Hisroric Record of 1918 Cadillac Added to Library of Congress

It was once in the midst of battle during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. Today, it holds an honored place in the Library of Congress Archive. On July 23, 2014, a 1918 Cadillac Type 57 became the fourth vehicle to earn a place in the new National Historic Vehicle Register and U.S. Department of the Interior Historic American Engineering Record.

The Cadillac seven-passenger touring car was purchased from a distributor in New York City by Rev. Dr. John H. Denison. In August 1917, Denison supported the war effort by volunteering himself as a driver, along with his car, to the Y.M.C.A. They arrived in Europe and began transporting officers and soldiers through the thick of the fighting in northern France. The Cadillac had transportation duties throughout the Second Battle of the Marne, which was victorious for the Allies in September 1918 and turned the tide against the Germans. The car was also later used by Eleanor Butler Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Theodore Jr. She mentioned it in her 1959 autobiography.

When World War I ended, the American Expeditionary Force, led by General John J. Pershing, sold most of its vehicles and equipment to European buyers. The Cadillac Type 57, however, was returned to the United States, although it is still unclear how and why. Its current owner, March Lassen, says he thought the car was special, “but its history had been lost to time.” Says Mark Gessler, Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) president, “(this car) may be the only complete and largely unrestored example of a WWI military Cadillac known to exist.” The HVA is an organization that guards automotive history and promotes both the historical and cultural importance of the automobile. The HVA’s Register began in January 2014 to preserve the historical significance of these vehicles.

Highlighting this Cadillac touring car also highlights Cadillac’s automotive history, especially its 100-years of manufacturing V-8 engines. The compact design of the V-8 made the car easier to handle than other cars of the period. In 1917, after a competitive endurance run, the U.S. army chose the V-87 Cadillac as its standard seven-passenger automobile. Today, Cadillac is still producing the V-8 with its 2015 Escalade SUV at the Tonawanda Engine Plant near Buffalo, New York.

Says Richard O’Connor of the U.S. Department of the Interior, “The Cadillac type 57 … is a great example of a rare survivor.”