1907 Cadillac Model K

The Cadillac Model K single-cylinder automobile was available in a single-body style for 1907 - the tulip-bodied two-seat runabout. It was the same basic body style as the 1906 models but with several detail changes, including a shorter muffler with an outlet at the front rather than the side. The oiler system was changed from cam drive to pulley-and-belt drive and a drip pan was added for the transmission and engine. Options included a rubber buggy top which sold for $40 and a leather buggy top which could be purchased for $70. Also in 1907, the base price increased by $50, the first price change since 1903.

The Cadillac Automobile Company of Detroit, Michigan was founded by Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer. The companies specialized in precision gear cutting which helped establish them as the foremost builder of quality cars in the United States. They completed their first car in October of 1902, a simple runabout powered by a single-cylinder engine - known as 'Little Hercules.' The horizontally positioned engine offered 10 horsepower and drove through a two-speed planetary transmission. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 25 - 35 mph. The single-cylinder engine was the work of Henry Martyn Leland and built by Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company of Detroit, of which Henry Leland was the founder, vice-president, and general manager. In August of 1902, it was reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company, and the vehicles they produced were named 'Cadillac' after the city's founder Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.

In 1906, Cadillac's single-cylinder lineup became the Model K and the Model M. The Model K had a short wheelbase while the Model M was longer. The Model K sold for $750; the Model M for $950. Production of the single-cylinder Cadillac continued until 1908.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019