He used his experience in precision manufacturing later, introducing a thorough technical inspection of cars! His plant was the first in America to use the well-known Johansson wafers for measurement control. This production precision was highly appreciated by the Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain, by awarding Cadillac, the only one in America, the Thomas Dewar Award for the greatest advancement in automotive design. Particular attention was paid here to the full interchangeability of parts. At random, three different K model cars were taken to pieces, mixed and reassembled. The same results were obtained on them, found on original cars.

Do 1911 r. car engines were started with a hand crank, which was the cause of several tragic accidents.

In February 1911 r. Delco's first electric starters and ignition devices appeared in Cadillac cars. The company received its second Thomas Dewar Award for its excellent engine starting solution.

W 1917 r. the GMC concern has left H. Lelandem, which opened a new car factory Lincoln Motor Co. At that time, Cadillac was producing only 8-cylinder V-engines. In the 1930s, its models even received engines 1 2- and 16-cylinder, thanks to which the Cadillac brand was at the forefront of the American car market. Not only because of the number of cylinders, but also prices that are four times the price of an average car.