1906 Cadillac Model M

The Cadillac Automobile Company of Detroit, Michigan was founded by Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer, and its first car was completed in October 1902. Precision gear cutting was Leland and Faulconer's first specialty, a feature that became employed on Cadillacs since the beginning, helping the firm attain a reputation for superior manufacturing, technology, and quality, and helping it become one of the foremost builders of quality cars in the USA. The first Cadillac automobile was a simple runabout powered by a single-cylinder engine, known as 'Little Hercules.' The one-cylinder engine had a 98.2 cubic-inch displacement, a cast-iron cylinder with a cooper water jacket, an updraft mixer carburetor manufactured by Cadillac, and developed 6.5 horsepower. It used a two-speed planetary transmission with the low speed operated by the left foot pedal, and high and reverse controlled by the lever at the right. A single chain drove the spur gear differential. The wheelbase measured 72 inches and had an overall length of nine feet and three inches.

Cadillac produced 2,497 vehicles in 1903, followed by 2,319 the following year. Slightly more than 4,000 examples were built in 1905, and 3,650 in 1906.

By 1906, the Cadillac model lineup included the Model K, a Victoria Runabout, the Model M - a two-door victoria tourer and a delivery, the Model L, and the Model H. The Model L was a seven-passenger tourer or a limousine, and the Model H was a five-passenger tourer, a runabout, and a coupe. The Model K listed for $750, the Model M at $950, and the Model L at $3,750 for the tourer and $5,000 for the limousine. The Model H tourer sold for $2,500, the runabout at $2,400, and the coupe at $3,000.

The Model K had a 74-inch wheelbase, the M had a 76-inch platform, the Model L measured 110 inches and the Model H at 102 inches. Engine options included a 98.2 cubic-inch one-cylinder in the Model K and M, and the Model L used a 392.7 CID four. The Model H was powered by a vertical, inline, L-head four with a 300.7 CID, five main bearings, a mechanical valve lifter, and delivered 40 horsepower.

The K and M used a planetary two-speed transmission and mechanical brakes on two wheels provided the stopping power, contracting on inboard drums. Wooden 12-spoke wheels were standard.

For 1906, the Model M was similar to the one-cylinder Model K but with body styles that were two inches longer. Spark control was on the steering column, straight-side Dunlop tires were now standard, and the oiler was mechanical feed from a cam on the hub of the flywheel. The bodies had rounded hoods and tops were not shown in catalogs, although they were still optional. Other optional equipment included a bulb horn, lights, lights, and a cape cart top for touring.

The Model M continued through 1908. In 1908, Cadillac went to a single model, the four-cylinder Model Thirty, powered by a 226.2 cubic-inch displacement and delivered 30 horsepower. It used a three-speed selective, sliding gear transmission, shaft drive, two-wheel mechanical brakes, and a 106-inch wheelbase. The single four-cylinder model would continue through 1914, and in 1915 a V8-powered model Type 51 was introduced resting on a 122-inch wheelbase. The eight-cylinder model would power Cadillac models for most of its existence. In the early 1930s, it was joined by a V-16 and V-12 models as Cadillac escalated the 'cylinder wars.' In the early 1940s, only the eight-cylinder remained, and in 1949 Cadillac introduced a new V8 with an overhead valve design.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2020