Chassis Number: 701990
Established in 1902, Cadillac was bought in 1909 by the newly formed General Motors Company, which had begun to bring together several makes and wanted Cadillac as its luxury-car division. Cadillac had 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. Cadillac’s Series 452 V16s (named after their 452-cubic-inch — or 7.4-liter — displacement) were luxury cars whose engines were technical masterpieces. Their power output of 165 horsepower allowed them to exceed the symbolic figure of over 100 mph. One of the most exclusive bodies was the roadster produced by Fleetwood, like the one fitted to the car presented here. The Fleetwood plate riveted to the bulkhead confirms the Cadillac offered here is style no. 4302, that of the flamboyant roadster. Imported from the United States, it had undergone a high-quality restoration before winning first prize at a major concours d’elegance in the U.S. It turned up again in Paris in 1988. After being laid up for some 10 years, this Cadillac has just been recommissioned in 2021. 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.
