Cadillacs 1951 331 cu in V8 engine arrives

[Tony and Ginny 429]

It is 1950 and Cadillac just built the 160 HP 331 cu in  V8 engine capable of 100 MPH 

They brought the car to France to run the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race 

The Cadillac did exceptionally well and took 10th and 11th place overall against some of the fastest cars in the world then ( a full bodied 51 Cadillac ) 

The Le Mans episode never was mentioned in the sales literature for the following year as Cadillac did not capitalize on is racing accomplishment instead wanting to focus on ride quality ( rides like a Cadillac  ) over the performance aspect of there cars

i was 8-10 years old when my dad got his first Cadillac  a 1952 CDV 

We went out every Sunday for a ride in that car a family outing 

It had  hydraulic power windows and a toasty warm heater from that big  V8 engine in the NY winters 

You know the special  feeling you get when ever you are in a  very very special car — well that was me ! !

My dad’s affection for performance cars is what he lived for 

We had the fastest car on four wheels at the same time a Jaguar XK 120 ( had 3 different ones thru the 50’s ) 

The 120 designation representing its top speed of the Jag in the early 50’s 

The Apple does not fall far from the tree 

Enjoy