1934 Cadillac Model 452D V16

The greatest period of economic hardship birthed some of the finest engineering feats and most alluring designs ever to grace the expansive roadways. The dwindling market created fierce competition amongst automakers to gain the admiration of the limited pool of buyers, and those who failed in this endeavor were soon out of business. Cadillac was unintentionally best suited for the Depression, as they had begun work on a sixteen-cylinder engine several years before the financial collapse. A near simultaneous introduction of an equally impressive twelve-cylinder model, the deep pockets of its parent company (General Motors), and the creation of the Art and Color Section helped Cadillac weather the Depression. Most other luxury automakers had to invest their limited resources in new engineering technology and designs during the height of the Depression to compete with Cadillac, a near-impossible task.

Cadillac introduced the Sixteen (V16) on January 4th, 1930, at the New York Auto Show, with production continuing through 1940 with a total of 4,076 units constructed.

Known initially as the Series 452A V-16, the name was changed to the 452C following a body redesign in 1933. Another restyling in 1934 resulted in the 452D, and as 452E in 1935. Styling features now included the Fisher Turret Top all-steel roof, though the cars were still built by Fleetwood.

The Multi-Cylinder Race

Bugatti produced a 16-cylinder engine mating a pair of inline eight-cylinder engines, however, it was Cadillac that produced the first true 16-cylinder engine to be designed and purpose-built from scratch. Shortly thereafter, Marmon introduced its own sixteen-cylinder model which they proclaimed as 'the world's most advanced motor car.' Comparatively, they were not wrong, as the car had the mechanical advantage, with its advanced chassis, 200 horsepower (compared to Cadillac's 175 hp), and nearly 400 lbs-ft of torque (higher than that of the Cadillac). The aluminum-alloy engine weighed just 930 pounds, giving the Marmon Sixteen the highest power-to-weight ratio of its time. They were, however, late to the party, and just 365 (possibly 370) examples of the Marmon Sixteen were built over a three-year period before the company was out of business.

Duesenberg relied on raw, race-bred power to outdo the mighty Cadillac Sixteen, and although it prevailed in generating higher amounts of horsepower, the Cadillac V-16 set new benchmarks for smooth, silent, and superbly impressive performance. It was refined, sophisticated, and more than adequate for carrying the large, luxurious coachwork fitted to the behemoth chassis.

Cadillac's Sixteen Cylinder Engine

Clandestine development of Cadillac's sixteen-cylinder engine began in 1926, with cover stories and notations on various blueprints claiming the V-16 was simply Cadillac's engineering contribution to a new GM bus or coach design. The engine design incorporated modern overhead-valve cylinder heads, a 45-degree cylinder bank angle, external manifolds, a silicon-aluminum crankcase, five-point engine mounts, and a single distributor with two sets of breaker points, controlled by two separate ignition coils.

Beyond just modern and sophisticated componentry, it was the first automotive engine ever to be 'styled' with completely hidden wiring and the use of polished aluminum, porcelain, and a pair of valve covers with brushed aluminum ridges prominently featuring the Cadillac emblem. Displacing 452 cubic inches (7.4 liters), the V-16 was conservatively rated at 175 horsepower and delivered incredible low-end torque – 320 foot-pounds at 1,200 to 1,500 engine revolutions.

Thanks to its evenly-spaced firing intervals, large but well-balanced forged crankshaft, and five main bearings, the engine was incredibly smooth, complemented by its whisper-quiet operation thanks to its hydraulic valve silencers.

Specification

The size of the Cadillac Sixteen fluctuated during its production lifespan, resting on a 148-inch wheelbase for 1930 and 1931 before changing to a shorter 143- and longer 149-inch platform in 1932 and 1933. From 1934 through 1937, a 154-inch wheelbase size was used. Equally, the length changed from 222.5 inches in 1930 and 1931, to 216- and 222 inches in 1932 and 1933, 240 inches in 1934 and 1935, and 238 inches in 1936 and 1937. The width measured 73.6 inches initially, growing to 77 inches in 1932, and shrinking to 74.4 inches in 1936.

The solid front axle was suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs and hydraulic dampers, while the 3/4-floating rear axle used semi-elliptic leaf springs. Four-wheel vacuum-assisted mechanical drum brakes provided the stopping power.

Body Styles

The Fleetwood catalog for the V-16 initially included ten body styles but the number of different job and style numbers built by Fleetwood and Fisher on the Sixteen chassis was approximately 70. Additionally, full custom bodies were built by Murphy, Saoutchik, Vanden Plas, Pinin Farina, Waterhouse, and others. The majority of bodies were 'catalog customs' by Fleetwood. A small number wore bodies by Fisher, and approximately twenty percent of all early body styles were open (cabriolet / roadster) coachwork.

Production

Approximately 2,500 sixteen-cylinder Cadillacs were built in 1930, dipping to 750 units in 1931 and 300 the following year. Between 1935 and 1937, around 49 examples were built each year.

The Cadillac V16 Series 90 (1938 to 1940)

Cadillac introduced a new L-head (inblock valve / flathead design), 431 cubic-inch sixteen-cylinder engine with twin carburetors, twin fuel pumps, twin distributors, twin water pumps, a wider 135-degree V-angle, and a nine main bearing crankshaft. It continued to produce the same 185 horsepower as the previous OHV, five-bearing V16, but it was even quieter and smoother in operation.

The wheelbase now measured 141 inches, and the bodies were shared with the Series 75 V12, and they differed from the firewall forward from the V-8 cars. The eight-cylinder cars had a smaller wheelbase and were further distinguished by trim differences.

Series 90 Production

Cadillac produced 315 examples of the Series 90 in 1938 and 138 in 1939. Production of the 1940 models ceased in December 1939.

by Dan Vaughan

Convertible Coupe (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood

The Cadillac V-16 was company's top-of-the-line car from its January 1930 launch until production ceased in 1940 as the war in Europe hurt sales. All were finished to custom order, and the model was built in very small numbers; only 4,076 cars were constructed in the eleven years the model was offered. The majority of these were built in the single years of 1930 before the Great Depression really took hold. This was the first V-16-powered car to reach production status in the United States.

The 1934 catalog listed 52 Cadillac V16 body styles, yet only 56 were produced.

This one and only example of outstanding American coachwork by Fleetwood is the graceful 1934 Victoria Styled Convertible Coupe. Long, sleek, and perfectly proportioned in every detail, these Cadillacs were the largest cars produced in the U.S. at that time. The 21-foot 6-inch vehicle rides on a 154-inch wheelbase and is powered by the V16 engine producing 185 horsepower, coupled to a three-speed synchromesh transmission, and weighs 6,100 pounds.

This Cadillac features telescopic bumpers, bumper guards, wheel shields, a Delco Master radio, and a V-16 185 horsepower engine with a 3-speed synchromesh transmission (a Cadillac invention in 1927).

The original owner shipped this Cadillac to Paris, France several times on extended trips. This car also holds the honor of being the centerfold of the GM book, 'The First 75 Years of Transportation Products.'

Convertible Sedan w/Divider (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood
Engine number: 5100038

The Cadillac 452D was designed by the legendary Harley Earl and 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.

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.

Twenty examples of this Convertible Sedan body style were produced from 1934 to 1937. The twin bi-plane style bumpers were only offered in 1934. This car rides on a 154-inch wheelbase, is 240 inches long (the longest of any American car), and weighed 6,800 pounds. Power is from the 452 cubic-inch engine produced 165 horsepower. The base price for this car in 1934 was $8,150.

This particular car was built for DuPont heiress, Edith duPont-Reigel, when she was just 21 years old. Her inheritance had placed her on Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. The current owner acquired the car in 2007 from a family who owned it for 44 years. A restoration to its original color was completed in 2008.

Aerodynamic Coupe (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood
Engine number: 5100034

Depending on coachwork, the 452 Cadillacs could reach a top speed of 100 mph. They had massive amounts of torque, smooth acceleration, and a quiet ride. This large engine was used to carry the equally large coachwork, resting on a platform that measured 154 inches. There was a long list of body styles with one of the more exclusive versions being the five-passenger Aerodynamic Coupe with style number 5799.

The Aerodynamic Coupe design was created by Harley Earl's Art and Color Section of General Motors. It was a fastback coupe design that was first seen at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. It featured teardrop fenders, a slanted windshield, an all-steel roof, and a hidden spare tire.

There were only eight examples of the five-passenger Aerodynamic Coupes created between 1934 and 1937. Three were built in 1934. This vehicle, with chassis number 5100034 was the final example created in 1934.

During the Second World War, this car was relegated to use as a beer delivery truck. It was later sold to William T. Walter Sr. of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania who retained the car until 1984.

It was treated to a comprehensive restoration a few years ago which still shows well in modern times. In 2007 it was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction where it was estimated to sell for $750,000 - $950,000. Those estimates were proven nearly accurate as the lot was sold for $616,000 including the buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood

Only 56 Cadillac V16s were built in 1934 and this is one of the most unique and unusual. The 154-inch wheelbase offered what has to be the most substantial underpinning for a two-passenger coupe, but the result is a car that exudes an almost sinister elegance. This coupe is one of the rarest styles known to survive from 1934.

Convertible Sedan w/Divider (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood

Designed for the Edgewater Beach Hotel Auto Show, Chicago Il, this automobile was purchased from the floor of the General Motors Rotunda at the 1933-1934 Chicago World's Fair. Originally owned by the Williams family, of Western and Southern Life Insurance, this Cadillac has been locally owned since new.

This automobile is one of five Convertible Sedans built in the 1934 year and the only one manufactured with the modern feature of the spare tire being concealed in the trunk.

The Sixteen Cylinder engine was one of Cadillac's crowning achievements, a 452 cubic-inch, 185 horsepower marvel.

Custom Roadster

In 1934, Fleetwood Coachbuilders, by then a division of Cadillac, published its 'Annual Book of Fleetwood' in which featured three custom designs that could be built on a 16-cylinder chassis by special order. This was an attempt to bolster very weak sales through those depression years, but due to the economic and social woes of that era, none were built.

Thinking this to be one of the great styling achievements in American cars, Sam Mann decided to build this car. He made full-size drawings using a published Fleetwood rendering as a reference and designed all the details, which were not apparent. Starting with a V-16 sedan as a donor car, the body was fabricated in England and then shipped back to Mann for restoration. The five-year project was completed in 1998.

Convertible Sedan w/Divider (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood
Engine number: 5100040

Mr. Thomas H.W. Stonborough placed an order for a new 1934 Cadillac V-16 through the New York Cadillac agency. Specified with Fleetwood style number 5780, the V-16 was completed as a five-passenger convertible sedan with a Vee'd windscreen and divider between the passenger compartments and the driver. The car was finished in brown and given a black Victoria leather top and custom ordered with a silver 'goddess' mascot. Mr. Stonborough paid approximately $7,850 car, which was retained as a chauffeur-drive conveyance during summer months.

After World War II, Mr. Stonborough returned to Europe, presumably selling the Cadillac prior to his departure. In 1949, the car was purchased by Archie Marcotte who drove it home to Dickinson, North Dakota. With the help of his friend Richard Wehner, he removed the 16-cylinder engine and began to construct a race car around the powerplant. First, he used a 1937 Ford chassis and later a custom-built tubular frame. Trying to get even more horsepower from the engine, Marcotte replaced the stock camshaft with a three-quarter race cam from the Los Angeles, California, performance equipment company Harmon and Collins, Inc. He installed a special intake manifold with eight Stromberg 97s. He fabricated a streamlined, sheet metal exterior and dubbed the Cadillac-powered special, the 'Sweet Sixteen.'

The Cadillac, now without an engine, was given a Mercury flathead V-8 and was used by Marcotte as his primary tow vehicle. Marcotte later moved to Glendive, Montana, and later lost interest in his various race car project. The Convertible Sedan and Sweet Sixteen later changed hands, though the pair always remained side-by-side.

The current owner purchased both vehicles in 1974. Over the next two decades, he collected many original parts and spares. In the late 1990s, a Pebble Beach quality restoration began. The engine was returned to its correct factory specifications and reunited with the Cadillac chassis. As work was nearing completion, the owner received an invitation to display the V-16 at Pebble Beach, not as a complete car but as a fully restored, rolling chassis. In August of 2001, the Stonborough V-16 Cadillac made its concours debut at Pebble Beach. After the show, the rest of the restoration work was completed.

In August of 2009, the V-16 made its second appearance on the lawn at Pebble Beach, this time as a fully restored, complete automobile. It was in the Class C-2: American Classic Open 1933-1941 where it earned Second in Class honors. It later earned Best in Class honors at the Kirkland Concours d'Elegance and most recently a CCCA First Prize, scoring 100 points.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California. It was estimated to sell for $500,000 - $650,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $550,000, inclusive of the buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe (Modified V Windshield) by Fleetwood
Chassis number: 25

The 1934 Cadillac V16 Fleetwood Coupe is the ultimate coupe. Built on the massive 154-inch wheelbase usually suited to a seven-seater configuration, it is one of the largest vehicles ever created to move just two people from one place to another. Launched in the midst of the Great Depression, only 56 of the Cadillac V16 series were built in 1934, and this automobile is one of only five Coupes. This model is distinguished by the introduction of independent front suspension and all-new streamlined styling, including biplane front bumpers. Powered by a mighty V16 with 452 cubic-inch displacement, this extraordinary example wears the colors of its original Quebec Gray and French Blue livery, and has the distinction of being one of just four surviving stationary coupes from the 1934 to 1937 era.

Henry Martin Leland and his son Wilfred were partly responsible for 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.

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 forefront of the race. Their hopes were to displace Packard at the top of the luxury car market.

From 1930 through 1940 Cadillac produced a monstrous 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 at 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 engine; 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 undercover 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 manufacture 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 vehicles, 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 body styles available, including coupes, convertibles 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 was mildly 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 ornamentation 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. A 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.

by Dan Vaughan