Great Cars: CADILLAC

One of Henry Ford's early suppliers, Henry Leland, took over from Ford and turned his first company into the maker of cars that came to symbolize the best and the excess of America. At the turn of the century many people were building cars. Most were unreliable toys for the rich – creations meant for short weekend excursions. Leland was convinced there was a better way. He borrowed precision manufacturing techniques from Colt Firearms and applied this knowledge to his cars. Soon the quality soared and his cars earned the title of the “Standard of the World.” It's a legacy Cadillac has been struggling to maintain ever since. EP 110