Cadillac produced the first V8 engine used in a mass-produced automobile.
Cadillac introduced its V8 in 1914 as the Type 51, sold as a 1915 model. The 5.1-liter L-head engine used a 90-degree cylinder-bank angle and delivered smoother, stronger performance than many contemporary four-cylinder engines. Its success helped establish the V8 as a practical configuration for luxury and high-performance cars.
The wording can cause confusion because Cadillac was not the first company to experiment with a V8 engine. Earlier prototypes and limited-production designs existed, including the 1904 Antoinette V8 and aircraft-derived engines. Cadillac’s distinction is bringing a V8 into regular, large-scale automobile production. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Ford later became associated with important V8 engines, but they did not claim this particular first.
Cadillac continued refining the layout for decades, and the company’s V8 tradition became one of the defining elements of American luxury-car engineering.