Cadillac Model K

The first Cadillac automobiles were the 1903 Model built in the last quarter, 1902. These were 2-seater "horseless carriages" powered by a reliable and sturdy 10 hp (7 kW) single-cylinder engine developed by Henry Martyn Leland and built by Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company of Detroit, of which Henry Leland was founder, vice-president and general manager.

Reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company in August 1902, it began manufacturing the runabouts and named them "Cadillac" after the city's founder Antoine Laumet, the self-styled Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac at the re-purposed Detroit Assembly. The 1904 Model B was a refinement of the 1903 and while still a mid-engined, one cylinder automobile, it now had an extended front and transverse front suspension. With the introduction of the Model B, the 1903 style became known as the Model A . Both the Model A and B were available as a two-passenger runabout or four passenger rear tonneau. Catalogs also show a light delivery.

The one cylinder Cadillac continued to be offered through 1908 in the runabout, tonneau or delivery bodies under a variety of Model designations which are delineated below.

The Models A, B, C, E, and F shared a single-cylinder 98.2 cu in (1,609 cc) engine rated from 6.5 to around 9 hp (7 kW) depending on model. The cylinder was horizontal, pointing rearward, and was cast from iron with a copper water jacket. Bore and stroke were square at 5 in (130 mm). The engine was named by its manufacturers, Leland and Faulkner, "Little Hercules".

The engine employed a patented variable-lift intake valve licensed from Alanson P. Brush. The restrictions of this design using Brush's patents led the company to develop their own four-cylinder engine for the later Models D, L, G, and H.

When the street was muddy or dirty the car would be backed up to the sidewalk so tonneau passengers did not need to walk in the mud.

Three cars were completed in time for the New York Auto Show staged in January, 1903. All three cars were sold at the show and by mid-week orders had been taken for 2,286 further units, each one requiring a deposit of $10.

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