Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. Ain’t nowhere else in the world where you can go from driving a truck to a Cadillac overnight—Elvis Presley
Cadillac was one of the first automobile brands in the world and was the second one in the United States after Oldsmobile, which started in 1897. Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the original Henry Ford Company in 1902 and was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French explorer who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms, although in recent years the company seems to to be simplifying its original design.
By the time General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac was already established as one of America’s premier luxury carmakers. The company was at the forefront of technological advances, introducing full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof.
In 1908, Cadillac was the first American car to win the Royal Automobile Club of the United Kingdom’s Dewar Trophy by successfully demonstrating the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test. This win spawned the firm’s original slogan “Standard of the World.” Cadillac won the trophy again in 1912 for the first marque to incorporate electric starting and lighting in a production automobile.
In recent years Cadillac has made some amazing cars yet today they seem to be struggling while reinventing themselves as part of their plan to be all-electric by 2030. The company is off to a strong start with the elegant and electric 2025 Cadillac LYRIQ SUV that starts at $57,195 but with certain trims hits six figures.
How I made this Photograph: This classic Cadillac is much like the one Mary’s parents drove when bringing her home from the hospital after being born, only then it wasn’t a classic—it was just her Dad’s car. This image was made at a private car museum in Denver that belongs to a collector who loves Cadillac automobiles. It was shot with a Canon EOS 60D and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens with an exposure of 1/50 sec at f3.5 and ISO 640. The original JPEG file was processed in Topaz Lab’s Lens Effects plug-in.
You can win a signed copy of my book, Plug-in Smart, by sending a short email, with the words “plug-in” in the subject box. Yes, this is an “old” book—it even has a CD—having been published in 1998. (Amazon is so messed up they say it was published in 1709! I’ve repeatedly told them to correct it but they obviously don’t care abut correcting it.) Nevertheless, it’s my favorite book and will make a nice souvenir of the era, if nothing else. The contest ends at Midnight MST November 14. It is subject to the standard rules for my Blog; You can read them here.