1930 Cadillac Model 452 V-16 roadster

1930 Cadillac Model 452 V-16 Roadster

Auctioneer: Bonhams & Butterfields

Location: Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline, Massachusetts

Date: April 30, 2005

Lot Number: 626

Condition: 1

Auction Estimate: $280,000 to $320,000

Selling Price: $250,000

Cadillac's ad writers were never ones to shy away from self-promotion. What kind of moxie did it take to call oneself "The Standard of the World?" But in 1930, that's exactly what Cadillac was. And to put an exclamation point on the matter, on December 27, 1929, it introduced an engine that Cadillac design engineer David Holls noted was as much a classic in design as it was in engineering terms.

It's clear that the ad department could barely contain itself: It released an entire series of advertisements lauding the engine's merits. "Among automotive power plants, it stands uniquely alone," read the copy, "not only the first of its kind to be produced, but entirely unchallenged from the standpoint of its general excellence." It was so good, this car was named for it: Model 452 refers to the V-16's displacement.

Back before the days when manufacturers would show bits and pieces of their products months, even years before the big introduction, Cadillac caused a sensation when it showed the V-16.

Oddly enough, the folks who were trying to auction this car downplayed the impact the engine had on the buying public. From the Bonhams & Butterfield's catalog: "There is...no denying that the timing of the December 1929 launch--just a few weeks after the 'Black Thursday' stock market crash--was nothing short of abysmal."

But according to Cadillac: The Complete History, just the opposite was true: "In April alone, 576 examples left the factory, followed by 445 in May--twenty percent of Cadillac's total unit sales of 2,219 cars. By June, shipments reached 2,000," a total that far exceeded Cadillac's expectations. By the first month of sales, the thousandth V-16 had already been shipped to dealers. It wasn't until several years later, when even seemingly invulnerable Cadillac customers were turning out empty pockets, that the V-16 began to languish in the showrooms.

What the uninitiated may expect from a Cadillac V-16 is power, and it had that, to be sure. Contemporary figures rated the power at 175hp and 320-lbs.ft. of torque, at just 1,200 rpm. What one might not expect is the sweet sound of silence that accompanies a Cadillac V-16, thanks to its uncommon (at the time) hydraulic valve lifters. Those in the know say that in properly tuned form, the only sounds you should hear from a Cadillac V-16 are the fan and the air being drafted into the carburetor air horns.

With such an engine under the hood, it's easy to allow all that power and engineering to overshadow the machine that it motivates. That would be a mistake, because the Fleetwood-bodied 452 is stunning. With a wheelbase of 148 inches, its roadster body is imposing, to say the least. But it is also elegant, and not out of proportion from any angle. It is truly one of the world's finest automobiles, in contemporary and modern terms. "They don't build 'em like they used to" never sounded so true.

Fewer than 4,000 examples of overhead-valve 16-cylinder Cadillacs were produced between 1929 and 1935, which doesn't include the flathead 16s built between 1938 and 1940.

The example on offer at Bonhams & Butterfields had undergone an exhaustive restoration, and though it occurred 15 years ago, it still showed impressively. The dark green and black paint still appeared fresh and clean, which isn't surprising considering it was driven infrequently in the interim. The interior shows very little wear, and the chrome is still shining resplendently.

Bonhams expected a low estimate of $280,000, and the sale price was $30,000 off the mark. One might be able to blame that on the typically unsettled weather in New England this time of year, but it still seems a bit low. The natural comparison is a Marmon or Duesenberg, but what kind of car would $250,000 buy from those marques? For this kind of money, you could enjoy a 16-cylinder car for a few years and probably resell it and, at the very least, not lose any money.

When $250,000 wouldn't buy a Hemi 'Cuda in need of a restoration, this true Classic should have garnered a little more respect.