1903 Mércèdes 18/22
The 18/22 hp Mércèdes , was less fierce than the ‘60’, with an engine of just over 3 litres. In 1903, The Autocar tested a ‘dainty white eighteen’, commenting that the quiet running engine could be ‘compared to nothing else but the ticking of a somewhat robust eight-day clock’.
1903 Cadillac
In March 1903,. Henry Ford resigned from the Henry Ford Company (founded in 1901 to exploit his designs)., determined to seek his independence. Bereft of their figurehead, the company reorganised and called itself ‘Cadillac’. after Antoine of that ilk, founder of Detroit in 1701. The first Cadillac model was designed by Ford and improved by the company’s engineer. Henry M. Leland. who built its onecylinder engine to a high standard.
1901 Ceirano
Between them, the three Ceirano brothers, Giovanni-Battista, Giovanni and Matteo seemed to have fathered the Italian motor industry. Giovanni-Battista’s first company was acquired by Giovanni Agnelli and became FIAT, after which he sold Agnelli’s cars for a while. Then, in company with his brother Matteo, he set up the Ceirano Company in Turin in 1901 building a 5 hp car based on the Renault. It used a 600cc singlecylinder power unit imported from France.
1903 Lorraine-Dietrich
Dating from around 1903, this racing Lorraine-Dietrich 45hp was one of the first examples to be fitted with the characteristic ‘shouldered’ radiator, bearing the Cross of Lorraine, which distinguished the marque in Edwardian days. Earlier models were just known as De Dietrich.
Retrorambling 