About this episode
Cadillac history gets a brain-buster treatment with a 1908 Brooklands stunt. The hosts walk through how “three Model K's from the 1907 Cadillac production were released” in London on February 29, then were driven to Brooklands, run for “10 laps,” and locked away until March 2. Next, the cars were “reduced to a pile of 721 component parts,” scrambled together, and later reassembled—highlighting how even a “broken cotter pin in the ignition lever” only cost one point.
Let us tell you about the origins of the Cadillac name & the award they won that changed everything.
Recorded @iapdx
Recorded & mixed by Emdognightmare & Queen of the Vans
Editor: Emdognightmare
Production & research Queen of the Vans & Emdognightmare
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Hugs, thank you & high fives to Greg Meleney for the killer tunez!
Cadillac Model K
"“...on Saturday, 29th of February, 1908, three Model K's from the 1907 Cadillac production were released... at the Heddon Street showroom in London.”"
This is an old Cadillac model called the Model K. In the segment, they’re talking about a few of these cars being shipped, driven to a race track, and then taken apart into many pieces.
The Cadillac Model K is an early Cadillac model from the 1907 production era that’s referenced here as being released in 1908. In this story, multiple Model K cars were driven to Brooklands and then disassembled into hundreds of parts, highlighting how early-automotive production and logistics worked.
sequential numbers
"“Um, they have sequential, uh, uh, numbers. Um, actually, the engines were 23391, 24111, and 24118.”"
“Sequential numbers” just means the numbers go in order, like 1, 2, 3. Here it’s used to identify the cars and their parts in a tidy, trackable way.
“Sequential numbers” means the identifiers increase in order with no gaps. In the segment, the cars have sequential numbering, which helps track which specific vehicles and components came from the same production batch.
Tesla Model Ks
"Rose BB23 1: and, uh, was exposed at a very young age to the spirit industry in Scotland, as his father founded the John Dewar & Sons Ltd. Without further ado, on Saturday, 29th of February, 1908, three Model K's from the 1907 Cadillac production were released from the stock of the Anglo-American Motor Car Company, the UK agent for Cadillac automobiles, at the Heddon Street showroom in London. Um, they have sequential, uh, uh, numbers. Um, actually, the engines were 23391, 24111, and 24118. The three cars all registered in London under the numbers A2E0, A3E0, and A4E0, so registered sequentially, were driven 25 miles To the Brooklands racetrack at Weybridge. There, the cars completed 10 laps of the track, approximately 30 miles, before being locked away until Monday, the 2nd of March, 1908, when they were released and disassembled completely using only wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, and pliers. Each car was reduced to a pile of 721 component parts, which were then scrambled into one heap by the RAC. 89 parts requiring extreme accuracy were withdrawn from the heap, locked away at the Brooklands clubhouse, and replaced with new parts from Anglo-American showroom stock. The parts were then sorted into three piles, each with all the parts needed to assemble a car."
The Tesla Model S is an all-electric car, meaning it runs on batteries instead of gasoline. It’s designed to be a comfortable, practical sedan with a long range for an electric vehicle. People talk about it because it’s one of the best-known EVs and shows what electric cars can do.
The Tesla Model S is a full-size electric sedan known for its long driving range and strong performance. It’s often discussed because it helped popularize modern battery-electric cars in the mainstream, and it’s a common reference point when people talk about how far EV technology has progressed. In a podcast, it may come up as an example of how electric powertrains and software-driven features are changing everyday driving.
Anglo-American Motor Car Company
"“...three Model K's... were released from the stock of the Anglo-American Motor Car Company, the UK agent for Cadillac automobiles...”"
The Anglo-American Motor Car Company is described as the UK agent for Cadillac automobiles in the segment. That role matters because it explains how Cadillac cars and replacement parts were distributed and tracked in the UK.
disassembled completely
"“...released and disassembled completely using only wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, and pliers. Each car was reduced to a pile of 721 component parts...”"
“Disassembled completely” means they took the car apart into lots of separate pieces. Here, they turned the cars into many parts and then put them back together later.
“Disassembled completely” means the cars were taken apart into their individual parts rather than just inspected or partially removed. In this story, the cars were reduced to hundreds of component parts, then reassembled later from sorted piles.
Brooklands racetrack
"“...were driven 25 miles To the Brooklands racetrack at Weybridge. There, the cars completed 10 laps...”"
Brooklands was a well-known old race track in the UK. The segment says the cars went there, drove laps, and then the parts were stored and later reassembled.
Brooklands was a famous early British motor racing circuit. In the segment, the cars are driven there for laps and then used as part of a timed parts-and-reassembly challenge.
cotter pin
"“Only one point was lost owing to a broken cotter pin in the ignition lever, promptly replaced from stock.”"
A cotter pin is a tiny metal clip used to keep a connection from coming loose. They mention one breaking near the ignition lever, which caused a small problem during the challenge.
A cotter pin is a small metal fastener used to lock a nut or lever in place so it can’t loosen. The segment mentions a broken cotter pin in the ignition lever, which caused a single point to be lost in the event.
ignition lever
"“Only one point was lost owing to a broken cotter pin in the ignition lever, promptly replaced from stock.”"
An ignition lever is a mechanical control used to engage the ignition system on early vehicles. Unlike modern push-button or electronic ignition controls, early cars often used levers and linkages to operate ignition-related functions.
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