1902-1904 [no recorded special bodies]
Trivia:
Lot #1078 at Kruse's annual auction sale in Scottsdale, AZ, in January 2000, was an
"unknown" Cadillac described as "#1 prototype known as the first
Cadillac ever built - Sept 1902, 1 of 3 built, featured in auto magazines. Sold on
bill of sale only - no title." I have seen reports about this car. If it
is, in fact, "the first Cadillac", there is little or nothing left of it.
What I saw was an engineless [former single-cylinder] Cadillac that looked like a
1906 "tulip-bodied" runabout; the owners claim to have the original engine
"from" or "for" the car. I tend to take all the hype with the
proverbial "pinch of salt". Nonetheless, the car was reported to have been
bid up to $90,000 at Scottsdale [I believe the owner wants at least $1,000,000 for it !]
1905
[Seaman ???] (USA) First fully enclosed
Cadillac, custom-built [by Seaman Body Co ???] for Henry Leland himself and nicknamed
"Osceola" after a Seminole Indian chief. Various photos exist but I'm not sure
they all depict "Osceola", unless the car was modified and updated as the years
went by. The photo in McC, p.20, shows it with the 1907 type headlamps and square
lamps; the car has the standard 1907 fenders and no running boards. On p.18 is another
photo alleged to show the same car, which now has running boards, crowned front fenders
and no headlamps. Another (color) photo shows a Brewster green body, with black upper and
fenders; this car has the regular 1905-06 fenders and lamps but no running boards. The
photo below was taken at the annual concours d'élégance in Pebble Beach, CA, in 2002.
Freyschuss, Adolf
(Sweden) Taxi cab with landaulet roof. The poor photo below is from an
early advertisement by the Swedish agent for the marque, Fred Wagner of
Stockholm. Freyschuss built a number of these taxicabs on the Cadillac
chassis.
Photo: ©
Fred Wagner - courtesy Jan Ströman
[Unknown, USA ?] Army wagon
1906
[Unknown, USA ?] Tulip sided
wagon, possibly called "The Prospector" model.
[ Photos: Self Starter annual, 1998 ]
1907
1908
This parade Cadillac, wrongly identified as a
1903 model, appears to be a custom job from 1908
1909
[Unknown, USA] Custom limousine; photo McC,
p.38
1910
[Unknown, Italy] Custom runabout, McC
p. 41
[Unknown, USA] Custom roadster-racer
[Unknown, USA] Touring car with custom
hood and brass (or nickel?) grille shroud
1911
[Unknown, USA] Custom, stretched limousine
brougham, McC, p.45
1912
Fleetwood (???) (USA) Miniature
electric Cadillac roadster, circa one-third scale, built for W.C. Leland, Jr., the son of
Wilfrid, grandson of Henry [have photo with Leland JR and cousin driving this superb toy -
I wonder if it is still in the family?]
1913
Seaman (USA) Custom paddy wagon
[Unknown, USA] Custom coupe; possibly by Columbia
[Unknown, USA] Custom limousine, with very
long hood, photo McC, p.52
1914
Seaman (USA) Custom town coupe
Obviously taken in the dead of winter, this car
is fitted with tire chains and a protective hood cover
[Unknown, USA] Custom 7-passenger
Victoria, McC, p.56
[Unknown, USA] Custom 7-passenger Victoria
[Unknown, USA] Custom 2-door limousine, McC,
p.56
[Unknown, USA] Custom
"speedster", (article in CC&CC 8/1967, cover, pp.12-17)
1915
Cohn, M.L. "Bud"(USA) Drawings
of armored cars on 1915 Cadillac chassis. An article by Maurice Hendry on these proposed
military vehicles appeared in Self Starter, May 2007, pp.14-15.
[ Photos: courtesy Maurice Hendry and Self
Starter ]
[ Photos: courtesy CLC member Len Piskiwwicz, CA and
Self Starter ]
Kimball, C.P. (Chicago, IL, USA) I
remember seeing this Cadillac "bus" in unrestored condition, some 30 years ago,
in a club magazine. Someone must have taken on the arduous task of restoring it for
here it is, like new. It was advertized for sale in Hemmings Motor News (Internet
site) in October, 2008).
Late Extra (Sept. 2013): On a
visit to Holland in 2013, Gita and I were able to admire this huge "tour
bus" in the Louwman Museum in The Hague.
Gita and I admired this
Cadilléac "tour bus"in person" at the Louwman Museum in The Hague, in
the Fall of 2012
[ Four fall pics are courtesy of Philippe Hulet de
Limal, a Belgian member of the American Car Club be France ]
Mijnhardt Brothers (Arnhem,
NL) Custom convertible tourer
Caption reads: Carrosserie (i.e. Body)
by the Mijnhardt Brothers, of Arnhem in Voorburg, on 8-cyl Cadillac
chassis
Seaman (USA) Custom 2-passenger
convertible coupe with "Jonas top", McC, p.58
[Unknown, USA] Custom touring car
[ Not sure if this is a regular or a custom Cadillac
landaulet ]
[Unknown, USA]
Two Custom touring
car/limousine
The car on the right is a survivor
[Unknown, USA] Cadillac speedster [this
one was for sale in California in the seventies]
1916
Earl, Harley (USA) this 1916 custom
roadster was built for Gladys Smith [aka Mary Pickford, the silent-screen star and younger
sister of film producer Jack Pickford]. The photo below was supplied kindly by the
car's current owner, Steve Martin. Upon close examination of the Earl creation built
on a 1918 Cadillac chassis for Billy Burke, Director of the Siegfried Follies
[see below] and after discussing the issue at length with Keith Lowden, curator of the
Clive Cussler museum in Denver where the Burke car currently resides, Steve and Keith both
reached the conclusion - which I support - that Harley Earl built BOTH cars.
The "spoke
wheels" are merely vinyl images to show what the real wheels looked like
[Photo: © 2008, and courtesy of the owner, Steve Martin ]
Hofslageri AB (Sweden)
Custom touring car believed to have been designed by Gustaf L.M.
Ericsson, the son of L.M. Ericsson of the well-known telephone
conglomerate. The absence of a windshield must have required driver and
passengers alike to wear motoring goggles and helmets.
Photo: ©
Axel Swinhufvud, courtesy Jan Ströman
Hofslageri AB (Sweden)
Built in 1917, this was (at the time) the most expensive car body ever
built in Swden, owing in part to the exquisite materials and fittings
that were used; the curved 2-part panoramic front window glass must have
accounted for much of the high cost too. The "Elephant" hood mascot
predates the one used later by Ettpre Bugatti on his very rare "Royale"
models.
Photos: ©
Axel Swinhufvud,
Stockholm City Museum - courtesy Jan Ströman
Seaman (USA) Custom limousine, McC,
p.64
Seaman (USA) Custom berline, McC,
p.64
Seaman (USA) Custom 5-passenger
coupe
1917
Fleetwood (USA) "Packillac"
(Packard chassis with Cadillac Type 55 engine), McC, p.69
Nordberg (Sweden) pointed-nose limousine
[as illustrated in company ad for that year].
1917-1918
Holland & Morrill (USA)
for Inglis M. Uppercu, the Manhattan NY) Cadillac distributor.
Inglis Uppercu owned the "Detroit
Cadillac Co." (not to be confused with the "Cadillac Motor Car
Co.", a division of GM); The latter had a custom body department
that was headed by J.R. McLauchlen in collaboration with the
coach-building firms of Hollander & Morrill [H&M] as well as
Healey & Co. in New Jersey; H&M built only
aluminum-clad, wood-framed composite automobile bodies; Uppercu specialized in
sales of sedans, limousines, town cars and roadsters. Their bodies were much in demand with
high quality chassis retailers in Boston and New York. Uppercu was
H&M's best customer).[Extracts: © 2004 Mark Theobald - Coachbuilt.com
with special thanks to Amesbury historian Steve Klomps and the estate of
Frank F. Morrill]; SIA 4/1980, p.51, CLC,
5/90, pp.8-9 (photos).
All these photos: Internet 2015,
© 2004-2012 Coachbuilt.com, Inc.
[Unknown, USA] Custom limousine, McC,
p.69
[Unknown, USA] Custom landaulet style
This appears to be a fully convertible landaulet or
Sedanca
with a modified driver's compartment (open door areas)
1918
Brunn (USA) 1918-19 custom town car
Earl, Harley (USA) 1918 custom open
touring car for Siegfield Follies director, Billy Burke; the car is currently (2001) in
the collection of author Clive Cussler, in Denver. CO.
[Photo (left) : © 2001, Yann Saunders]
Edwards (USA) 1918 custom, boat-tail
roadster
[ Photos: Internet, 2000 ]
Fleetwood Metal Body Co. (USA) Touring
Victoria, McC, p.72
Healy (USA) Custom town car [on
1916 Cadillac chassis] (McC, p.72).
Healy (USA) Custom open tourer;
like above car but with disc wheels (below)
Nordberg (Sweden) 1918-19 custom touring
car with Mercedes-type grille
Rubay (USA) Custom touring car
Seaman (USA) Custom town car
[Unknown, USA] Custom delivery wagon.
The vehicle carries Rhode Island tags and I suspect
it may belong to Dick Shappy
[ Photos: courtesy of "Philippe", a French enthusiast and member of ACCF ]
[Unknown, Europe] 1918-19 convertible
limousine touring car
1919
Brewster (USA) Custom touring car with
cape top, seen advertised in SS 4/92, p.15 (Trevor Roycroft, 6926 Monticello Court,
Citrus Heights, CA 95621 (Tel. 916-722.4800)
Healy (USA) Custom touring car, McC,
p.76
Holmes (USA) Breakdown
Truck
Lee, Don (USA) Custom town
car landaulet
Schutte (USA) Custom sports roadster, McC,
p.76
Seaman (USA) Custom limousine brougham
[Unknown, USA] Custom 2-passenger
roadster, covered in DuPont fabric cord, McC, p.76
[Unknown, USA] Custom 2-passenger roadster
[see photo]
Wolfington (USA) Custom sedan, aluminum
body; ad in SS 3/92, p.15; this actual car was offered for sale on the Internet
(eBay Web site) in December, 2003 and again in August 2004. The reserve price was
not met. The vendor described the car as custom built by Wolfington of Philadelphia
for former Secretary of the Treasury, Henry P. Morganthau. It has been completely restored
and is all original. The engine, transmission and clutch have been rebuilt and it is quite
a beautiful close-coupled touring sedan. Mr. Morganthau specified several unique
alterations in this 1919 Cadilac including a nickel-plated radiator shell, plated
drum-style headlights, port and starboard top-mounted cowl lights (red and green) and his
initials (HMP - last name in the middle) in silver on the radiator shell. Interesting
equipment includes Cadillac engine-driven air pump for tire inflation (original hose
included), dual rear-mounted spare tires, side-mounted cowl lights, driver's side
spotlight, "fat man" steering wheel and oversize motor-driven Klaxon-type horn.
The colors are deep green body, black fenders, cream moldings and maroon insert.
