M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M  M

M-5 and M5A1: The designation of a light-tank produced at the Cadillac plant starting in April 1942; redesigned from Washington Ordnance Department's M3 light tank it was equipped with paired IG V8 engines and Hydra-Matic transmission [photos in "GM, the First 75 Years", p.108, story and photos, SSA93, pp.8-17]. A good drawing of it is included in the Cadillac sales catalog "From Peace to War" [1943-44]; there is another good photo in CA 12/92, p.17, also McC p.263.

M-8 Howitzer gun carriage: Another military vehicle built by Cadillac for its WW2 was effort. There is a good photo in the sales catalog "From Peace to War" [1943-44], also McC p.263.

M-19: An anti-aircraft vehicle manufactured at the Cadillac plant in 1945, McC p.263.

M-24: A new light tank produced at the Cadillac plant starting in 1944. The final unit was completed in August 1945; these vehicles used two paired 3-G type V8 engines and Hydra-Matic transmission; it was also known as the "Chaffee" tank [good picture in CA 12/92, p.17], also McC p.263.

M41 [or T-41] Cadillac built more than 3700 Walker Bulldog light tanks at the Cleveland Ordnance plant, for the Korean war. It carried a 76mm gun. Photo McC p.293

McCord, "Mac" : Nickname of late Tulsa, Oklahoma used Cadillac dealer who always had a varied selection of old Cadillacs for sale. At the J.C. Leake auction sale of old cars which Gita and I attended in June 1982, we met "Larry". He had heard of "Mac", the local, undisputed King of used Cadillac salesmen. He took us to Mac's show room and open-air lot. All around the block were dozens of old Cadillacs of the Fifties and Sixties, including an impressive array of Eldorados. On the show room floor [photo] were no fewer than three of the four 1954 Eldorado models on sale that day. Unfortunately "Mac" had just passed away, leaving his widow no instructions on how to dispose of the cars. One of the McCord shop mechanics was put in charge of sales but his prices were those charged at the time for perfect original or professionally restored cars. "Mac"'s cars, regrettable, were far from perfect. Result: no sale!

MacManus, Theodore Francis: The famed advertising copy writer who wrote the renowned "Penalty of Leadership" advertisement for the first Cadillac V8 in 1915. He drafted the text for this ad on the back of an envelope while on a train trip.

MacMinn, Strother: [men of Cadillac] He was a GM designer.

Madame X: (and not Madam X, as held by some [CLC, 7/91, p.10] even though that spelling does appear thus, in error according to the late Phil Dumka, in the Master Parts List dated January 2, 1934). Norm Uhlir of the Cadillac La Salle Club researched the "Madame X" story in depth; he stated that the name was given by Harley Earl to a specific group of closed V-16 models identified in the Master Parts Book by the initial digits "41". These cars shared common, basic styling characteristics such as a straight sill and belt molding and either a vertical "V" windshield or a flat one, raked back at an angle of 18°. Earl, it was said, had been inspired by the central female character in a popular stage-play/film of the period who bore the nickname "Madame X"; she was mysterious, intriguing and exciting [there have been many screen plays based on the former stage version, including one with Pauline Frederick (in 1920) [a chorus girl and actress born Beatrice Pauline Libbey (1883-1938)], Ruth Chatterton (in 1929) [Ruth (1893-1961) also played the role for the theater], Gladys George (1937), Lana Turner (1966) and Tuesday Weld and Granville Van Dusen (seventies)]. The theme centers around a politician's wife who accidentally kills her lover; her mother-in-law forces her into hiding to prevent her son's career from being ruined. "Madame X" was the first Cadillac model name ever used (like "Eldorado", "Calais", "Seville", etc.); up to that time Cadillacs had been grouped by "Model", "Series" or "Type".  Further reading:  "The Mysterious and Elusive Madam X" by Maurice Hendry, CC&CC, 6/81. "Madame X" also is the name of the most famous painting of American portraitist, John Singer Sargent; his subject was Madame Pierre Gatreau, an elegant Parisian lady who lived 50 years before the birth of Cadillac's "Madame X" model.

    
(Left): Pauline Frederick(?) as the elusive Madame X
(Right): Fleetwood style #4175, one of the rare "Madame X" body styles
(note the two different windshield styles despite identical Fleetwood style numbers)

 

For further "Madame X" reading, see H75, pp.474-475; also an article by MH in CC&CC, 6/1981, cover + pp.36-39, CLC 3/91, cover and pp.4-5, CLC, 7/91, pp.10-11, McC p.133, SCC pp.51-52. Original service department record shows that engine #337668 of the 1929 Series 341-B production got one of the first "Madame X" bodies [SS, 2/96, p.4, and SS, 10/03, pp.12-...)]; an earlier car (engine #336340) may have been the original "Madame X".

Madison Square Garden: New York landmark; first national automobile show held there from 3-10 November 1900.

Magnasteer: a continuously variable speed-sensitive steering system that provided just the right amount of road "feel" and required the same steering effort at every speed; introduced in 1996 on the Seville touring sedan (STS), Eldorado touring coupe (ETC ) and DeVille Concours models, it was part of the Northstar System. Magnasteer was made standard on all front-wheel-drive Cadillac models in 1997.

Maharajah: At least two Cadillacs were used by Indian Maharajahs before independence in 1948, when their privileges were abolished [see "Pininfarina" and V16 style 4260 for 1930-31].

Maharani: designation of special edition "mood" car for 1956 Motorama, front passenger area taken up with table, hot-plate, sink, built-in toaster, freezer, coffee percolator; there was also a "safe" and a vanity case; in Old Cars Weekly, special issue, 27.8.92, p.37, also CLCA 1979, inside rear cover; car survived breaker's yard and is currently in Joe Bortz' collection "Blue Suede Shoes", Highland Park, IL.

Mahogany Sedan: 1920 Custom Cadillac model by Don Lee, San Francisco (in reproduction copy of 1920 Don Lee catalog).

Marine Applications: Cadillac engines and transmissions were used in military and marine (naval) applications.  The images below were provided kindly by Keith Raverty of Australia; they show a 1947 Cadillac transmission housing that was used in conjunction with Cadillac engine #54259 in naval applications during the Korean conflict in the early fifties.

   
[ Photos:  ©2007, Keith Raverty ]

 

Marini, Mary Ann [nee Zukosky]: see "Zukosky"

Marsh III, Stanley: (see "Cadillac Ranch").

Mascots, Cadillac: were popularized by the US inventor Harrison Boyce, with a device patented in 1913 called the moto-meter; naturally they were used on Cadillac & LaSalle cars; they became quite ornate in the twenties and thirties, streamlined in the forties and early fifties; they gave way to insignificant front fender protuberances from the mid fifties to mid-sixties and they were gone forever on 1966 models; among them were:

1. the Goddess, with long, flowing hair
2. the Heron, MT, 100th anniversary, p.73 [mascots (1) and (2) were standard Cadillac items through 1932 - the "Heron" became standard in 1933 on V8 and V12 models; the V16s got a modified "Goddess" with a Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy" flair]
3. the LaSalle hood ornament, an accessory house item, representing René Robert Cavelier Sieur de LaSalle, CC&CC 6/1981, p.66; this is a small figure of the renowned French explorer, hat off and extended in gesture of welcome, on round base with campfire, axe, broken canoe paddle and footprint, all emblematic of the difficulties surmounted by this fearless explorer and his ability to cope with the vicissitudes of his many travels [unfortunately, it did not prevent him from being killed by his own men]; in his right hand he holds a scroll on which can be traced a map of the Mississippi, Father of Waters, and its tributaries; its creator, Edward Everett Burr ranks among the best American artists; the base is Cadillac part No. 0-150 La Salle radiator cap ornament; mascot No. 138 in Williams' "Motoring Mascots of the World"; the story can be read in SSA, 1980, p.25; SIA78, p.18 has good photo
4. the Trumpet Tooter or "Cadillac Herald", another accessory house item, marked "Cadillac Motor Car Company © 1928, Chicago, Illinois. Design Patent applied for"; dressed in the full regalia of his office, his ruff, plumed hart, trumpet and emblazoned tunic bearing the Cadillac coat of arms, the Cadillac herald is another work of art of Edward Everette Burr; It carried # H-125 of an unidentified 1929 catalog reproduced in SSA, 1980. Article in CA, 7/1984, p. 81-83; CLCA 1980, p.24; Cadillac goddess, SIA108, p.7 (excellent). N.B. the original "V16" emblems on the 1930-31 Series 452-452A were done in "cloisonné", whereas the emblems on the wheel hubs of the V8, V12 and V16 cars of 1932 were simply painted.

Mass Production (early): Here is part of an interesting merchandising piece. It came in four parts, or "Cantos"; this is the text of the first one. I guess it was intended as an ad, boasting of Cadillac's achievements which many detractors claimed could not be done. The other three "Cantos"  mention other feats that could not be done, but were. A manuscript note was pinned to the first sheet; it reads: If possible, have this news item run in your papers without alteration.

CANTO I - The worthwhile accomplishments in this world are usually things which the wiseacres with one accord, have loudly proclaimed “IT CAN’T BE DONE”. To where, perhaps, has this been more strikingly illustrated than in the automobile industry and its products. The first significant example occurred back in the year 1902. When Henry M. Leland announced that he would build 5,000 single-cylinder automobiles, immediately all hands went up. “It can’t be done.” “They’re crazy.” “Why, they can’t sell 5,000 automobiles in this whole world.” But within a year they were 2,000 more built, and within five years they were 3,000 single-cylinder Cadillac cars manufactured and marketed. No, it couldn’t be done. But it was.

       

 

"Master of Precision (Henry Leland)": A biography of Henry M. Leland, "father" of the Cadillac automobile, by his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wildrid C (Ottillie) Leland, asisted by Minnie Dubbs Millbrook.

 

Maverick: Sports car built 1953-1955 by Maverick Motors, Mountain View, Ca.; boat-tail body, 2-seater, 1941 La Salle grille, 1949-51 Lincoln headlight trim rings, '49 Mercury parking lights; low body, no doors, 1953 Cadillac motor, 210HP (others on request), manual 3-speed gearbox, wheel base 120-128", body approximately 192" long, tires 7.60 x 16.

Mays, L.N.: Men of Cadillac, general sales manager from 1.9.1962 to 31.12.1966;

M-B-D Scientific Expedition: >>>>> MH, p. 162 SS 2/66, Cadillac serviceman, July 15, 1931

McCall-White, D.: [see White, McCall D.]

McLay, Leonard: Men of GM; started GM in 1942; was associated with show cars, dream cars and executive special cars until his retirement in 1867; CLCA 1994, p.16

McDaniels, Steve: Men of Cadillac, head of Design, Blackboard Room, Styling Studio under Fleetwood president E. Schebera; participated in design of "Madam X" V16 models; is reported to have designed the "Hollywood Spinner" hubcaps for the 1933-34 V16s.

McDonald, Marie: US singer-actress, wife of Harry Karl who bought her, inter alia a stretched "75" woody by Maurice Schwartz; SIA 11, p.28, as well as a Cadillac "Le Mans" roadster he had customized by George Barris in 1954.

McLaughlin, R.S.:  President of GM Canada; at one time he owned a 1932 Cadillac V16 "Madame X" sedan, Fleetwood style #5131, which survives to this day.

McLaughlin Motors: [>>>>> GM Canada]

McNaughton, Lynn: Men of Cadillac, general sales manager from May 1919 to December 1925;

Medallion restoration: article on 1941 Cadillac, CLCA 1989, p.22-23.

Meadow Brook (Hall) is the popular venue for the annual Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, a collector car show. Over the years, the Concours d’Elegance has raised and contributed more than $5,000,000 to the preservation of the mansion, which is the former home of Matilda Dodge Wilson, the widow of John Dodge, the automobile giant. She was born Matilda Rausch in 1883, in Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of German immigrants. A one-time secretary for Dodge Brothers Motor Cars, in 1907, she was fortunate to wed her boss, John Francis Dodge. They acquired the property in 1908 and named it Meadow Brook Farms. In 1925, after the death of her first husband and her subsequent betrothal to lumber baron Alfred Wilson, she added a grand Tudor-revival style mansion that she named Meadow Brook Hall, where she lived until her death in 1967. Cadillac Motor Car Division of   GM has long used the mansion forecourt and facade as a sophisticated backdrop for photographing the years' new models.

           
These photos are often ID'd as a 1958 Eldorado Brougham;
in fact it is car #2 of the 1957 production; it was primrose yellow !

   
The 1967 and 1971 models were also photographed at this location

Merlettes: Mythical birds used in the coat of arms designed by Antoine Laumet, self-styled Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, founder of Detroit in 1701. Martlet in English, the latter bird belongs to the martin family. Webster says it is probably a deformation/alteration of martinet, being a diminutive of the martin. Not a duck, for sure, but certainly a bird that lives close to water. See also Coat of Arms. In the Fall of 1999, Cadillac announced the first change in its shield-and-crest emblem design since 1963; the new design [below, far right] was used first in Cadillac advertisements, in 1999, then on the cars themselves in 2002, that year being the 100th anniversary of the first Cadillac automobile. The new emblem became slightly wider and flatter; the 4-quartered shield in the traditional colors of red, black, silver, gold and blue all remained but the seven-pointed crown above it was removed, as were also the heraldic birds or merlettes.

Trivia: White swans replaced the traditional black merlettes on Cadillacs types 53, 55 and 57 of 1916 through 1919 [third emblem from left, below]; the reason for the change is given in the magazine Antique Automobile for November-December 1993. The writer, Mr. Ed Jacobowicz of Connecticut, explains that this was a gesture of gratitude towards a Mr. Albert C. Swan, formerly co-owner of Smith & Swan, a company that had given Cadillac precious help after the disastrous plant fire of April 1904 when it had not been possible for Cadillac to build any cars for some three months. The firm reverted to the black merlettes in 1920.

Birth and evolution of the Cadillac coat of arms
Far left: the arms of Baron Sylvester of Esparbes de Lussan that Antoine Laumet
(aka Antoine De Lamothe-Cadillac- founder of Detroit) "borrowed" for his own made-up family crest
(second and third from left); far right: the New Millennium crest (no "coronet", no "birds")

 

Merriman, Wayne: (of Kansas City) believed to be the most knowledgeable person about V16 models (CLC, 2/90, p.11)

Metal back: if this indication appeared in a factory record sheet, it may be assumed that the basic body style was offered with a leather roof covering as standard equipment and the customer asked that it be omitted.

Metallic paints: These apparently were "invented" accidentally, in 1928, when a steel mixing ball broke up while mixing a batch of maroon lacquer for three Cadillac show cars of 1928 (CLC 4/92, p.8). "Duco" [DuPont de Nemours] apparently started to offer them already in 1928 but Cadillac did not list them as standard until 1936. However, many 1932 show cars were listed as having "Opalescent" colors, so it may be assumed that these colors were optionally available on standard models. The metal content increased in the Fifties. "Fire Frost" colors appeared in 1963 and "Firemist" in 1964.

Meteor Motor Car Company: of Piqua, Ohio, specialized in manufacture of funeral coaches and ambulances, many on Cadillac chassis. See also entry "Miller-Meteor".

Metzger, William E.:  Men of Cadillac. He was a cycle vendor before becoming an important figure in the development of the auto industry. In 1895, Metzger traveled to England to attend the world's first auto exhibit and shortly after became Detroit's first auto dealer, representing several lines of cars. In 1899, he and Seneca G. Lewis of the Fletcher Hardware Co. leased the Light Guard Armory and organized the Tri-State Sportsman's and Automobile Association for the exhibit of sporting goods and automobiles. The show attracted 200 sportsmen from all parts of the country and so elated the promoters that they threw a celebration at the old Russell House, which absorbed all the profits from the show.  The Tri-State show was repeated at the Light Guard Armory in 1900 and 1901, with a dog show providing added curbside appeal. In 1902, Henry Ford withdrew from the Detroit Automobile Co.;  Henry M.Leland succeeded Ford at the Detroit Automobile Co. and reorganized it as the Cadillac Motor Car Co., with William Metzger as the first sales manager; he kept that position through 1908. His automobile garage on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit was the first outlet for the new Cadillac automobiles starting in 1903. At the NY Salon in January 1903 he had taken orders for 2286 Cadillacs by mid-week, each with a $10 deposit; not bad considering total production for the year was 2497 units! [excerpted in part from an article by Patricia Zacharias / The Detroit News].

Mexican Road Race: [see "Carrera Panamerica"] From 1950-1954, this most grueling, treacherous and intimidating endurance race started from Juarez, and covered 2135 miles of Mexican ‘roads’. The first one was run in 1950. Old Cars Weekly ran a story about it in the issue dated  August 17, 2006. Ed Stringer drove a '54 Cadillac in the race; his co-pilot was Nolan Zimmermann and the car was sponsored by Adolph Otterstein, the Coors beer distributor in Pueblo, Co. (info from Elmer L. Giltner, La Junta, Co). Cadillacs of the early fifties were considered so robust as to be able to endure the race. The survivor, below, is a '53 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special ...with an Olds engine!

       

   

 

Meyer, Paul: [Men of Cadillac] is best known for his Buick"Y-Job" design; He joined GM's  "Art & Color" in 1934 where he worked with, inter alia, Bill Mitchell, Roy Brown, Art Ross, Vic Froelich and George Jergensen  He left GM in the late thirties and went to work for Chris-Craft boats.  Notes in CA, 8/99, p.74

Meyer, Henry: Men of Cadillac; chief designer of 1992 Seville and Eldorado.

Michelotti, Giovanni: Italian automobile designer; was responsible for Vignale body for "Bill Frick Special" [see sections above and below]; Michelotti died 1984.

Milan, Cadillac:  A custom two-door roadster designed and built on the 1978 Seville chassis.  Only 509 units were built.  It has a 350V8 with fuel injection.

Military production: [see "WW1 and WW2"]

Miller, Walter [non-Cadillac]: N.Y. Vendor of automobile literature.

Miller, Wellington, Everett: He was a well-known collector of automobile sales literature from around the world. When he passed away, his collection was acquired by the Blackhawk Museum in California. The Herculean task of sorting and indexing that enormous collection [truckloads of it!] befell my friend, the late Gene Babow.

Miller-Meteor: The first Meteor funeral coach was built in 1915; in the early years, the car was sold by mail notices and bargain sales flyers.  The Twin-Six combination ambulance/hearse was made in 1916 and used a 12-cylinder motor [not Cadillac]. In 1917 a carved-side coach was added to the range; that year, the manufacturer, A.J. Miller of Bellefontaine, OH, began to build complete cars themselves [prior to that they had made only bodies for mounting on the the Meteor chassis]. A new 8-pass. combination model was built in 1921.  In 1923  there was disagreement between Miller and Meteor when the former began building on the Studebaker chassis; the animosity between the two lasted for three decades. In 1933, Meteor adopted the regular Buick chassis in lieu of their own.  In 1953, the A.J. Miller Co celebrated their 100th Anniversary. In 1954,  Meteor was acquired by Wayne Works [later a division of DIVCO-WAYNE CORP., Bellefontaine, Ohio]; A.J. Miller Co was acquired by that company too, in 1956 [March 19]. The first Miller-Meteor coaches were marketed in 1957.  In 1958 there was a record breaking single order for 40 funeral cars. In 1962 the company  was the largest manufacturer of funeral cars and ambulances on the Cadillac chassis; sales broke all records. In 1963, Miller-Meteor announced a completely new line of models.  In 1966 the line comprised 13 basic models. Extending tables for all rear-loaders were offered in 1968.  By 1970, the model range was up to 34; that was also the last year for the Miller-Meteor flower car. 1971 was named the 100th Anniversary year for Miller-Meteor funeral cars and ambulances; a new line was introduced. Cadillac's last full-sized commercial chassis was built in 1976 and, in 1977, Miller-Meteor continued its production on van-type chassis.  In 1979 the plant closed down and in 1 984 the name was acquired by Collins Industries, Inc. Eureka Coach and Miller-Meteor were consolidated in 1992.  See also hearse story by J. Teulière in Bond (scoops on rear fenders were NOT for air-conditioning, but merely to supply   continuous-temperature fresh air to the rear compartment heater. The Miller-Meteor Trimatic system consisted of a 3-way table for hearse models, allowing loading from the rear as well as from the LH and RH side doors.

Million-Guiet: French coach-builder, did proposal on 1928 chassis, CLCA 1989, p.11.

Millionth Cadillac models: Cadillac's one millionth car was built on 25.11.1949 (it was a 1949 Coupe de Ville) [see "Cadillac Craftsman" 6/77 p.12]; a survey carried out at that time revealed that almost half of all Cadillacs built from 1902 through 1949 were still in active service. It took only eight years to produce the first million post-war cars [according to a Cadillac ad dated 28.5.56] "This week Cadillac will produce its millionth car since 1945". The two millionth was built on 07.02.58 (1958 Sedan de Ville) [see McC p.328 and "Cadillac Craftsman" 6/77 p.13]; two-and-a-half millionth was a 1962 coupe [see CS11, p.57]; three millionth was built in 1964 [exact date and model not known for sure - Sabatés says 4 November]; four millionth was built on 19.06.69 (1969 Coupe de Ville) [see McC p.378 & 383 and "Cadillac Craftsman" 6/77 p.15]; five millionth was built on 27.07.73 (1973 HT Sedan de Ville) [see McC p.399]; five millionth post-war model was built on 29.04.76 (1976 Seville) [see book "Cadillac Seville" by Faulconer, p. 45]; six millionth was built on 07.02.77 (1977 Seville) [see McC p.417 and "Cadillac Craftsman" 1-2/77 cover]; seven millionth was built on 20.11.79 (1980 Fleetwood Brougham) [see CCI 28:2]; eight millionth {???}; nine millionth {???}; ten millionth {???} {HAS THE 10,000,000TH BEEN BUILT ???}. To be noted also: Cadillac annual sales exceeded 100,000 units for the first time in 1950; the 100,000th car that year, a Fleetwood 60S sedan, came off the line on 16.11.1960.

[Misc.]: Here's an interesting shop front (or mall entrance) that looks like a 1970 Cadillac front  ensemble

 

Mitchell, William "Bill": Men of Cadillac, stylist, chief designer from Autumn 1936 to 16.10.1949; then GM Vice-President.  The Wall Street Journal called him "a legend of his time" and there is no doubting that he will be remembered (as will be also his mentor, Harley Earl) as one of the greatest designers in automotive history.  Born July 2, 1912 in Cleveland, OH, he joined  GM in 1935; became president of Design Staff in 1958 and held that position until he retired in 1977.  He died September 12, 1988 (obituary in CA 1/89). Articles: "The Mitchell Era", MC summer 1977, pp.10-13; examples of 1941 styling development, SIA9-10/1976, p.58,  CA "Collectible Automobile Calls on ...", 3/1985, p.19; also photo in CA 3/1985, p.19; CA 12/92, p.43, CA 8/99, p.75. Some Mitchell aphorisms: GH, p.144-5. See also CC,  10/77. There is an article in French on Bill Mitchell in Auto Moto Retro, #104, 4/89, pp.26-32

Bill Mitchell (3rd from left)
with a young Chuck Jordan (far left)

Long-time CLC member Doug Houston, Jr. sent this image taken on the occasion of Mr. Mitchell's funeral procession on September 16, 1988. In the procession were a number if cars for which the renowned stylist was responsible (1938 Cadillac Series Sixty Special, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 1963 Buick Riviera and 1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante. Doug drove his own 1938-60S in the procession). GM Photographic took the photo, below, which was kindly supplied to Doug by the late Dave Holls. The four ground-breaking cars mentioned here were featured also in Mr. Mitchell's obituary, that was mailed to his associates and friends. 

Leading the funeral procession into White Chapel Memorial Park, Detroit,
is the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette designed by Mitchell. Behind it is the hearse,
followed by the 1938 Sixty Special driven by Doug Houston, Jr.,
then the equally famous 1963 Buick Riviera, also a Mitchell design

 

 "Model A to Seville (From)": Title of an article by MH in CC 2/1977. pp.16-31; it mentions the 1914 model "30", the 1928 Sport Phaeton, the 1933 V16 convertible Victoria; other photos include Henry Leland on horseback, a V12 roadster, the 1933 aerodynamic coupe, a 1934 convertible coupe, the 1934 V16 aerodynamic coupe, the 1941 "60-S", the 1955 "Celebrity" show car and the 1962 series "62" convertible.

Model Thirty: 4-cylinder, 30HP car [hence the name] introduced by Cadillac in 1908 and soon it gad boosted Cadillac sales to over 10,000 units a year.

Moloney: [not Maloney] Coach-builders [1989 address: 2640 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618 [Ph. (312) 463.8012, Fax (312) 463.4916, Mr. Hampton E. Brown III was Manufacturers' Representative. They offered a number of conversions of standard Cadillac body styles, including the 4-door "Executive Limousine" and "Executive Town Sedan" and the 2-door "El Doral" conversion of the Coupe de Ville and Eldorado coupe [I guess these names are copyrighted to Moloney and I hereby credit them with that fact]. Among their styling features were a customized, rust resistant brass-based, hand-formed hood cap and side stanchions (grille), padded landau top and matching upper door saddles, false landau bars, sunroof with retractable wind deflector, reduced-size rear window, oval (vertical) side opera windows and in some case a Lincoln MKIV styled rear deck. In more recent years the company has specialized in the manufacture of stretched limousines for airport and livery service. Unfortunately I don't have any production figures; if you happen to obtain that information I would be glad if you would share it with me. Some Moloney conversions of Cadillac cars are described in McC.

Moon Discs: a smooth, chrome-plated, convex hub cap or full wheel disc, sometimes with a full width "spinner" blade (used as a grip to remove the cover) that flickered as the car was under way; these were a popular Hollywood accessory in the Thirties and Cadillac used them on a number of V16 models starting in 1933.

Moon, George: He was responsible for interior design at Cadillac from 1964 to 1970.

Motor Show: [see "Automobile Show"]

Montgomery, Patricia "Pat": Succeeded Bill Knight as PR chief; graduated in journalism from University of Missouri; 13 year with American Airlines; PR director of GM's Hyatt roller bearings

 

Moon, George: Men of Cadillac; chief of interior design studio during development of '67 Eldorado

Motor Life: Quality pre-war US trade magazine featuring nice ads (some non-Cadillac color ads were featured already in 1916) [seen French National Library, Versailles, 2/96]

"Motor Klassik": A German-language magazine which sometimes includes articles/pictures on Cadillac cars [seen in HW collection 1993 {***}]. Check out the following issues: 5/85 [1955 Cadillac convertible story, 1/86 [p.17, contains an ad with a 50s Cadillac], 8/86 [p.33, special LaSalle body by Weinsberg, 9/86 [Italian Cadillac ad., circa 1920], 12/86 [p. 93, 1964 Eldorado], 5/87 [pp.52-53, 1925 Cadillac limousine, Swiss number VS819 (nice photo)], 8/87 [pp. 3-11, 1956 Cadillac and others], 4/88 [report on Sotheby auction on 7.3.1988, Geneva, in which the "Vatican" 1938 V-16 - style 9053 - is said to have been bid up to 240,000SFr], 2/89 [p.97, Calvo Colucci ad. featuring 1967 Cadillac grille], 3/89 [p3. and pp. 40-50, Marmon V16 vs. Cad V16 style 4380, 5/90 [1955 Cadillac by Bianchi, 7/90 [1960 Eldorado Biarritz (like ours) sold for 190,000FF], 9/90 [1931 V16 convertible in condition "2" was reported sold in Interlaken for 375000SFr; another 1931 V16 coupe in condition "1 - 2" was reported sold at the same time for 155,000SFr]; a 1958 Eldorado Brougham in condition "2" went for 85000 SFr], 3/91 [p.81, Aerodynamic roadster with Figoni-Falaschi type body, i.e. fully enclosed fenders, like the Hartmann 1937 V16], 5/91 [pp. 35-37, Cadillac meet Castelsarrasin, July 1991], 6/91 [p.77, Christie's auction entitled "Magnificent Marques", held in Monaco 6.5.1991 where alleged 1939 - in fact 1938 - "Vatican" V-16 Town Car is said to have been bid to 185000SFr], p.55 Müller & Hensel were offering a 1959 Eldorado Brougham for sale], 8/91 [p.53, includes an ad. for the annual Auburn auction which mentions a Cadillac V16 with body by Saoutchik - no picture (but probably Le Gallais car, seen at Gilmore Museum "Cadillac Experience" in June 1993)], 10/91, p.72, report on Christie's Auction at Pebble Beach on 18.8.1991 reporting the "hammer price" on a Murphy-bodied 1930 Cadillac V16 tourer of $325000].

Motorama [or Autorama]: Aptly described by Maurice Hendry as "those gaudy carnivals of girls, glitter and gladiolas", the automobile extravaganzas staged by GM in the Fifties were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with arrogant displays of fancy prototypes and other special or "mood" cars. The Motorama shows grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's yearly industrial luncheons at NY's Waldorf Astoria, of which the first dates back to 1931. They were almost invariably held in conjunction with the NY Auto Show. After WW2, the first Motorama was staged again at NY's Waldorf Astoria in January 1949; it was called the "Transportation Unlimited" Autorama; between the NY venue and the Boston extension, nearly 600,000 people saw the show, where seven "special" Cadillacs were exhibited including, inter alia, a 61 coupe and 62 sedan that were standard except for paint, the "Caribbean", "The Embassy" and the "Fleetwood Coupe de Ville" all built on the 60S chassis [overview, Sch40, pp.152-3]. The 1950 edition brought over 320,000 visitors to NY show; exhibited, inter alia, was the Cadillac "Debutante", a special convertible trimmed in leopard skins [a model that would not go down well today...]. There was no Autorama or Motorama in 1952; that year Cadillac celebrated its Golden Anniversary [50 years of production]. Two show cars were on display at various venues around the country: the “Townsman”, a custom "Sixty Special" sedan and the  “Eldorado” convertible. The show became known as the "Motorama" when it began to travel around the country in 1953; that year more than 1.4 million visitors saw the show; there was a show revue with orchestra, singers, dancers; on show that year were the Buick "Wildcat", Pontiac "La Parisienne", Oldsmobile "Starfire", Chevrolet "Corvette", Cadillac "Orleans" and "Le Mans". More than 1.9 million visitors attended the show in 1954; it started on 26 January at the Waldorf Astoria in New York; shown were the experimental Oldsmobile "F88" and "Cutlass", Buick "Wildcat II", Chevrolet "Nomad" station wagon, GM "Firebird XP-21", Cadillac "El Camino", "La Espada" and "Park Avenue", all with fiberglass bodies. The 1955 show dates were New York 20-25 Jan., Miami 5-13 Feb., Los Angeles, 5-13 March, San Francisco 26 Mar. - 3 Apr., Boston 23 Apr. - 1 May); shown were the Buick "Wildcat III", Chevrolet "Bel Air Nomad", Cadillac "LaSalle II" roadster and sedan, and Cadillac "Eldorado Brougham". In 1956 over 2.2 million visitors attended; the dates were New York 19-24 Jan., Miami 4-12 Feb., Los Angeles 3-11 Mar., San Francisco 24 Mar. - 1 Apr., Boston 19-29 Apr.); shown were the Buick "Centurion", GM's "Firebird II", Oldsmobile "Golden Rocket", Pontiac "Club de Mer", Cadillac "Eldorado Brougham" and "Eldorado Brougham Town Car". No shows were held for the next two years. No Motorama was staged in 1957 but Cadillac did display a couple of show cars at various venues:  the "Director" and the 1956 Eldorado Brougham town car of the previous year. Again, there was no Motorama show in 1958 but Cadillac exhibited nonetheless a special Eldorado Biarritz convertible with a rain sensor designed to automatically raise the top and all  window glass in case of a rain shower. In 1959 the "Motorama" was held from October 16-22, 1958 at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, before moving on to Boston; shown were GM's "Firebird III" and the Cadillac "Cyclone". The final show was held in 1961 in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles; over 1 million visitors attended. Usually, over 100 trucks were needed to carry the show around country, each arriving at a precise time and in a given order. Cars and simultaneous revues were displayed on lifting, revolving platforms known as "grass-hoppers". Some 10.5 million visitors saw - and loved - the shows between 1949 and 1961. More in MT, 4/55, p.21-25; SIA21, pp.24-29, SIA Mar-Apr 1974, CLC 3/96, pp.12-14, book "Dream Cars of the Fifties" by Bruce Berghoff; GM's 1st 75 Years, pp.140-145. Don't miss the book, GMs Motoramas by David W. Temple According to GM records, they were held only 8 times in the period from 1949 to 1961:

1949, at New York and Boston (591,971 visitors)
1950, at New York alone (320,583 visitors) "mid-Century Motorama" ??? Star attraction was Cadillac's tawny yellow "Debutante" convertible, upholstered in silver satin and Somaliland leopard (the robe cord was made of leopard tail), with gold-plated hardware.

   
GM's five brands were displayed on this "clover-leaf" platform dubbed "pillar of progress";
illustrated were 5 decades of progress by Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac;
Right;  bird's eye view of the "Debutante" convertible

1951 [???] In an issue of Popular Science for October 1951 is mentioned the Los Angeles Motorama, to be held the following month, i.e November 1951. Presumably, this a "special", held outside of  GM's patronage. There is no mention of it in David Temple's excellent book, GM's Motorama. I have also an ad for that event, showing the dates Nov. 7-11 and the  venue as the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. A "flying autmobile", a $10.000 "Automotive Art Displaay" and a   Russian-built  "Zis" automobile  that had been "captured" in Korea, were to be among the attractions at the show.

1953, at New York (1,405,143 visitors); the show opened in New York on Jan. 17 and the tour included Miami [Feb. 12-17], Chicago [Mar. 14-22], Los Angeles [Apr. 11-19], San Francisco [May 1-7], Dallas [May 15 - May 24], Kansas City [Jun. 6-14] - these show dates are from a GM Press Release dated Jan. 22, 1953]

   
Centre-stage: the 1953 Cadillac Eldorado

   
The new Eldorado is seen at far right of B&W photo and center of colored photo

1954, at New York [opened 1.21.54], Miami [Feb.], Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago (1,926,864 visitors)

    
(Left): Overview of the 1954 Motorama; you can see in the center La Espada in her protective enclosure; this original photo was found
 in an old factory album that had been discarded; found, later in a dumpster, in MI, the album was subsequently sold on e-Bay
(Right): This second view, from the opposite direction, shows a front 3/4 ciew of the La Espada;
in the lower LH cormer is an unknown custom job, apparently with a leather roof coveriug 

    

1955, at New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston (2, 237,055 visitors)

             
Here are two views from the 1955 GM Motorama.   Not easily
recognizable in the diminutive photo (right) are the LaSalle II sedan
(center) and the Eldorado Brougham prototype (center, right)

   
On the center dais, left, you can see the prototype Eldorado Brougham sedan
in the center of the photo, right, is the Celebrity special coupe with vinyl top (previewing the 1956 Seville)

1956, at New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston (2,348,241 visitors)

    
(Right) Not easy to see the '56 Cadillac sedan, slightly off center

         
(Right) Overview of the show with Cadillac's Eldorado Brougham town car at left (RH image)

One much acclaimed model: the new, 1956 Eldorado Biarritz

 

1959, at New York and Boston, in October 1958 (606,494 visitors)

   
GM's "Big Five" models on display at the 1959 Motorama
RH photo enlargement [upper tier]: Oldsmobile (left), Buick (right)
Lower tier: Cadillac (left), Chevrolet (center) and Pontiac (right)
[ Photo:  © 1959, GM/Cadillac; from the collection of Jean-Michel Roux ]

       
These stills are from the video Those GM Motoramas:
The five cars (advertizing GM's 5 brands) had no engines,  transmissions, seat bottoms nor trunk liners, to limit their weight on the
"grasshoper" display stage; all were painted Pearl-Mist white, a new Dupont finish that unfortunately oxidized and yellowed very quickly

O

   
Above two rows: The Cadillac stand at the 1959 GM Motorama in Boston (?);  recognizable are a
Series 62 convertible in Argyle blue metallic, a Series 60 Special in black and a Coupe de Ville in white
[ Photos:  © 1959, GM/Cadillac; from the collection of Jean-Michel Roux ]

1959, "GM Centennial Exposition - 1959" in Portland, OR)

 

 

1961, at New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco (1,026,928 visitors)

The Motorama shows grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's yearly industrial luncheons at NY's Waldorf Astoria, of which the first dates back to 1931. They were almost invariably held in conjunction with the NY Auto Show. After WW2, the first Motorama was staged again at NY's Waldorf Astoria in January 1949; it was called the "Transportation Unlimited" Autorama; between the NY venue and the Boston extension, nearly 600,000 people saw the show, where seven "special" Cadillacs were exhibited including, inter alia, a 61 coupe and 62 sedan that were standard except for paint, the "Caribbean", "The Embassy" and the "Fleetwood Coupe de Ville" all built on the 60S chassis [overview, Sch40, pp.152-3]. The 1950 edition brought over 320,000 visitors to NY show; exhibited, inter alia, was the Cadillac "Debutante", a special convertible trimmed in leopard skins [a model that would not go down well today...]. There was no Autorama or Motorama in 1952; that year Cadillac celebrated its Golden Anniversary [50 years of production]. Two show cars were on display at various venues around the country: the “Townsman”, a custom "Sixty Special" sedan and the  “Eldorado” convertible. The show became known as the "Motorama" when it began to travel around the country in 1953; that year more than 1.4 million visitors saw the show; there was a show revue with orchestra, singers, dancers; on show that year were the Buick "Wildcat", Pontiac "La Parisienne", Oldsmobile "Starfire", Chevrolet "Corvette", Cadillac "Orleans" and "Le Mans". More than 1.9 million visitors attended the show in 1954; it started on 26 January at the Waldorf Astoria in New York; shown were the experimental Oldsmobile "F88" and "Cutlass", Buick "Wildcat II", Chevrolet "Nomad" station wagon, GM "Firebird XP-21", Cadillac "El Camino", "La Espada" and "Park Avenue", all with fiberglass bodies. The 1955 show dates were New York 20-25 Jan., Miami 5-13 Feb., Los Angeles, 5-13 March, San Francisco 26 Mar. - 3 Apr., Boston 23 Apr. - 1 May); shown were the Buick "Wildcat III", Chevrolet "Bel Air Nomad", Cadillac "LaSalle II" roadster and sedan, and Cadillac "Eldorado Brougham". In 1956 over 2.2 million visitors attended; the dates were New York 19-24 Jan., Miami 4-12 Feb., Los Angeles 3-11 Mar., San Francisco 24 Mar. - 1 Apr., Boston 19-29 Apr.); shown were the Buick "Centurion", GM's "Firebird II", Oldsmobile "Golden Rocket", Pontiac "Club de Mer", Cadillac "Eldorado Brougham" and "Eldorado Brougham Town Car". No shows were held for the next two years. No Motorama was staged in 1957 but Cadillac did display a couple of show cars at various venues:  the "Director" and the 1956 Eldorado Brougham town car of the previous year. Again, there was no Motorama show in 1958 but Cadillac exhibited nonetheless a special Eldorado Biarritz convertible with a rain sensor designed to automatically raise the top and all  window glass in case of a rain shower. In 1959 the "Motorama" was held from October 16-22, 1958 at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, before moving on to Boston; shown were GM's "Firebird III" and the Cadillac "Cyclone". The final show was held in 1961 in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles; over 1 million visitors attended. Usually, over 100 trucks were needed to carry the show around country, each arriving at a precise time and in a given order. Cars and simultaneous revues were displayed on lifting, revolving platforms known as "grass-hoppers". Some 10.5 million visitors saw - and loved - the shows between 1949 and 1961. More in MT, 4/55, p.21-25; SIA21, pp.24-29, SIA Mar-Apr 1974, CLC 3/96, pp.12-14, book "Dream Cars of the Fifties" by Bruce Berghoff; GM's 1st 75 Years, pp.140-145.

Motorama albums: superb artwork for Cadillac General Managers prepared by GM Styling and previewing Motorama displays; author saw and photographed some of these albums (all about 3x2 feet in size) during a visit to the GM Styling Center in September 1994.

   

   


These artist's drawings are from a unique color album of the 1954 GM Motorama
prepared for then GM President and CEO,  Harlowe H. Curtice
[ Original drawings courtesy Cadillac Styling Studio - photos:  © 1994, Yann Saunders  ]

 

Motorama Showroom [preparation of]: photo in Classic & Sportscar, 4/92, p. 145

Motoramas and Show Models: see "Dream Cars"

Motorbooks International: US publishing house where many books and publications on Cadillac and La Salle automobiles may still be purchased.

Motors: [see "Engines"]

Movies (Cadillacs in): To my knowledge there is no exhaustive listing of films in which Cadillacs played a leading role. In CLC 7/91, p.10 are mentioned the following three pre-war movies featuring Cadillacs: "The vagabond Lover" (D/C phaeton), "Public Enemy" (LaSalle convertible ) and "Thanks a million" (32 V16 D/C phaeton - a very rare car since only two were built). In the same issue of the CLC magazine we are told that member Tim Pawl was making up a video tape containing Cadillacs in the Movies. Many post-war movies have featured Cadillacs; those I can remember are "The Babe Ruth Story" (1918 Cadillac, 1922 touring car), "Driving Miss Daisy" ('49-61 sedanette, and others - CLC 1/90, p.3) "Ghostbusters" ('59 ambulance), "Every which way but loose" (custom 4-door convertible ), "Pink Cadillac" ('59 convertible), "(Another) 48 Hours" ('64 convertible ), "Tin Men" (lots of Cadillacs of the Fifties and Sixties), >>>>> SIA106, pp54-55; see also Stars and Cars.

Mueller, Hans J.:, did article on destination of first generation V-16's (CC, Vol. XXXV. No. 4) Taylor Vinson said in 9/1992 that he had passed on.

Mulliner, H.J. & Co., Ltd., London: UK-based coach-building firm. They fashioned at least one body on the 143" wheel base V12 chassis for 1930-31. It is illustrated in a rare literature item issued in 1931 by the UK Cadillac dealers, Lendrum and Hartman in London. The car was dark blue below the horizontal belt line, cream above and had black fenders. The notable styling features were the full disc wheel covers which Cadillac used on its production models in 1932, and the fitted trunk in matching body colors. A four-door town sedan style with almost vertical, flat windshield, the car featured "suicide" doors in the rear.

Multi-Cylinder Cars: (rebirth of), SIA64, pp.(???), SIA66, pp.6-7

Muntz, Earl "Madman": built a total of 28 Cad-powered sports car (see "Muntz Jet") out of a total of 394 [349 ???] cars built from 1950-54; CA 9/85, p.3 + pp.50-63.

Muntz Jet: Cadillac-powered sports car by Earl "Madman" Muntz, a TV manufacturer. Used Kurtis chassis stretched by 3", 4-seater, 28 were built in 1950, 230 between 1951-52. Used 331.1 ci Cadillac motor giving 160HP at 3800 rpm, also used Hydra-Matic transmission, wheel base was 113", length 178", tires 7,60 x 15 (photos); SIA6, p.30; article "Whatever Happened to Madman Muntz" in CA 9/1985. p.59. Fine preserved example: Imperial Palace Museum, Las Vegas (admired 3/96).  See also "Car Collector" 1974 Yearbook..

Murphy, Walter: US coach-builder; did Phaeton body in 1928 [custom photo album] and another on Series 452-452A V16; his creations were characterized by very slender windshield pillars; Christie's Auction at Pebble Beach on 18.8.91, "hammer price" of Murphy-bodied 1930 Cadillac V16 tourer was $325,000, MK 10/1991, p.72 (HW collection) {***}; excellent photos AQ.

Murphy, William H. Men of Cadillac; he was the treasurer of the initial Cadillac Automobile Company.

Murray, Fred H.: Men of Cadillac, general sales manager from 1.1.1957 to 31.12.1962; photo with 2.5 millionth Cadillac, CLCA 1994, p.7

Museum (Cadillac): The Cadillac Historical Museum officially opened on 27 Oct. 1990 on the third floor of the manufacturing building at the Clark Street plant in Detroit. Plans had begun in 1988. The museum was in the process of moving to new premises in Warren, in Sept. 1994, after Cadillac had moved all its operations to that area of N. Detroit. The new museum was scheduled to be in its new premises in November 1994 (Article CLC 1/90, pp.10-11, also CLC 10/94, p.9)

Museums (Cadillac): Ed Cholakian collection [1940s], the late Robert Keyaerts collection, Château de Planchoury, Langeais, France [1920s to 1980s]; the museum was opened in May 1991 by Magali & Geneviève, his daughters; Saito-San, Tokyo (private collection ), SIA90, pp.62-65. Other museums with one or more Cadillac-LaSalle exhibits: National Belgian Museum of Transport, Brussels, Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne, Aalholm Museum (J.O. Raben collection ), Ringe, Denmark , Baghdad Auto Museum (cars of former royal family), Baghdad, Iraq [I had the opportunity to visit it shortly before the Gulf war] >>>>>

 

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Nacker, Owen Milton: Men of Cadillac, father of two generations of V16 motors; photo SIA 4/1980, p.22.   See also "Car Collector", 2/74.

N.A.H.C.: these are the initials of the National Automobile History collection of the Detroit Public Library [5201 Woodward Av., Detroit, MI 48202 - Ph. 313-833-1456, Fax 313-833-1429], where much of the information in this Database was found and collated in 1994. Current [1996] holdings exceed  485,000 items that include periodicals, books, photos, automobile literature, trim books; also included are 100,000 items that still need to be catalogued. The collection is closed to the public Sundays and Mondays; hours are 1-5 p.m, except Wednesday (5-9 p.m.);  the curator [1996] is Mark Patrick.

N.A.R.T.: [see 1967 Cadillac, and Zagato].

Nash-Healey: U.K. sports car of which at least one claimed to have been built with Cadillac motor, SIA71, p.14; other source says none built (CA 9/85, pp.8-23).

Needlepoint: [French: petit point] An ornate sewing stitch design frequently used for family and other decorative medallions on the seat backs of town cars.

Negative advertising: [advertisements denigrating Cadillacs] [1] by Chrysler, in Gourmet, 3/1992, p.11.

Nethercutt, Jack Boison  was co-founded Merle Norman Cosmetics and used part of his wealth from the company to assemble one of the world's greatest automobile collections, housed in two buildings in Sylmar, CA.   At the time, it was visible by appointment only. Gita and I were fortunate to be introduced (in June 1978) by Bob Blake, a close friend from California. J.B. died. December 6, 2004 at the age of  91; his health had been failing for some time. He survived his wife, Dorothy, only very briefly.  She died of cardiac arrest on October 8, 2004; the couple had been married 71 years!  The Nethercutt Collection and Museum includes nearly 250 automobiles, and has become a Mecca for car enthusiasts and collectors since it opened in the 1970s. Car collector Jay Leno, the host of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, knew Mr. Nethercutt and praised the breadth and quality of his collection. Leno said: He has done a Smithsonian-style effort on the history of transportation in America right here in the San Fernando Valley. It's the equivalent of Cooperstown in baseball or the rock 'n' roll museum in Cleveland. It's the hall of fame for cars."

New 90° Cadillac: advertising slogan introduced with V63 models in 1923 but perpetuated through 314 models.

Nickles, Ned: Men of Cadillac, Cadillac stylist who later headed Buick studio; examples of art work, SIA11, p.14.

Ninety Degree [90°] V8 crankshaft: article by M. MH, SIA 4/1981, pp.18-25.

No-Draft Ventilation: This was a new feature introduced on all the closed body Cadillac and LaSalle models of 1933.

Nordberg, Nils: Author of Karossmakarens Berättelse was the son of the Swedish carriage maker Gustaf Nordberg (company name: Gustaf Nordbergs Vagnfabrik). Gustav died in 1935 and his sons Nils and Carl took over the business. They designed and built or converted a number of interesting bodies on the Cadillac and LaSalle chassis  in the late twenties and up to the late thirties including one V16 Town Car that has survived. The company also worked on Hudson, Minerva and  Mercedes chassis.  Cadillacs and LaSalles included in the book are: (1929)? [interior view] of stretched limousine with large ¼-windows and back light for then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf [after page 104], (1929), front grille view of above automobile [after page 104], (1930) LaSalle, belonging to Prince Gustaf Adolf [before p. 65], (1930) LaSalle, interior view of car [before p. 65], (1930) La Salle convertible Coupe with snakeskin interior for Sweden's then Prince Gustaf Adolf [SIA9, p.42]; V16 town car on 1930 "452" chassis; V16: article in  CLCA 1977, p.16-19; (1937-38) stretched limousine for King Gustaf V [after page 104]; (1939), 6-seater limousine, view of clock behind it [before p. 65], (1939) 7-pass. Cadillac convertible [SIA9, p.43]. Information for this entry comes from the Nordberg book mentioned here (Nils Nordberg, Rabén & Sjögren, 1969), which I sold to Olivier Delafon, 8/1992. Other infor may be found here too: http://pvchassi.com/tillverkare/nordberg_e.html

Northstar System: was a combination of safety improvements and suspension innovations that included Cadillac's own road-sensing suspension, speed-sensitive steering, four-wheel ABS and all-speed traction control;  it was made available first in 1994 on the Seville touring sedan (STS), Seville luxury sedan (SLS), Eldorado touring coupe (ETC) and DeVille Concours models.

Norton, Charles H.: (men in Cadillac's history). Norton was a tool designer. He was associated with the Leland, Faulconer and Norton company which he left in 1894 before it started supplying single-cylinder engines to Ransom Eli Olds for the little curved-dash Oldsmobile.

Numbering (body styles): Fleetwood introduced a form of body identification codes starting in 1927 with the introduction of the new La Salle. Refer to Section " ......... "; first 2 digits gave principal features of body and chassis ahead of windshield included belt molding and lower body sill; next 2 digits, with or with out letter suffix, gave indication of type of rear passenger accommodation (e.g. "30" = standard 5-passenger Imperial, with glass division, "55" = 5-passenger Imperial with blind rear quarters and glass division, "61" = close-coupled Imperial, with glass division, "75" = standard 7-passenger Limousine , with glass division, "80" = all-weather Phaeton (with or with out glass division); a letter suffix indicated additional or special body feature (e.g. "S" following style number indicated "Sedan" [i.e. omission of division glass], "C" = folding portion of roof over rear passengers [i.e. Landaulet]). A list of the major Fleetwood body style numbers are included at Section " ......... ".

Nuts & bolts: According to Cadillac historian Phil Dumka [who passed away in 1995], Cadillac made their own nuts and bolts to their own design from the earliest days up to the early Twenties.

 

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Observation "coaches": story, CLCA 1976, pp.10-17.

Olley, Maurice: (men of Cadillac) He was a Cadillac chassis engineer in the early thirties.

One Lap for America: Title of 1990, 9000-mile endurance run in which Cadillac entered two vehicles: a 1955 60S and 1990 60S. It started April 14, 1990 at Long Beach in California and ended there 9 days later. Over 30 vehicles entered (CLC 5/91, pp.4-5)

"One Piece At a Time" is a popular rockabilly song by Wayne Kemp,  made famous by Johnny Cash in 1976. It relates the story of a man  from Kentucky who goes to work for GM in Detroit and starts stealing Cadillac auto parts in 1949, taking them home in his lunchboy and in his buddy's camper. By 1973 he has built a "multi-year" Cadillac, with ill-fitting parts.

In this photo, Cash at the wheel of a "custom" cobbled Cadillac

 

Opera seats: or "opera chairs" were fitted in some short wheel base sedans to increase passenger capacity from five to seven for short distances.  An explanation of the origin of the name is provided in the Fleetwood color portfolio of 1930 models; these opera seats were designed on the same principle as the strapontin (the small, folding seat that is mounted on the end of many of the rows of seats in the Paris Opera) only more comfortable! The so-called "opera seats" are attached to the interior partition and fold up when not in use. The LH seat faces right, the RH faces the rear. They may be adjusted slightly for height. These occasional seats were not as luxuriously finished or as comfortable as the full-width "jump seats".

   
(left) 1930-31 - (right) 1933

 

Opera windows: were launched by Cadillac on 1971 [???] Eldorado models, drawing SIA21, p.36.

Orccha, Maharajah of: [see "Pinin Farina"].

Ordnance Plant (Armed Forces): Cadillac opened its Ordnance Plant at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1951 to produce tanks for the military (it was the time of the Korean war)

Orleans: designation of special GM show car for 1953. CLCA 1984, inside front cover; MC Autumn 1974, p.4.

Osceola: name given by Leland to his 1905/06 closed car (ordered by him 1905 from Seavers and Erdman in Detroit); car was 5" taller (= 127mm) than it was long, photo in CLCA 1990, p.24; H75, pp. 60-61. Osceola was on display at the Detroit Museum of Science when I was there in 1994. Unfortunately, I did not get time to go. Article in CLC 3/60, reproduced in more recent edition (???). In my opinion, some of the photos reputed to show "Osceola" are of a later, 1907 Model M (e.g. McC, pp.20-21); the latter car has the "square box" type side lights, whereas "Osceola" uses the earlier, "round" side lights, still featured on the car to this day. Confirmation, anybody ??? An article entitled Osceola, written by the late Miriam Leland Woodbridge, grand-daughter of Henry leland, appeard in the issue of Self Starter dated March, 1960. It was published again in an Aussie Cadillac magazine   in 1994.

Out-of-print books: T.E. WARTH, Esq., Automotive Books, Lumberyard Shops, Marine on Ste. Croix, MN 55047 / USA, [seen in Motorbooks International catalog (1988)].

 

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P-38 Lockheed Lightning: Twin-fuselage U.S. fighter plane whose rounded rudders inspired Harley Earl's first "fins" on '48 Cadillac [except for 75 series cars that retained pre-war rear fenders until 1950]; see CA, 12/92, p.10; plane was viewed by Earl at Selfridge Field air base in late thirties [1938?]; P-38 in flight, GM First 75 Years, p.108; good drawing in catalog From Peace to War [1943-44]; line drawing AF, p.25; Sch40, p.125; Germans referred to the 'plane as the fork-tailed devil. The plane was designed by Kelly Johnson and powered by twin GM Allison engines.

P-39 Bell Aircraft Airacobra: Allison-engined WW2 fighter plane using Cadillac parts; good photo in catalog From Peace to War [1943-44].

P-40 Curtis Warhawk: Allison-engined WW2 fighter plane using Cadillac parts; made famous by Gen. Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers]. Photos CLCA/92, p.7, SSA93, p.7

P-51 Mustang: Allison-engined WW2 fighter plane using Cadillac parts. The last of the Mustang planes, the Twin Mustang was the first to down an enemy plane in the Korean war where it flew nearly 2000 sorties. Photos CLCA/92, pp.6-7, SSA93, p.6

P-63 Kingcobra: Allison-engined WW2 fighter plane using Cadillac parts; good photo in catalog From Peace to War [1943-44].

Pace Cars: (Indianapolis), SIA17, pp.24-29; A number of Cadillacs and La Salles were used as pace cars and official cars at the renowned annual race. 1927 La Salle roadster; 1930 Cadillac V16 style 4260A sport phaeton (official car), in TQ, 1-2/85, p.13; 1931 Cadillac V12 roadster, in TQ, 1-2/85, p.10; 1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, in OCW 22.8.1991, p.3; 1993 Cadillac Allanté convertible.

Padded Roofs: Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincinnati, OH, helped develop GM and Ford's first production padded vinyl roofs. First introduced on the Cadillac Seville in 1975, the first run of 50 or 100 such cars for both firms were done at the Hess & Eisenhardt plant.

Paint: [quip] in 1939, two-tone paint combination cost $20 extra, non standard color cost $25, fenders finished in different color ran $12.50 [Sch40, p.13]

Paint Chips: [see Color]

Pan-American Road Race: Thanks to John Fobian for telling me that the name of this race is correctly, in Spanish,  Carrera Panamericana. This was a popular motor racing event, in the fifties, that took contestants to Southern California and Mexico.  Many Cadillacs participated and achieved worthy scores.

This 1953 Cadillac was entered in one of these races

 

Pantasote: a synthetic leather material used for the folding tops of some formal, landaulet models; it was less flexible than canvas but afforded greater protection in inclement weather. First ad appeared in 1918 describing "the most expensive and the most serviceable top material".

Papler Karosserie Werk GmbH: German coach-builder in Cologne [GH p.100, also McC, p.134 >>>>>].

Parade of Progress (GM): GM extravaganza, first staged 11.2.36; SIA39, pp.30-33.

Park Avenue: 1954 Motorama model, CLCA 1978, inside rear cover; MC Autumn 1974, p.5; "Ant Farm", p.34 [erroneously captioned "El Camino"]. The caption to a 1954 press photo for this car reads: Enhanced by the dark Antoinette Blue exterior trimmed with bright chrome and topped with a hand-brushed aluminum roof, Cadillac's Park Avenue fiberglass bodied four-door sedan has an exciting quality of beauty gained from a restrained yet dynamic futuristic styling. A dealer advertising piece published in Spring 1954 reads "The Cadillac Park Avenue, on display in our Showroom, June 16 through June 19 - The spectacular Cadillac Park Avenue, featured show car of the great General Motors Motorama, will make its only appearance on the above dates in our showroom. Built on a standard Cadillac chassis, the Park Avenue is an exciting exploration by Cadillac engineers and craftsmen into advanced styling and futuristic construction. Its long, low lines, the dramatic sweep of its fenders and rear deck, the unusual windshield treatment [wraparound windshield], and its dramatic use of color and chrome will give you a revealing glimpse into the future of motor car design. It is finished in a striking Dark Antoinette Blue, with a hand-brushed aluminum roof. Its magnificent interior features imported gray leather upholstery with a soft suede finish. We know you won't want to miss this exclusive showing of the fabulous Cadillac Park Avenue. You'll be welcome at any time you find convenient."

Parker, Stanley: Men of Cadillac, chief designer from 1.8.1962 to 1.4.1968 [1970?]; he took over design of new [1975] Seville from Wayne Kady, under Jack Humbert and Irv Rybicki.

Partition: [see "Division glass"].

Parisienne: [see "Eldorado Parisienne"].

Patton, General George Smith: Commander of the 3rd Army in Europe during WW2; he owned 1938 Cadillac 7533 in which he was injured on 9.12.1945. He died on 21.12.1945 of heart failure. On show at Fort Knox is a 1939 Cadillac said to be the one in which Patton was injured and later died. Story in TQ 3-4/80, pp.23-24.

Patton, Ray: Men of Cadillac, 1st Cadillac stylist-designer, started work around 1925, CC&CC 9/1982, p.27.

Penalty of Leadership (The): advertising text written for Cadillac by Theodore F. McManus and first published 2 Jan. 1915. It was timed with the introduction of Cadillac's first V8 model, the Series 51. The car was neither mentioned nor illustrated in the ad which consisted entirely of text; the theme centered simply on Cadillac's preeminence in its field and re-called how leaders in any field often are decried and criticized. The text was published also as a 4-page fold-out; perhaps to be given out to potential buyers of the new car? Carl Swanstrom, a Database visitor, mentioned in August 2001 that he had acquired such an advertising piece.

Pearson, James [aka "Cadillac Jim"]: Long-time Cadillac aficionado from Kansas City who bought & sold many specialty Cadillacs in the fifties and sixties.

    
RH photo: Jim is in the center of the RH photo, wearing his traditional skipped cap; his wife Louise is on his right; to her right are evangelist
T.S. Osborne and his wife; the "big guy" on Jim's left is V16 aficionado, Rick LeForge, with Jim's elder son, Ray, to his left
[ source: Jeffrey Pearson, Jim's younger son - 2013 ]

 

Penalty of Leadership (The): Title of Cadillac article by MH, CLCA 1979, pp.2-13; included 1979 Eldorado, 1959 Sedan de Ville, 1965 Calais Sedan , Leland in board meeting, first V8, 1924 7-passenger Sedan, 1927 Roadster, 1927 convertible Coupe, 1928 La Salle 2p. Coupe, 1928 Cadillac convertible Coupe, 1934 V12 town Sedan

Pensinsular Company: Possibly reorganized from the Peninsular Engraving Co. [below], a Detroit publishing company responsible for some Cadillac sales literature, like the 1915 catalog.

Pensinsular Engraving Co: A Detroit engraving company who, through the press of R.L. Pole Printing Company, Ltd., put out some early Cadillac sales literature; first seen in a 1904 catalog.

Permanent car (the): Henry Leland is said to be the father of the "permanent car" - one built with extreme precision and having fully interchangeable parts.

Pershing, General. John J.: directed America's victorious army in the fight for democracy (1914-18 war), was presented with a 1919 Cadillac Suburban paid for by more than 6000 Cadillac employees. In manufacturing process, each part was tagged "For General Pershing's car" and imprinted with a small American flag to make every Cadillac craftsman conscious of his particular contribution. This description of the car is given in book "Cadillac Participation in the World War": "The car is painted a suburban blue. The interior is finished and provided with every wished-for convenience. The upholstering is of rich blue mohair antique to match the body artistically set off by a gold background; fixtures are of gold; a ladies' vanity case, a gentleman's smoking set and electric cigar lighter are among the conveniences; fine cord tires are part of the equipment. The tools in the leather case are nickel plated".

    

    

Petit Pataud: nickname given by French journalists to the stock 1950 Series 61 Cadillac coupe entered in that year's Le Mans 24-hour road race. The literal translation of the French word pataud is "pup with big, thick paws."  So, petit pataud would be an even smaller pup with the same demeanor. In this case, however, the person who coined the expression (a French journalist, I believe) was merely punning the more readily understandable and homophonous "petit bateau", meaning "small boat".  Is not a Cadillac a "land yacht"? In the expression petit pataud the adjectival rather than nominal sense of the word pataud is intended, meaning low, heavy-set and clumsy.

Petrol-filler cap: located under LH rear tail-light housing since 1941 (???); 1946/47 models, SIA59, p.32.

Phaeton: (pronounced "fate-un" in the USA "feet-un"" in the United Kingdom) an open car of the classic era for 4 or 5 passengers with a convertible top for inclement weather; protection from the elements was not as good in this body style as in the "all-weather" style or the "Touring Car", which often included optional side-curtains for optimum protection in the foulest of weathers; the designation re-appeared on a limited-edition DeVille model in mid-year 1978 (option code YP5 on body tag) [McC p.421]. Production totaled 1500 of the Coupe de Ville version and 400 Sedan de Ville; for 1979, the totals were 4530 Coupe de Ville and 1831 Sedan de Ville. These models had leather seating color-keyed to the body; there were three color options: (1) Cotillion white with dark blue roof and white leather interior, (2) Slate Firemist (metallic gray) with black roof and Antique gray leather interior and (3) Western Saddle Firemist (metallic brown) with dark brown roof and Antique Saddle leather interior. Additional features were a 45/55 dual-comfort front seat, leather-trimmed steering wheel, exterior accent striping and locking wire-wheel discs. Roof covering simulated a cloth convertible top surrounded by brushed chrome moldings and flush-mounted opera lamps. The "Phaeton" script appeared at each quarter panel. Owing to the canvas top covering the Astro roof option was not available on the Phaetons.

Pick-ups: open rear body on Cadillac chassis; not a Cadillac offering, but nonetheless seen on occasion; 1941 model [???]; 1976 model, CLCA 1981, p.28.

Pinin Farina: [in two words up to 6 June 1961 when it was changed to Pininfarina (one word) by a Presidential decree signed by Giovanni Gronchi and countersigned by Guido Gonella then Minister of Justice]. Gian Batista Farina, a.k.a "Pinin" or "the little one", was a reputed Italian coach-builder; he designed and built a number of bodies for Cadillac automobiles including a 1930 boat-tail speedster on the V16 chassis for the Maharajah of Orccha [designed for tiger hunting - see MT, 100th anniversary p.144], 1953 2p. Roadster. for Luigi Chinetti, NY Ferrari importer, 1958 2p. Roadster. and 5p. Coupe "Starlight", 1959 5p. Coupe "Skylight" with retractable metal roof panels below sloping, tinted Plexiglas roof, 1959-1960 Eldorado Brougham.

Pininfarina: [one word after June 1961] 1961 5p. Coupe "Jacqueline" [named after Jackie Kennedy] and reputed to have been built on the 1960 Eldorado Brougham chassis; I saw this car at the Geneva Motor Show in 1989 and was "upset" to note [when I crawled under the car to see if the air suspension was still in place] that there was no "chassis", as such, but merely a tubular frame with four Eldorado Brougham wheels! The firm of Pininfarina built the Cadillac Allante convertible introduced in 1986. See also "Car Collector", 10/80 and 10/81 [Sergio Pininfarina].

Pininfarina, Sergio, Son of Pinin and long time CEO of the Italian company

 

Pink Cadillac: Title of 80's movie with Clint Eastwood featuring pink, 1959 Series "62" convertible

Pins (lapel): Article on automotive lapel pins in CC&CC, 8/1986, pp.48-49.

Piping: an upholstery term indicating trimming stitched along edges, generally of seats and seat backs; cloth and leather were used.

Plant [Cadillac]: Plant news (July 1999): Cadillac is to build in Lansing, MI, a new assembly plant for rear- and all-wheel drive models. Plant capacity will be 200,000 cars or more per year. GM's new Sigma, rear-wheel drive platform will be used; it will include the new Catera, Seville and Eldorado models. Also to be built there is the replacement SUV (sport utility vehicle) known as the LAV (leisure activity vehicle). The new front-wheel drive De Ville model may go back to rear-drive and be built also in the new plant.

Pleats and pipes: (upholstery term) style of upholstering where material is folded or separated by stitched seams.

Ponce, Joe: Men of Cadillac; designer.

Popular Mechanics: U.S. magazine, sometimes had features on Cadillac cars (e.g. new models); 10/58 {***}

Popular Science: U.S. magazine, sometimes had features on Cadillac cars (e.g. new models); 10/58 {***}

Popularity poll: [quip] The second-most popular car in Nebraska from 1905-1907 was the Cadillac (173 units) just behind the Oldsmobile (179 units).

Pontoon fenders: a generic name for the bulbous fenders that were popular in the forties; coined by US automobile designer Brooks Stevens in the early fifties, see MC, Autumn 1974, p.24; these appeared as a single ovoid shape, sometimes running back into the front door, with only a semi-circular opening for the wheel; only one Cadillac had fully enclosed pontoon-style fenders: it was a special, unique, 2-passenger roadster with a body by Hartmann of Lausanne, Switzerland, on the 1937 V16 chassis; the car is believed to have been largely inspired by a custom Delahaye body by Figoni & Falaschi.

Post, Dan: author of book "Custom Restyling".

Postage stamps: featuring Cadillac-La Salle cars, CLCA 1983, pp.10-13.

Post-War production: the first post-war car was a FORD; it came off the assembly line on 3 July 1945.

Power brakes: became standard equipment on the 1956 Cadillac models

Power convertible top: the first automatic top appeared on GM's "Y-Job", a dream car designed by Harley Earl which made its debut in 1940. All 1941 convertible Cadillac models had a power operated top

Power steering: became standard equipment on Cadillac cars in 1954

Power seats: the first 4-way electrically-powered rear seats were installed by Cadillac in a specially designed 1959 "bubble-top" limousine that was placed at the disposal of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of England by GM Canada for the Royal Couple's state visit of that country in the summer of '59.

       
[ Photos: Jean-Michel Roux collection, Switzerland ]

 

Power windows: [as above]

PPG Cimarron: concept car, first shown at "Automobile and Culture" exhibition, Detroit, 6/1965, 4-dr., 4p. convertible on Cimarron V6 chassis, 2838cm³, 131 HP, 270cm wheel base, 1530kg weight.

Presidential Limousines and parade cars: [see "Presidents on Wheels"]

Presidents on wheels: Photos of US Presidents and other world leaders who used Cadillac-LaSalle cars for official transportation and state occasions; 1919, with President Wilson, in Boston on return from France/ Germany 1918 (in 1919 book "Cadillac Participation in the World War"); 1929 limousine used by King Gustaf of Sweden [photo in Nordberg book, sold to Olivier Delafon]; 1929 LaSalle convertible coupe (with snakeskin upholstery) for HRH King Gustaf Adolf of Sweden [photo in Nordberg book, sold to Olivier Delafon]; Herbert Hoover in 1931 V12 phaeton, CLCA 1973, p.40; 1935 V8 (or V12???) limousine of Turkey's Mustapha-Kémal, better known as Ataturk [on show in his mausoleum at Ankara - RET29]; 1936 convertible with Franklin D. Roosevelt (CLC 1/93, p.5); 1936 limousine owned by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands; 1936-37 V16 style 5875, alleged to have been used also by FDR; car was recovered in Hawaii and is presently on exhibit "in the raw" at the Imperial Palace Museum in Las Vegas [admired 3/96]; this huge sedan features bullet-proof glass all round with "gun-holes" drilled through the windshield and side glass to allow occupants to shoot out at any assailants; 1938 V16 convertible Sedan "style" 9006 dubbed the "Queen Mary", built for Roosevelt and used by Truman and Eisenhower; its V16 engine was replaced by an L-head V8 in 1946 and by an OHV V8 in 1952; 1938 stretched limousine-landaulet used by King Gustaf of Sweden [photos in Nordberg book, sold to Olivier Delafon]; 1938 V16 Town Car of the former Vatican fleet (given by daughters of first owner to Cardinal Francis Spellman who later donated it to the Vatican; Harry Truman in 1941 "62" 4-door convertible Sedan , CLCA 1973, p.40; Harry Truman in 1947 "62" convertible Coupe, SS 1973, p.40; 1947 "75" limousine with Truman (Conde photo); 1948 convertible: Harry Truman on parade in Denver (CLC 1/93, p.5); Mr. Truman, the President, turned thumbs down on General Motors in 1948 when GM allegedly failed to provide parade escort vehicles requested by the White House; he personally orders a shift to Fords, Lincolns and Mercurys. But automobile diplomacy changes regularly; several GM executives including its President Charles E. Wilson, who was also Secretary of Defense, came to Washington with President Eisenhower (in 1953?) and converted the White House car fleet back to Cadillac. 1949 stretched "62" "woody" by Maurice Schwartz for Mexican President Miguel Aleman, SIA11, p.28; 1951 Tokyo, Feb. 4 1951: Emperor Hirohito has bought a 1951 Cadillac, first new car in 16 years [copied from press cutting in ZTV collection, May 1994] (the one before is believed to have been a German Mercedes-Benz; 1953 Eldorado for Ike Eisenhower inaugural parade (4 photos); Ike's car was used in his inaugural parade in January 1953; it was said to be car # 1, but that car was damaged and quickly replaced by car # 2; it was supposedly sold at auction in 1987 for $104000 although there was doubt as to the correctness of the indication that it was car # 2 because the car sold had a high serial number in relation to its alleged body number; 1988 model, in Cadillac news sheet, Vol. 2, issue 1. pp.4-5 (in 1988 literature drawer); 1956 stretched convertible [2 built] dubbed the "Queen Mary II", CLCA 1981, p.12-13, used by Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson and remained in service until 1968 [according to Cadillac Public Relations, Jack Tallman still owns one (as well as one of the 1938 V16s); he bought the two "Queen Mary" models from Cadillac for about $1500 each; he offered the '56 for sale in 1994 for $1,000,000! The National Auto Museum, Brussels, also has one of each (1938 and 1956); article in CLC 2/93, pp.3-5]; 1959 "bubble top" for Queen Elisabeth II visit to Canada (CLC 1/93, p.5) SIA59, pp.42-45, McC p.333 and J-M Roux photos; 1960 Eldorado Seville, President Sékou Touré of Guinea; 1960 owned by H.H. Pope John XXIII, 1967 "75" limousine used by Nixon (in book "Presidents on Wheels" - sold to José Mayor, 1995); 198... for the Republic of China [Cadillac Connoisseur]; 1993: have portfolio on new "Presidential" Limousine. Article on Olivier Delafon, French collector of "Presidential" cars, in Swiss daily "Le Matin", 30.7.91, p.14.

Presley, Elvis A.: "King" of rock and roll; had many Cadillacs; by 1955 he was said to have a different model for every day of the week. After his tour of duty in Germany he had a 1960 limousine, the "Golden Cadillac", custom finished by George Barris of Barris Kustom City, North Hollywood; it included an ice-maker, electric shoe buffer and TV on a swivel stand; the floor covering was mouton carpeting "à la Eldorado Brougham" and all interior metal trim was finished in 24-karat gold. When the King died, the funeral procession was led by 10 white Cadillacs. If you want to visit a Web site devoted entirely to the cars of "The  King", click here.

Printer of Cadillac-LaSalle sales literature: Evans-Winter-Hebb Inc., Detroit [at least up to 1929].

Problem of the Used Car (The): article in CLCA 1981, pp.2-11.

Production figures: [see that section of the Database]

Production Milestones: [see also Annex ...] production exceeded 100,000 units for the first time in 1950 and 1951, almost doubling the production of any pre-war year. On 25 November 1949, total production since Cadillac's inception reached 1,000,000 units; it was a new Coupe de Ville model [see "Cadillac Craftsman" 6/77 p.12]. In 1954, total production reached 1,500,000 units. In 1955 Cadillac built and sold more than 140,000 cars in 11 months. In 1956 owner demand reached 150,000 units. On 22.12.1966 Cadillac reached 200,000 units in one year (a 1967 convertible built on 22.12.1966) - the previous record had been 196,595 units, in 1965 - photo SSA 1994, p.9. The 1,000,000th post-war Cadillac was a 1956 Eldorado Biarritz; photo SSA 1994, p.4.; on 7.2.1958 it built its 2,000,000th car, a Sedan de Ville model [McC p.328, "Cadillac Craftsman", 6/77 p.13, photo SSA 1994, p.5] (nine years from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000); the 2,000,000th post-war model was a 1963 Sedan (photo SSA 1994, p.8; on 23.8.1961 the 2,500,000th Cadillac was built; it was a 1962 "62" Coupe (photo SSA 1994, pp.6-7; there seems to be no factory record of the 3,000,000th Cadillac built some time in 1964, but the 3,000,000th post-war model was a gold colored 1968 convertible, built on 10.6.1968, photo SSA 1994, p.10; the 4,000,000th Cadillac was built on 19.06.69 [5 years later]; it was a 1969 Coupe de Ville [McC, p. 378 & 383, "Cadillac Craftsman" 6/77 p.15; photo SSA 1994, p.11;

the 4,000,000th post-war car was a 1973 Coupe de Ville built on 12.10.1972; photo SSA 1994, p.12; the 5,000,000th car was built 4 years later on 27.07.73; it was a 1973 blue & white HT Sedan de Ville [McC p. 399, MH p.330]; the 5,000,000th post-war Cadillac was a 1976 Seville, built on 29.4.1976 ["Cadillac Seville" p. 45]; the 6,000,000th was built 3½ years later, on 7.02.77; it was a 1977 Seville [McC p.417, "Cadillac Craftsman" 1-2/77 cover; photo SSA 1994, p.13]; the 7,000,000th Cadillac was built on the morning of Tuesday 20.11.1979; it was a beige 1980 Fleetwood Brougham [CCI 28:2; SSA 1994, pp. 2-13]; I have seen no official record/date/model concerning the next 3,000,000 Cadillacs; logically, the 8,000,000the was built in 1982-83, the 9,000,000th in 1986-87 and the 10,000,000 in 1991-92.

Professional cars on Cadillac chassis: [input from CLC member, Bernie DeWinter IV] Cadillac didn't "job out" its hearse business except for a brief period in the '20's when it offered hearses and ambulances; those cars had bodies built by Meteor in Piqua, Ohio. With few exceptions, hearse and ambulance bodies were sold by coach-builders and not chassis builders. While Cadillac offered a commercial chassis specially built for those purposes, and published literature on same every year, this was more of an effort due to the prestige and high visibility associated with funeral cars than anything; and commercial chassis sales themselves were always a small percentage of Cadillac production. The Cadillac commercial chassis was always a bit of a bastardization in its own right, and just when you think you've found every odd thing about one, something new turns up in the way of a unique part used on it. Those chassis were built in a couple of batches each year, and are a fascinating study in their own right because of how much they differed from passenger car chassis. It was the coach-builders who handled marketing of professional cars, and that's why the proper terminology for them lists the car by coach-builder before mentioning the chassis builder, such as a Superior-Cadillac rather than a Cadillac-Superior. Hearses and ambulances were a market in their own right where chassis builders only worked with the coach-builders to provide what they needed in most cases. Even at that, there were times when the coach-builders wanted something that Cadillac could have provided in the way of a commercial chassis variant but wouldn't. A good example of this was Superior's efforts to get Cadillac to offer a wider rear track on some commercial chassis when it was looking at offering a modular ambulance based on a Cadillac commercial chassis in the '70's. While Cadillac tried to control which companies used its chassis, the company was not always successful, as evidenced by Eurekas in the '80's. Eureka couldn't get Cadillac commercial chassis, so they "bootlegged" their own version of them from coupes. In so doing, they went for a 3" longer wheelbase and used parts from the Cadillac parts bins to modify their cowls to match the commercial chassis cowl. Some hearses are more collectible than others because of who built them or how the car differed from other coaches. Years ago, a distinctive hearse was a matter of pride to many funeral directors, and it's not uncommon for people to prefer one make of professional car over another. Every brand of Coach work had its advantages and disadvantages; this affected a buyer's decision as to what make of coach they bought. Bernie concludes his long, interesting input on these words: I could have bought any number of hearses before I bought my '73 Crown Sovereign limousine combination; but I knew what I wanted in terms of features and STYLE; and I knew I didn't want a hearse with a "cookie cutter" look about it. There's a lot more to hearses than meets the average person's eye.

Protect-O-Plate was a plastic service ID tag introduced with the 1965 models but withdrawn after 1968. According to the User's manual for 1965, for example, when used in conjunction with the "Owner Protection Plan Booklet" it served simply to speed up the writing of repair orders as well as provide all ID data for any required warranty work.  Basically, it avoided the service personnel having to physically check for ID data on the vehicle itself.

This sample Protect-O-Plate was supplied kindly by
German enthusiast and 1968 Cadillac owner, Michael Pummer

 

Prototypes, idea cars, mock-ups and "specials": see "Dream Cars" .

Proving Ground (GM): the test track where all GM cars including Cadillac and LaSalle models were put through various endurance tests. Inaugurated in 1924 by Alfred P. Sloan, it was located in Milford, Michigan. Covering an area of 6 square miles [1268 acres] it has a road network measuring 128 miles. Described in an a May 1929 GM ad as "a great outdoor laboratory where automobiles can be tested in a scientific manner (...) especially constructed roads and hills duplicate every driving condition". GM tested not only its own cars but also those of the competition (both in America and Europe); the tests involved speed, power, endurance, braking, riding comfort, handling ease, fuel and oil consumption, body strength so that "claims and opinions are reduced to facts." GM's former Institutional Advertising Department produced a motion picture about the proving grounds and made it available free to schools, clubs, churches and other organizations. Another 5000-acre Desert Proving Ground was located in Mesa, Arizona and had 70 miles of roads (CLC 3/93, p.3-6).

Pryor, L.B.: Men of Cadillac, general sales manager from May 1912 to 1919.