1910 Cadillac Model 30

Cadillac built its first car in 1903 and quickly established a reputation for reliability, durability, and precision engineering. Founded under the guidance of Henry Martyn Leland (later merging with Leland & Faulconer), in 1908, the Cadillac set the world standard for quality when the company won the coveted Dewar Trophy for dependability from the Royal Automobile Club. The following year, the company was acquired by William Crapo Durant's General Motors.

The Cadillac Model 30 was not the first four-cylinder model produced by the company, that honor was with the Model D, introduced in 1905. However, the Model 30 was arguably the perfected four-cylinder Cadillac, raising the quality standards to new heights. The successful design and construction of the single-cylinder Cadillac were used for the four, including its arrangement of four individual cylinders with copper water jackets and an unusual variable valve lift throttle system.

Cadillac's 1908 catalog had five different models including three with single-cylinder engines and two with four-cylinder power. In 1909, there was only one, the four-cylinder powered Thirty. This allowed the company to streamline production, improve quality, and reduce prices by thirty percent. The Model Thirty would remain the sole model in Caddilac's catalog for the next six years, although the model designation changed and in 1913 an increase in stroke of 1 1/4-inch substantially increased displacement and brake horsepower even though the calculated rating stayed the same.

Cadillac produced 5,903 vehicles in 1909, increasing dramatically to 15,018 by 1913 and 14,003 in 1914.

The Cadillac Model Thirty came standard with side oil lamps, horn, basic tools, a tire holder, a tire repair kit, and a tail lamp. The base price was $1600, an increase of two hundred dollars from the previous year. The four-passenger model was labeled the Demi-Tonneau. This version could be converted into a two-seater runabout by detaching and removing the rear portion of the body.

The 226 cubic-inch inline four-cylinder engine used a single updraft carburetor and produced 30 horsepower at 2,300 RPM. It was backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission and used two-wheel mechanical brakes for stopping power.

by Dan Vaughan

Touring
Engine number: 45042

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.

AAA Racer

Introduced in 1909, the Model 30 was Cadillac's first attempt to offer a high-quality automobile at a moderate price. It was powered by a reliable 226 CID in-line, L-head 4-cylinder engine. This car was later re-bodied as a racer in 1989-9. In fact, it was certified as a 'Veteran' race car with the AAA in 1953 and still wears its original registration badge.

Touring

Cadillac had steadily built a solid reputation for quality and value, and by 1910 orders for their cars exceeded the number the firm could manufacture at full production. However, loyal Cadillac customers were willing to wait as long as necessary for the delivery of their new automobile.

Options available for 1910 included a windshield at $30, a Jones speedometer for $25, or your choice of either a rubber or mohair top for $95. Gas headlamps were standard equipment for 1910 but would be replaced with electric for the 1912 model year.

Roadster by Hammond & Sons
Chassis number: 47111

The Cadillac Model 30 was initially offered as a Roadster, Demi-Tonneau, and a Tourer, with both the Roadster and the Demi-Tonneau having a sweeping cowl that presaged the 'torpedo' styling. A windshield was optional and when ordered, was affixed to a wood dashboard above the cowl. Cadillac re-introduced closed coachwork to its model lineup in 1910, including a Coupe and a Limousine. Nearly 67,000 examples were built by the time the Model 30 was replaced by the Type 51 V-8 in September 1914.

This particular Model 30 Roadster wears a maroon livery with its frame and undercarriage wearing a matching color scheme. The wood-spoke wheels are trimmed in a clear high-gloss lacquer and maroon detailing, the top is a black cloth, and the interior is done in brown leather button-tufted upholstery. According to a plaque on the door sill, the coachwork was by Hammond & Sons of Hove. Period brass equipment includes the Stewart speedometer, two-piece Beatonson windshield frame, Gray & Davis acetylene headlamp housings, Cadillac radiator shroud, and trumpet-style horn. The water-cooled four-cylinder engine provides power to the rear wheels via a cone-clutch three-speed transmission.

This Model 30 was given a comprehensive mechanical overhaul in previous ownership.

by Dan Vaughan

The Cadillac Model 30 was introduced in 1908 and remained in production until September of 1914. When first introduced, the Model Thirty sold for $1400 and available as a three-passenger Roadster, 2-door Demi-Tonneau with seating for four, or a two-door, five passenger Tourer.

The wheelbase was 106-inches and powered by a 226.2 cubic-inch engine with five main bearings. There were three forward gears with a selective sliding transmission and a reverse gear. Mechanical brakes were on the rear wheels.

In 1910, the cost of the Model 30 increased to $1600. Additional body styles were added to the lineup, including a limousine and coupe.

For 1911, the cost continued to increase, now reaching a base of $1700. A Torpedo and four-door Touring body style was added.

In 1912, the base price increased another $100 and by 1913 the price was just under $2000.

by Dan Vaughan

Cadillac's first vehicles were single-cylinder vehicles that offered reasonable power and durability. The single-cylinder engine would stay in production for six years. The third year of Cadillac production, a four-cylinder engine was introduced offering slightly more horsepower allowing for larger and heavier bodies to be fitted on the chassis. In 1905 the Model D featured seating for five and powered by a massive 300 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine attached to a wheelbase that measured 100-inches. Only 156 examples were produced this year of the Model D, and accounted for only a small percentage of Cadillac's annual production, reaching around 4000 units. Nevertheless, the large and powerful engines in Cadillac's arsenal would continue to foster, growing into a sixteen-cylinder unit by the early 1930s.

In 1906 Cadillac offered two models with four-cylinder engines, the Model L and the Model H. The engines displaced 393 cubic-inches and provided ample amounts of power and torque. The following year, Cadillac introduced the Model G, which was a simpler version of the Model L and H. It had a 226.2 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine which produced 20 horsepower and rested on a wheelbase that was the same size as the Model D, and two inches shorter than the Model H. The Model H sold for $2400 to $3600 while the Model G, in all three bodystyles, sold for $2000.

For 1908, production of the Model G reached 1,030 units which accounted for 40-percent of Cadillac's annual total.

For 1909, Cadillac offered only one model, the Model 30, named for its 30 horsepower engien. It was a refined version of the Model G that rested on a longer wheelbase and offered only in open body styles. Its price tag was around two-thirds that of the price of the Model G. The public approved, buying nearly six times as many cars as Cadillac's annual production total in 1908.

The Model 30 was offered in three bodystyles consisting of a demi-tonneau, a tourer, and a roadster. The demi-tonneau had a detachable tonneau which could be converted to a runabout, greatly adding to the appeal and versatility of the vehicle. A windshield was optional equipment; when ordered it was attached to a wood dashboard fitted over the cowl. Closed bodystyles returned in 1910 in the form of a coupe and limousine.

by Dan Vaughan