1919 Cadillac Type 57

Cadillac was formed in 1903 and by 1908 became the first American manufacturer to win the Royal Automobile Club's Dewar Trophy after three of its cars were driven around the newly opened Brooklands track, were stripped down and reassembled with each other's parts, and then fired up and driven off again! From that point forward, they became known as the 'Standard of the World' due to their engineering excellence, reinforced in 1912 by winning the Dewar Trophy again.

The Type 51 was introduced in 1914 as a replacement for the four-cylinder Model 30 and was one of the first production cars equipped with a mass-produced V8 engine. The similar models Types 53, 55, 57, 59, and 61 between them carried the design through to 1923 when it was considerably updated to create the Type V63. The Type 51 and the versions that followed were equipped with the new 90-degree V8 of 5154cc that used L-heads, three main bearings, a cast-iron block, an aluminum crankcase, and delivered 77 horsepower (60 advertised, and 31 SAE/NACC HP). The engines were backed by a three-speed selective sliding gear transmission with multiple discs, dry plate clutch, and mechanical brakes on the rear wheels.

The Type 57 was in production between 1917 and 1919, serving as a military transport for America's top brass during The Great War. With the new Type 57, the design moved toward more streamlined appearances, with the hood louvers and windshield inclined six degrees. No fewer than seventeen factory body styles on two-wheelbase sizes were available, including five different limousines, a roadster, and even a hearse. Wheelbase lengths measured 125- and 132-inches, with the roadsters and smaller body styles occupying the 125-inch platform, and limousines, seven-passenger, and commercial vehicles on the longer 132-inch wheelbase.

The 1919 Cadillac models received minor styling updates, but no significant changes to the chassis, driveline, or engine. The hood now had twenty-five vertical louvers, the phaeton body styles were 1.5-inches lower, the brougham was replaced by a sedan with full-width front seats, and the victoria now had an aluminum, rather than leather, roof and rear quarter.

Cadillac's model for 1920 and 1921 was the Type 59 with similar designs to its Type 57 predecessor. This was followed in 1922 by the Type 61, again with similar styling. In 1926, Harley Earl was hired by General Motors to head up their Art & Color Department, and dramatic styling updates soon followed.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021