To celebrate my 54,000th post, I decided to have fun: There were very few steps from Thomas Jefferson to Eli Whitney to Cadillac's demonstration of perfect interchangeable parts, and it pivoted around American guns and the 2nd amendment, and Dewar whiskey

Cadillac’s precision-built automobiles were the result of a lifetime of experience on the part of Henry M. Leland. Known in Detroit as a master of precision, Leland became the primary connection between a series of nineteenth century attempts to make interchangeable parts and the large-scale use of precision parts in mass-production manufacturing during the twentieth century.

The first American use of truly interchangeable parts had occurred in the military, more than seventy-five years before the test at Brooklands. Thomas Jefferson had written from France about a demonstration of uniform parts for musket locks in 1785.

A few years later, Eli Whitney attempted to make muskets for the American military by producing separate parts for assembly using specialized machines. He was never able to produce the precision necessary for truly interchangeable parts, but he promoted the idea intensely. 

It was in 1822 at the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia, and then a few years later at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, that the necessary accuracy in machining was finally achieved on a relatively large scale.

Leland began his career at the Springfield Armory in 1863, at the age of nineteen. He worked as a tool builder during the Civil War years and soon became an advocate of precision manufacturing.  Leland was an admirer of Eli Whitney, and an apprentice under Samuel Colt, both pioneers in the principles of precision engineering and the standardization & interchangeability of components. 

In 1890, he moved to Detroit, where he began a firm, Leland & Faulconer, who would become internationally known for precision machining. His company did well supplying parts to the bicycle industry and internal combustion engines and transmissions to early automobile makers. 

In 1899, Leland & Faulconer became the primary supplier of engines to the first of the major automobile producers, the Olds Motor Works. 

In 1902, the directors of another Detroit firm, the Henry Ford Company, found themselves in a desperate situation. Henry Ford, the company founder and chief engineer, had resigned after a disagreement with the firm’s key owner, William Murphy. 

Leland was asked to take over the reorganization of the company. Because it could no longer use Ford’s name, the business was renamed in memory of the French explorer who had founded Detroit two hundred years earlier, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

Leland was appointed president of the Cadillac Motor Car Company, which, under his influence, soon became known for its precision manufacturing.

Three Model K Cadillacs made a historic journey. The cars were first driven 25 miles from London to the Brooklands racetrack, where each one was taken apart inside a brick shed. Three piles of parts — some 720 parts per car — were jumbled together. Then they were reassembled from the resulting shuffle and driven another 500 miles.

As further proof of Cadillac’s superior engineering abilities, one of the three test cars used was kept by the R.A.C. and entered in the 1908 International Touring Car 2,000 Mile Trial held that July in England. The pieced-together Cadillac won the trial, beating a Swiss-made Zedel in an event that was very close to the final lap.

This was capped with awarding the Dewar Trophy to Cadillac... . Lord Dewar, of Scotch whiskey fame, endowed a Dewar Challenge Shield awarded in cycling -

and also - and underwrote the Dewar Trophy of England’s Royal Automobile Club. 

Previous winners were the Stanley brothers for their Stanley Steamer land speed record in 1906 and Rolls-Royce for its 40.50 hp model demonstrating 15,000-mile durability in 1907.

This was only possible because the Cadillacs were made from interchangeable parts — a first in the auto industry and an important step leading to the development of the modern assembly line.

The Society of Automobile Engineers, predecessor of today’s SAE International, was founded in 1905, a time when even basic hardware such as nuts and bolts differed from supplier to supplier. Automobiles of the era were handmade, their parts individually crafted to fit. Among the earliest efforts of S.A.E. was standardization of parts, and Henry M. Leland was one of its earliest members, to serve as president of the organization in 1912 – 1913.

Dewar created several Challenge Shields for various sports around the United Kingdom and abroad, as well as the Sheriff of London Charity Shield and the Dewar Cup in the United States for Association football. 

For cycling he donated the Dewar Challenge Shield in 1901, 

The Lord Dewar Challenge Cup was also presented to the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park in 1925. 

For shooting, Dewar presented a trophy for international Smallbore rifle competition

For boys Rugby, the shield is enormous https://www.wesfa.co/wesfa/news/2015/7/11/history-of-the-dewar-shield 

Leaving his brother in 1890s Scotland to run the business, Dewar set out to publicize their brand to the world. Visiting 26 countries over the course of 2 years, the Dewar's brand was put on the map as one of the premier Scotch whiskies available. Dewar kept a journal of his travels which were consolidated and published in the book titled, "Ramble Round the Globe," in 1894. Known as "whisky Tom" he's the longest-staying guest at the Savoy Hotel in London. Dewar was a justice of the peace for Kent and a Lieutenant of the City of London, Sheriff of London in 1897

https://wikisummaries.org/cadillac-demonstrates-interchangeable-parts/
https://www.michiganais.com/single-post/cadillac-and-the-1908-dewar-trophy

https://simanaitissays.com/2015/12/09/cadillacs-dewar-trophy/

https://www.sotcca.org.uk/mens-championship-race

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dewar,_1st_Baron_Dewar

This is one of the few times I've freestyled writing to enjoy the exercise of connections, something that 25 years ago was impressed on me by the fantastic TV series "Connections" by James Burke. Through the past 16 years of blogging Just A Car Guy, I've rarely had the motivation and time, and topic, that came together at the same time to show what a fun thing "Connections" are. Thank you James Burke