General Information

The Cadillac V-16 came into being because of the company’s desire to outdo their greatest rival, Packard, who offered a V-12.  The first Cadillac V-16 was introduced in 1930 and was called the Series 452, so named because its engine displaced 452 cubic inches.  The Series 452 engine was developed by former Marmon engineer Owen Nacker, and it was a remarkable unit indeed.  Apart from the number of cylinders, which was matched only by the Marmon Sixteen that came to market a year later, the engine also featured overhead valves.  It produced 185 horsepower, good for 100 MPH when fitted with one of the (relatively) lighter bodies.  It sold relatively well at first despite the depression, but the price soon started climbing and sales started dropping.

The series 90 V-16 of 1938-40 was an all-new design.  The body was lower, curvier, and altogether more modern, and the engine was new too.  Whereas the Series 452 engine featured overhead valves and a 45-degree angle between the cylinder banks, the new 431 cid Series 90 engine reverted to a flathead design with the cylinder banks angled at 135 degrees.  A 16-cylinder engine is a balanced design regardless of the cylinder bank angle, so the wider configuration allowed the engine to be mounted further back, thus improving weight distribution and lowering the center of gravity.  Output remained the same at 185 horsepower.  The simpler configuration also reduced costs, and prices were correspondingly reduced, reviving sales somewhat.  Some 315 examples of 12 cataloged body styles were sold in 1938, but that fell to 136 for 1939 and just 61 in 1940, after which the model was dropped.

This car is officially known as the model 9029 Convertible Sedan, but the enormous size of the car and the optional dividing window make it more of a convertible limousine.  Only 13 examples of this body style were built in 1938.  Two additional convertible sedans were specially lengthened and used as security cars at the White House.

Apart from their phenomenal engines and the availability of custom and semi-custom bodies, the V-16’s were much the same as other Cadillacs.  They were well-built, nicely styled, quiet, smooth, and luxurious.  Cadillac’s engineers were more conservative than most of their rivals, so exotic components - apart from the engine - aren’t really present.  Still, Cadillac stands with Marmon and Bugatti as the only companies to ever sell a 16-cylinder car with any degree of success, and Cadillac sold far more than either of those.