1903 Cadillac Model A

The Cadillac Company was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company in 1902. It was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who founded Detroit, Michigan, and the Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms. They were purchased by General Motors in 1909.

After a dispute with his investors, Mr. Henry Ford left the company along with several of his partners in March 1902. The financial backers, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen enlisted engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to assist with liquidating the company's assets. Instead, Mr. Leland saw the potential in the single-cylinder engine. After persuading Mr. Murphy and Mr. Bowen to continue manufacturing automobiles, the Cadillac Automobile Company was established on August 22nd of 1902. The first Cadillac automobile was completed in October 1902.

When Cadillac began offering their first production vehicles in 1903, they were available as a runabout, either with or without a rear-mounted tonneau and powered by a single-cylinder, 98-cubic inch engine. 2,497 examples were produced in 1903. Nearly identical to the 1903 Ford Model A, the Cadillac was introduced at the January 1903 New York Auto Show and later referred to as the 'Model A' by Cadillac to differentiate it from the later (albeit similar) 'Model B.' Sales were strong due to the quality construction, precision manufacturing, and reliability. The single-cylinder engine was designed and built by Leland and Faulconer, who also supplied the two-speed planetary transmission and the steering gear. The engine offered just over 6 horsepower using fully actuated valves and cooling provided by a copper water jacket around its cast-iron cylinder. It displaced 98.2 cubic inches and had two main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, and an Updraft mixer carburetor manufactured by Cadillac.

The runabout had a price of $750 while the tonneau cost an additional $100. They had a solid front and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. There were a single-chain drive and dual differential-mounted brakes. The wheelbase measured 72 inches and it had an overall length of 111 inches.

The single-cylinder Cadillac was offered as either a two-passenger Runabout or a four-passenger, rear-entrance Tonneau. These Cadillac vehicles would be designated the 'Model A' for 1904, and cars from the prior year are often times retroactively referred to by that name as well.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019