November 25, 1949
The one-millionth Cadillac rolled off the production line a little more than 47 years after the first model of this automobile was built. The one-millionth Cadillac was a Coupe de Ville.
This automotive milestone was officially announced by John F. Gordon (1900-1978), general manager of General Motors’ Cadillac motor car division. In making the announcement, Gordon noted that “through its early days Cadillac introduced many of the fundamental principles and mechanical designs that have since served to influence the development of the motor car.”
Gordon then highlighted one of Cadillac’s major contributions to the industry. “Cadillac’s record in automotive engine improvement, which has brought the V-8 design to its highest level of perfection, traces back to 1905,” he asserted. “At that time, Cadillac became the first automobile manufacturer to move from the one cylinder to the four cylinder engine.”
Cadillac’s other innovations throughout its first several decades — starting in the first few years of existence and continuing after the 1909 acquisition of the Cadillac Motor Company by General Motors — included introducing the fully enclosed automobile in 1906; and the first electrical system to provide ignition and lighting capabilities for an automobile in 1912. In addition, there was the debut of Cadillac’s pioneering all-steel roof on a passenger automobile in 1926; previous automobile roofs were made out of fabric-covered wood.
In the time since its one-millionth model was manufactured, Cadillac has remained synonymous with luxury and enjoys the distinction of being one of the world’s oldest surviving automobile brands. The two-millionth Cadillac, a Sedan de Ville, rolled off the production line in 1958.
(The accompanying photo of a 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville was taken in 2013.)
Photo Credit: Tino Rossini (https://www.flickr.com/people/39075787@N02) – licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
For more information on the one-millionth Cadillac, please check out Napa Journal 4 December 1949 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
Transportation History 
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