Celebrating Cadillac History
Patrick Cadillac would like to invite you to take a ride down memory lane as we encounter the iconic models that have shaped Cadillac’s rich history. From the iconic Coupe de Ville to the legendary Escalade, join us for our Annual Vintage Cadillac Car Show.
When: Saturday, August 10, 2024
Time: 9am to 2pm
Where: Patrick Cadillac 526 Mall Drive Schaumburg, IL. 60173
What to expect: Food trucks, raffle prizes and vintage Cadillacs on display provided by the members of the Cadillac LaSalle Club! Free to attend!
Cadillac History
Cadillac is among the first automotive brands in the world, fourth in the United States only to Autocar Company (1897) and fellow GM marques Oldsmobile (1897) and Buick (1899). It was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms.
By the time General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac had already established itself as one of America's premier luxury car makers. The complete interchangeability of its precision parts had allowed it to lay the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles. It was at the forefront of technological advances, introducing full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, with its V8 setting the standard for the American automotive industry.
Patrick Cadillac History
It was 1904 in Detroit when Hanley Dawson IV's great grandfather made the acquaintance of the legendary Henry Ford. Ford's automobile manufacturing plant was located across the street from the bank where he worked. His great grandfather offered to sell used cars returned to the Ford plant and eventually was granted the opportunity to sell new cars off the assembly line.
In 1907, his great grandfather was awarded the first new Ford franchise in Detroit, in the entire Midwest for that matter. The photo below is of him standing outside of that first dealership more than a century ago and it holds a prominent place on his office wall to this day.
In 1951, Hanley Dawson Jr. took over the dealership from his father. Twenty years later, in 1971, the family business moved to Chicago on the corner of Rush and Ontario Streets when Dawson Jr. was awarded the first and only Chicago Cadillac factory retail branch operation. Hanley Dawson Jr. and his son, Hanley Dawson III, ran that business as Hanley Dawson Cadillac until the early 1990's.
In 1977, Hanley Dawson III set out on his own to establish the Patrick Cadillac dealership that we have today in Schaumburg. Named after his youngest son Patrick, the Patrick Dealer Group was born.