Marque: Cadillac - Company History & Models - Cars By Brand

Cadillac

Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer founded a manufacturing company in the 1890s, producing automobile engines, chassis components and forgings, out of which the Cadillac Motor Company was born in 1902, from the remnants of the Detroit Automobile Company that was liquidated in 1900, following chief engineer Henry Ford’s departure to set up his Ford Motor Company. The name Cadillac was used after…

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Cadillac Allante

PRICE: £4000 - £12,000

Effectively Cadillac’s first production luxury sports car aimed at the Mercedes SL market. Introduced in 1987 and produced in very small numbers (roughly 21,000 during its seven year production run) as the bodies were built by Pininfarina in Italy and fl own by Boeing 747 to America for fi nal assembly which was known as the ‘Allante Airbridge’. Initially powered by a 4.5-litre fuel injected V8 and featuring FWD, the last of the Allantes were 4.6-litre Northstar V8 FWD equipped.

A top notch two-door roadster with Italian design flair and all the accoutrements that you’d expect from Cadillac. In period it made economic buying sense and at under $60,000, it was hugely cheaper than a comparable Jaguar XJS or Mercedes SL. FWD in a sports car may not be to everyone’s liking. There’s a club dedicated especially the model in the USA and it won’t break the bank to buy a good car! Dare to be different?

Cadillac 1949 Series 62 Sedanette

PRICE: £10,000 - £25,000

Penned by Harley Earl and Julio Andrade at General Motors styling studios, the Sedanette, also referred to as the Club Coupe, with its distinctive fastback bodywork cut a seriously impressive dash in the late 1940s. While imitation maybe the greatest form of fl attery, the Bentley R-Type of 1952 has an uncanny resemblance to that of the Sedanette! It was one of the great post-war American designs that utilised the new John F. Gordon developed 331ci V8 engine, still cast iron like the previous L-head, but it was 200lbs lighter, 10hp more powerful, with better torque, performance and fuel consumption.

This model exuded quality from its streamlined Art Deco Goddess bonnet ornament, to the top quality trimmed leather interior and rich carpets. A novel feature was the fuel fi ller cap that was hidden under the one of the tailights that fl ipped up to gain access. It was also the infancy of the tailfi ns that rapidly grew almost out of control by 1959!

Cadillac 1953 Series 62

PRICE: £25,000 - £45,000

The early 1950s saw Cadillac firmly establish itself in the top slot of being America’s premier luxury car maker. The 1953 Eldorado sold for a a wallet emptying $7,750, but it was the car that everybody wanted to be seen driving, everyone aspired to own one,, from film stars to the President. It was so hugely expensive, that only 500 were purchased in the fi rst year.

The front grille and brightwork was truly enormous, incorporating the Dagmars atop the bumper, and an another feature was the headlamps with their endearing chrome eyebrows. Power was from the 331ci engine rated at 210bhp, coupled to a hydramatic automatic transmission. The running gear was independent coil spring with tubular dampers at the front, and to the rear, a live axle, leaf springs, and tubular dampers. Naturally there was a full complement of deluxe accessories.

Cadillac 1959 Series 62

PRICE: £40,000 - £75,000

Unquestionably the zenith of the stateside phenomenon of Fins ‘n’ Chrome, packaged in the fl amboyance of the 1950s, the ‘59 model had it all! The wild fi ns incorporated twin-bullet taillights, and to mark the occasion there was even a US postage stamp depicting ‘59 tailfi ns! In order to propel this land leviathan was a 390ci V8 with a very useful 325bhp on tap, though fi tted with the Rochester triple carburettor set-up, it gained another 20bhp.

It was an era when America thought bigger was defi nitely better. The interior featured plenty of glitzy chrome trim, with its Juke Box design dashboard, the epitome of late 1950s kitsch. The end of the line for over exuberant styling, as for 1960 the tailfi ns were very much cropped.

Cadillac Seville

PRICE: £1500 – £5000

The Seville was fi rst introduced in the Cadillac model line-up in the mid fi fties, but broke new ground for the company with their fi rst ‘compact’ Seville that was launched on 22nd April 1975. It was the smallest model produced since the La Salle of 1940. It had all the hallmarks of power and luxury, but in a downsized bodyshell 17ft long and a whisker under six foot wide.

The Seville was powered by an Oldsmobile built 350ci V8 with electronic fuel injection, with a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission and by 1977 disc brakes all round was a standard fi tment. In 1980 a restyling exercise by Wayne Kady produced what has become referred to as the ‘Bustleback’ model. Special limited edition designer models included the Pierre Cardin and Gucci, plus the Elegante with additional exterior brightwork trim, and chrome wire wheels. Not hugely collectable, the Seville can be purchased at bargain basement prices, but with all the kudos of still owning a Cadillac!

Cadillac Seville STS

PRICE: £2500 - £7,000

The Seville Touring Sedan of 1992 represented a very comfortable luxury car that was ‘fully loaded’ in every sense of the phrase, brimming full with every bell and whistle available! Powered by the mighty 4.6 litre Northstar engine, a DOHC 32 valve V8 intially rated at 200bhp but would be upgraded by 1998 to 300bhp, Motor Trend Magazine said of the performance, “You can fl atfl oor the megapower of the Seville off the line with an arrow straight trajectory.”

The Northstar was a designation not only for the engine, but for the system package that includes the four-speed 4T80-E automatic transmission and suspension, that are all interactive via a whole network of electronic sensors positioned around the car. Another impressive top dollar model from Cadillac, again, not very collectable, cheap to purchase, a lot of car for your money, but make sure everything works, as electronic fault fi nding can be expensive to remedy.

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