The (New) Cadillac Database© is a non-commercial, non-profit, 100% ad-free Internet resource for the old-car hobby. It is a holding of the Museum & Research Center of the Cadillac & La Salle Club, Inc. The facts, figures and images included herein attempt to retrace the history and styling of Cadillac-made automobiles from the time the Cadillac Automobile Co. was founded, in 1902. The (New) Cadillac Database© was originally compiled by Yann Saunders, a member of the Cadillac & La Salle Club, Inc., the Society of Automotive Historians and the Classic Car Club of America. It is now being updated and maintained by DLM Group, Inc.
The (New) Cadillac Database© aims at providing "the" source of reliable and complete up-to-date vetted historical information on Cadillac automobiles and related topics from the inception of the Cadillac brand in 1902 to present. The site is now being developed and maintained by DLM Group, Inc. ("DLM Group") in collaboration with Yann Saunders and the Cadillac & La Salle Club, Inc. The DLM Group team is working on enhancing the way the information is being published and updated to make it available in a responsive and accessible fashion.
The (New) Cadillac Database© maintains vetted registries of the collectible models of Cadillac automobiles that were produced in a limited number from 1902 to present. These registries are now being developed and maintained by DLM Group, Inc. ("DLM Group") in collaboration with Yann Saunders and the Cadillac & La Salle Club, Inc. The DLM Group team is working on adding new registries, enhancing the way survivors' information is being published to make it available in a responsive and accessible fashion, as well as enabling daily updates to the various registries in a semi-automated fashion.
Over the past thirty years, The (New) Cadillac Database© has established itself among hobbyists as the "go-to" website for information on collectible Cadillac automobiles. Historical information was originally collected and published to cover the first hundred years of the Cadillac brand. DLM Group, the current compiler of The (New) Cadillac Database©, is now working on expanding the scope of the information covered by The (New) Cadillac Database© to include topics documenting up the most recent years of production of automobiles built by Cadillac.
The initial focus of the registries was on keeping track of the rare V16s models produced between 1930 and 1940, the 1953 Eldorados, and the Eldorado Broughams. For the past thirty years, various supporters and contributors provided valuable information regarding the current whereabouts and conditions of these rare automobiles. DLM Group, the current compiler of The (New) Cadillac Database©, is now working on expanding the categories of survivors to include all Eldorados, Allantes, Talismans, professional cars, and more to come.
For the past thirty years, various supporters and contributors have provided historical content and survivors' information that helped evolve and maintain The (New) Cadillac Database©. DLM Group, the compiler of The (New) Cadillac Database©, is now developing a community of supporters, contributors, and experts to help augment The (New) Cadillac Database© and share their interest about the Cadillac brand. Vetted contributors will soon be able to log in and email pictures and text updates. Community members will also be able to blog and join the CML groups.io community.
The main service provided by The (New) Cadillac Database© for the past thirty years consisted of maintaining the accuracy of the historical information and survivors registries published on the site. DLM Group, the current compiler of The (New) Cadillac Database©, is now working on adding a panoply services for Cadillac hobbyists. These services will initially focus on providing access to historical and survivors information in printable form. DLM Group will also provide a full range of services for Cadillac hobbyists via an external portal.
The NCDB© retraces the history of Cadillac-made automobiles from 1902 to present. As a web-based book, the NCDB© is constantly updated. Information goes all the way back to the crest borrowed from the Lamothe family. The NCDB© provides details about the 1930s sixteen-cylinder models. It has the most complete source of facts and pictures for the 1953 Eldorado. It illustrates all the Eldorado models built between 1953 and present. It also has the most complete source of information related to the 1957-1960 Eldorado Brougham models. Other models covered include Allantes, Cimarrons, Fleetwood Talismans of the 1970s, professional cars custom built on the Cadillac chassis by M&M, Superior, S&S, and Eureka. Anecdotal cars and related stories are also given special attention such as the millionth models, Cadillacs of stars and personalities, dream cars, and so on. The NCDB© provides information about Cadillac styling codes and features such as insignia, hood mascots, horn rings, engines, and wheel covers. It covers advertisements, merchandising pamphlets, publications, technical articles, as well as known facts related to the brand. The NCDB© includes separate sections on miscellany (e.g., books, movies, songs, stamps, and models), other resources, and stories (e.g., the Hartmann V16 roadster).
The NCDB© picture-book provides a large album covering Cadillac models from 1902 to present (including the WW1 and WW2 production). The NCDB© picture-book is meant for admirers of Cadillac and LaSalle automobiles who love the way these automobiles look. The focus of the picture-book is currently on the earlier Cadillac models that you are not likely to see too often on the street, or even at car shows and club events. A large number of illustrations provided in the NCDB© picture-book were excerpted from the product catalogs and folders corresponding to the various years of production. The quality of the images is being refined on an ongoing basis as new pictures of better quality are being secured from individual collectors who are kind enough to provide them. Many pictures come from museum collections, such as the Free Library of Philadelphia. Some pictures are factory photos graciously provided through the years by the Cadillac Division's Public Relations Department. The NCDB© works closely with collectors who contribute new pictures and related material. While all the Cadillac model years are not covered at this time, considerable progress has been made since the picture-book was started in 1999. The picture-book will soon be extended to include pictures of Cadillac models that were produced from 2004 to present.
The NCDB© maintains registries of collectible Cadillac models such at the 1930s V16s, the 1953 Eldorados, and the 1957-1960 Eldorado Broughams. Yann Saunders compiled the original V16 records based on information provided by V16s owners and enthusiasts such as Rick LeForge, Craig Watrous and Terry Wenger. The NCDB© also maintains descriptions and tabular roster of survivors for the 1953 Eldorados and the 1957-1960 Eldorado Broughams. The original roster of 1953 Eldorado survivors was compiled by Yann Saunders based on information provided by Matt Larson, member and researcher-emeritus of the CLC. The roster of 1957-1960 Eldorado Brougham survivors, along with serial numbers, paint and trim codes and initial destinations, is the result of research carried out in the mid-seventies by Cy Strickler, former President of the Brougham Owners Association (BOA). Yann Saunders compiled the original records and many more survivor were brought up by Allan Dowling, Michael Brooks, Bill Buckingham, Jean-Claude Franchitti, and Jerry Jansson to name a few. DLM Group, the current compiler of the NCDB©, continues to maintain and update the original rosters of survivors and is also adding new rosters for other Eldorados, La Salles, Allantes, Cimarrons, Fleetwood Talismans, and Professional cars.
For many years, the NCDB© compiler, originally Yann Saunders, focused on developing and maintaining the historical and survivors' sections of the NCDB© collaborating closely with experts and enthusiasts from around the world. Most recently, DLM Group, the current compiler of the NCDB©, has been working on developing online collaboration capabilities to help maintain the resource and provide frequent content updates and related notifications via social media channels (e.g., FaceBook, Twitter). A collaborative library section is being added to the NCDB© to host supplemental material related to the history of the Cadillac brand. Forum capabilities are also being added to encourage discussions with experts and enthusiasts via online channels. In particular a NCDB© blog is being created to encourage discussions related to various historical and survivors related topics. The Cadillac Mailing List (CML), an international message board originally created by Rik Gruwez, was migrated from Yahoo Groups to Groups.io and will serve as the official message board for the NCDB© going forward. The NCDB© plans to organize monthly online meetings (via Zoom or other online channels) to discuss NCDB© related updates, progress, and other topics. Supporters, experts, and enthusiasts are encouraged to join the NCDB© as official members to participate in its ongoing development.
The ongoing development of the NCDB© is resource consuming. The NCDB© support team appreciates charitable online donations via the services menu on this website to keep up with updates and maintenance activities. The NCDB© support team will soon make it possible to order information packets in PDF format that will bundle information collected from various areas of the NCDB©. Access to a panoply of new online services of interest to Cadillac collectors will also be provided. This will include the ability to create survivors' individual websites linked to the survivors' information being maintained via the NCDB©. Other services will include support for virtual events (e.g., shows, auctions), chatbots (e.g., restoration helpers, intelligent Q&A agents), secure collectible automobiles location tracking, QR-code enabled NCDB© certification for collectible Cadillacs, blockchain-driven restoration crowdfunding (i.e., CollectorCoin© service), online auctions, podcasts, radio/TV channels, etc. A variety of services will be provided by partners including storage, events management, restoration, transportation, appraisals, tours, and parts reproduction. Additional services will be provided to Cadillac enthusiasts, based on interest, including support for research, sales, marketing, technology services, publications, advertising, and legal.