1912 Cadillac Model 30 news, pictures, and information

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Cadillac, which was acquired by General Motors in 1908, had launched the Model 30 in 1908, the year that the company adopted its famous 'Standard of the World' slogan. All previous models were dropped, and the 'Thirty' became Cadillac's sole offering from August of 1908 through September of 1914. The Thirty's great contribution to automotive history came about because of a tragic incident that occurred during the winter of 1910. A woman motorist had stalled her Cadillac on a bridge to Belle Isle, MI. A dear friend of Cadillac head Henry Leland cranked the car, but it kicked back and the handle flew off, seriously injuring Leland's friend, who later died of complications from the injury. Leland was devastated, and announced that an alternative to the crank had to be found. Electrical engineer Charles F. Kettering developed an electrical self-starter, and the 1912 Model 30 Cadillac was the first car to be fitted with both electric staring and lighting - the famous 'Delco' system.

This thirty horsepower, four cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 4.5 by 4.5-inch was built with a selective type sliding gear transmission and was delivered at a cost of $1,890. The vehicle is capable of cruising at a rate of 40 to 45 miles per hour in a day when roads were in their mere infancy.

This is the first vehicle to use the electric starter designed by Charles Ketting, of Dayton, Ohio. His business would become a household name (Dayton Electric COmpany) and the electric starter (known as a 'World Wonder') revolutionized the car industry setting women behind the wheel of what would otherwise be a difficult car to start by hand cranking the engine. Cadillac was truly as their logo declared, 'Standard of the World!'

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This is the first vehicle to use the electric starter designed by Charles Kettering, of Dayton, Ohio. His business would become a household name (Dayton Electric COmpany) and the electric starter (known as a 'World Wonder') revolutionized the car industry setting women behind the wheel of what would otherwise be a difficult car to start by hand cranking the engine. Cadillac was truly, as their logo declared, 'Standard of the World!'

The electric starter also brought with it another innovation - electric lighting for headlamps, cowl lamps, and a tail lamp. Prior to this innovation, driving at nigt required using gas powered lamps which used either calcium carbide gas mixed with water in a generator device or use of Prestolite gas.

This automobile has been in the same family for 45 years and has passed from Grandfather, to Father and Son.

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This thirty horsepower, four-cylinder vehicle with bore and stroke of 4.5-inch by 4.5-inch was built with a selective sliding gear transmission and was delivered at a cost of $1,890. The vehicle was capable of cruising at the rate of 40 to 45 miles per hour but a lack of quality roads precluded this ability, and in 1912, the British observer F.A. Talbot stated that the Model 30 was, 'a favorite amongst British motorists...(and)...refined and reliable as money could make them.' The 116-inch wheelbase Model 30 became one of the most sought-after vehicles for sheer reliability. This is the first vehicle to use the electric starter designed by Charles Kettering in his humble Ohio workshop, called the Dayton Electric Company. Offered to Henry Leland, President of Cadillac Motor Cars, this unique unit was designed with four 6-volt batteries which operate and are charged by the vehicle's generator. When starting the car, the parallel wiring of the batteries is mechanically changed to a series circuit producing 24 volts for the starting motor. Called a 'world wonder,' and advertised as 'The car that has no crank,' the electric starter became a most valuable asset making Cadillac the....Standard of the World!

The Cadillac Model 30 was introduced in 1908 and remained in production until September of 1914. When first introduced, the Model Thirty sold for $1400 and available as a three-passenger Roadster, 2-door Demi-Tonneau with seating for four, or a two-door, five passenger Tourer.

The wheelbase was 106-inches and powered by a 226.2 cubic-inch engine with five main bearings. There were three forward gears with a selective sliding transmission and a reverse gear. Mechanical brakes were on the rear wheels.

In 1910, the cost of the Model 30 increased to $1600. Additional body styles were added to the lineup, including a limousine and coupe.

For 1911, the cost continued to increase, now reaching a base of $1700. A Torpedo and four-door Touring body style was added.

In 1912, the base price increased another $100 and by 1913 the price was just under $2000.

Cadillac's first vehicles were single-cylinder vehicles that offered reasonable power and durability. The single-cylinder engine would stay in production for six years. The third year of Cadillac production, a four-cylinder engine was introduced offering slightly more horsepower allowing for larger and heavier bodies to be fitted on the chassis. In 1905 the Model D featured seating for five and powered by a massive 300 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine attached to a wheelbase that measured 100-inches. Only 156 examples were produced this year of the Model D, and accounted for only a small percentage of Cadillac's annual production, reaching around 4000 units. Nevertheless, the large and powerful engines in Cadillac's arsenal would continue to foster, growing into a sixteen-cylinder unit by the early 1930s.

In 1906 Cadillac offered two models with four-cylinder engines, the Model L and the Model H. The engines displaced 393 cubic-inches and provided ample amounts of power and torque. The following year, Cadillac introduced the Model G, which was a simpler version of the Model L and H. It had a 226.2 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine which produced 20 horsepower and rested on a wheelbase that was the same size as the Model D, and two inches shorter than the Model H. The Model H sold for $2400 to $3600 while the Model G, in all three bodystyles, sold for $2000.

For 1908, production of the Model G reached 1,030 units which accounted for 40-percent of Cadillac's annual total.

For 1909, Cadillac offered only one model, the Model 30, named for its 30 horsepower engien. It was a refined version of the Model G that rested on a longer wheelbase and offered only in open body styles. Its price tag was around two-thirds that of the price of the Model G. The public approved, buying nearly six times as many cars as Cadillac's annual production total in 1908.

The Model 30 was offered in three bodystyles consisting of a demi-tonneau, a tourer, and a roadster. The demi-tonneau had a detachable tonneau which could be converted to a runabout, greatly adding to the appeal and versatility of the vehicle. A windshield was optional equipment; when ordered it was attached to a wood dashboard fitted over the cowl. Closed bodystyles returned in 1910 in the form of a coupe and limousine.

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