Lot 203

Monterey 2018

1903 Cadillac Model A Delivery Wagon

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$123,200 USD | Sold

United States | Monterey, California

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Chassis No.
1019
  • From the very first year of Cadillac production
  • Fully restored in the style of the rare I.W. Dill delivery wagons
  • Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Senior First Prize winner
  • Superb presentation and wonderful character
Addendum: Please note that this lot is offered on a Bill of Sale only.

The first production Cadillacs of 1903 were offered as a runabout, either with or without a rear-mounted tonneau and powered by a single-cylinder, 98-cu. in. engine that could produce as much as 10 hp. From the start the so-called Model A performed exceptionally well in hard driving events worldwide, and the 2,497 examples produced in 1903 were widely acclaimed as the finest in their class for quality, finish, and mechanical engineering, establishing a reputation that has endured for over a century.

The Model A delivery wagon offered here was restored in the late 1990s for former owners, Greg and Sharon Tocket, with handsome wooden bodywork, hand-made to an exceptionally high standard of fit and finish. The body was designed identically to one of the four such delivery wagons produced on Model A chassis by the I.W. Dill Carriage Works of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and sold through the Central Pennsylvania Automobile Company to regional department stores and newspapers.

The body is finished in Carmine and Wine, striped in gold, and the interior in buttoned black leather, with a removable divider between the seat and the rear cargo section, which is itself finished in flat black with black carpeting. Correct accessories include the proper 12-spoke wooden wheels shod in Firestone white rubber tires (with four covers), a center-mounted Phaire brass headlamp, matching Dietz brass kerosene side lamps, and a red-lens Dietz kerosene taillamp.

Such is the quality of the delivery wagon’s fit and finish that, in previous ownership, it won numerous awards, including Best Restoration of a Brass Era Cadillac at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and a Cadillac-LaSalle Club National First Prize in 2002, and an Antique Automobile Club of America National Senior First Prize in 2003. It has been well preserved by the current owners in their renowned collection, and in 2006 was exhibited in the AACA Museum at Hershey, Pennsylvania, as part of their special exhibit, “Top Brass.” Further, it was featured in the 9 October 2005 issue of Autoweek. Today it is fully ready for a roster of further appearances, or a continued career in AACA or CLC competition.