Cadillac revolutionized the automotive world when, in 1914, it introduced the first production V-8. Installed in the Type 51, the 314-cubic-inch engine truly set the marque apart as a maker of distinctive machines for discerning customers. The Standard of the World, if you will.
As the company faced increasing competition in the luxury car market of the late 1920s from the likes of Pierce Arrow, Packard, and the emerging Duesenberg, it upped the ante with an all-new model and another production first: the V-16–powered Series 452 of 1930. The timing, of course, was terrible, as the car made its debut just over a month after the collapse of Wall Street triggered the start of the Great Depression.
Monied individuals of impeccable taste purchased these grand Caddies, though production was limited to a few hundred cars per year as the 1930s wore on. Still, Cadillac never stopped developing the car or its engine, and for 1938, the Series 90 brought a completely revamped V-16. Rather than the 45-degree bank of cylinders found in its predecessor, the new flathead engine featured two banks of eight cylinders at 135 degrees, with a nine-bearing crankshaft and two of everything: carburetors, distributors, water pumps, fuel pumps. The 431-cu-in engine produced the same 185 horsepower as the 452 but weighed 250 fewer pounds.
The Series 90 rode on a 141-inch wheelbase, which was shared with the V-8–powered Series 75, and was available in several custom body styles by Fleetwood. Of the 515 Series 90 Cadillacs built for 1938, just 10 of them were bodied as two-door convertible coupes.
The Italian Cream-over-red-leather Series 90 V16 shown here is a period-correct homage to those rare machines. It originally wore seven-passenger Imperial limousine coachwork, but during a 1980s restoration, that body was replaced with the convertible coupe coachwork that had been fitted to a Series 75. The result is a car that the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) still recognizes as a Full Classic.
The car still features its original, buttery smooth V-16 and three-speed manual transmission. The older restoration has held up remarkably, but shows paint imperfections throughout, which either makes this car a prime candidate for an expert respray, or to simply drive and enjoy. Either way, it is a remarkable testament to the limits of engineering Cadillac was pushing 90 years ago.
See it on Hagerty Marketplace, where bidding currently sits at $35,000 with less than 24 hours to go.
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