This example has coachwork by Fleetwood and is mounted on a 148-inch wheelbase and a total of 3,250 Sixteen's were built in 1930 and 1931. The Sixteen continued to be produced until 1940.
There were a wide variety of bodystyles offered during the 10 years of production of the V16 Cadillac. Most were bodied by Fleetwood and a few special offerings by Fisher. This example has coachwork by Fisher, finished in a two-door, three-window coupe design. It has chassis number 701341.
The Cadillac 452D was designed by the legendary Harley Earl and was first debuted at the 1933 Chicago World Fair. It was powered by a V-16 engine placed in the front and powering the rear wheels. Large 15 inch mechanical drum brakes were placed on all four corners and the transmission was selective synchromesh transmission with three gears.
This town car has a standard Fleetwood body, style number 4312, of which only 24 were produced. Designated as a chauffer-driven five-passenger car, it has a pair of folding opera seats in the forward tonneau. The elegant lines are set off by the rare slanted, split 'V' windshield. Typically, cars of this period had vertical windshields, which looked much more slaid. The original price was $7,0000. As in other Fleetwood cars, the V-16's open chauffeur's compartment is upholstered in finely grained leather. All doors on this Fleetwood body open from the front. The fine car market was stunned by Cadillac's introduction of the V-16. The competition scrambled to keep up in the cylinder race, often to their economic detriment, at the height of the Depression. The V-16 was an engineering tour-de-force. The 45-degree cylinder angle and overhead valves kept the engine very narrow. This was the first 'styled' engine compartment, reputed to be the result of a Harley Earl mandate to match the exterior of the car. It featured hidden wiring and linkages, porcelain-coated manifolds, and brushed, ribbed aluminum valve covers. First restored in 1992, this elegant car is considered one of the finest examples of a Cadillac V-16 extant. It was recently acquired by the present owner.
This car left the factory as a standard Fleetwood bodied roadster, shipped to Charles S. Howard, the San Francisco-based California distributor for Buick (and eventual owner of Seabiscuit, the legendary triple-crown winning race horse). Howard's aim was to have a custom-built V-16. As was standard practice at the time, Cadillac did not sell a V-16 chassis to a coachbuilder. If a client wanted custom coachwork, they usually purchased the most inexpensive model, removed the body to be sold off, and installed the new custom body. Howard had previously used Murphy, the respected coachbuilder from Pasadena, and commissioned them to build his special V-16. A young and very talented Murphy designer, Franklin Hershey, gave the car a 'California' look, with very thin pillars and a light appearance. The most striking feature was a 22-degree, racked-back windshield, used instead of the typical, almost vertical, style. The finished car had a dual-purpose character. Fully enclosed as a convertible sedan, it was designed so that the windows could be lowered and concealed by flush chrome covers. With the center posts removed, and the rear windscreen raised, the car had the look and feel of a true open car. First restored around 1984, the restoration was thoroughly upgraded with new paint and other details to bring it back to concours quality in 1995. The present owner acquired this superb and rare custom V-16 Cadillac very recently. Cadillac scooped the luxury market with the mid-1930 introduction of their series 452 sixteen-cylinder super luxury car. This individual custom creation from the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California, was built for Charles Howard, owner of the famed racehorse Seabiscuit. Murphy is best known for building Duesenberg bodies, but Howard obviously preferred the new Cadillac chassis for his car. The silky smooth V-16 employed hydraulic valve silencers, and period press reported that the loudest noise heard at idle was 'the spark of the contact points.'
In 1913, the Duesenberg brothers, Fred and August, founded Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa, to build sports cars. Born in Germany, the two brothers were self-taught engineers and built many experimental cars. Duesenberg cars were considered some of the very best cars of the time, and were built entirely by hand. In 1914 Eddie Rickenbacker drove a 'Duesy' to finish in 10th place at the Indianapolis 500, and a Duesenberg car won the race in 1924, 1925, and 1927. E.L. Cord, the owner of Cord and Auburn, bought the company in 1926, acquiring the Duesenberg brothers' engineering skills and the brand name to produce luxury cars. Hiring Fred Duesenberg to design the chassis and an engine that would be the best in the world, the newly revived Duesenberg Company set about to produce the Model J. The Model J Duesenberg was first shown at the New York Auto Show for 1928. In unsupercharged form it produced a whopping 265 horsepower from a straight-8 engine with dual overhead camshafts, and was capable of a top speed of 119 mph, hitting 94 mph in 2nd gear. Duisenberg's generally weighed around 2.5 to 3 tons with custom coachwork. This Duesenberg was originally owned by Jake 'The Barber' Factor, half brother of cosmetic king Max Factor, during the time that Jake Factor was chief attorney and right-hand man for Al Capone.
It is a Harley Earl styled seven-seater body and is powered by the industries first V16 engine. A 452 CID overhead valve engine designed in the late 20's to deliver the last word in luxury motoring. To showcase the 452 engine with 165 HP, the engine bay was painted, polished and enameled. Just 3,251 of these models were built in the 1930 and 1931 model years.
In 1930 Cadillac introduced its new sixteen cylinder masterpiece which carried a sticker price of $6,900. Up to this point in history, Cadillac had mostly been a mid-priced vehicle, but with the introduction of this new model, Cadillac graduated to the head of the luxury car segment. It shared an honor with only one other marque, Bugatti, who had produced a 'U' shaped sixteen cylinder engine, with Cadillac's being the first true 16 cylinder created from scratch. It was designed by Owen Nacker and featured a 45-degree cylinder bank angle and overhead valve design which kept the engine very narrow. To complement the ingenuity and genius of the V16 powerplant, the engine bay became one of the first to be given proper 'styling.' All of the wiring was hidden and there were a generous use of polished aluminum, shining porcelain, and a pair of valve covers with brushed aluminum rigged surfaces featuring the Cadillac emblem. What was even more impressive is the era in which it was introduced - the Great Depression. This new technology in one of the largest and most complex packages ever created up to this point, kept the competition struggling to keep up. In their efforts to develop, experiment and test, many over-extended themselves and were forced out of business. Even though the luxury market was declining, Cadillac was able to survive, thanks in-part to the financial support from General Motors. It is believed that only 49 examples of the model 4130-S were ever produced. They are commonly known as the 'Madam-X' Cadillac's, and wore series 4100 Fleetwood bodies. Their most unusual and possibly attractive feature was the raked, one-piece flat windshield which had very thin side pillars and fine chrome molding around all side windows. This particular example was built on July 7th of 1930 and shipped to the Akron Branch of Cadillac. During its trip it was diverted on October 10th to Canton, Ohio where it was sold to its first owner. It has been well cared for throughout its life. It retains many of its original equipment including the correct 13-inch headlights, an eight-inch articulated lower driving lights that turn in sync with the front wheels, chrome pilot fender lights, painted spoke wire wheels, dual hard cover side mounted 19-inch spoke wheels, and painted in a two-tone blue exterior. It is body no 26, bodied by Fleetwood, and one of the few remaining in modern times.
In the 1980s the car returned to the United States where a restoration was performed by Fran Roxas for Fred Weber in St. Louis, Missouri. During the restoration, the body was removed from the European tour-car chassis and put on chassis 700979. During the 1990s the car was owned by Bernie Glieberman and shown at various events. Highlights include a Class Award at pebble Beach in 1991 and at Meadowbrook in 1995 where it won Best in Class and the Engineering in Excellence Trophy. The current owner purchased the car in January of 2001. This car has won awards at the Pebble Beach Concours, Amelia Island Concours, Palos Verdes, and Newport Beach Concours. This car is finished in silver and blue paintwork, has classic limousine-style seating, a custom sliding sunroof that opens to the entire passenger compartment, rear-seat cabinetry, rear speedometer and running lights. In 2007 this Jacques Saoutchik V16 Cadillac was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA where it was estimated to sell for $300,000-$400,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, this former Pebble Beach winner had been sold for the sum of $462,000 including buyer's premium.
As the 1920s came to a close, GM introduced their V16 engine on an unsuspecting world. Their goal had been ascertained; to construct a smooth and quiet engine that had adequate power and torque to carry the ever-increasing weight of the luxuriously trimmed coachwork. The engine was unveiled to the public at the New York Auto Salon in January of 1930. By early April, Cadillac had already shipped more than a thousand V16s. Over the next seven years a total of 3,878 examples were produced. Production figures would have been higher had not the Great Depression dwindled the pool of potential buyers. Nevertheless, the V16 was still a triumph for General Motors, Fleetwood and the Art and Color Department. The styling had firmly established Harley Earl as the prominent GM designer. Over the next quarter century, Earl would ride on its success and became a dominant figure in the design of the American automobile. This 1930 Cadillac 452A V16 Roadster has coachwork by Fleetwood. It has chassis number 700809 and matching engine number. It is a very original car with every numbered component, including the engine, chassis, steering box, front axle, bell housing, and generator, bear the numbers cataloged when it left the factory in March of 1930. Since new, it was treated to a three-year professional body-off restoration that was completed in 1995. It has received its Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Primary, Senior and Premier awards. It scored a perfect 100 points on three separate occasions. The vehicle's first owner was a Virginia resident and little documentation exists from its early days. It was found in a barn in upstate New York in the late 1980s and wore New Jersey registration tags from 1950. Jim Bradley purchased the car and commissioned the restoration. When the car left the factory it had been fitted with dual side-mounted spares with body color metal covers, stainless spoke wire wheels, wind wings, chrome-plated vents, Cadillac script spotlights, Pilot Ray auxiliary driving lights, and an original Cadillac accessory trunk with a full set of fitted luggage. The color it wears today is original to its build sheet. The interior and chassis is red with the body painted in black. In 2007 it was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction where it was estimated to sell for $550,000 - $650,000. Those estimates were proven nearly accurate as the lot was sold for $495,000 including buyer's premium.
Oldsmobile contracted the precision company in 1901 to build a single cylinder internal combustion engine for their Curved Dash vehicle. The engine that Leland & Falconer created was 23-percent more powerful than existing Oldsmobile engines. It was rightfully dubbed the 'Little Hercules.' Sadly, the engine was rejected after a fire at the Oldsmobile factory delayed production and the retooling further delayed the release of the car. Leland played a part in forming the company named after the French explorer who founded Detroit in the eighteenth century - Le Sieur Antoine de la Moth Cadillac - the Cadillac Automobile Company. Three decades later, the world was introduced to the sixteen-cylinder Cadillac. It was the first true 16 cylinder engine built from scratch. It was designed by Owen Nacker and given a 45-degree cylinder bank angle and overhead valve design allowing for a very narrow design. The external manifold provided good access to the engine compartment. It went a step beyond just a mechanical tour-de force, it was a thing of beauty and style. All of the wiring was hidden and there was plenty of gleaming polished aluminum, and a pair of valve covers with brushed aluminum ridged surfaces with the Cadillac emblem. The least expensive of the V16 Cadillac bodystyles was the Roadster style 4302 which sold for $5,350. The other end of the scale was the convertible coupe style 4235 which sold for $6,900. This example is a Fleetwood Convertible Coupe with style 4335 and sold new for $5,900. It is a unique design with a 'V' swing-out windshield with a seven-degree rake. There are suicide doors hinged at the rear and a 'LeBaron'-style curved hood. Only 100 examples of the style 4335 were known to be produced. Only 12 are known to exist and even fewer are matching number cars, such as this example. It wears body number 47, is painted in two-tone red, and rides on 19-inch wire wheels. There are eight-inch lower Pilot-Ray driving lights that turn with the front wheels, chrome fender lights and dual side mounted 19-inch wire wheels. In 2008 this 1930 Cadillac V16 Convertible Coupe was brought to RM Auctions 'Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook' where it was estimated to sell for $280,000-$350,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for $324,500 including buyer's premium.
The car is finished in blue-over-blue combination, with a tan top, and correct Tilt Ray headlamps with desirable dual side mounts. In 2008, this 452 V16 Cadillac was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. It was estimated to sell for $650,000-$850,000. The lot was sold for $693,000, including buyer's premium.
Henry Martin Leland and his son Wilfred were partly responsible with making Cadillac one of the finest of all American Automobiles. Henry was renowned for his precision engineering and for standardizing manufacturing. He helped make Cadillac into one of the finest of all American Automobiles. Later, he founded Lincoln. Even after the Leland's departed from Cadillac, the marque remained a top-of-the-line figure. © 1998-2009. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Cadillac did not rely on four- or six-cylinder power. Every one of the company's cars was fitted with a V engine of 8, 12 or 16 cylinders. They were smooth and powerful. During the late 1920s, the cylinder race was in full force. Cadillac's engineer Owen Knacker was tasked with developing a V16 engine that would keep Cadillac at the fore-front of the race. Their hopes were to displace Packard at the top of the luxury car market. From 1930 through 1940 Cadillac produced a monsterous sixteen-cylinder engine. It was first displayed to the automotive community at the Detroit Opera House prior to the Detroit Auto Show. This was the largest number of cylinders to power an automobile of all time. The hood that housed the engine was intimidating, larger and longer than any other vehicle. Up to this point, there were only a few manufacturers that produced a twelve-cylinder engine, mechanical achievements in their own right. The introduction of the sixteen-cylinder engine was historical and seen as revolutionary at the time. Up to the 1990's there have only been three manufacturers of a sixteen cylinder engine. The Bugatti Type 47 never made series production while the Marmon Corporation offering was short lived. In comparison, the Marmon built V-16 was more powerful. By using aluminum, the 491 cubic-inch engine with its overhead values weighed just over 900 pounds. The engine was formed by merging twin-eight cylinder engines in a 45-degree angle, giving the engine an impressive look and an astonishing 200 horsepower. The use of steel cylinder sleeves added to the longevity and durability of the engine. The V-16 engine earned Howard Marmon the Society of Automotive Engineers annual design award. The Cadillac V-16 was the first and remained in production for eleven years. A new sixteen-cylinder engine was introduced by Cadillac in 1938. This was not their first V16 enigne; their first had been designed by engineer, Owen Nacker of Marmon fame. It had an overhead valve design and mounted at a 45-degree to one another. Each back of the sixteen cylinders had their own exhaust and fuel system. The engine featured hydraulic valve adjusters that helped with the silent valve train operation. The exterior of the engine was equally as impressive, with all the wiring and hoses concealed under cover and finished in chrome, polished aluminum, porcelain and baked enamel. The result was a 452 cubic-inch engine that was nearly unmatched in the industry at the time. A V12 version followed shortly after the introduction of the V16; it displaced 368 cubic-inches and was basically three-quarters of a V16. Both of these engines remained in production through 1937. The V12 did not resume production for 1938. A new engine was introduced in 1938 and that very different than its predecessors. It was an L-head design, cast in a 135-degree vee, and featured a monobloc design. The was easier and more economical to manfacutre and it weighed 250 pounds less, had 21 fewer cubic-inches, but developed the same power. The V12 engine was used to power the Series 85 for 1937. The Series 75 and Series 85 were the same vehicle, with the exception of the powerplant. The Series 75 used a V8 engine. In 1938 the V12 was discontinued, and the V16 took its place. The sixteen-cylinder cars were shortened to a length similar to the Series 75, and the chassis and bodies were interchangeable. There were twelve bodystyles available, including coupes, convertible coupes, and sedans, as well as the larger seven-passenger sedans and limousines. These larger vehicles were called Formal Sedans or Imperial sedans depending on whether they had a division partition. The Series 90 experienced its best year in 1938 with 315 examples built. The five-passenger Touring Sedan was the most popular, with 41 sold. In 1939, the front of the V8 Cadillacs were midly updated. The grille was raked back and the headlights were now mounted to the nose and flush with the top of the grille. Chrome moldings were added to the running boards and the fender ornamentaion was now fully chromed. The rear license plate was moved from the left fender to the trunk lid. There were a total of 138 V16 cars produced in 1939. Few changes or modifications to the car followed for 1940. A total of 61 V16 cars were built this would be the final year for their production. A total of 4,400 examples were built over an eleven year period. |
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Automobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com
subscribe - RSSAutomobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com