General Motors recently reaffirmed its plans for a UK relaunch through Cadillac, as part of a wider European expansion spearheaded by its luxury brand.
Or perhaps we should say a re-re-rerelaunch, as Cadillac actually has a long, chequered history over here.
Life in the UK actually started positively for Cadillac. London sales of its first-ever model, the Model A (which came in either Runabout or Tonneau form), began in September 1903, less than a year after production started in Detroit.
(Fun fact: it was almost identical to Ford's Model A and built in an ex-Ford factory, as Cadillac had been born out of an argument between Henry Ford and his investors.)
The London importer was the Anglo-American Car Co, which already represented Oldsmobile, Winton and EV specialist Baker.
Demand was said to be "very lively" from the off, and after eight months reader Denis Halsted told Autocar: "I bought a Cadillac because it impressed me by its quiet, easy running and great strength for a one-cylinder car. With nine months' hard service, I have proved it to be an excellent starter."
When the dealership's Cadillac man, Frederic Stanley Bennett, left in 1910 to run his own showroom, the UK concession and smart new four-cylinder Model 30 went with him.
The Cadillac brand had been growing ever more luxurious, and it cemented this position in 1915 by becoming the first to mass-produce a vee-shaped eight-cylinder engine.
"It is really difficult to convey on paper any idea of the delight of the running," gushed Autocar after driving the V8 Type 51. "One may indulge in superlatives and yet fall short of producing anything like the real impression of satisfaction."
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