Cadillac: The four-cylinder era

It wasn’t until January, 1903 that the Cadillac automobile had its first public showing. Yet the little one-lunger was so impressive, and the reputation of its manufacturer so widely respected, that during its first year of production it was third in sales among all American cars!

The following year found Cadillac in second place, behind Ransom Olds’ curved-dash runabout and ahead of third- place Rambler and fourth-place Ford. The order remained the same in 1905, and it appears that with 3,942 cars produced that year, Cadillac had reached the capacity of its facilities. Yet, it had only begun to tap the potential of its market.

Logic might have suggested that Cadillac should stand pat on a winning hand. Instead, at the 1905 National Automobile Show, held in New York City, the company displayed a new four-cylinder machine, the Model D. It was a car that could be said to have changed the course of automotive history-and certainly that of Cadillac. At $2,800, it cost nearly four times as much as the single-cylinder jobs, and it took Cadillac into an entirely different market; one that the marquee would eventually come to dominate.

This is not to suggest, by the way, that the four-cylinder Cadillac ranked in those days among the most expensive American automobiles. The 1905 Pierce “Great Arrow”, for instance, fetched a cool $5,000 in some body styles. Thomas Flyer prices were $1,000 higher yet, and a new Locomobile could cost as much as $8,000!

Even by the standards of the time, the Model D was not a big car. And, it wasn’t particularly heavy. Yet, its 100-inch wheel-base was longer by 2 feet than the single-cylinder models, and at 2,600 pounds it weighed twice as much as the smaller Cadillacs. Only one body style was offered, a touring car with side-entrance tonneau. The body was made of wood, though an aluminum skin was available to the buyer with an extra $250 to spend.

The L-head engine of the Model D displaced 300.7 cubic inches, and was rated at 30 horsepower – an impressive figure in those days. Top speed was said to have been 50 mph, though there were few roads at that time where any such pace could be sustained. Cylinders were separately cast, after the usual practice of the day, and the crankshaft rode in five main bearings. The three-speed planetary transmission employed a progressive shift, rather than the selective pattern used today.

Not that Cadillac had abandoned its little one-lunger. During 1905, in fact 96 percent of all new Cadillacs were powered by the 98.2-cid single-cylinder engine. But, a new direction had been established for the company. By the end of 1908, Cadillac would abandon the high-volume market.

Incidentally, an unusual feature of both the one-and four-cylinder Cadillacs of this era was their counterclockwise cranking Designer Alanson Brush believed, perhaps correctly, that this practice tended to reduce the danger of injury due to the engine kicking back while being cranked. Still, to many people the reverse direction seemed awkward.

In addition to the debut of Cadillac’s first “four,” there were two other events of historical significance during 1905. The first was the adoption of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac’s coat of arms as the automobile’s identifying badge. It became the firm’s registered trademark the following year. The second, far more significant event was the consolidation of the Cadillac Automobile Co. and the Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Co. into the new Cadillac Motor Car Co., with Henry Leland named general manger at the then-generous salary of $750 a month.

The following season- 1906- proved to be the best sales year ever for the one-cylinder Cadillac, which came in two somewhat refined versions, the Models K and M. More important- at least- cally – were two new four-cylinder cars, the Models H and L. The Model H, successor to the Model D, displayed no major changes, though the wheelbase was stretched a couple of inches. A coupe and a two-passenger runabout were added to the line, the former representing Cadillac’s first closed car in regular production. The price of the touring car was cut by $300.

Of particular interest was the other new four-cylinder car, The Model L, Cadillac’s first all-out luxury machine. This one stood on a 110-inch wheelbase, 8 inches longer than the Model H, and its L-head engine displaced a whopping 392.7 cubic inches. Not until 1930, when the fabled V-16 was introduced, would Cadillac again offer an engine this large. Forty horsepower was advertised, and prices were $ 3,750 for the touring car, $5,000 for the sumptuously appointed limousine. The big car was not a commercial success, however, and was dropped from the line after only one season.

With the demise of the Model L, the limousine became a member of the Model H line for 1907, priced at a much more affordable $3,600. The 300.7-cid engine and the three-speed planetary transmission were continued. In all, four body styles were offered; the others being the touring car, runabout and coupe.

New for 1907 was a smaller, less expensive four-cylinder Cadillac, the Model G. The first Cadillac to be designed without the influence of Alanson Brush, who had departed to start his own company, it was more advanced in many respects than the larger car. Among its features were a selective sliding gear transmission and a leather-faced cone clutch. The Model G´s 226.2 cubic inch engine produced 30 horsepower, and the selling price, in any of three open body styles, was a comparatively reasonable $2,000. Not surprisingly, the smaller “four” outsold the Model H by a margin of two-to-one.

In 1908 Cadillac drew worldwide acclaim by winning the Dewar Trophy, largely on the strength of its interchangeable parts. One of those who understood very well the significance of this award was William Crapo Durant, the man responsible for Buick´s rise from obscurity in 1903 to second place in the industry four years later. Durant, who earlier had modestly confided to his associates that his objective was to dominate the entire automobile industry, was undertaking at that time to put together a conglomerate he called General Motors. Of course, he wanted to add Cadillac to his rapidly expanding list of properties.

“Billy” Durant was one of the most complex characters in the history of the automobile business, and certainly one of the most colorful. His influence on the development of the automobile industry was nearly as great as that of Henry Ford- though in a different way. But, we´ll save his story for another time and series. Suffice it to say that after two unsuccessful attempts he was finally able, in 1909, to acquire the Cadillac Motor Car Co. as a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors. The price was stiff: $5.6 million. Durant, however, regarded it – correctly , as matters developed- as a bargain. Best of all, under the terms of the agreement Henry M. Leland remained in charge as Cadillac´s president and general manager, with the understanding that he and his son, Wilfred, would continue to operate the company as if they still owned it.

The 1908 Cadillacs were essentially carry-over models, little changed from their predecessors. But, a new slogan was adopted, inspired no doubt by the recognition bestowed upon the company by the Dewar Trophy, From that time on, right up to the present, Cadillac has billed itself as “ The Standard of the World.”

Behind the scenes, however, preparations were being made for an enormously significant new Cadillac, the moderately-priced Model 30. With the introduccion of this fine car in December, 1908, Cadillac sharply narrowed its market. The single-cylinder cars were dropped; never again would Cadillac compete in the low-price field. Similarly, the four-cylinder Models G and H were deleted. Commencing in 1909, the Model 30 would be Cadillac´s sole product, a policy that resulted in important manufacturing economies. With periodic improvements this car would remain in production for six years.

It was a fine automobile, and an out-standing value at $1,400-$600 les than the previous year´s Model G. Reflecting upon it in later years, David Fergusson, chief engineer at Pierce-Arrow, would write, “ Cadillac for years had the reputation of producing the best medium-priced car in the world.”

Powering the Model 30 was a four-cylinder, L-head engine, inherited from the Model G of 1907-08. Displacement was 226.2 cubic inches, and once again 30 horsepower was claimed. The Model G´s leather-face cone clutch and three-speed sliding gear transmission were also retained, but the wheelbase was lengthened half a foot to 106 inches. Three body types were offered, all of them open styles, identically priced at $ 1,400, including three oil lamps and a horn. A windshield, top, headlamps and speedometer all cost extra. Even so, at that price the Model 30 seemed almost too good to be true. And, perhaps it was, for with the introduction of the 1910 model the base price was raised to $1,600.

The engine was bored that year to 255.3 cubic inches, resulting in a 10 percent increase in horsepower. The wheelbase was lengthened to 110 inches, and in April two closed body styles were added to the line. The first of these was a two-passenger coupe priced at $ 2,250. Its companion was a beautifully appointed limousine, built on a stretched, 120 –inch chassis and priced at $3,000.

It was with the 1910 Model 30 that Cadillac introduced Charles Kettering´s new ignition system. Two separate systems, battery and magneto, were commonly used at that time to provide the spark. As a rule, both were installed in the same automobile, with the magneto used for ordinary driving, while the battery system was reserved for starting, idling and very low-speed running (if the magneto was used at low speeds, the engine tended to stall). But, in steady use, the dry-cell batteries of the day had a very brief service life, sometimes no more than 200 miles.

Kettering, who was an honors graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in electrical engineering, changed all that. Drawing upon his technical training, as well as his earlier experience with a local telephone company, he devised a battery ignition circuit containing a holding coil, which he called an ignition relay. Thus,one fat spark was provided for each contact of the distributor, instead of the shower of sparks that had been the norm under the previous system. Performance was en hanced and battery life was greatly extended. Henry Leland heard about this new development and ordered 8,000 units for use in the 1910 Cadillacs. The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. (DELCO) was shortly incorporated, and Charles Kettering´s remarkable career was given a major boost.

But, that was only the beginning. During the summer of 1910 a woman driving across the old Belle Isle Bridge in Detroit, stalled her car- a not uncommon occurrence in those days. Another motorist stopped to render assistance, and cranked the car for her. Unfortunately, she had neglected to retard the spark. The engine backfired and the crank swung around, backfired and the crank swung around, breaking the man´s jaw. Complications arising from the injury led to this good Samaritan´s death a few weeks later.

Now, it happens that the deceased was a friend of Henry Leland, and his death underscored Leland´s determination to find somebetter way to start an automobile engine. Actuallym several self-starters had been. Developed over the years, some mechanical some using compressed air, some filling the cylinders with combustible gas. None of them had worked very well, including one developed at Cadillac under the Lelands´ direction. Prompted by Henry Leland, Kettering went to work on the problem.

Meanwhile, for 1911, the Cadillac engine was bored once again, raising its displacement to 286.3 cubic inches and its horsepower to 40. The wheelbase was stretched that year to 116 inches, and the base price was raised again. But, at $1,700, the Cadillac was still a stellar value.

By the time the 1912 models were introduced in September, 1911, Kettering had come up with a system in which the starting motor also generated power for ignition and lighting. Standard equipment on the new Cadillac, it was a development that would revolutionize the industry . The Cadillac was advertised as “The Car that Has No Crank!” The Kettering system was tested and re-tested by the Royal Automobile Club, and in the end it won for Cadillac a second Dewar Trophy. No other automaker, worldwide, was ever honored more than once with this prestigious award!

The base price of the 1913 Cadillac had risen to $1,975. But, by this time, standard equipment included – in addition to the Delco system- the windshield, mohair top, Warner speedometer with electric light, dashboard fuel gauge, headlamps with adjustable focus and twin tail lamps. The stroke was increased, raising the displacement to 365.8 cubic inches and the horsepower to 48.7.

The same engine was carried over into 1914, except that this time one set of spark plugs was used instead of two, fired by either the coil or the magneto. A two-speed axle, controlled by a dashboard switch was adopted. Evidently, this was a very promising feature, doing good things for both performance and economy. It was dropped after only one season, however, when a patent infringement suit by Walter S. Austin of the Austin Automobile Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich., resulted in a substantial judgment against Cadillac. But, perhaps it didn´t matter all that much, for on the drawing boards at Cadillac was another trendsetter: the industry´s first mass-produced V-8!

Source:
Cars&Parts, USA, February 1991. Library of Auto and Transport Museum of Monterrey