The Cadillac

This is the car I will be driving! The Cadillac is a beautiful 1909 Model 30 Demi Tonneau that Malcolm's father, Bob, bought in June of 1939. It had been put in a barn about 1919 and there it sat for 20 years. Bob was concerned about the scrap iron drives, and that this beautiful car might be destroyed for the war effort. He bought it from the original owner, paying not only for the car but an extra $2.00 for the gas in the tank. The car, stayed safe in the car barn at Malcolm's grandfather's house in NH for many years. Malcolm and Bob started restoration in the hopes of driving it for our wedding in 1984. We drove it from our wedding, but it was a very short drive. It drove well but still needed a lot of TLC under the hood. Two years ago I told Malcolm about this crazy idea that Dorothy had broached. What would he think about the Cadillac driving across the country? Could it do it? He talked to a lot of guys aobut this, got a lot of advice and started working. There are many talented men out there who have built new parts or rebuilt original parts, replaced glass and welded the radiator. Every one of them has worked quickly in order to get this car ready for the trip.

A little history: The Cadillac was created by Henry Leland, who was from Barton Vermont. He was an incredible man who took machining parts to an art form. This car was one of the last built before Cadillac was taken over by GM. To learn more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M._Leland or try to find a copy of the book Henry Leland: The Story of the Vermonter Who Created Cadillac and Lincoln.