1930 CADILLAC V16 SÉRIE 452 ROADSTER PAR FLEETWOOD

French title
Chassis n° 701990
Engine n° 701990 / 2193

- Exceptional Roadster body
- 7.4-litre V16 engine!
- Older, high-quality restoration

Established in 1902, Cadillac was bought in 1909 by the newly founded General Motors Company, which had begun to bring together several makes and wanted to make Cadillac its luxury car division. Cadillac made a name for itself through innovation, the equipment fitted to its cars and the number of cylinders they had: V8, then V12 and V16 in 1930. There were technical reasons for this increase, notably the reduction in vibrations, but it was also a prestigious addition to the car’s specification. Cadillac’s Series 452 V16s (named after their 452 cubic inch – or 7.4-litre – displacement) were luxury cars whose engines were technical masterpieces. Their power output of 165bhp allowed them to exceed the symbolic figure of 100mph (over 160kph).
This extraordinary chassis received many different types of bodywork, most often from Fleetwood or Fisher, which were under Cadillac’s direct control. One of the most exclusive bodies was the roadster produced by Fleetwood, style no. 4302, like the one fitted to the car presented here.
The internal engine number, 2193, indicates that it was built in June 1930. The Fleetwood plate riveted to the bulkhead confirms it is style no. 4302, that of the flamboyant roadster. Imported from the United States, as is mentioned in the description supplied when it was bought, it had undergone a high-quality restoration before winning first prize at a major concours d’élégance in the USA. It turned up again in 1988, when it was registered in Paris; the following year, it was bought by a collector from the Var. It was from him that Paul Thanry bought the car, through a specialist, in August 1994. The car was one of the centrepieces of his collection: he was extremely proud of it, and it won first prize in the concours d’élégance at the 48 Heures de Troyes. The high-quality restoration set off the elegant roadster, with its superb combination of a grey body and slate-coloured wings. The leather upholstery is in excellent condition, while all the instruments are to the correct original specification. The pair of imposing spare wheels on the front wings, the searchlights on either side of the windscreen and the additional pivoting headlamps, not to mention the magnificent steel trunk: the utmost care was taken over every detail. After being laid up for some ten years, this Cadillac has just been recommissioned in 2021. It will be sold with a pair of extra cylinder heads and a disassembled gearbox, as well as copies of two technical manuals. A symbol of the excess and flamboyance of the cars designed during the Roaring Twenties, this rare Cadillac V16 Roadster is an exceptional collector’s item.

Photo © Peter Singhof

The auction of this lot will take place on Saturday 19 March 2022.
https://www.artcurial.com/fr/lot-1930-cadillac-v16-serie-452-roadster-par-fleetwood-4134-339