1930 Cadillac Series 452A V16 Roadster Vehicle Profile

Sold for $1,457,500 at 2016 RM Sotheby's : Monterey.
The first owner of this Roadster by Fleetwood was Floyd E. Becker who place the order on January 2nd of 1930. His order requested the V-16 roadster had map pockets in the doors, a top made of the same shape as on the Beckers' previous Cadillac, no trunk rack, dual rear-mounted spares, wooden artillery wheels all around, and special Cannon Smoke paint color, interior trim, and monograms. The total price came to $5,750.

The Beckers retained the Cadillac until 1948 when it was sold to Harry Travis of Livingston, New York for $400. The next owner was S. Prestley Blake. Mr. Blake eventually traded the car in 1959 to Briggs S. Cunningham as part of a transaction on a 1914 Rolls-Royce.

The roadster remained in the Cunningham Museum at Costa Mesa, California, until the museum closed at the end of 1986. The car was later sold to Miles Collier. Seven years later, it was sold to another owner who kept it for eight years before it was acquired, through RM Classic Cars, by the present owner.

In 2001, the car was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours where it earned a 3rd in Class and a 2nd in Class in 2012.

Mr. Floyd E. Becker, of Roseland, NJ, placed the original order for this car on January 27, 1930. The order specified a V-16 engine (452 cubic-inch displacement, 175 HP and 320 ft-lbs torque), 20 inch wood spoke wheels painted the same color as the body, two rear-mounted spares, 3.92:1 rear axle ratio, special door pockets, windshield wings and special seats. The total price was $5,896.40, and included two spare coils, condensers and points. A complete restoration was completed in June 2001, with 3,392.5 man-hours of labor.