Taking its name from the celebrated 19th Century explorer who had, amongst other things, established the site of what would become Detroit, the Cadillac Automobile Company was established in 1902 to participate in the infant and perceived (extremely accurately) lucrative motor car industry.

Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer were the driving force behind the new company.

Leland, a dynamic engineer and businessman, had already made a name for himself in revolutionising precision production techniques and it was that experience and expertise which was applied to the new motor industry in which Cadillac was later to claim to set ‘The Standard of The World’.

Interestingly the new company was funded by two of Henry Ford’s early backers.

The first production car, later to be referenced as the Model A, was powered by a single-cylinder, horizontally-mounted engine of about 1.6 litres, known as ‘Little Hercules’.

Drive was transmitted via a conventional, two-speed-plus-reverse planetary tra...