1936 Cadillac Series 80 Coupe

Henry M. Leland, known as the master of precision, brought his precision manufacturing techniques with him when he founded Cadillac in 1902. His exacting standards prompted the motto by which Cadillac has been guided over the years - 'Craftsmanship A Creed - Accuracy A Law.'

For attention to quality and innovation, the Royal Automobile Club of England awarded the prestigious Dewar Trophy to Cadillac twice....first in 1908 for achieving perfect interchangeability of parts and again for introducing electric self-starters, electric lighting, and ignition system on 1912 models. Cadillac is the only American manufacturer to win this honor and the only manufacturer in the world to win it twice.

This Fleetwood V12 coupe is a masterpiece of streamlined design. Some styling details such as the teardrop door handles were inspired by the advanced custom design of special Aerodynamic Coupes of 1933-1937 of which 20 were made to special order.

The 1936 V12 Cadillac (the series 36-80 and 36-85) shared some of the dimensions of the 1936 V8 Cadillac. The overhead-valve V12 featured a 45-degree arrangement of a cast-iron block. A three-speed synchro transmission linked the engine to a semi-floating rear axle. 1936 marked the first year Cadillac introduced four-wheel hydraulic brakes on their V-12 series. The body by Fleetwood sat atop a 131-inch wheelbase.

A total of 901 Cadillac V-12s were produced in 1936, and the Fleetwood 2-door coupe totaled 250 units with a price of $4,095.

Source - LeMay Museum