Big American Car - Thank you Frog-Eaters

My Dad's a die-hard American. Army Medic. Major, Football player, BIG, and all ( I won't go into his political views). Everything labeled America is BEST. I'd like to note that he also went through a couple of Cadillacs at some point.

Now, I'm sure we can all agree that the Cadillac pretty much epitomizes the American Car, a car emblematic of all that is highest in automobile construction and design. We also know that many die-hard Americans (Pops) like to bash on the French for whatever reasons... poor WWII strategies... governmental embarrassments... racism... antisemitism.. frog-consuming... etc. To those people, may your opinions remain your opinions. Being a Frenchie myself, I get a little defensive about my country. But francophilia isn't the issue at hand here. It's about History, and the creation of an emblem that came to symbolize an American classic, the Cadillac.

A Brief History of Cadillac Emblem:

Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac was born in Gascony, France, on March 5th, 1658. Being adventurous by nature, stories of the New World appealed to him very much, so he took it upon himself to make it to those shoes. What he was most noted for was his founding of the city of Detroit in 1701. Little did he know that his settlement would not only grow to be one of the largest cities in the United States, but also the greatest automobile manufacturing city in the world.

At this point, we can clearly distinguish the parallel between Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac, who stands for all that is pioneering, and the Cadillac car, which stands for actual pioneering in the automotive world.

There is actually a château in existance known as Le Château de Cadillac (featured below).

It is said that although Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac most likely came from a prominent family, he was not a French nobleman by blood. It was not uncommon for men in those times to adopt a name from another family in order to promote their own standing... mostly when that family was far across the Antlantic. Speculations indicate that Antoine borrowed the name LaMothe along with his ancestry and armorial bearings of a certain Baron Sylvester of Esparbès de Lussan ( a mouth-full for sure), Lord of LaMothe Bardigues, a manor located near Toulouse. Interestingly, the First International Cadillac Meet was held on those very grounds in 1989.

Below you will see the original coat of arms belonging to the Esparbès de Lussan family, along with its interesting evolution into the modern-day Cadillac emblem we are so familiar with.

Above is pictured the authentic coat of arms ofBaron Sylvestre Esparbès de Lussan.

"Cadillac" family crest -- uncanny resemblance, no?

Adopted as the Cadillac emblem in 1905, the crest became a trademark in August 1906.

The birds known as marlettes, a quasi-mythical representation of the martin, were displayed on the Cadillac emblem until the turn of the century. In 2002, the wreath was brought back, and the designed was cleaned up, with a more geometrical and abstract design, representative of Cadillac's latest automobile designs.

Today's sharp-looking Cadillac emblem we all know and love. It's meeeaaann... ohh yes but in a sexy way. Stay fabulous, Cadillac!