Classic cars: The History of the Cadillac Brand

The Cadillac Brand was founded over 100 years ago, in 1902 Detroit, by a man named Henry Leland. Leland named the company after Antoine de la Moth Cadillac, who was a French explorer and adventurer in New France and founded the city of Detroit. Detroit eventually became the world center for automobile production in the 20^th century.

In 1908, Cadillac brought the idea of interchangeable parts to the automotive industry and provided the foundation for modern mass production of automobiles. What resulted was Cadillac becoming the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England. This high praise is what earned Cadillac the slogan “Standard of the World.”

Following its outstanding beginnings, Cadillac only continued to introduce new innovations to the automobile industry. In 1910, they became the first company to offer a passenger car with a fully enclosed cabin, which was a huge change from the vehicles of the time. Two years after that, Cadillac released the Model Thirty. This was “the car with no crank”, and was the first production car to feature an electronic self-starter, ignition, and lighting. By doing this, Cadillac not only earned the Dewar trophy again, but they also were able to open the door to female drivers.

Cadillac is said to have “forever changed the way cars are designed”. The 20s were an important decade for the brand. Cadillac branched out and offered customers more than 500 color combinations to choose from, a definite change in mentality from Henry Ford’s famous quote, “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black.”

One of the most interesting facts about Cadillac, and perhaps why it is still the strong brand we know today, is that in the midst of The Great Depression, while most businesses were struggling, Cadillac created the first V-type 16-cylinder engine for use in a passenger car. The engine would go on to be one of the most iconic engines in Cadillac history. Shortly after this, Cadillac released a V12 version to give buyers something between the already popular V8 and new V16 engines.

Cadillac is still known today as “The Standard of the World” when it comes to automobiles. Even today the brand is coming out with new models to impress it’s buyers. Whether you own a classic Cadillac or other type of classic car, Condon Skelly has the Insurance Policies to keep you financially protected. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading classic, antique, and specialty vehicle insurance since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

Classic Cars: History of the Jaguar

The Jaguar brand wasn’t always the automobile legend we know it as today. It was actually a motorcycle sidecar manufacturer originally, and was founded under a different name, the Swallow Sidecar Company, in 1922. Co-founded by 21-year-old Billy Lyons and neighbor William Walmsley in Blackppol, Jaguar’s legacy has always been about style.

The Jaguar name was made relevant by the production of a series of eye-catching sports cars, such as the XK 120 of 1949, which was developed into the XK 140 and XK 150, and the E Type of 1961. These were all successful vehicles and were prime examples of Lyon’s motto of “value for money”.

The sales slogan for the Jaguar vehicles, which acquired the “Jaguar” name in 1935, was “Grace, Space, Pace”. The exact text of this slogan varied, but always included these three words, as this was what embodied a Jaguar vehicle. After WWII, Jaguar certainly made a name for itself as a producer of stylish, high-performance vehicles.

Although Jaguars were always about style, it wasn’t until the mid-1950’s that they were introduced as luxury vehicles. By then, jaguar cars were recognizable for their distinct styling cues, such as a chrome grill and the leaping jaguar emblem. Through the 50’s and 60’s, Jaguar luxury cars grew larger with each redesign, topping out at more than 200 inches in length by 1970.

The Jaguar brand has quite a distinct history, and is still going strong today. Currently, Jaguar produces 4 distinct models; the XK high-performance coupe and convertible, the XJ luxury model, the mid-size “executive” XF, and the X-Type which is among the upper tier of all luxury cars available today.

Whether you own a classic Jaguar or a modern one, Condon Skelly has the Insurance Policies to keep you financially protected. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading classic, antique, and specialty vehicle insurance since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

Specialty Car Insurance: The Legacy of the McLaren Brand

McLaren Automotive is a British car manufacturer of high-performance vehicles, established in 1989 as a producer of road cars based on Formula One technology. Bruce McLaren, father of the McLaren brand of automobiles, started a racing career as a teenager in a modified 1929 Austin Ulter that had been given to him by his father. McLaren was just as talented of an engineer as he was a racer, and so in May of 1966 he developed his very own Formula One car. This vehicle debuted at Monaco and qualified in 10^th place with Bruce behind the wheel.

In early 1970, work began on the McLaren M6GT, with the plan to take an M6 Can-Am car and develop a couple body that would be competitive in long distance racing. McLaren had always wanted to build his own road car, but also have it be the fastest and quickest accelerating car in the world that translated the brand’s expertise on the race track. Together with chief designer Gordon Coppuck, Bruce McLaren planned to refine the prototype, eventually aiming to produce up to 250 cars per year. However, other than the original prototype that became his personal transportation, there was only one other M6GT ever built.

Enthusiasts speculate whether or not McLaren’s dream would have taken off. Tragically, on June 2^nd of 1970, Bruce McLaren was doing a test run at Goodwood when the tail section on his M8D lifted at 170mph. He spun off the track and was thrown from the vehicle, resulting in his untimely death at the age of 32.

While dreams of the fastest road car ever disappeared with Bruce McLaren, the brand lived on. In fact, the John Barnard designed McLaren MP4/1, developed in 1981, is said to be the most significant car in McLaren’s long history. The McLaren brand has continued to thrive, with its most recent model being the elegant McLaren P1, described as the “ultimate expression of aerodynamic expertise” by McLaren employees.

No matter what type of specialty car you own, it’s important to protect it financially with the right type of Specialty Car Insurance Coverage. At Condon Skelly, we know how exciting it can be to start a classic car collection. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.