Founded in 1902 and purchased by General Motors in 1909, the Cadillac Motor Car Division was off to a good start through the first two decades of its operations, introducing new technologies and receiving awards recognizing its high-quality craftsmanship.
In 1924, Cadillac innovation stuck again with the advent of a dual-plane crankshaft V8, making for a much smoother-running V8. Six years later, the introduction of the first clashless manual transmission, called the Synchro-Mesh, would make the perfect companion.
1928 Cadillac Town Sedan
In 1926, Cadillac hired a stylist who would become one of the driving forces in the automotive world for the first half of the 20th century. Harley J. Earl was initially retained as a consultant, but would find permanent employment with GM as the Art and Color division head. His first creation was the LaSalle, a smaller car sold alongside Cadillacs until 1940. Earl, who was responsible for the iconic jet-age “wing” styling, would remain with GM until his retirement in 1958.
Another Cadillac watermark for 1926 was the introduction of the first all-steel roofs on passenger cars called the “turret top.” Previous fixed-roof cars were constructed of wood covered in fabric.
1927 LaSalle Series 303
1929 brought a number of features to all Cadillac models with the introduction of shatter-resistant Security Plate safety glass, dual-action Delco shocks, and chrome plated trim.
The first V16 engine was introduced by Cadillac in 1930. It displaced 452 cubic inches, had a 45-degree overhead valve, and produced 165 horsepower. It was simultaneously one of the most powerful and quietest motorcar engines.
1931 Cadillac Series 452A V-16 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton
The Great Depression brought havoc to the automotive industry, with luxury marques being hardest hit. Cadillac sales dropped precipitously, falling over 80 percent between 1928 and 1933. A committee was formed to determine if Cadillac would continue as a brand. Head of national Cadillac service Nick Dreystadt pushed the committee to rescind an internal company policy of discouraging sales to African Americans. With the elimination of this policy, Cadillac sales increased in 1934 by 70 percent. Dreystadt was subsequently promoted to Cadillac Division head.
1936 saw the addition of a new model to the Cadillac line, the Series 60. The Series 60 was the mid-priced model in the Cadillac line-up until 1939, when it was replaced by the Series 61. An offshoot of the Series 60 called the Sixty Special would remain in production through 1993.
The Phillips head screw was introduced to Cadillac production in 1937 after developer Henry F. Phillips convinced General Motors the new fastener would speed assembly. Cadillac was the first auto manufacturer to adapt the new technology.
1938 Cadillac Sixty Special
In 1938, Cadillac moved the shifter from the floor to the steering column, allowing for three-abreast seating in the front. Also for 1938, Cadillac introduced the Sunshine Roof, the first sunroof available in an American car.
And then, World War II happened. How would Cadillac survive through this historic event?
To be continued.
Also:
Cadillac 1902-1917: the Birth of the Brand
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Comments
Nice that GMA brought us something different, histories we know, but we forget, so a refresh
Lovely 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special, 1931 Cadillac Series 452A V-16 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton & 1927 LaSalle Series 303
if our dreams went through and truth, living in a € 100 million house in Florida… cars we would like to have in garage
Brett, you skipped the arrival of the Kettering developed electric starter as Cadillac was the first manufacturer to offer it. The story of its idea was that a Cadillac executive was killed by a crank handle when the car he was cranking had a timing issue. That is a big part of Cadillac’s history.
GM Fan:
Thank you.
Also, the fact of the V12 engine, offered initially alongside the V16 with a range of custom bodies by Fleetwood (or the coach builder if the buyers choice). The V12 did not sell as well and did not get a 2nd generation engine while the V16 did, in 1936 I think.
The last V16 was built in 1940 I think.
The V12 sold many times better than the V16 (which sold ~2k its first year and then plummeted to less than a hundred after the V12 was introduced and income tax rates were doubled) because it was significantly cheaper, but a new, better V8 in ’36 made it redundant since they were on the same chassis. The second generation V16 sold only a few hundred total in ’38-’40. If I could find my 70 year Cadillac History from 1972, I could be more specific.
typo clashless manual transmission, called the Synchro-Mesh, would make the perfect companion. clashless should be “clutch less” manual transmission, automated manual transmission, flappy-paddle gearbox,
Enjoyed the article on technical ideas.
Bob, I believe “clashless” is correct. Syncro-Mesh transmissions were not at all “Clutchless”, were not automated manual transmission, and certainly weren’t flappy-paddle. Per wikipedia: In order to provide smooth gearshifts without requiring the driver to manually match the engine revs for each gearshift, most modern passenger car transmissions use ‘synchromesh’ (also called ‘synchronizer rings’) on the forward gears. These devices automatically match the speed of the input shaft with that of the gear being selected, thus removing the need for the driver to use techniques such as double-clutching. The synchromesh transmission was invented in 1919 by Earl Avery Thompson and first used on production cars by Cadillac in 1928.
And, further, the article states that the V-16 engine “had a 45-degree overhead valve.” Which is misleading. It did have overhead valves, being based on two Buick OHV Straight eights on a common crankshaft, but “45 degrees” refers to the angle between the two banks. GM Fan: Yes the Kettering starter was an enormous improvement but was introduced in 1912 so falls outside of this article’s 1920-1940 time frame. Also, I am a little dubious of the claim about not previously marketing to black people: “With the elimination of this policy, Cadillac sales increased in 1934 by 70 percent.” While it may have some effect I really doubt that that singlehandedly caused a 70% increase. Keep in mind that by 1934 the Depression was starting to ease a little and that Cadillac alone benefited from GM’s deep pockets. Packard, Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow and other fine car manufacturers had to soldier on alone.
Sorry, I cannot locate this term anywhere, (clashless), nor do I follow the logic of your reply. I assumed clutchless. Please explain.
A see interesting article as always at GMA.
I miss a nice technical picture of the V16 engine in “Part 2”.
The V16 was the most special Cadillac engine of all time.
And history is always important.
Memory:
In “Part 1” you have a nice technical from the V8!
It was rather pretentiously called the Art and Colour Section, not Color. Wikipedia ain’t always right.
That ’38 Sixty Special is absolute beauty. Even though that hood housed a standard V8 only, it could get away with a V12 and V16 as an option.
How many 1926 Cadillac Phaeton 314 fisher body still remain