Henry Ford is one of the most important and influential figures in automotive history. He not only helped create one of the largest and oldest automotive companies in modern history, but he is also remembered for creating the first mass-produced vehicle, the Model T, and establishing the mass-production techniques that made that possible and helped revolutionize the industry.
Beyond his own escapades, Henry (calling him "Ford" will make this article confusing) also had a hand in creating other cars, notably instilling ire in a former partner who would go out of their way to create a car to kill the mighty Cobra. However, while these are among the more well-known achievements associated with Henry, one of his failures led to the creation of one of America's oldest automotive brands, Cadillac.
It Starts With The Detroit Automobile Company
Before we can talk about the genesis of Cadillac, we have to understand what events led to its creation, and for that, we have to start by talking about the Detroit Automobile Company (DAC). This was a short-lived company, existing for roughly two years, spanning from 1899 to 1901, and was founded by Henry. This was before the Ford we know, love, and often see in recall notices today. The DAC was the first automotive company established in Detroit, which would become the manufacturing hub of America's automobiles in later years.
The company was founded not long after Henry completed a 60-mile demonstration of his quadricycle, the precursor to the Model T. However, the Detroit Automobile Company's first product was not a rendition of that quadricycle design and was instead a delivery wagon that was completed by the start of 1900. At the time, the company was being financially backed by several investors, most notably William Murphy, William Maybury (who was the mayor of Detroit at the time), and Thomas Palmer.
Reportedly, Henry wanted the vehicles produced by the company to be what he considered "perfect", and the first vehicle the company produced was anything but, reportedly being slow, heavy, and unreliable. Despite moderate sales success, the company's shareholders demanded greater profits and pushed for the company to produce a variety of vehicles at once, although at the time, Henry intended to focus on resolving the engineering issues plaguing the existing vehicle at the time.
Ultimately, Henry would give in to the shareholder requests and produce several models at once, but seemingly none were made to his standards. It was this medley of shareholders pushing for greater profits and cars being produced at a lower standard that brought about the final moments of the Detroit Automobile Company. In 1901, the company adopted the "Henry Ford Company" moniker, but like previously, Henry was at odds with the company's investors, and it was this relationship that caused him to leave the company in 1902 and start the Ford Motor Company in 1903. His first stint as a CEO was a failure.
From The Ashes
With Henry gone, something needed to be done with the Henry Ford Company, formerly known as the Detroit Automobile Company. It was Henry's previous investors that bore the responsibility for this, and their solution was to have everything from the factory and all equipment appraised and sold.
To that end, investors William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen sought out a local manufacturer, Henry Leland, to appraise what was left for liquidation. However, instead of simply appraising the factory and tooling, Leland reportedly proposed that these assets be used to continue producing vehicles, although these would be vehicles relying on a single-cylinder engine that Leland had intended to be used in an Oldsmobile.
The powers that be at the time accepted Leland's proposal, and so the Cadillac Automobile Company was born from the ashes of Henry Ford's first automotive company. The name was derived from Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French explorer who founded Detroit, Michigan, and the badge design borrowed from the explorer's coat of arms.
Cadillac was officially established in August 1902, and, since then, has grown into one of the oldest automotive brands in the world with several notable achievements in the years since its founding.
Sources: Cadillac, Ford, WardsAuto
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
