I imagine you think I'm about to go off on a speech about the Corvette ZR1 supercar, the American power house that goes to the moon faster than you can blink. But I'm not. Or maybe you're expecting a passionate spiel about the Ford Mustang and it's incredible forty-five consecutive years of production. But I'm not. Ahh, you say, surely you must be referring to the first real American hot rod, the '32 Deuce Coupe. Once again, you'd be wrong. In fact, the most influential car in history is much older than that, dating all the way back to the first world war. So what could I possibly be going on about? How about....the 1916 Cadillac Type 53.

What on earth has gotten into me, you might ask. It looks like almost every other car of the time....rickety....primitive....and yet classy, in a Winston Churchill sort of way. I imagine the steering was an intense upper body workout, and the brakes equally so for your right leg. But with the reliability of a teenager, and the top speed of a snail during its morning jog, what could possibly lead me to believe that this, of all the cars in history, is even remotely special?

It goes a bit deeper than that. It's not the appearance, and certainly not the performance, but the Type 53 does have something in common with all the milestones mentioned above. Not only do they share many similarities, but this particular Cadillac unintentionally started the largest trend in automotive history.

When you climb into a ZR1, a 240, a Deuce, an RS4, a Civic, or any other production car of today, you already know what you'll find. Obviously there will be a steering wheel, an ignition for your key with the fancy buttons on the back, a parking brake at your side, and three pedals to keep your feet busy. There was a time, however, when this seemingly standard control setup was fresh, experimental, and progressive. In 1916, Cadillac unlocked this infinitely copied configuration of steering, throttle, and braking controls, and the Type 53 became the first car in history to showcase their brilliant new idea.

Strange how a car so....well, to be truthful....terrible, could be the template of production cars for almost a century. A surprising revolution in convenience, vehicle control, and simplicity. In fact, I can't imagine another automotive trend, from the past or future, that could be possibly be as important, so groundbreaking, or so widely spread throughout the entire world.

So, what does the 1916 Cadillac Type 53 stand for? What is it exactly that makes this car so special? Well, it's certainly not speed, acceleration, cornering, or any other typical characteristic of an excellent car. So, I suppose I could tell you it's simply about the mechanical achievement. Not how well it performs, but the simplicity of it's operation. But what this car really is....goes much further. This car represents the bond that man shares with machine, the indescribable factor that draws us to moving parts, metal, and their improvement. The urge to push the limits of what can be created and modified to give a car it's very own personality, unique from any other. The burning desire to tweak, tune, test, and tune again until you've created the very best system you can envision.

But in the case of the Cadillac Type 53, the goal wasn't performance like the Caterham R500 Superlight, the Bugatti Veyron or the Ariel Atom. The goal here was precise practicality. To create the most user friendly car of the time was a goal not only achieved....but completely annihilated.

I like to think that the engineers spent months creating and honing their revolutionary idea. If that was the case, then I tip my hat to them. Clearly, the brilliant creators at Cadillac have earned a very unique place in automotive history.

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