Cadillac

Founded by Henry Leland in 1902, who named the company after the seventeenth-century French explorer who founded Detroit.  Quickly established a reputation for innovation, even after being absorbed into the GM conglomerate in 1909.

In 1912 the company introduced the Delco electric ignition and lighting system, and the powerful V8 engine was also a Cadillac first. Legendary automotive designer Harley Earl was responsible for giving Cadillac’s their elegant, streamlined look in the 1920s.

He is credited with introducing the first tailfin on the new designs in the late 1940s, inspired in part by the fighter planes of World War II, an automotive fashion trend that would take other car manufacturers a decade to catch up.

During the 1950’s Cadillac's became extremely expensive, and heavy, attributable not only to the cars enormous size but the long list of luxury appointments fitted, such as imported leather seats, state-of-the-art climate and stereo systems and power windows.

The brand also began to take hold in popular culture: Chuck Berry sang of besting one in a race in his 1955 hit "Maybellene," and Elvis Presley began driving a pink Caddy not long after his first few chart successes. Cadillac's hold on the status-car market began to wane in the 1960s when both Lincoln and Chrysler began making inroads with their models. Mismanagement by GM engendered further decline.

Cadillac production reached 266,000 cars in 1969, one of its peak years. That model year's popular Coupe DeVille (with a wheelbase of over ten feet) sold for $5,721; by contrast the best-selling Chevrolet, the Impala, had a sticker price of $3,465.

There were media-generated rumors that people sometimes pooled their funds in order to buy a Cadillac to share. In the 1970s, the brand became indelibly linked with the urban American criminal element, the ride of choice for pimps and mob bosses alike. This in turn led well-heeled Americans to opt for European luxury marques.