Cadillac History

Have you ever wondered how any of the big brand car companies came to be? And how we brought the Cadillac name to you in your Morton and Bloomington areas? If you have, then you’re in luck because we want to let you in on Cadillac’s history and every pivotal moment that made us into the exceptional brand we are today.

When was Cadillac Founded?

Cadillac was founded in 1902 making it one of the oldest automotive brands out there. Henry Leland—the founder—named the company after the founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. After only six years, Cadillac brought the idea of interchangeable parts to the industry, bringing a ground-breaking revelation to the future of car production. And that is but one monumental event that brought the brand to adopt the slogan “Standard of the World.”

Cadillac Logo History

The Cadillac wreath and crest was inspired by the coat of arms of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French adventurer and founder of Detroit. The original Cadillac logo has been redesigned more than 30 times over the past 100 years so it’s gone through quite a few iterations. Overall, the logo started out with crisper lines and sleeker angles to stand with the company’s “Art and Science” designs. So without further ado, here are some of the different logos throughout the years:

• 1906: The crest was divided into two parts, a coat and shield. The shield signified that the family descended from the royal counts of Toulouse. The birds, or merlettes, were adaptations of the martin and won’t be found on the crests of today.
• 1920: The badge incorporated the tulip-bulb wreath from the original trademark with nine points on the crown. The crown reverted to seven points up until 1925.
• 1933: To match the brand’s design element, the crest was given wings and made detachable.
• 1957: This is when the crests started to look long and wide. This continued through 1959 until the crown was almost out of sight.
• 1963-Today: No major changes have been made since designed to be a tab more chiseled to match the brand perfectly.

Join the Cadillac family at Ray Dennison Cadillac today!

It’s safe to say that a lot went into the history of the Cadillac brand as you know it today, and it just goes to show how committed we are to serving our customers in the best way possible. Learn more about our Cadillac models and our service center by visiting our Pekin location or feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our newest models. We’re confident you’ll find a vehicle that is the right fit for you and you’ll be cruising around Peoria in no time!