"The Standard of the World" - that's the significance of the brand which bears the name of a French nobleman. When the very first Cadillac, the model A, rolled out of the little Detroit workshop on October 17 in 1902, no-one could have suspected that a new world trade-mark had been born. Even more: a myth in chrome and steel, a legend on four wheels. For more than a century, Cadillac has quite simply symbolized the American luxury car - a world-wide synonym for wealth and success in the "American way of life".

    The technical innovations of the marque in the first decades of its existence...from the electric starter to the V8 engine...are frequently forgotten today. Its image is formed rather by its leading role in matters of style, under the direction of Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell. Harley Earls most famous creation, the tail fin, which was first embodied in the new model for 1948, was inspired by a visit to Selfridge Airforce Base in Mt. Clemens, during WW2, when he saw a Lockheed P38 Lightning - he said: "When I saw those two rudders sticking up, it gave me a post war idea. When we introduced it, we almost started a war in the corporation." In the 50s and 60s the chrome-plated street-cruisers with their gigantic tail fins were the styling sensation of the age - tail fins reaching their peak in 1959. The new models for 1960 saw a slightly more conservative tailoring of the tail fin and, some might say, an overall refinement over the previous year. 1953 saw the debut of the wrap-around windscreen, a styling feature limited, for that year, to the Eldorado, and a concept originally from the dream cars of the fabulous GM Motoramas. Another landmark for Cadillac was the introduction of front wheel drive in 1967.

    The name Cadillac not only stands for luxury and exclusivity but is inseparably linked to world famous presidents, popes and pop stars, who would recline in the leather upholstery of a chauffeur-driven Cadillac (Franklin. D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Pius XII, Johannes XXIII, Fred Astaire, Elvis Presley, Salvador Dali etc.).

    With the more sober days of the 70s and 80s came a new direction: class instead of mass. But the traditional model names have remained right through to the present day: De Ville, Eldorado and Fleetwood, Sixty Special, Brougham and Seville.

    Many producers of luxury American cars long since disappeared from the scene: Packard, Duesenberg and Pierce-Arrow, to name but a few. But the "Caddy" still rolls on the American highways.  Admittedly, it is now a division of General Motors, but Cadillac still is the flagship of this powerful group of companies.

    With the launch of the current models, Cadillac again offers a clear challenge to all producers of luxury limousines and coupés. With their unparalleled combination of innovative technology, elegant comfort and luxurious equipment, these cars are in a class of their own.

    1959 -1960 Shop Manual

    Restoring my 1960 Cadillac

Check out this site about the fabulous GM Motoramas

And as a reminder to motorists that even the best cars dont last for ever, visit the official Ant Farm website and take a look at the famous Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas