Cadillac Model B 8.25hp Surrey 1904

1904 Cadillac Model B 8.25hp Surrey

Registration 5GMO

VCC Dating certificate 1456

Engine number 838

A turn key Entry for L2B 2019. We will get the car to the London to Brigton start line in Hyde Park; Instruct the buyer in the correct operation of the car & accompany them to Brighton (if Required) & recover the car afterward. All you need to is buy it & show up!!! Please note that this is an all up & together relatively powerful car wanting for nothing with major recent recent expenditure to put it in tip top order.

Two years ago we drove this car to Brighton with the current owner. It went up all the hills easily with 4 passengers on board & shows a really surprising turn of speed & power for a single cylinder car perfomring better then some twins we have had.

This restored 8¼hp Model B with four-seater coachwork was imported into the UK from the USA in 1976 for the use of its American owner, who passed away in 1988. It was first dated in 1977 and subsequently in 1996 (see VCC certificate no. 1456 on file).

Next owned by VCC member, John Davies, the Cadillac was purchased by the previous to current owner at Bonhams' Olympia Sale in December 2001 (Lot 718). Since then the car has completed more then 12 London-Brighton Runs (out of a believed 30-or-so in total), two 'Creepy Crawlys', two Hull-Scarborough runs and many others.

In November 2008 '5 GMO' was chosen to participate in General Motors' London-Brighton event at the company's Cadillac showroom in Park Lane, which celebrated the marque's famous Dewar Trophy win of 1908 (see press cuttings and copy of letter on file).

The car is in superb condition, benefiting from a new valve and new brake bands. More importantly under the previous ownership the car has had some £47,000 of works done by the renowned Jim Stokes workshop fully rebuilding the engine, making up & re-spoking the wheels etc etc. The engine rebuild included casting & matching new main bearings & generally setting up the engine to run like perfection.

As a result it starts instantly & runs beautifully. This is a very easy veteran to live with & to operate starting as it does upon the touch of a button.

Its accompanying history file contains an original bismotered instruction book, assorted receipts for work carried out since December 2001, programmes for the various events entered, starting instructions, assorted expired tax discs, GM correspondence, assorted newspaper cuttings and copies of London-Brighton finish photographs.

This capable and stylish Veteran comes with the aforementioned documentation and Swansea V5 document. The provision of a self-starter and an electric water pump (original available) are the only notified deviations from factory specification, while a spare ignition 'buzz box' is included in the sale. A sequential assortment of old Ministry of Transport certificates comes with the car awarded no doubt by some particularly forgiving & benevolent MOT inspector.

This is a comparatively easy veteran to drive & it readily trots along in its second gear at 30MPH. It is a single cylinder car that will genuinely carry 4 passengers to Brighton & go up the various hills with them all aboard.

The throttle is on a quadrant under the steering wheel. The right hand pedal on the floor is the brake which also doubles as the hand (foot) brake via a clever ratchet system. The left hand pedal is first gear which is engaged after giving the car at least 50% throttle. Second may be engaged once underway by letting off on first & pushing forwards the lever to the right of the drivers leg.

Being a friction drive it is kind to the car & transmission to briefly reduce the throttle when engaging second allowing yourself to feel your way into the gear. Next to the 2nd gear lever is the advance retard which is usefully employed to slow the car down when required with second gear engaged.

A new fangled modern water temperature gauge & an ammeter are fitted in a concealed box on the dash allowing for peace of mind after the occasional peep whilst en route & then hastily covering it up again lest some other veteran driver see you & cast aspersions upon your character.

It is immediately available for viewings in our Northampton Showrooms.