The 1916 Type 53 quietly invented the modern car's cockpit: center-mounted gear lever and handbrake, key-start ignition, and the clutch-brake-throttle pedal order every car still uses today.
Median 56 hp across 6 similar cars
Lead trim: Type 53 314 cu in L-head V8 (77 hp)
Cadillac Type 51 – Type 611915–1923
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Cadillac Type 51 – Type 61 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe 1916 Type 53 quietly invented the modern car's cockpit: center-mounted gear lever and handbrake, key-start ignition, and the clutch-brake-throttle pedal order every car still uses today.
The Cadillac V8, introduced as the Type 51 (and the Types 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61) is a large luxury car introduced in September 1914 as a 1915 model: Cadillac's first V8 automobile, replacing the four-cylinder Model 30, and used the all-new GM A platform on a 122 in wheelbase (with a 145 in chassis offered separately for custom coachwork), with coachwork provided by Fisher Body and one of the first mass-produced V8 engines. It was a competitor to the all-new Packard Twin Six; the most expensive coachwork for 1915 was the Berline Limousine at US$3,600. The Type 51 was also the first left-hand drive Cadillac (all previous models had been right-hand drive, which remained an option). The 1916 Type 53 introduced the modern control layout (gear lever and hand brake in the middle of the front seats, key-started ignition and clutch, brake and throttle pedals in the modern order) with a 77-horsepower V8, offered in nine body styles and, for the first time (1916–1919), three commercial platforms (Police Patrol US$2,955, Ambulance US$3,455 and Hearse US$3,880); in May 1916 Erwin "Cannonball" Baker and William Sturm drove a Cadillac Roadster from Los Angeles to New York in 7 days, 11 hours and 52 minutes. The 1917 Type 55 (12 body styles) was chosen by the US Army as its staff car in July 1917 and 2,350 were supplied for use in France by officers of the American Expeditionary Force. The 1918 Type 57 added the seven-passenger Suburban on a 132 in wheelbase and detachable cylinder heads; the Type 59 (1920–21) and Type 61 (1922–23, the last vehicle built at the Cass Street Factory) brought yearly improvements until the all-new V-63 replaced them. The engine was a 314 cu in (5.1 L) L-head V8 with a 3-speed manual transmission; wheelbases ran 122, 125, 132 and 145 in.
Collectors Spotted in the Cadillac Type 51 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Cadillac Type 51 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 51 314 cu in L-head V8 | 1915–1915 | 5.1 L V8 | 77 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Type 53 314 cu in L-head V8 (77 hp) | 1916–1916 | 5.1 L V8 | 77 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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