Cadillac Cars
1958
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Cadillac cars are classic vehicles that guests can drive around a track.
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The 1940s and 1950s were a very difficult time for Cedar Point. The resort was losing money and couldn’t keep up with regular maintenance because of the lack of funds.
In 1956, Cedar Point was purchased by George Roos and Emile Legross. Their plan was to demolish the resort and replace it with a housing development. |
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The housing development was not popular with the general public. It sparked a wave of complaints across northern Ohio. People even went to the state legislature in an effort to keep the park open. George Roose and Emile Legross then spent nearly two years studying Cedar Point’s operations. During that time, they developed a plan to turn Cedar Point into “The Disneyland of the Midwest.”
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The first attraction added to the new Cedar Point was the Cadillac Cars. The ride was placed on the Main Midway.
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Cadillac Cars takes guests on a journey down a winding path. Riders drive along a quarter-mile road through landscaped scenery and over a covered bridge.
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Cadillac Cars was the first ride at Cedar Point to be built and designed by Arrow Development. Arrow had built rides for dozens of parks over the years, including many of the original rides at Disneyland. Over time, Cedar Point and Arrow Development would go on to create some of the most unique rides in the world.
Arrow Development later returned to Cedar Point to build several attractions, including Turnpike Cars (1959–2014), Mill Race (1963–1993), Earthquake (1965–1984), Pirate Ride (1966–1996), Shoot-the-Rapids (1967–1981), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Antique Cars (1969), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978), White Water Landing (1982–2005), Iron Dragon (1987), Magnum XL-200 (1989), and Snake River Falls (1993-2024).
Arrow Development later returned to Cedar Point to build several attractions, including Turnpike Cars (1959–2014), Mill Race (1963–1993), Earthquake (1965–1984), Pirate Ride (1966–1996), Shoot-the-Rapids (1967–1981), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Antique Cars (1969), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978), White Water Landing (1982–2005), Iron Dragon (1987), Magnum XL-200 (1989), and Snake River Falls (1993-2024).
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Cadillac Cars is a ride the entire family can enjoy together!
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The cars are 2/3-scale replicas of 1910 Cadillac touring cars.
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Cadillac Cars Ride Facts:
Opened: 1958 Manufacturer: Arrow Development Type: Antique Cars Location: Between Cedar Downs and Valravn Cars: 20 Cadillac Cars was the first ride at Cedar Point to be built by Arrow Development. |
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Cadillac Cars is a very cool ride experience!
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Theming
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Cadillac Cars features nostalgic theming, including billboards and a covered bridge. The ride is set in a wooded area, with trees surrounding the entire course.
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Ride Expereince
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The Cadillac Cars ride experience begins when guests get in line for the ride. The queue is located in the station under the ride sign on the Main Midway.
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The longest wait time for Cadillac Cars is about 10 minutes. The line moves quickly for this ride.
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The station is fairly small for the ride and holds up to six cars at a time. There are billboards in the station for guests to look at while they wait. Guests stand on their assigned circle and wait for their car to arrive.
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Each car holds up to four people. Riders are secured with a seatbelt.
Cadillac Cars has 20 different cars. |
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On Cadillac Cars, riders control when the car moves. They can drive their car down the path while a guide rail keeps the car on the track.
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Riders push the pedal down to make the car go and lift their foot to make the car stop.
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Cadillac Cars is a 3–4 minute ride and a great experience for guests to enjoy.
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Cadillac Cars was a very popular addition to Cedar Point. It helped start an era of expansion that continues to this day. Cedar Point would go on to add: Turnpike Cars (1959-2014), Cedar Classic Miniature Golf (1961-1991), Rotor (1961-1964), Sky Wheel (1961-1980), Riverboat Cruise (1961-1963), Satellite Jets (1961-1986), Scamper (1962-1969), Sky Ride (1962), Mill Race (1963-1993), Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad (1963), Blue Streak (1964), Calypso (1964-1969), Broadway Trip (1964-1964), Western Cruise (1964-1986), Space Spiral (1965-2012), Earthquake (1965-1984), Pirate Ride (1966-1996), Trabant (1966-1990), Fun House (1966-1981), Frontier Town (1967), Shoot-the-rapids (1967-1981), Sealand (1967-1998), Rotor (1967-1984), Cedar Downs Racing Derby (1967), Frontier Lift (1968-1985), Sky Slide (1968-1991), Antique Cars (1969-2021), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Cedar Point’s 100th Anniversary Celebration (1970), Frontier Trail (1971), Jumbo Jet (1972-1978), Matterhorn (1972), Giant Wheel (1972), Cedar Point Cinema (1975-2001), Corkscrew (1976), Troika (1976), Witches’ Wheel (1977-2018), Gemini (1978), Gemini Chilrden’s Area (1979-2013), Wave Swinger (1979), WildCat (1979-2011), Oceana (1980), Ocean Motion (1981), Kid Arthur’s Court (1982-2005), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Demon Drop (1983-2009), Avalanche Run (1985-1989), Berenstain Bear Country (1985-1998), Thunder Canyon (1986), Iron Dragon (1987), Soak City Water Park (1988-2016), Magnum XL-200 (1989), Disaster Transport (1990-2012), Mean Streak (1991-2016), Challenge Park (1992-2016), Snake River Falls (1993-2024), Kiddy Kingdom (1993), Raptor (1994), Cedar Point’s 125th Anniversary Celebration (1995), RipCord (1996-2016), Mantis (1996-2014), Chaos (1997-2011), Swan Boats (1997-2003), Power Tower (1998), Camp Snoopy (1999), Millennium Force (2000), Lighthouse Point (2001), Wicked Twister (2002-2021), Good Time Theatre (2002-2014), Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021), Castaway Bay Resort (2004), maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy (2008), Shoot the Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaurs Alive! On Adventure Island (2012-2018), GateKeeper (2013), New Gemini Midway (2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn (2016), Cedar Point Shores Waterpark (2017), Steel Vengeance (2018), Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island (2019-2022), Cedar Point’s 150th Anniversary Celebration (2021), Snake River Expedition (2021-2023), The Boardwalk (2023), Top Thrill 2 (2024), and Siren’s Curse (2025).
All of these attractions have helped make Cedar Point what it is today. |
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Cadillac Cars is a really fun ride for the entire family. Everyone can have a great time on this ride. Over the years, Cadillac Cars has become a classic attraction.
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Everyone can ride Cadillac Cars. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall to drive.
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Photos by: Jake Hamons, Andrew Borge, Russ Haudan, and Cedar Point.
Last Updated: 05/01/2026