Cadillac Model Thirty: the car that ended the hand crank

The Cadillac Model Thirty was introduced in December 1909 and sold through 1911, and it was Cadillac’s only model in those years. Its 1912 version was the first production car in the world to use an electric starter instead of a hand crank.

Cadillac Model Thirty at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Model Thirty. The video attached to the old record is not about this car, so the article has none.

History of the Cadillac Model Thirty

The Model Thirty arrived in December 1909 as Cadillac’s only offering, developed from the 1907 Model G. It used a 226.2 cu in four-cylinder L-head engine and the Model G’s simple sliding-gear transmission. For 1910 the engine was bored out to 255.4 cu in, and for 1911 and 1912 it grew to 286.3 cu in. A longer stroke for 1913 brought the displacement to 365.8 cu in, and that engine served again in 1914.

Closed bodies and the self-starter

The 1910 model could be ordered with a closed body, the first time an American manufacturer had offered one. The bigger change came in 1912, when Cadillac fitted an electric starter and a complete electrical system: that car won the Dewar Trophy, and the self-starter did away with the hand crank, making motoring far more accessible. The 1912, 1913 and 1914 models were otherwise similar to the Model Thirty but used the larger engines.

End of the four-cylinder line

The Model Thirty was replaced in 1915 by the Cadillac Type 51, Cadillac’s first V8 car. The change ended Cadillac’s single-cylinder and four-cylinder era and set the pattern of V8 power that the company would follow, with interruptions, for most of the twentieth century.

Design and features

• Single model policy: for 1909-1911 the Model Thirty was the only car Cadillac sold.
• Electric starter: the 1912 car was the first production automobile with one, and it won the Dewar Trophy.
• Growing engine: displacement rose from 3.7 to 6.0 litres across the model’s life.
• Closed body: available from 1910, ahead of any other American maker.

Cadillac Model Thirty versions

• Model Thirty (1909-1911): 3.7, 4.2 and 4.7-litre engines.
• Model 1912: the first with the electric starter and the Dewar Trophy winner.
• Model 1913 and 1914: 6.0-litre long-stroke engine.
• Model 30 touring: the open body most often seen today.

The Model Thirty was replaced by the V8 Type 51, and its earliest ancestor is described in the Runabout and Tonneau article. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.

Sources

• Cadillac Model Thirty, English Wikipedia: engines, bodies, self-starter, replacement