1933 Cadillac Series 452-C Sixteen Fleetwood Convertible Coupe

The Great Depression continued to impact the automobile industry. Cadillac announced that it would limit the 1933 production of V-16s to 400 motorcars. Only 126 were manufactured. While 70 body styles were offered only 35 were actually built. Over half of the V-16s delivered were 5 or 7-passenger sedans. 'Most Cadillac V-16 bodies were built by Fleetwood. Two 143-inch wheelbase chassis were bodied by Fisher. The example shown here is the only Fisher Body convertible coupe constructed in 1933.

The remaining V-16s were built on a 149-inch wheelbase and had a V-shaped grille/radiator shell, skirted fenders, and no-draft ventilation. Detail distinction was achieved with a new winged goddess mascot, large spinner hubcaps, and the absence of the crank hole cover in the grill, and an awkward four-bar bumper. Hood side panels carried two vertical doors plus three stylized horizontal louvers. Vertical louver on the front fenders skirts, shown in promotional literature and used on mockups, was replaced in 'production' by three horizontal louvers matching those on the hood louvers.

The V-16 Cadillac was the company's top-of-the-line car until production ceased in 1940. In total, there were just 4,076 examples built during the eleven years the model was offered. Most of the Sixteens were built in the single year of 1930 before the Great Depression really took hold. For 1933, the boxy looks of the Twenties were giving way to the streamlined look of the Thirties featuring flowing, fully skirted fenders and graceful vee'd grilles with painted shells blending into the bodywork. The V16s featured a longer 149-inch wheelbase, a unique grille, a larger 'Goddess' hood ornament and massive 'four-bar' bumpers. These cars were serially numbered with the owner's name displayed on a plate inside the car.