1910 Cadillac Model 30 Touring

Cadillac was formed in 1902 from the remnants of one of Henry Ford's early car manufacturing ventures, making it the second oldest car company in the United States. Financial backers called in the well-known engineer Henry Leland to assess the value of the defunct Henry Ford Company. Rather than dissolve the company Leland became a partner in a new car-making enterprise contributing his design of a sturdy one-cylinder engine to power a new car. The new car company was named after the 17th-century explorer credited with founding Detroit.

In 1908 Cadillac became the first American carmaker to win the coveted Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England by demonstrating the interchangeability of components, considered a reliable measure of durability. In 1909 Cadillac became part of General Motors as its premium or prestige division.

The Cadillac Model 30, produced from 1908 to 1914, represented the company's attempt to produce a more modestly priced car that would retain the quality and innovation for which the company had become known. The price started out at $1,400 and it came in a Roadster, Demi-Tonneau, and this five-passenger Touring Car. It is powered by a trusty 226 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder engine making 30 horsepower - hence the Model 30 designation.

The current caretaker purchased this Model Thirty several decades ago. This was one of the first cars the collector purchased and one of the first cars he would embark on a full restoration of. At the time, it was a very original car and the perfect basis for a full restoration. It has received a full nut-and-bolt restoration, which was finally finished in 2011. The Cadillac is finished in dark red color with a matching interior.

This brass-era car is fitted with large Gray & Davis acetylene headlamps, wood spoke wheels and a pair of spare tires. It has semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front and platform rear suspension (longitudinal semi-elliptical leaf springs shackled to a transverse leaf spring attached to the rear frame cross member.) The rear wheels have both a contracting band and expanding shoe drum braking. Drive is taken through a cone clutch, 3-speed transmission and shaft drive to the rear wheels.