Cadillac may no longer be at the forefront of the luxury market in 2021, but there was a time when its cars were highly sought-after among rich folks. The rust bucket you see here was one of those cars.
The company emerged in 1902 as one of the first automotive brands in the United States. And by the time it was purchased by General Motors in 1909, Cadillac had already made a name for itself as one of the country's biggest luxury carmakers. In 1912, Cadillac pioneered an electrical system enabling starting, ignition, and lighting and three years later introduced its first V8 engine, which set a new standard for American luxury cars. The 314-cubic-inch (5.1-liter) L-head mill debuted in the Cadillac Type 51 in 1915. Originally rated at 70 horsepower, the V8 was constantly updated through 1923. Likewise, the Cadillac introduced yearly improvements to the car, which were named Type 53, 55, 57, 59, and 61. In 1923, the Cadillac V8 series was replaced by the V-63. The V8 below was built for the 1917 model year, which means it was sold as the Type 55. Back in the day, this Caddy retailed for around $4,000, which made it one of the most expensive automobiles of its time. For reference, a Ford Model T was priced at about $500 in 1917. Likely purchased by a wealthy industrialist, this Cadillac was reportedly abandoned sometime in 1928. This means that it spent 11 years on the road and a whopping 93 years as a wreck. Not surprisingly after almost a century off the road, it's missing everything but the frame and the front end, but it still has the L-head V8 and the three-speed manual transmission. It's the kind of car that would find its way into a crusher, but YouTube's “Jennings Motor sports,” known for “will it run?” revivals of really old cars decided to save it and get it running again. But is the ancient V8 willing to turn again? Well, the mill is in surprisingly good condition on the outside. It's locked up, but it's mostly complete and it still has the original spark plugs. With new wiring, a battery, and a fuel line, the engine gets a weak pulse. But the spark and the good compression aren't enough for the mill to ignite after so many decades of sitting. Apparently, the cam assembly is broken, but Jennings isn't willing to quit just yet. He wants to rebuild the engine, so we might just see the L-head V8 fire up and run in one of his upcoming videos, which is downright amazing. The big question is what will happen to what's left of this car once the V8 is running again, but I guess we will find out once the old L-head starts burning gasoline.
Keyword: Abandoned 1917 Cadillac Has Been Sitting for 93 Years, V8 Engine Wants to Live