1909 Cadillac Model 30 Demi-Tonneau

Cadillac introduced its first four-cylinder automobile in 1905, the Model D. Its engine had four individual cylinders with copper water jackets and an unusual variable valve lift throttle system. Over the years, the configuration was refined.

The Model Thirty was introduced in 1908 and remained in production until 1914. In 1913, the Model 30 received a designation change and an increase in stroke of 1 1/4-inch which increased displacement and brake horsepower even though the calculated rating remained the same. Annual production went from 5,903 in 1909 to 15,018 in 1913 and 14,003 in 1914.

The year 1909 was Cadillac's sixth year in business and it was still under the guidance of its founder, Henry Martyn Leland, and his son Wilfred, and had only five years before merged with Leland & Faulconer. 1909 was also the second year that Cadillac was part of William Crapo Durant's General Motors.

This Cadillac Model 30 Demi-Tonneau (also called a Toy Tonneau by other marques) is finished in Royal Blue with black fenders and an original black leather interior. It has a full-length black cloth top and a brass-framed two-piece windshield. This right-hand drive vehicle seats four and is equipped with Gray & Davis acetylene headlamps with matching Gray & Davis acetylene generator, Solar kerosene sidelights, and a kerosene tail lamp. The frame and undercarriage are painted cream, with black coach lining on the matching wood spoke wheels. There is a pair of spare tires strapped to the right-hand running board with a Rubes folded trumpet-style bulb horn tucked behind them. The suspension is comprised of semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front and in the back are 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. There is a three-speed transmission, cone clutch, and shaft drive to the rear wheels.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2016