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The discovery of the V8 - Henry Leland's big hit

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Created on August 1, 1990

Text:

Paul D. Ponsel

Photos:

Bonhams

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Steve Hepburn - Courtesy RM Auctions

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- Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Ford Motor Company / Lincoln

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Corey Escobar - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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Phil Greatorex - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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Greg Keysar - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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Ryan Merrill - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

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Redeye Media - Courtesy RM Auctions

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- Courtesy RM-Auctions

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Eric Silberg - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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- Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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RM Auctions

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Teddy Pieper - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Archiv

58

Bonhams

2

Steve Hepburn - Courtesy RM Auctions

2

- Courtesy RM Sotheby's

2

Ford Motor Company / Lincoln

2

Corey Escobar - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

1

Phil Greatorex - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

1

Greg Keysar - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

1

Ryan Merrill - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

1

Redeye Media - Courtesy RM Auctions

1

- Courtesy RM-Auctions

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Eric Silberg - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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- Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

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RM Auctions

1

Teddy Pieper - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Archiv

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Cadillac V-8 Type 57 (1918) - View into the showroom of a Cadillac dealer, taken in Omaha, Nebraska

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Cadillac Series 341 Close-Coupled Sedan (1929) - "Town Sedan" with convertible line, but fixed roof

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Cadillac Type 51 (1915) - The steering wheel could be folded down, making it easier to get in and out of the car

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Cadillac V-8 Type 51 (1915) - crankshaft, camshaft, pistons, connecting rods and bearing shells

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Cadillac V-8 Type 51 (1915) - Front of the engine with drive for camshaft, water pumps and oil pump

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Cadillac V-8 Type 51 (1915) - Valve and crank drive of the 90-degree V8

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Cadillac Type 51 Seven Passenger Car (1915) - Body and hood linkage

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Cadillac Model Thirty (1914) - the right side of the four-cylinder engine

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Cadillac Type 51 (1915) - The V8 with fan wheel and cooling water hoses

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Cadillac Type 51 (1915) - Circuit diagram for all open models

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Cadillac Type 53 (1916) - Front of the V8 without timing cover with a view of the timing chain

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Cadillac Type 53 5-Passenger Convertible (1916) - differs from the Seven-Passenger Car by its front bucket seats

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Cadillac V-8 Seven-Passenger Car (1916) - the civilian touring car

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Cadillac V-8 Seven-Passenger Sedan (1916) - "Town Car" with chauffeur outside

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Cadillac V-8 Seven-Passenger Berline (1916) - with separating disk

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Cadillac Type 53 (1916) - Drive unit consisting of V8, three-speed gearbox and radiator

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Cadillac Type 57 2-Passenger Convertible Roadster (1918)

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Cadillac Type 57 4-passenger Phaeton (1918)

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Cadillac Type 57 4-passenger Phaeton (1918)

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Cadillac Type 57 4-Passenger Convertible (1918)

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Cadillac Type 57 Seven-Passenger Car (1918) - Version for the US Army

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Cadillac Type 57 Seven-Passenger Car (1918)

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Cadillac Type 57 Brougham (1918) - Interior steering wheel for five passengers

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Cadillac Type 57 Imperial (1918) - Chauffeur-driven limousine with windshield

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Cadillac Type 57 (1918) - Drive unit consisting of V8, three-speed gearbox and radiator

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Cadillac Type 57 4-passenger Phaeton (1918)

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Cadillac Type 59 Suburban (1920) - Interior steering wheel for seven passengers

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Cadillac Type 59 2-Passenger Roadster (1920) - fresh air flap and mother-in-law's seat

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Cadillac Type 59 4-passenger Phaeton (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 5-Passenger Sedan (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 4-passenger Victoria Coupe (1920) - also available with only one row of seats

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Cadillac Type 59 7-Passenger Suburban (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 7-Passenger Touring (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Imperial (1920) - with separating window, clearly visible through the open doors

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Cadillac Type 59 Suburban (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Roadster (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Roadster (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Sedan (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Phaeton (1920) - with only two rows of seats and a shorter rear end than the Tourer

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Cadillac Type 59 Seven-Passenger Touring (1920) - with additional emergency seats and longer rear than the Phaeton

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Cadillac Type 59 4-passenger Victoria Coupe (1920) - was also available in a two-seater version

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Cadillac Type 59 7-Passenger Limousine (1920) - "Town Car" with chauffeur outside

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Cadillac Type 59 7-Passenger Touring (1920) - Front and rear

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Cadillac Type 59 Imperial Limousine (1920) - Chauffeur-driven car with separating window and curtains

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Cadillac Type 59 Seven-Passenger Touring Car (1920)

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Cadillac Type 59 Victoria Coupe ( 1921)

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Cadillac Type 59 Touring Car (1921)

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Cadillac Type 61 Seven Passenger Touring Car (1922)

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Cadillac Type 61 Seven Passenger Suburban (1922) - Interior steering wheel for seven passengers

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Cadillac Type 61 Seven Passenger Limousine (1922) - "Town Car" with chauffeur outside

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Cadillac Type 59 Imperial (1920)

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Cadillac Type 61 Seven Passenger Touring Car (1922)

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Cadillac Type 59 Seven Passenger Imperial Limousine (1922) - Chauffeur car with partition and curtains

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Cadillac Type 53 Pickup (1916) - as lot 281 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2017

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Cadillac Type 55 Opera Coupe (1917) - offered as lot 164 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey on October 11/12, 2018

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Cadillac Type 57 Touring (1919) - as lot 218 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2017

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Cadillac Type 61 V8 Roadster (1923) - offered as lot 137 at the Bonhams Quail auction on August 19, 2022

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Cadillac Model 59 Victoria (1920) - as lot 103 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Cadillac Model 59 Victoria (1920) - as lot 103 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Cadillac Model 61 Touring Car (1922) - as lot 345 at Bonhams' Philadelphia auction on October 2, 2017

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Lincoln Model L Sport Phaeton by American Body Company (1923) - offered as lot 128 at the RM Auction Amelia Island on March 9, 2013

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Cadillac V-8 Five-Passenger Touring by Fisher (1924) - as lot 273 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey 2015

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Cadillac V-63 Phaeton (1924) - as lot 2051 at the RM Open Roads Fall 2020 online auction

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Cadillac Series 314 Two-Passenger Sport Coupe (1926) - offered as lot 237 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Hershey on October 10/11, 2019

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Cadillac Series 314 Standard Five-Passenger Sedan (1927) - as lot 307 at the RM/Sotheby's Hershey auction on October 7/8, 2021

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Lincoln Model L (1921) - The crankshaft and camshaft lubrication system of the Lincoln V8 engine

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Lincoln Model L (1921) - radiator with thermostatically controlled louvers

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Lincoln Model L (1921) - Chassis and drive unit

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Lincoln (1925) - Dealer

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Lincoln Phaeton (1924) - as a police car

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Lincoln Model L Roadster (1921) - one of the first cars built by Lincoln

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Lincoln Model L (1925) - offered as lot 126 at the RM/Sotheby's Arizona auction on January 17/18, 2019

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Lincoln Model L Limousine Brunn (1925) - early limousine with Brunn body, auctioned in 2016

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Lincoln Model L Seven-Passenger "Police Flyer" by American Body Company (1925) - as lot 124 at the RM Auction Motor City on July 26, 2014

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Lincoln Model L Coupé (1927) - as lot 3017 at the RM Auburn Fall 2019 auction

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Summary

Cadillac founder Henry Leland is one of the great car pioneers. As early as 1908, he had demonstrated how precision manufacturing could be used to guarantee problem-free interchangeability of parts. Four years later, Cadillac presented the electric starter, and in 1915 the first American production V8 caused a sensation, heralding Cadillac's rise to the status of a luxury brand. This article tells the story of the beginnings of the engine type that Henry Ford would later make the standard drive in the USA for decades.

This article contains the following chapters

Still little V8 experience
Precision and quality
At the age of 74: Founding of Lincoln
Neglected design
Sold to Ford
Ford son Edsel's hope

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The decision in favor of a V8 was made in 1912, when GM's Cadillac division's cash register would not stop ringing. Demand for the mid-priced Cadillac Model 30 (4 cyl./40 hp) was enormous. Of course, Henry Leland's strong sales did not blind him to the fact that the low-revving, rough-legged four-cylinder engines were soon no longer a viable option in the mid-size car class. In the USA, cars were no longer a privilege of the rich. The middle class was motorizing rapidly, and at the same time road construction was making considerable progress. In the future, manufacturers who offered powerful, smooth-running cars instead of primitive driving machines, with which covering longer distances did not feel like an exhausting expedition, would have the edge. In the luxury class - Packard, Pierce-Arrow - the huge six-cylinder engines dominated, but Leland preferred a V8. For one thing, two more pots provided a powerful selling point, and for another, a V8 had the advantage over a six of a stiffer and lighter crankshaft, it was more compact, and its lighter moving parts allowed higher revs to be set.

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