Cadillac Model B Touring Four-Seater Tonneau 1904
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Car producer : |
Cadillac |
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Model: |
Model B Touring Four-Seater Tonneau 1904 |
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Year: |
1904-1905 |
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Type: |
Tonneau |
The first Cadillac automobiles were built in the last quarter, 1902; they were 2-seater "horseless carriages" powered by a reliable and sturdy 10HP (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. This early "letter model" naming system was used from late 1902 (often considered 1903s) to 1908.
All single-cylinder Cadillacs share many parts in common. In fact, the Models E, F, K, M, S, and T are essentially the same vehicle with different bodies.
The Models A, B, C, E, and F shared a single-cylinder 98.2 in³ (1.6 L) engine rated from 6.5 to around 9HP (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 (127 mm).
The engine employed a patented variable-lift intake valve licensed from Alanson P. Brush. The restrictions of this design led the company to develop their own four-cylinder engine for the later Models D, L, G, and H.
Introduced in January 1904 Cadillac's Model B was similar to their Model A, sharing its engine but using a pressed-steel frame and axles and the Model B was on a longer 76 in (1,900 mm) wheelbase. The front axle is described as girder-style. It supported the car through a single transverse half-elliptic spring. The sloping dash was replaced by a detachable box-like front to the body and a vertical radiator. All body styles lost as much as 70 pounds weight. Prices went up $50. The car was advertised as having 8 1⁄4 horsepower (6.2 kW) but there were no changes to the design of the engine.
The Model B was available as a runabout or a touring car with a detachable side-entrance tonneau and optional surrey top, or with a delivery body. The passenger cars were both priced at $900 and weighed roughly 1,450 lb (660 kg). Options now included a bulb horn and a deck to replace the tonneau. The Model B continued in production through 1905 when an alternative tubular front axle was available and the power was advertised as 9HP (6.7 kW).
