#3

700130

Info from Rick LeForge

#29

700156

Formerly owned by a Mr. Sanders. Info from Rick LeForge

?

700194

Enthusiast-historian, Rick LeForge, has heard that this V-16 chassis and drive-train were used to power a replica of a Fleetwood style #4302 roadster. Confirmation is sought.

?

700333

This one is/was in France; I read an article about it in a French auto magazine at the home of a friend, in Switzerland, in October 1999 [this may be the car owned or restored by Paris' André Le Coq].  It may subsequently have found a new home in Germany [photos in 2nd and 3rd rows]. I saw such a repro roadster offered for sale in Germany. The car was said to have matching numbers. The car was totally restored and "ready to go"', with German inspection papers for possible registration in that country or elsewhere. The car is 2-tone red, with red leather interior. Cadillac enthusiast and friend, Gilles Dreux of Paris, France, sent me a copy of an earlier title document to this vehicle; apparently a previous owner was indeed André LeCoq, formerly Paris' premier auto restorer [now out of business].  Late Extra [2/2007]: The new owner resides in Pottsdam, Germany; he says the car is possibly one of only two such models in Germany (the other being located at the VW museum (Autostadt) in Wolfsburg. Can anyone help this gentleman find a shop manual and spare parts for this model? He confirmed that his car began its life as a sedan style and was later converted to this roadster.

         
(Left)André Le Coq, front row, center, with some French celebrities
(Right) Same car, different lighting conditions ?

          
[ Photos:  Internet ]

    
[ More Internet photos ]

?

[700416]

The VIN is that of a replacement engine.  The owner, Jack Wade, believes the original VIN was 703052. This info from enthusiast Chris Cummings.

#115
[3902]
#95
[4330-S]

[700482]

Rick LeForge provided a "fingerprint" of this car's body tag, showing that it came from a 1931 V8 model [Series 353]. The Fleetwood style number is 3902 and the body is #115.  This car is pale blue and maroon. The current V-16 chassis and drive train formerly belonged to Fleetwood style #4330-S sedan, #95, for 5 passengers]. In July 2007, it was advertised for sale by the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, with a $450,000 price tag.  This was the poster car for the CCCA Museum at Hickory Corners, in 1989. Among its previous owners were Dee Howard and Sam Vaughn [material for this entry provided kindly by V-16 owners, Chris Cummings and Rick LeForge]. The new owner, Aaron Weiss, made himself known to me in February, 2008. This posting was included in "The Car Auctions" by the Imperial Palace:  Excellent mechanically, toured in 2000, and driven regularly since. CCCA Primary, Senior and Premier. Scored 99 points at the CCCA Grand Classic in 2001 ... Side mounts, side curtains, golf bag door, rumble seat, low boy trunk.  

         
[ Photos: Internet, 12/2000 ]

    
This car?

?

?

Is this the same car as above? It is featured in AQ, for the fourth quarter 1984, as belonging to Rick Carroll. In the CLC Directory, 2002, this silver and maroon roadster (which I believe is the same car) is said to belong to D. Anderson, TX. As I have said often, without the VINs and body numbers it is never easy to identify precisely a V-16 model car and its present owner.

[ Photo (left):  AQ,  fourth quarter 1984 ]

?

700697

Black and silver body with red leather interior. Rebuilt by Marc Ohm

?

700720

Offered for sale at auction by the J.C. Leake organization in Tulsa, OK [lot #2462, June 2006], this apparently is a rebody from a Fleetwood style 4361S. The catalog description reads: VIN 700720 - the chassis and engine are documented by the GM Heritage Center as a Series 4361-S, V-16 Club Sedan. Archie Meinerz of Wisconsin found the chassis and engine with a fire truck body on it in Michigan. He had the California Metal Shaping Company build a roadster body to exact Fleetwood standards with a wood frame and sheet metal body. This tip from V-16 enthusiast, Chris Cummings [6/2006]: Apparently this roadster left the factory as a town sedan [Fleetwood style 4361-S], later acquired a fire engine body, and even later was supplied with a newly-manufactured roadster body). It did not sell at the Leake Auction this year.  In June 2006 it was seen on Ebay with a $100,000 starting bid .  V-16 owner-enthusiast,Chris Cummings, believes this is the same car I had shown earlier as an acquisition by a Russian auto museum; it had been brought to my attention by enthusiast Andy Chrisanfov. The car has been repainted, as may be seen in the second row of photos, below.

        
[ Photos:  Internet, 5/2006 ]

    
[ These two photos: © 2005, 2008 and courtesy Andy Chrisanfov ]

#20

700802

  
The car when Jack Tallman owned it

[ Photos:  RM Internet site ]

    
RM auction sale, Amelia Island, 2011

700809

    
[ The upper three "fuzzy photos" are from my computer monitor ]

[700917]
702368

         
[ Thanks to Chris Cummings for correcting my earlier photos which were mistakenly those of car #700333 ]

700964

    

          
Looks like a regular Fleetwood  #4302 roadster on the outside, but this one got a makeover and a score more instruments,
making it  quasi-automatic; it was reported to have a top speed over 120 mph
[ Photos:  courtesy Special Interest Automobiles ]

 

700965

[ photo ? ]

?

701031

     
"Before" (top) and "After"   pictures of what is believed to be one and the same car

    
This car?
[ Photo: Copyright ConceptCarZ - Internet ]

Included in the listing of survivors prepared by Rick LeForge, the owner being a Mr. Sanders at the time. Possibly still owned today by Richard Sahlin [info from "Fleetwood" book by James J. Schild]

700353

Trivia: It appears that in the 60s and 70s, a number of closed "Sixteens" were sacrificed to "create" the more appealing and more valuable roadsters (mostly), as well as convertible coupes, AWPs, phaetons and special phaetons. One of the most knowledgeable, older V16 owners and enthusiasts I know, who has helped me to try to keep this Database as factual as possible, is Rick LeForge; Rick has been a V16 owner and admirer since the 60s. He mentioned to one roadster owner in 1978 that to authenticate a "4302", one would need a genuine "4302"cowl; that cowl is unique and, Rick said, "would be needed  as a model to make a replica body or to convert the near identical 353 (1930 Cad V8) body to a 452" (the 1930 Cad V16).

I found these two images in the 70s; thanks to the tireless research of my friend
Chris Cummings, I believe he is right in saying that this is the same car pictured
below and offered for sale by RM at their London venue in 2013

V16 aficionado, Alan Merkel, pointed out that the body used for this "V16" roadster actually came from a "V8" chassis; the body is Fleetwood
style  "3902", illustrated above;  the V16 engine on which it is mounted was installed in February 1930 to power a 7-pass. sedan ( Fleetwood sedan style "4375-S")

701031

The restored car [VIN 701301?], on a snowy day
[ Photo:  Internet, June 2005 ]

This looks like the same car  (cloth spare tire cover and triunk),  pictured once again in a wintery scene

This V-16 was shipped to Chicago, IL, on March 23, 1930. On the list of survivors prepared by Rick LeForge, a Mr. Markley owned this car.

[Previously listed in error under VIN #700847] Formerly in the Harrah collection, Reno, NV, according to the listing prepared by Rick LeForge. The car has been well restored, but some details are incorrect. I believe it is the car shown below. Once again, Chris Cummings has been doing some detective work on the V-16s and has found that this car almost certainly is the one shown on the ConceptcarZ.com web site (photos below). According to that web site, the order for this car was placed on January 27, 1930 by a Mr. Floyd E. Becker of Roseland, NJ, at a total cost of $5,896.40. The car has still the original 20" wood-spoked wheels and a pair of rear-mounted spare tires (most buyers preferred the metal-spoked wheels and fender mounted spares). A complete restoration was completed in June 2001, involving no fewer than 3,392.5 man-hours of labor. I hate to think what THAT cost! Chris Cummings provided the correct VIN (confirmed by V-16 expert, Alan Merkel).

It is rare to see one in this configuration, i.e.   with
the standard artillery wheels and no sidemounts

         
These 2 rows:  after the restoration completed in 2001

Rick LeForge says the original phaeton body (#98) on this V-16 chassis was destroyed.  He supplied kindly a "fingerprint" of the original body tag that he took in the fifties. This roadster body (style #4302) was later mounted on the chassis.

[701658]

?

701671

J. Moir, NH [CLC Directory, 2002]. The car was sold at auction in Hershey, PA, in October 2014. Here is what RM Auctions had to say about that venue: We’re so pleased to share results from our 2014 Hershey auction, with our best-ever sales total at more than $14 million US. With 157 vehicles sold, including great results for both the John Moir and Jeffrey Day collections, the event saw numerous bidding contests that captivated the auction room and online viewers. Top sale honors went to the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster offered from the Cars of John Moir. Representing the ‘C’ in Moir’s unique A-to-Z Car Collection, the Cadillac had been in the Moir Family Car Barn since 1933. Proving that the car’s unparalleled history, quality and presentation were in high demand, it sold for an incredible $1,100,000 to applause from the crowd, establishing a new auction record for the marque.

    
Photos: © 2014 and courtesy RM Auctions

701877

702070

702104

702137

[ Photo:  Rick LeForge ]

.

702338

702414

    
[ Photos: © The Huff Report ]

#91

[702891]

    
[ Photo (left):  Kruse auction catalog]

The Sun Belt collection is available for viewing by appointment only;
it is housed in a special building with a background decor of famous '50s movies
[ Photos (above 3 rows): Copyright 2009, Gita Saunders ]

703118

         
[ Photos: Copyright 2004, Hyman Ltd., Classic Cars, St. Louis, MO ]

#94

703165

    
[ Photos: © Dick Gold and AACA ]

?

703223

#35

?

?

?

?

?

This car was seen at the annual Barrett-Jackson auction in January 1998;  it is red-red-red. Could it be the one belonging to Frank and Milli Ricciardelli of Monmouth Beach, N.J., as seen at the 24th Annual Meadowbrook Concours d'ElCopyrightgance

?

?

Dick Kughn [current or former owner]

Dick's roadster is shown here with optional rain curtains

?

?

?

?

    


Possibly this car, with the Low-Boy trunk, before restoration (Internet photo)

?

?

?

And how about this one?

         
[ Photos:  Internet ]

    
The photos in the above two rows were taken at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elégance in March;
I believe it is the same car as the one pictured in the top row

    
Photos: (left)  Copyright 2011, Dr.Warren Koehl, (right) CCCA

?

?

?

?

I wonder where this one is today?
[ Photo:  Internet ]

?

?

CLC Member Ray Jones of Birmingham, MI, had this car for sale in the SS classifieds in June, 1969; the asking price was $15K.  It was described as "original in all respects" and in "good condition".  Where is it today  

R. Ames, TX [CLC Directory]  

?

?

D. Anderson, TX [CLC Directory, 2002]; car is silver and maroon

?

?

HBI Financial, WA [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

?

J. Bradley - a black beauty with a light-colored belt molding ( this one was photographed by Canadian enthusiast, Stephen Nadon, at the 1997 Meadowbrook Concours d'ElCopyrightgance)

?

?

P. Maloof, NV [CLC Directory, 2002]

R. McGinnis, CA [CLC Directory]  

?

?

J. Scott, TX [CLC Directories, 2002, 2008]

?

?

H. Strohecker, PA [CLC Directories, 2002, 2008]

?

?

Robert Thayer, GA [The Classic Car, Autumn 2001 - Ex-Harrah ?]; CCCA "Senior" car #2388

?

?

G. Tinney, MI [CLC Directories, 2002, 2008]

?

?

D. Underwood, WA [CLC Directories, 2002, 2008]

J. Wade, Jr. LA [CLC Directory]  

?

?

702042

    
These photos could all be of one and the same car   - who can confirm it?
[ Note, however,  that the car in the lower row is not a 6-wheel job ]

?

700492

The B&W photo was supplied kindly by Katie Robbins. I believe this is the car formerly owned by J. McMullen, MI [CLC Directory, 2002].  It was auctioned in June 2007 by RM Auctions, in Lapeer, MI. The reported selling price was a hefty $374,000 !  In a recent You-Tube clip with Larry King, the new owner was reported to by the singer-star, Kid Rock

Possibly this car
(photo:  courtesy Katie Robbins, CCCA )

702890

?

?

One of them is registered to R. Greene, NJ [CLC Directory]

?

?

I'm not sure if this car actually survived. It belonged to the grandmother of one-time Database visitor, Alan Brander of Phoenix, AZ. Alan's mother learned to drive in the car; now THAT is something else! The Branders were residents of the Chicago area in the thirties and were friends of the J.P. Morgans and Vanderbilts. Alan sent many photos of the car and many details about his family's life and times; sadly they were lost in a computer melt-down I suffered a few years ago, as was also Alan's address and e-Mail. The two photos below were supplied kindly by fellow CML [Cadillac Mailing List] member, Norm Zabala, with whom Alan had been also in touch around the same time as me.

    
These are truly exceptional family photos and  I am devastated that I lost many others like them in a computer crash!

?

?

Mr. Long obviously  used to sell "old cars".  I wonder where he was located?

This original photo dates back to October 1961;
I wonder if it might be the car that once belonged to Alan's Grandmother

#12

701096

I first learned about this car in the Australian CLC magazine, La Cad, special issue for 2004 (the "rally" edition). Author and friend Maurice Hendry [Cadillac - The Complete History] related the full story when we visited him in Auckland in February the following year. The car was purchased second-hand from Don Lee in SF, in 1933, by Sir Jack Newman of NZ's Newmans Coachlines. It was converted to RHD by Lance Dixon [later Dixon Cadillac] in SF. After about 10 years, Newman sold it to a Mr. Gould who replaced the sedan body with a station wagon body; in that configuration, the car was used for many years as a people-hauler on the hilly route between Nelson and Tekaka. In the fifties, it was acquired by Barrie Grand.  Maurice himself found the original sedan body and helped Barrie mount it back on the chassis; he kept the car for some 50 years then sold it for NZ$140,000 to the World of Wearable Art Museum  in Nelson, where Gita and I were able to admire it in March 2005, through the kindness of  Garry Orton, the museum curator [I tried to photograph the body tag  but it came out fuzzy -  the body number was supplied later by the Museum's Richard Grimes, via V-16 enthusiast, Chris Cummings].

The original limousine was converted to this "station wagon"
and used as a "bus" by Newmans Coachlines in New Zealand

   
Barrie Grand and Maurice Hendry restored the original body to the car
Photos: courtesy Garry Horton, World of Wearable Art Museum
© 2005, Gita Saunders

#9

700163

This one is mentioned in a Self Starter issue of 1963. At that time it belonged to CLC member Norman Taunton.

#95

700482

Formerly owned by  Jack Finden (according to Rick LeForge), the chassis and drive train from this 5-pass. limousine were coupled to a roadster body from a V-8 Cadillac.  This certainly makes sense, considering that a roadster [especially a "Sixteen"] is worth a whole lot more money [even as a re-body, like this car] than a sedan!  The new owner, Aaron Weiss,  informed me in December 2008 that he had acquired this car.   Aaron has quite a collection of cars, including some of the finest surviving Cadillac "Sixteens".

[ photos ?]

#45

702861

Aficionado Chris Cummings of Virginia writes :  I have become the new owner of Cadillac V-16 Series 4330 imperial sedan, engine #702861.  The build sheet says that the car was sold new as a “rush order” to Prather Cadillac LaSalle Company in Dallas, Texas. The car had a heater (register in rear compartment only) and a radio, neither of which remain, unfortunately. But this is an exceptionally well-preserved example of one of the large V-16 sedans (in a body style of which 50 were made). Three prior owners ago, Bob Schill in New Hampshire had begun a restoration (removed and repainted fenders, hood and sills, rebuilt the engine) when Jim Bradley of Edmund, Oklahoma, bought the car to serve as a reference while he and his brother restored a V-16 roadster (Engine # 700809). He put the fenders etc. back onto the car, finished putting the engine back together (manifolds and carburetors hadn’t been reattached) and sent the chrome parts (together with those from the roadster) to be re-plated. The better looking re-plated parts went onto the roadster. New tires were installed and the undercarriage was detailed. Then he sold it to Lawrence Smith of Wichita, from whom I bought the car. Apart from the foregoing items, the car is original. The upholstery has some holes and worn spots, but on the whole it is quite presentable. My predecessors decided not to re-upholster the car, but to preserve the original character of the interior.

            
[ 2 center photos: Dan Reed, Self Starter, 1/2006 ]

       
[ Photos:  © 2010, Yann Saunders, courtesy Chris Cummings ]

                  
[ Photos:  Internet Web site - Ebay and Self Starter ]

?

?

J. Asterino, WV [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

?

This car was among the first "Sixteens" exported to France in 1930. It may well have survived [let's hope so - these huge "beasts" don't just "disappear"]. Not clearly visible in this low-resolution image, it wears French license tag number "2017 XB" issued in the Seine inférieure (lower Seine) region of France, suggesting that it may have been shipped from the US to Le Havre, one of the larger, French, merchant sea ports. The tag could have been issued at Le Havre, or more likely at Rouen, the district capital of that French region. Note that the number is quite close to the numbers issued in June 1930 to the six European Tour V-16s.

A car of this body style was one of the six European Tour cars;
that one carried license tag #2148-XB

?

702888

Is known to have been shipped first to New Bedford. But did it survive?

#17

700096

This car was offered for sale in the Self Starter classifieds, for Nov.-Dec. 2014. The vendor was John Walsh of Hudson,  Maine. The car is totally restored, in nice condition and ready for touring. It is black with sable interior. The assking price was $120,000.  Late extra (Nov. 2014): Chris Cummings said:  This Series 4330-S is a very nicely restored car (I saw photos, courtesy of the owner, shortly after I acquired my car [Style 4330] in 2005.) ... I don’t think it’s ever been [before] in the Database. Chris was sharp to point out also a typo in my Database table that lists the known Sixteens that were shipped from the factory, by month, for the years 1930-32. Thanks, Chris; I have now corrected that entry.

#99

700476

Formerly owned by Ronald G. Renaldi. Info from Rick LeForge [listed earlier, in error, as limousine style "4330"; thanks to enthusiasts Chris Cummings for the correction]. The low engine number matched with a high body number suggests a possible change of engine or body. Enthusiast Chris Cummings is going to have a closer look.  This car was offered at auction on Ebay in June, 2007. On a scale of 1 to 10, the vendor rates it at "about 6.5".  It is in excellent restorable condition.  The body is in great shape as well as the interior. The engine "turns over" (?) but needs a distributor cap [it appears to have acquired along the way a second-generation distributor cap; on first generation distributors, ignition cables exit through the side of the cap]. This vehicle was built in March of 1930. Restored, the vendor believes it could bring in excess of $175,000.00. In fact, the car was sold on Jun 19, 2007 for $78,200.  The buyer was a gentleman from Spain.   Chris contacted me again in January, 2009 and pointed me to some video clips on You-Tube that depict the car in motion (starts off very rough but is quickly tuned to a kitten purr!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLu00haJEvM&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UcrMkMFg-Y&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwibZzODawY&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-hNKSB3J8&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jV_PVb2Qo&feature=channel_page

             
Owing to the car's location it has not been possible to get a full-view of it
[ Photos:  Internet, June 2007 ]

#95

700482

Rick LeForge provided information relating to this car. It is not known what became of the body, but the chassis and rive-train were used to power a Fleetwood roadster of which the body  came from a 1931 V8 model [Series 353]. The Fleetwood style number of that roadster is 3902 and its body is #115 [see above].

    
[ Photos:  (not sure) Possibly Cadillac Connoisseur, a magazine out of Palm Springs, CA
to which I subscribed for a few years in the 70s and '80s]

    
Left: reversed door handles; right: "Heron"  hood ornament

#185

700979

Not sure if this one survived.  I have a copy of the factory build sheet that I got from a Cadillac enthusiast, back in 2002. The car was a special order, 6-wheel job (#6C 4601) and was to be shipped to the factory, c/o Chief Engineer C.F. Kettering.  It was subsequently diverted to Dayton, OH, on April 10, 1930. The color was black. The body number could be 185 or 135 [the build sheet print-out I have has faded with age and is practically illegible].This car found its way to Europe where it subsequently received custom coachwork by Paris' Jacques Saoutchik.  Unfortunately I have no details about the kind of coachwork it got and (to date) no photos are available.

#27

701467

This car was shipped to Los Angeles on May 6, 1930.  It was acquired later by  Rick LeForge who said it was in very good condition when he got it, a real CA car! Rick sent me a "fingerprint" of the original body tag from his former car. He said he drove it all over the CA basin ...but carefully, because, he said, the brakes did not work too well.   Rick traded it later to the late "Cadillac Jim" Pearson who actually drove it from Los Angeles to Kansas City, KS ...with another car in tow! 

#76

?

This body tag came up for sale on Ebay. The vendor said he used parts of this body to create a convertible coupe.  Anyone have the engine VIN  that matches this body number? The data plate was supplied kindly by enthusiast and V-16 owner, Chris Cummings [VIN 702861, car #45]

#36

?

May be a survivor; owned at one time by Paul Schinnerer (?); Rick LeForge supplied a "finger print" of the body tag that he got in the 50s.

#95

701658

According to Rick LeForge, who supplied a "fingerprint" of the original body tag that he got in the fifties, this car was shipped to Oklahoma City on May 21, 1930.  The body was later destroyed and a roadster body [Fleetwood style #4302] was put on the original chassis [see above]. The sedan was formerly owned by Elmer Franzen of Minneapolis, MN.

?

700917
[replaced by
702368]

I saw what appeared to be a Fleetwood style #4302 roadster for sale in Germany. The car was said to have matching numbers [even though it was converted from a Fleetwood style #4330-S sedan; note that the engine from this car was apparently transferred from a Fleetwood style #4161-S close-coupled sedan, before it was put in the roadster style #4302, replacing V-16 engine #700917; I assume the "Madame X" model (4161-S) was either  destroyed or sold for parts]. The roadster [see above, engine #700917] was totally restored, with German inspection papers for possible registration in that country. The car is now 2-tone red, with red leather interior.  Cadillac enthusiast and friend, Gilles Dreux of Paris, France, sent me a copy of an earlier title document to this vehicle; apparently a previous owner was AndrCopyright LeCoq, formerly Paris' premier auto restorer [now out of business]. Late Extra [2/2007]: Its new owner (at that time) resides in Pottsdam, Germany; he said the car was possibly one of only two such models in Germany (the other being located at the VW museum (Autostadt) in Wolfsburg. Latest [1/2008]:  V-16 enthusiast and owner, Chris Cummings, tells me this car is being offered for sale at auction, as lot #26, during the Gooding & Co. venue in Scottsdale, AZ, on Jan. 19, 2008. The reserve is set between $300,000 and $400,000 ! [Thanks for the update, Chris ].

#285

702415

This one may or may not have survived.  V-16 enthusiast Chris Cummings came across this interesting letter in the Self Starter for September, 1972.  It's from CLC member,   T.L. Tallentire of Aurora, IN:  Dear Fellow Member of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, I should like very much to find out what happened to my father’s 1930 (?) Cadillac V-16 sedan, Type 452-A, Engine #702415 Job # 4330S, Body # 285 (I put the question mark after the year because my father purchased the car used, Aug. 1, 1932, and there is no mention of the year on the receipt that we have.)  I am going to send this letter to everyone listed in the club directory as owning a V-16 or V-12, with the hope that somehow I may just run across someone who has some knowledge of the car.  Of course, I hope that it still exists somewhere, but the odds are that it was cut up for scrap. My father, a Cincinnati attorney, drove the car regularly until 1941, and after that it was parked out here at our country home for a few years.  I can well remember riding in it as a little boy, and later on playing in it.   If only my father could have been able to see into the future and recognize its potential value!  In about 1945 (perhaps a year earlier or later) the caretaker sold it for my father to some man from Lawrenceburg , Ind. (or possibly from rural Dearborn County ,) who claimed that he wanted to use it for a taxicab.   I feel sure this idea was never carried out!  What high rates he would have had to charge in order to make any money, with that 16 cylinder gas-guzzler! We never heard anything more about the car, and I suppose it ended up in some obscure junk yard.   However, I wonder if someone might have been poking around in junk yards, looking for old Cadillac parts, and might possibly have kept some notes on serial numbers of cars he found in them?  Could there just possibly be someone in the country who knows something about the fate of old # 702415 (yes, it had a name, “Charlie!”)   “Charlie” was painted a dark green (Brewster?) and had some black trim.   This was the original Cadillac paint job.   It had no glass division between front and rear seats, and the front seat was upholstered in the same kind of cloth as the rear seat.  The 4330S, of course, was a “Standard” Fisher body (or Fleetwood.)  If any member should happen to know anything about the car, or know of any non-member who might, I hope that he will get in touch with me.  Any information will be most sincerely appreciated. Does anyone know for sure if it is still around ?Formerly owned by Dave Towell, Cadillac dealer of Akron, Oh.  Info from Rick LeForge.

?

702946

Formerly owned by Dave Towell, Cadillac dealer of Akron, Oh.  Info from Rick LeForge.

#282

703002

This V-16 was shipped to Denver, CO, on March 8, 1931. Formerly owned by "Cadillac Jim" Pearson of Kansas City, the car was T-boned and "totaled" by a railroad locomotive (!!!) .   Today the remains are used for parts. Rick LeForge kindly supplied a "fingerprint" of the original body tag that he took in the fifties.

#341

700959
or 701168

Brought to my attention by Rick le Forge in April, 2010. Rick has provided the VIN as well as the pics below.  It appears the car is (was) undergoing restoration when the pictures were taken.  I am hoping that Rick (or another aficionado) will have more information about it.  Late Extra (Feb. 2012):  My favorite V-16 "detective", Chris Cummings, has added this:  The photos on Clark RittersbachCopyrights website, to the extent they are reliably sorted, appear to indicate that the engine number for the maroon and black 4330-S is 701168, and not 700959. 394 Series 4330-SCopyrights were made, and this one is number 341. Based on that alone, I would go with the higher engine number, pace Rick LeForge. Notice that the Kettering Series 4330-S for which you have the build sheet, and which became part of the Saoutchik story, had engine number 700979 and body number 185. I doubt that the car shown below is engine number 700959. This car (the one below) was owned for years by CLC member Roger Ritterbeck of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Platinum Classics (Concours Classics) says itCopyrights being restored (almost done) for a European purchaser. You can see many detailed progress photos on their website (which unfortunately hasnCopyrightt been updated since November).

#408

702785

J. Wade, Jr., LA [CLC Directory, 2002] Late Extra [3/2007]: This came in from V-16 owner-enthusiast, Chris Cummings: Attached is a picture of Jack Wade, Jr. and his 1930 Series 4330S sedan taken in the mid 1990s in New Orleans .  Jack has had the car since 1962, when he bought it from a fellow in West Pecos, Texas.  The Cadillac’s engine number is 702785 and the body number is 408.  Jack and his wife used to drive the car regularly in highway traffic along the Gulf coast.  It’s been garaged for some time, but Jack hopes to get it out and drive it in the near future, once he finishes the post-Katrina cleanup at his place.  The sunshade for the windshield was removed when it became loose while Jack and his wife were driving through the edge of a hurricane.  He has it in his office, but the brackets need replacement. Jack also has a V-16 roadster (body number 92) with a replacement engine in it (number 700416).  He thinks the original engine number was 703052, and he’s had that car since 1961. Jack is a delightful fellow and he said he didn’t mind if I shared the picture.

?

?

One of these was offered for sale in the Self Starter classifieds, in 1963, by a Wilber F. Sanders of Detroit, MI. Described as 100% complete, the vendor was asking for offers "around" $3,700!

?

?

T. Baganz, MI [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

?

D. Holtzman, MI [CLC Directory, 2002]

#47

700898

This one was brought to my attention by V-16 owner-enthusiast, Chris Cummings.  The car was offered for sale in December, 2006, by RM Auctions; the price estimate was between $200K and $240K. The red, orange and maroon Pennsylvania-bodied convertible coupe sold January 19, 2007. The new, happy owner is Brent Merrill. Late Extra [8/2008], from Chris Cummings: the car was sold again at Meadow Brook for $324,500. Later [7/2009], Chris informed me that the car would be sold again at the RM auction at Meadowbrook Hall in fall 2009. Thanks to Chris also for pointing out that previously I had an erroneous photo of the car here.   Latest [3/2010], a former owner, Brent Merrill, contacted me with this information: I was on the site tonight checking out a few things. It is an amazing site and I thank you so much for the time you spend on it. I noticed you had a couple of pictures of this car that I used to own. As an update, apparently when I sold the car through RM, the gentleman who purchased it for $324,500 at the RM Meadowbrook auction in 2008 was from Europe. I asked RM why the car was up for auction again the following year at Meadowbrook where the high bid was only $210,000 and it did not sell. They told me that although the gentleman was relatively young, he had unexpectedly passed away shortly after buying the car and hence the family put the car back in the auction. I believe that after the Meadowbrook auction RM may have purchased the car as it was as owned by them when it was entered into the RM Scottsdale Arizona auction in January 2010 where it sold for $253,000 including commission. I have included for your site a few more pictures of the car when I owned it.

    
Note on 1st and 2nd photos, the erroneous position of the landau iron

Same car?

         
 Note again, on RH side of car, the erroneous position of the landau iron

?

701081

Here's an interesting piece of trivia for all you V16 aficionados: CLC member Paul Schinnerer, who has been active in the club for decades and has owned a number of V16s, sent Chris Cummings this manuscript "bill of sale" (receipt)  for what is believed to have been a Fleetwood style 4335 convertible coupe. $275! Those were the days!!!  The question is:  where is that car today, assuming (righly) that it survived?

#91

701777

This one was once owned by Dayton Card and was featured in an article in AQ, for the fourth quarter 1984. It was sold at an RM auction in 2015.  Here is an extract from the catalog:  Just 11 of these beautiful Classics are known to have survived today, and among them is the V-16 offered here, which is noted by its original build sheet to have been intended for the renowned Don Lee dealership in Los Angeles, only to be diverted to New York. Importantly, this document serves as verification that this is the original body and engine for this chassis. The present owner acquired the car from the family of its long-time owner, the late Bob Kuhlman, whose widow noted in a letter to him that it was “my husband’s favorite toy…we know we have given up a family member (I know it’s only material), but the history and material attachment is so profound.” ...  Not surprisingly, the car is a former AACA National Senior First Prize winner, and it was also a Classic Car Club of America First Prize winner ... it is a great runner, which starts at the touch of the button and has a great sound; it steers easily and shifts smoothly.”

       
These first 3 images show the car when it was in the ownership of Dayton Card, in the 70s.
Not sure if all 3 images show the same car (the one on the left has cloth sidemount covers; the other has metal covers)

         
Images (above 4 rows) © 2015, courtesy RM Auctions

NEW - 2014: This one found its way to the Czech Republic in 2014; the owner, Jan Střilka, provided the photos below. The car looks complete but obviously will need a lot of TLC to regain its former good looks.  Good luck, Jan.

This survivor was formerly owned by a Mr. Johnston A. Bowman of Evanston, IL. At that time, the hood and cowl were painted Credinga green while the fenders and moldings were Emerald green. The original (1930) cost of this car, with options, was $6630. A subsequent owner in the Seattle area offered the car on e-Bay. The ad said the car had been restored in 2001 and had about 100 miles on the odometer since restoration. The engine and transmission were reported to have been rebuilt by a Cadillac expert with 60 years of experience with these cars. Suspension, brakes, gauges, chrome all were excellent. The repaint, in burgundy and silver, was done by a multiple Pebble Beach winner. The car scored 99.5 points at the CCCA Grand Classic and won first in class, most elegant and best of show at the prestigious Forest Grove [Oregon] concours d'ElCopyrightgance. “This is one beautiful car!” In October, 2002, V16 enthusiast Johan Boltendal in the Netherlands called my attention to a modification of the Ebay ad stating: "RE-BODIED FROM A COUPE IN THE SIXTIES." Subsequently the car was offered for sale on a website in Indianapolis, IN (www.significantcars.com), where it was stated that this car had a known history having been formerly owned by noted Collector Tom Lester. The car apparently left the factory as a Series 4376 coupe and was professionally converted to the Series 4335 body style in the 1960s. The fact that this is a conversion does not take away from the fact that it is a superb restoration and exemplifies what an authentic Fleetwood style #4335 should look like. Latest [Dec., 2010]: The car is shown on the website of Significant Cars.com, as having been sold (this info from Chris Cummings).

         
[ These early photos: Copyright Nicky Wright ]

    
[ Photos in above 3 rows:  Internet, 5/2004 ]

     
[ Photos in these 2 rows: www.significantcars.com ]

#82

702089

The Kruse auctioneers offered this car for sale (what year) as lot #660.  It is a red and maroon (4 tones) with a red leather interior; this 100-point CCCA and AACA show car won prizes at both Pebble Beach and Meadowbrook  A Mr. James Schultz had the same car [The Classic Car Autumn, 2001]. This one was formerly owned by Jean-Claude Labrecque of  Montreal, Canada; he had it advertised for sale in Cadillac Connoisseur, Vol. 23:5, circa 1983-84.  No price was given. Is this the same car that was on show at the Meadow Brook Concours d'ElCopyrightgance, Rochester, MI, on August 3, 2008? Is it the same "4335" that was sold during the RM Auction, held on the Saturday before the Concours, for $295,000? Chris Cummings believes the car was acquired by noted author, Clive Cussler, who began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuing series hero, Dirk Pitt®, in 1973. See www.themotor.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14:cussler-museum-arvada-co&catid=2:museums&Itemid=12 (URL provided kindly by Chris Cummings). Late extra (Dec., 2010):  There is a style 4376 coupe in the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History near Rosanky, Texas (see below), with this same VIN.   Both cars have a similar paint scheme and similar, unusual metal spare tire covers). The coupe has a leather-covered roof and landau irons similar to those found on a 4335 car (but painted). Chris thinks that both cars may have been owned by the same person, at one point, and that owner had the cars finished to be a matched pair - convertible and stationary coupes. He surmises that the paperwork for the Cussler car shows engine #702089, but that that engine is now in the 4376 car. There's no way to be entirely certain without examining both cars personally. For now it's an intriguing puzzle.

Read "Jean Claude" and not "Gene Claude" ... even though "Jean" and "Gene" are pronounced the same in English!

         
[Photo, left:  Kruse auction catalog, wherein the car is described in error as a
Madam X  convertible coupe - there were no Madame X convertible styles]
[Photo, right: is a magazine cover featuring this or another survivor]

It is believed the car is currently (2010)
in the collection of noted author, Clive Cussler

?

?

Chris Cummings identified this one as belonging to Charles and Cheryl Eggert of Morristown, NJ. The couple are members of the Classic car Club of America (CCCA).

This is a very well restored 1930 Cadillac Fleetwood convertible coupe, style #4335; it is one of 100 units built in 1930-31 and one of a dozen or so known survivors, the majority of which are registered in this "Cadillac Database". It currently resides in Spain (2014-15). At the request of the owner, on December 15, 2014, all PRIVATE information about this car (i.e. VIN and body number) has been removed from this Database. He also said that NO PICTURES of his car were allowed in the Database; however, ALL the images below are in the PUBLIC DOMAIN; they are the sole property of Yann Saunders, a long-standing member of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club, Inc. and of the Society of Automotive Historians. ALL zhese images were taken in  PUBLIC PLACES in both Belgium and France where they had been put on PUBLIC display by the owner. 

Pics above are from the biennial International Cadillac & LaSalle meet held in Bruges, Belgium (fall 2006)
[ all images © 2006, Gita and Yann Saunders

    
 Pics above are from the biennial International Cadillac & LaSalle meet held in Richelieu, France (fall 2010)
[ all images © 2006 and courtesy Gita and Yann Saunders ]

?

?

J. Schultz, CA [CLC Directory, 2002].

?

?

J. Bohmer, MN [CLC Directory, 2002].

R. Faurot, CA [CLC Directory]  

B. Flannigan, NJ [CLC Directory]  

R. Hand, TX [CLC Directory]  

#4

700115

Rick LeForge [SS #6, 4/1963) In an article entitled Happiness is a sixteen-cylinder Cadillac, Rick mentioned that he had three V-16s of which one was a parts car, with 50K miles on the odometer; his 4355 limousine [this car], featured on the cover was one of 6 prepared for the NY auto show; subsequently it was shipped to Los Angeles on February 13, 1930. It was able to leave the tour in LA. A previous owner was Haswell Parker. The car is bright yellow and the interior was still original in 1963. It has the original roll-up division, opera seats and intercom.  Rick contacted me in Feb. 2006, after seeing his former car in this, the survivors' roster.  He wrote: I am the Rick LeForge you noted in your listings. "Ole Yaller" is Style 4355 Body 4 Engine 700115. I usually give my cars names. "Old Yeller" was a 1957 Disney movie about a boy and a dog named Old Yeller. I traded this car to Jim Pearson - See my article in SS "Turn Left at Tucumcari." Jim in turn sold the car to J. B. Nethercutt and it is now part of the Merle Norman Museum. Yeller ran so well, that for a few years it was my go-to-meets car. I felt it was so reliable that we drove it to Kansas City, KS.

         
[ Photos;  courtesy Merle Norman collection, San Sylmar ]

    
Left: Photo from cover of Self Starter magazine, 5/2005 (courtesy Automobile Quarterly)
Right:  Photo from Self Starter magazine, 6/1971

Left: Photo from cover

?

The same car... in different lighting conditions, or repainted?

       
This one [2-tone green] was photographed at the 2002 Grand National in Detroit.  Is it the same car?

700537

This one was owned by John McMullen, 2103 E. Newark Rd., Lapeer, MI 48446 (purchased for $160,000 ...although the original list price range was between $5950-$6525!); article in CLC 1/94, p.22. More recently (2004?) the car was acquired by G. Roskamp. He says the car came from Massachusetts. He is trying to trace its history. It was delivered to Don Lee Cadillac in San Francisco in March of 1930. The former owner does not remember where he bought it; it was rebuilt prior to his ownership and apparently may have had subsequent owners.

Possibly this car (older photo)

Again, possibly this unidentified car, posing at CCCA Museum in Kalamazoo, MI

700659

NEW, NOV. 2014:  This mysterious 1930 (originally Fleetwood) model was converted some time in its life to resemble a 1937 Packard sedan (using Packard body parts?). It was (re)discovered in a SE Asian country where it had been stored (in a cave) to protect it from Japanese invasion forces during WW2.

    
Photos and information, courtesy of a Cadillac enthusiast in New Zealand

700666

Located in Roseburg, OR, according to the listing by Rick LeForge.

700759

Per Rick LeForge, this one was previously in the Harrah collection in Reno, NV. C. Sorrell, Jr., NJ [CLC Directory, 2002]. The owner informed me in April, 2004, that this is a very original (unrestored) car in pretty good condition (no rust or serious dents).  It may have been used at one time as a swap parts source (trim, ignition lock, speedo, etc.), but that has all been taken care of.  The build sheet shows that it was ordered by Don Lee, Inc. of San Francisco on Mar. 25, 1930 and was at the loading dock at Cadillac on Mar. 29.  Except for the ignition lock, all numbers match those on the Cadillac build sheet.  It was originally painted black with lower panels of R&M Regent Maroon and carried a Gold Bronze body stripe.  The purchaser also ordered optional 7.00 x 19 Firestone tires.  The car is currently all black with red wheels but will eventually be repainted the original colors.

700892

(NEW, 3/2010) Once again, Chris Cummings has come up with yet another surviving Sixteen.  He wrote:  Here's a new one. Engine number 700892 is an all-black Series 4361-S sedan, body # 78. It is kept at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas. It was purchased new by a rancher and his wife shortly after oil was discovered on their land. The fact that the driver of a Cadillac V-16 could do away with most gear shifting may have influenced the rancher's purchase decision, as he had lost an arm some time previously. The wife died a few months later and the husband passed away the next year. In the 1950s the car was found in a barn and donated to the museum, where it has been kept ever since. The car is complete, but has not been run in some years.

?

700916

Saw this one advertised for sale in New South Wales, Australia (9/2000); it was reported to be "barn fresh" with low miles; asking price was A$120,000, negotiable

700966

Included as a survivor in the listing prepared by Rick LeForge. Owner shown as "Brucker".

?

701070

701146

This V-16 was shipped to Los Angeles  on April 18, 1930. Rick LeForge kindly supplied a "fingerprint" of this car's body tag from the time it was in the Wayne Merriman collection.  Rick described the car  as a "Good original" at the time.

701208

Was brought to my attention by Chris Cummings; it appeared for sale on Ebay in March, 2009 with a starting bid of $395,000. Vendor writes: All original 40,000 mile car, second owner. This was bought from original owner in 1987 and brought to N.Y. were it was restored. The restoration was done as a labor of love every nut and bolt was scrutinized. This car looks as good under the car as on top. This is a V16 automobile all original, the engine was never taken out of the car, original clutch, the exhaust manifolds are porcelain covered, the exhaust was replaced with  polished stainless steel, all the wood frame is original. This car runs better then it looks. all hardware was replaced with polished stainless steel. The head lamps and tail lamps are original. All original wire harness was replaced. I know the carburetors are suppose to be black, but I had them polished to look like chrome. The vacuum fuel pumps are original and work. (no electric pump added) All the chrome was sent out and redone. The wheels are triple plated chrome and polished stainless steel spokes. The original flying lady is on the car. The interior was never touched original. The car is stored in a climate control garage. Late Extra [June, 2009]:  the car is up for sale again on Ebay.

       
[ Photos: Internet ]

702104

This one was first delivered to Toledo, OH, on June 20, 1930. Formerly owned by Wayne Merriman, the engine is believed to have been transferred into a reproduction Fleetwood style #4302. Info from Rick LeForge.

702577

NEW, Dec., 2010 : Chris Cummings brought this one to my attention. The owner, Brian Keating describes this car as having the original interior and some original paint. All the numbers match from the build sheet. Originally this V16 went to Canada, Mr. Keating doesn’t remember the gent’s name. From there it went to Connecticut, approx. in the 1950's, and then was traded to the gent Mr. Keating purchased it from approx. 1960's. Speedometer shows less than 40,000 miles, one of 258 built.   He says it “runs great, looks like the way I like'm original! Al Capone had one just like this one, same colors even-Brewster green & black. I actually have CAPONE as the license plate!!”   Alan Merkel later kindly clarified the ownership history of this car.   He said that the McGowan brothers bought the car from the owner in Canada and sold it to Dick Garrett in Houston.  In 1984, Mr. Garrett advertised the car in the Classic Car Club of America “Bulletin” and a Mr. Perkins in Connecticut bought it.   In 1985 he traded it to Charlie Harper, who owned it until recently. Late Extra [Nov., 2011]:  (from V-16 owner-admirer and friend, Chris Cummings) the car is currently (2011) offered for sale on my friend Dick Shappy's website for $159,000. I have added some more photos from Dick's web site. Even Later  (again from Chris):  Dick apparently sold the car on October 17, 2012; he has given no indication of its current destination. Latest [Dec. 2012]:  Chris found from Dick that the car has gone to a collector in Russia.

          
Photos: © 2010 and courtesy of Brian Keating

    
Photos: © 2011 and courtesy of Dick Shappy

703002

Fred Weber collection [info from "Fleetwood" book by James J. Schild]

?

?

This one was advertised for sale in the "Classifieds" section of the club's Self Starter magazine for February, 2006. It was described as a gorgeous car with an older high-point restoration, a consistent trophy winner and a reliable touring beauty. This may be one of the cars already listed above, for which I have neither VIN nor body number.

[ Photo:  Self Starter - 2/2006 ]

?

?

Could this be the same car (older photo of survivor) ?

?

This survivor is located in Brazil (2002); details sought 

?

?

R. Castignetti, MA [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

B. Kerns, WA [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

Dennis Sobieski owns one of these that he got from a vendor in Illinois; it had sat in a museum in Texas for 40 years.  I have no other details about the car at this time; it was featured in a YouTube video in 2009; here is the URL [from June, 2009].  In the interview. Dennis said they made 40-50 of these; actually, total production for 1930-31 was 258 units.

?

Just in from V16 owner and researcher, Chris Cummings, who saw it listed on Internet in 2013 (it had been posted there already in 2008). The car is well restored and in 2008 was located at Muttontown, NY; mileage stood at: 34600. It was originally purchased on March 12, 1930 from Don Lee Cadillac Inc. in Los Angeles, California. The current owner [not identified as yet] grew interested in 1930s automobiles as a youngster on the Gold Coast of Long Island. There were countless days when he would sit on a street corner during the late 1930’s, as young as 8 years old, waiting, watching and identifying the make, model and year of the automobiles as they approached him. It was a dream come true when he finally found and was able to afford this beautiful antique car that he had wished for since he was a very young boy.

4361-S
Engine only

?

?

700499

700280

         
[ Photos:  Internet, 1/2008 ]

700789

700859

                 
Photos:  courtesy Clark Rittersbach, former owner and Chris Summers

?

701617

    
[ Photo:  Bonhams Auction Co. ]

Although a re-body, this is still a fine looking V-16

702488

702518

   
Both cars are painted burgundy & black and both have the Lo-Boy trunk and the uncommon wooden artillery wheels

702783

Body number not known.  Was formerly owned by Akron, OH, Cadillac dealer Dave Towell.  Info from Rick LeForge who recorded that the car was shipped to San Francisco on 8 November 1930.

702802?
702914?

Formerly owned by my friend Olle Ljungstrom of Sweden, he sold it to Stig Andersson, of Saltsjobaden, Sweden.

Tage owns also the black, 1953 Fleetwood Series 75 limousine seen in the 2nd photo, right
[ Photos: Copyright Tage Jingnert, courtesy of the owner, through Anders Wald ]

702888

702922

Owner: Daniel Hanlon.  This car was in a building fire but sustained only heavy smoke damage; it did require full restoration nevertheless. Currently [5/2004] it is 99% complete [information supplied kindly by the restorer, Miles Morstatter]. This car appears to have been listed TWICE in the survivors' roster; I have just moved the second entry here. I believe it is the car photographed  in the seventies by the late Gene Babow.  Info from Rick LeForge who recorded that the car was shipped to San Francisco on 8 November 1930.

[ Photo: © 1972, courtesy the late Gene Babow ]

This V-16 was shipped to Aurora, IL, on June 18, 1931. It was delivered with a pair of stainless-steel spoked sidemounts. Enthusiast-historian Rick LeForge kindly supplied a "fingerprint" of this car's body tag that he took in the fifties when it was owned by "Cadillac Jim" Pearson of Kansas City. The car was affectionately known as "Blue Boy". Rick reckons this is the finest, unrestored V-16 Cadillac in the world.

Is currently [2008-09] located in the Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan. The car was originally part of Gene Zimmerman’s “Automobilorama” collection in Harrisburg, PA. Owner-enthusiast Chris Cummings pointed out  the fact that the car has smaller V8/V12 headlights.  Chris wondered also if I had the original postcard (below, top row); sorry, Chris, no, I don't.

     
These two pics are the obverse and reverse of a museum PC from the 70s;
the one on the left shows the car prior to restoration (as seen below)

703215

I saw it first in a Hemmings ad in December 2003.  The car is fully restored; the accessories in the passenger compartment all are gold-plated. It was priced at $165,000. Late extra [6/2005]: Enthusiast and Database patron, Chris Cummings, informed me that the car was auctioned by Kruse, on April 1-2, 2005 during the Greater Salt Lake City Auction at the Thanksgiving Point. It was reportedly sold for $150,000. It was described by the auctioneers as  a 1931 Cadillac V-16 four door Imperial Limousine in two tone green, with green leather; it was a  mint, 100-point show winner for 7 passengers, d/m [?], pilot rays, divider, all gold trim in the passenger compartment. It came with the owners manual. The vehicle title was in French (suggesting it may have been for a time in Canada's Quebec province, or even overseas. Serial # is shown as 5ER703215 [read "SER", not "5ER"]. On the cover of LVA #90715 for April 12, 1990, there is a photo of a V16 (possibly a 4375) with license #5R.90.53 (?), located at the time in a museum at St. Félicien,  near lake St. Jean in Canada.(owner: Jean Ménard, 2365 Chemin de la Rive, Almacomté Lac St. Jean, Québec, 68B5 V3 Canada - or contact Club "Le Tacot", 83 La Chapelle, Sainte Cécile de Milton, Québec, JOE 2 CO, Canada).

         
I think the car on the right is the same as the one on the left ... but in a different light
[ photos:  Internet 12/2003 ]

This B&W photo is from the French weekly, La Vie de l'Auto (1997)
 

    
Photos (above 4 rows):  Internet, 2011

The car is a survivor according to this VIN

702402

This one belongs (belonged?) to a member of the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA). I believe it is the car in the upper photo, listed in the CLC Directory as belonging to Ed Meurer in Michigan.  A former owner was John O'Sullivan of Grand Blanc, MI. The car was on display for a year at the then new Auto World facility in Flint,  MI.  Late Extra (Apr. 2014): My friend and V-16 owner-historian, Chris Cummingssaid he spoke with Ed Meurer in 2014 and learned that his Series 4375 imperial sedan is engine number 702402. The original owner was the President of Mexico. Ed bought from a man named Weaver who had bought it from John O’Sullivan. It was Mr. O’Sullivan who restored the car.

[ Photo: CCCA ]

    
The lovely lady in period attire is the late Patricia Stork, beloved mother of my friend and fellow Cadillac enthusiast
Jeff Stork, who took the photo in October, 1983.  Jeff said: No one ever loved Cadillacs more than she did.

?

[unknown] Owner-enthusiast, Chris Cummings notes that the windshield sunvisor is missing; he does not have the VIN; he has only seen photos of the car in connection with the 2006 "Concours of the Eastern United States" on this web site: "ConceptcarZ.com". Any additional information about it would be appreciated.

?

R. De Mieri, NY [CLC Directory, 2002]

?

R. Messick, CA [CLC Directory, 2002]

J. Nestlehutt, GA [CLC Directory]  

This one belongs to CLC member Ron DeMieri of Bethpage, New York

702543

Jan Ströman, author of the excellent book, "Swedish Coachbuilders", kindly supplied these photos of such a limousine that was involved in a deadly crash. The car belonged to a Mr. Anders Lindahl, owner of a factory that made a popular brand of Swedish soft drinks. Unfortunately, Mr. Lindahl lost his life in the accident. The car later was sold and went to Denmark. Its current whereabouts are not known.

    
[ Photos: © Jan Ströman ]

?

Olle Ljungstrom, who supplied me with much info about V16s in Sweden, reported that a similar limo that had been imported to Sweden was cut back behind driver's seat to make a truck!

?

[image courtesy Rick LeForge]

(NEW, 1/2013) My favorite Cadillac sleuth (Chris Cummings) has unearthed another "sort of" surviving Sixteen. It appeared for sale on the Hemmings Motor News Web site. Cadillac V16 connoisseur, Alan Merkel, said the engine originally powered a town sedan.  He said: The Bonham’s website has a body tag for Series 4375-S sedan, body number 164.  The car has 1956 California tags on it. Chris wrote:  This very intriguing car sold on January 17 for $44,850 (of which $5,850 was the buyer’s premium). Someone did an awful lot of work to create this ambulance out of a Series 4375-S sedan (with a town sedan engine). The front only looks like 1934-35 Cadillac V-8.  It’s fabricated.  The fenders look like extended and customized 1930 V-16 fenders. There’s a second generator mounted on the left-hand side of the engine, and the crankcase vent has been moved to accommodate it.  Extra juice is understandable, given flashing lights and sirens. The stretch of the sedan body involved some complicated cutting to preserve the wheel arch (no change in wheelbase). The fabricated side-hinged rear entrance door uses the original sedan rear window. And generally, stretching a composite wood and steel body has to be more difficult than doing the same thing to an all-steel body. I think it served on a naval base, maybe during WWII. Someone told Al Preuitt that the conversion work had been done by Derham.  I dunno about that, but it IS quality work  (see the Bonhams website). It has also described as: a fascinating ambulance conversion of a 1930 V-16 Series 4375-S seven-passenger sedan. The engine is from a Series 4361-S town sedan. The coachbuilder kept the original wheelbase (148") but lengthened the rear quarter of the body significantly and created a side-hung rear entrance. The fenders appear to be customized 1930 Cadillac parts, with skirting and a streamlining effect. The rear fenders are extended to go with the new body length. The fronts are styled to look like 1934 Packard fenders. The stock 1930 radiator is enclosed in a shell that looks like a 1934-1935 Cadillac V-8 or V-12 part, but matches up nicely with a 1930 hood and allows the 1930 radiator filler neck to protrude. The grille is very similar to (but different from) the '34-'35 Cadillac counterpart. The engine has a second generator on the driver's side and a voltage regulator for it on the firewall (understandable in view of the extra lighting and siren an ambulance would carry). Somebody did a LOT of work on this beast. License plates are 1956 California. I'm speculating from the grey paint and the shape of the scraped-off lettering that it may have served a naval base, perhaps during WWII.  Late Extra: (from Chris again) The car was sold for $44,850, including a $5,850 premium.  

[4375-S]

?

?

700353

[see entry, below, for engine numbers 701324 and/or 703106]

C. Sorrell, Jr., NJ [CLC Directory, 2002].  According to the owner, who contacted me in April, 2004, this car is in need of total restoration. Late Extra (November 2012): Meanwhile the car has been fully restored, as may be seen in the photo below (this information should have been passed on earlier; it appears to have got "lost in the Email").

701324
703106

   
[ Photos:  Internet, 5/2006 ]

This V-16 was shipped to Columbus, OH, on September 30, 1930. One former owner was "Cadillac Jim" Pearson of Kansas City. The car was completely rusted out; only the chassis and cowl remain (no engine).  Info from Rick LeForge. Rick supplied a "finger print" of the body tag that he got in the 50s.

C. Harper, NH [CLC Directory, 2002]

J. Tallman, FL [CLC Directory, 2002]

    
(Left) Mark Hyman Auctions photo; (right) Internet, 2014

    
Owner (or former owner?): Tom Lehnen
[ LH and RH photos: © 2009, courtesy Hyman Ltd. ]

   
(Left) this survivor was featured on the cover of the Self Starter in May, 1975;
it's owner at that time was a Mr. Donat Chartier, Jr. of  Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada
(Right) this appears to be the same car; photo  Copyright 2000, Robert Erickson

This 2-pass. coupe was shipped to Milwaukee, WI [beer capital of the USA], on May 9, 1930.  Formerly owned by a Mr. Grover Phillips [I found no connection to him on "Google"], it was owned later by Eddie Vorvech of Chillocothie, MD. Rick LeForge kindly sent me a "fingerprint" of the original body tag that he took in the fifties. Chris Cummings gave me some updates on the car in November 2013. At one time it was used in a demolition derby in 1958 (photos below). A complete new restoration was completed in 2013 and the car won a prize at Pebble Beach. It was sold to KC Vintage Cars by Karl  Kahlberg. I was been erroneously named  “Madame X", a model designation given by Harley Earl and reserved for some 4-door closed models. Late Extra (4/2014): I believe this car is correently owned by Brent Merill of Ontario, Canada

    
Cropped photos (above 2 rows):  ©Richard Michael Owen

    
Photos: "KC Vintage Cars", KY - Internet, 2014

Recently (Dec. 2011) advertised on the Internet and in Hemmings, this car (like so many others) was brought to my attention by my V-16 "sleuth" Chris Cummings; it is new to the roster. It is described as a ...rare V16 1930 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood Coupe. At over 81 years old, its all original Forest Green exterior and Brown Vinyl [looks like leather] Interior have developed a patina that gives this fine American classic character. It remains as delivered new [in that case it should have leather upholstery] and completely intact. Recently sorted out in our shop, the original V16 starts right up and shifts smoothly into gear. The massive, vacuum assisted drum brakes have been completely rebuilt. All of its interior instruments are in working order and their displays are crystal clear. Specifics on this particular car are as follows: 1930 Cadillac 452 V16 built and delivered in Pennsylvania. It remained in the North East all of its life until purchased by its current owner in 1991, when it was shipped to Illinois. With so many options available from the factory in 1930, each of the [V-16] Cadillacs are [frequently] 1 of only 1. Ordered with the Fleetwood Coupe, Series 4376 Body Style, Body Number 74 of 98 built. Extras include Side Mounts, Wire Wheels, Wide White Wall Tires, Rumble Seat and "V" Windshield. Bought at the Oborne Estate auction in 1991 by its current owner this car was originally owned by the Gifford F. Oborne for many years. He was an avid collector of 1930Copyrights automobiles and specifically V16 Cadillacs. The estate auction consisted of over 40 of these types of vehicles. This particular Cadillac was purchased from Wayne Merriman another avid collector [whose name you will encounter in a number of these roster entries] by Oborne many years prior and who at some point had the V16 rebuilt. At the time of the auction it had 51,637 original miles on it. It has been stored by its current owner for the last 20 years and the current mileage now reads 51,639. Auction documentation is included with the vehicle which currently has a clean Illinois Title. With only a 1000 units produced just after the stock market crash in 1929 [actually 2883 units in 1930 and 3251 counting the 1931 production] and even fewer yet still available, this V16 offers something more than most; originality. There may not be any finer, more universally accepted, or financially conservative automotive investment than the V-16 Cadillac.

         
[ Photos:  Internet ]

        
Obviously a beautiful restoration of  this rare Fleetwood coupe body style;
although 98 were built, few have survived, as may be educed from this survivors' roster

    
According to the body number, this appears to be the second-last such coupe to have been built;
The car appears to have belonged in the past to a CCCA member, W.F. Brown II;
I have not found anyone of that name listed in the current [2010] directory

NEW, Feb., 2015:  This car was offered for sale by a vendor in the UK who sent many photos as well as the VIN and body number now shown here. This car sports the "Goddess" hood ornament, an earlier pic shows it with the equally authentic "Heron" ornament.  Note that the name “TIFFANY” is typed in the top margin of the factory build sheet for this car; this could indicate that the car is connected to the well-known glass company, or one of its principals. Note (2):  

This is  Mr. Lindsay's car
[ Photo: Copyright Angelo Van Bogart ]

        
[ Photos at center and right: Copyright 2002, J. Scott Harris ]

         
Photos in these 4 rows courtesy Mr. Davlet Abdullayev, UK

This V-16 was shipped to New York City, NY, on March 19, 1930. When it was examined on March 30, 1969, by enthusiast Rick LeForge, he noted that it had the early engine layout with chrome-plated vacuum tanks, brass covers and a black oil filler. Rick took a "fingerprint" of the body tag at the time.  It was the first car to enter the renowned  collection of Dick Gold of Minneapolis, MN.  Sheldon J. Lewis had one of these for sale (in "rough condition")  in the Self Starter classifieds for August, 1966.   This may be also the car included in the inventory of Mark Hyman Ltd., in August 2008 (stock #3792 - that was offered for sale for $299,000.  A more recent ad for this car was published by Hyman Ltd. in February, 2009.  You will agree that the photos are beautiful!  Thanks to Jon Riley for pointing out this one. Hyman Ltd. description of the car reads as follows: This V-16 all weather Phaeton, Job and style number 4380 with Body number 34 was delivered new on March 19 of 1930. It is a correct matching numbers car with engine, chassis and body numbers correct as per its original construction. It is indicative of the quality and features which have made Cadillac V16s the standard of excellence in Classic cars. Restored some years ago, it is beautifully liveried in Cream and Beige with Brown fenders and a Brown accent with Tan broadcloth upholstery and Tan cloth top piped in Brown. Its opening vee windshield and divider window are the epitome of sleek luxury and exclusivity. Dual sidemount spares with rear view mirrors, Pilot-Ray driving lights, top boot and a luggage trunk on a folding rack complete its exhaustive equipment list. New wide whitewall tires, a fresh, comprehensive service and detailing have readied it to be driven and toured with pride and distinction. It runs quietly and smoothly and offers a new owner the opportunity to freshen its cosmetics for a new round of concours display. There is no greater American Classic than the Cadillac V16, and no body style more adaptable and attractive than the Fleetwood Convertible Sedan. Late Extra [May, 2009]: The car is to be offered at auction by Bonham's as lot #248 at the Greenwich CT Concours d'Elégance on June 7, 2009. Latest [Dec., 2010]: The car is shown on the website of Significant Cars.com, as having been sold (this info from Chris Cummings).

      
The car at the right appeared on the front cover of Classic Car, the magazine of the CCCA, in June 1975;
the owner was not identified. However, according to Chris Cummings (what would I do without him)
there is a strong possibility that it once belonged to Dick Gold 
[ Photo (right): © and courtesy CCCA ]

    
[ Photos:  courtesy Hyman Ltd. ]

[ Photo:  Bonham's auction catalog ]

    
[ Cropped photos in these 4 rows: courtesy RM Auctions ]

R. Shappy, RI {Dick was kind enough to keep my own daily driver in dry storage all summer long while Gita and I were in Europe;   thanks again, Dick]. This is CLC Senior car #343. This car was offered for sale in Hemmings, in May 2005, for $325,000 (engine number was shown as 701834 - which is right ?).

         
Photos (left and center):  Copyright 2000, Yann Saunders; photo right,  courtesy Dick Shappy
[ note rare Lalique, eagle's head, glass hood ornament ]

    
Here is Dick's car after getting a new top and upholstery in 2005
[ Photos: Copyright 2005 and courtesy of the owner ]

Was sold by Kruse International at auction Salt Lake City, UT, in April 2005 for $230,000. The car is reported as having non-matching numbers and may be, therefore, a conversion or rebuild. Someone has installed power steering in the car!  Late extra [5/2009]: Chris Cummings informed me that the car was offered for sale again, for "only" $195,000, by Gullwing Motor Cars, Inc. in Astoria, NY. It was described thus: 1930 Cadillac V 16 All Weather Phaeton four door convertible. The car has Madam X body with rare V windshield [in fact, the "Madame X" ("Madame" with an "e") bodies were mounted ONLY on closed cars with a job/style number starting with digits "41..."]. Two tone green with green leather interior. It has dual side mounts with chrome covers, and mirrors, divider window, pilot rays. This is an excellent car, ready to drive anywhere, power steering added option. For only $195,000.

This V-16 was shipped to New York City, NY, on March 28, 1930. Rick LeForge got a "fingerprint" of its body tag when it was owned by  Elmer Franzen of Minneapolis, MN. Research on Google, in May 2009, revealed that the car had been offered at auction by England's "Sotheby's" auction house, in 1996, as Lot #60.  This from the auction catalog: This car from the Darling collection came from the Elmer Franzen collection in Minneapolis, MN, a respected and long-time collector. The car is finished in pale green lacquer with a black swept panel, fenders and aprons. The interior is trimmed in light brown Bedford Cord with light brown carpets and has a tan Hartz cloth top. The car has the deluxe division window, dual side mounts, luggage rack and the correct Goddess mascot. The indicated mileage is 41,597, which is commensurate with the good overall condition of the automobile. Cadillac described the All-weather Phaeton as "a car combining the dash and swagger of the sporting models with the practical features of the sedan." Among the many unidentified photos in my collection is this one. The car shown resembles the Sotheby catalog description. This car is owned by a wealthy Swiss collector who wishes to remain anonymous. He's actually a former neighbor of mine, though Gita and I did not "live on the same side of the fence." I'm hoping to get the VIN and body number one of these days. 

Possibly this car, which is currently in Switzerland

This car was shipped initially to Fleetwood, PA. Formerly owned by Joel Saitman [info from book "Fleetwood" by James J. Schild].  This one was offered for sale on Ebay in February, 2009, with a "Buy-it-Now price of $425,000. The vendor's ad mentioned: This car is the recipient of a first class total restoration. It was restored to compete in any major concours and shows in a spectacular fashion. This car has won its share of trophies in concours and CCCA judged events. Most recently shown at Meadowbrook [2008?]. This car comes with its original build sheet, invoice paperwork, Cadillac operator's manual, and Fleetwood Bodies Owner's manual. The car was built on April 8th of 1930 and delivered to a San Francisco dealer. It has been a California car from new. The entire car is a work of art and is ready to compete at most any level. Please contact us at 949-496-3000 or mark@familyclassiccars.com.   This numbers matching V16 Cadillac runs and drives as fantastic as it looks. Late extra [4/2009]: there was a no-sale in February and the car reappeared on Ebay in April; this time the "Buy-it-Now price was reduced by $30K to $395,000. Later [6/2009]: the car is back on Ebay at the same price. Later still [10/2011]: the car is now offered for sale by Hyman Classic Cars; it has been reduced again from $375.000 to $325.000.   Latest [2012]: the car may have been sold as it no longer appears in the Hyman Web site. This additional description is featured in the "Pre-War Car" Web site:  This 1930 Cadillac 452 V-16 All-Weather Phaeton, Fleetwood style 4380, is one of those few, highly regarded Pennsylvania-bodied V-16s. Its All-Weather Phaeton coachwork displays many of the attributes which distinguish the best of Fleetwood coachwork, particularly the straight-through body line, rollup windows and division and the distinctive vee-windshield that only the Fleetwood-built bodies employed. It was originally delivered to Cadillac's Los Angeles dealer, Don Lee, and has been authenticated as complete and as-built engine, drivetrain and body on its original chassis. It also has its original Cadillac-supplied luggage trunk, an item that rarely survives with its original chassis and body. Equipment includes a set of full chrome Buffalo wire wheels, dual sidemounted spares with mirrors, radiator stoneguard, Pilot-Ray lights and Cadillac heron radiator mascot. It is subtly liveried in two shades of green accented by a contrasting green coachline, a LeBaron-style hood sweep panel, tan leather upholstery and light tan cloth top with tan piping matching the upholstery. The restoration is to concours standards, endorsed by its recent selection for display at the Meadow Brook Concours, and it has been maintained in concours-quality condition by its owners. Documentation includes a copy of its original Cadillac data sheet authenticating its original, as-delivered configuration, owner's manual, Fleetwood Bodies owner's manual and other historic paperwork. The interior woodwork is exquisite, not only in finish and presentation but also in its intricate detail and the elaborate figure of the wood itself. This is one of the finest examples of Cadillac's legendary 452 V-16 with important Fleetwood, Pennsylvania built All-Weather Phaeton vee windshield open coachwork, restored and maintained to concours standards in beautiful contemporary colors, a rare, beautiful and powerful example of one of the finest and most exclusive chassis of the classic era.
 

Rick LeForge says the original body was destroyed and a roadster body (style #4302) was later installed [see "4302" cars, above]. This car was shipped initially to Chicago, IL, on May 7, 1930. It was owned at one time by Paul Schinnerer.

[NEW, added 10/2010] This one was kindly brought to my attention by the ever-watchful Chris Cummings, himself a veesixteen owner. It was sold as lot #21 at a Christies' auction in Paris, in February 2002, where it fetched just under $139,000. The catalog descibed the car thus: This car was sold new on May 12, 1930 to a customer in New York. Mr. LCopyrightscher purchased it from a collector whom we believe was Mr. Joe Tamborello from Houston, Texas in around 1990. The car had clearly undergone a superb earlier restoration to concours standards, however Mr. LCopyrightscher decided that it would benefit from a little freshening up. This work was undertaken by the well-known Californian restorer, Mike Fennel, before the car was shipped over to Europe. This all weather phaeton is still in superb overall condition, despite the restoration being a number of years old. The main faults we found were a few blemishes in the paint, largely on the driver's side rear wing [fender] and also some older damage to the rear mounted trunk which has previously been touched up. Like the other V16s the chrome on the Auto Vac is slightly tarnished. The remaining chromework is in very fine condition and should respond well to some further polishing. The interior upholstery is to show standards, as is the burr walnut finishing.

From the Le May Museum collection. Enthusiast Joe Reasoner supplied these facts : Harold Lemay spent several decades amassing a collection of over 2200 automobiles.  Before his death in November of 2000, he set in motion the creation of a museum to house the vehicle (currently being shown at the old Marymount Military Academy in Pierce County, Washington and at the residence of his widow, with the remainder of the collection stored in over 50 buildings throughout the county).  The Museum is currently in the fund-raising phase to build a museum to house around 1500 of the best cars in the collection.  A site has been chosen and architects have started the design phase.  At the present time, the museum only shows the collection by appointment and once a year at the annual car show on the last Saturday in August [Nota: engine #700499 was installed initially in a Fleetwood limousine style #4375]. The two photos below possibly depict one and the same car.

    
Photo (left): courtesy Joe Reasoner; (right) courtesy"Fanauto" #182, 11/1983

Elliott Klein, AZ [CLC Directory].   Elliott is another keen V-16 historian.  I am grateful for his help with this project.

            
[ Photos (above 2 rows): courtesy of the owner ]

Was brought to my attention by Jeff Maltby in January of 2010.  The vendor says:  the car was sold new in Baltimore, MD and currently is owned by the estate of the third owner who bought the car in the 1940s. It has not run in 30 years. The body retains its original paint and most of its original upholstery. The car is complete and extremely solid throughout. This car could be made into an Original Preservation Class car with minimal work or easily restored to a high point concours car. How many more unrestored, early V-16 open cars are out there? The asking price: $145,000.00.  Chris Cummings added that the car had been acquired by Clark Rittersbach of Platinum Classics and Concours Classics; he believes it has been sold already to a client. The car does not have its original engine, but the firewall is stenciled with the original engine number. Correction, 01/2011:  Mr Rittersbach contacted me and has confirmed that this car is currently undergoing a full restoration for a client.  The correct, original engine is on hand and will be installed in the car before completion.

Was brought to my attention by Chris Cummings.  The car was offered at auction, at no reserve, during the Houston Classic Auction 2009. Lots of photos and information may be seen on the auction web site, here. The car is a holding of the Sterling  McCall Museum near Houston, TX. Mr. McCall owned a large group of new car dealers in the Houston area.  The car was restored before he acquired it.  Not much is known about its history, because Mr. McCall did not keep extensive records on his cars. 

    
[ Photos (exc.  3rd row, left):  World Wide Group auction web site ]

    
"Before" and "After" pictures

Possibly a survivor;  Rick Leforge supplied a "finger print" of the body tag that he got in the 50s. He lists the car as having been owned at one time by "Cadillac" Jim Pearson; he thought the tag might have been replaced and the style/body # stamped by hand.

    
Photo (left):  Aksel Olesen, Self Starter, 2/2006; photo (right) Antique Automobile magazine

    
Photo (left): CCCA, Michigan region

     
Photos:  Copyright 2011, Dr. Warren Koehl

Former owner, R.W. Turhone (according to Rick LeForge listing). Jim Lepman, CA, acquired this car from the Blackhawk collection in 2002; it underwent a 100-point restoration by Alan Taylor Restoration Co. of Escondido CA. Jim's car is the 6th to last V16 of the 1930-31 production run; it was actually built in February 1932. Don't let the high body number [383] fool you; although only 250 all-weather phaetons were built on the V16 chassis, many more were mounted on the V8 and V12 chassis; these were included by Fleetwood in the total, ascending body count. Jim gave me the VIN and body numbers shown in the 2nd and 3rd columns. He provided a copy of the build sheet for his car. Late extra [2/2005]: the car was acquired recently by enthusiast and collector, Aaron Weiss. He confirmed that the car is a 1931 model and that I had the right numbers for the style and the body.

    
Photo (left) shows the Fleetwood AWP body style mounted on a V8 chassis (owner James Dewey, CCCA)
Mr. Weiss' car is shown, right (the high body number was an initial cause for confusion)

    
The car is already in fine condition, as may be seen in the preceding photos;
nonetheless, Mr. Lepman, the previous owner,  decided to bring her up to Pebble Beach
concours quality at the capable hands of Alan Taylor Restoration in San Diego
[ Photos: Copyright 2002, Jim Lepman ]

    
Could this be the same car? The one on the left does not appear to have painted wheels
nor the metal sidemount covers; it is one that I saw offered for sale in 2004 and misrepresented

This one turned up at a car show in Moscow, Russia, in 2005.  We know that of the seventy units exported in 1930-31, one of them went to Moscow.  Could it be this car, or is this a more recent import ?

             
[ Photos: Copyright 2005, 2008 and courtesy Andy Chrisanfov ]

Paul Schinnerer, CA [CLC Directory]

    
[ Photo: courtesy CLC region, S. California ]

V-16 owner and researcher, Chris Cummings, identified this one as belonging to Don Jones of Porterville, California; Don has owned the car since 1950 or 1951. As you can see form the photo, the paint scheme is almost identical to the one owned by Paul Schinnerer (above). Don traded $250 worth of meat for the car. It recently showed up on the CLC message forum with a wolf whistle mounted on the driverCopyrights side intake manifold (photo lower row, RH).

    
Red arrow in lower image, RH,  points to "wolf whistle" horn on intake manifold
[ Photos:  Ross Morgan, via Internet ]

?

[Photo: Copyright and courtesy CCCA ]

A. Edmonds, FL [CLC Directory] . I saw this fine all-weather phaeton at the Amelia Island Concours d'ElCopyrightgance on Sunday March 13, 2011. Time flies when one is having fun and I had so much fun that I never got around to introducing myself. Fortunately, Chris Cummings filled me in on the details.   Andrew Edmonds lives at Vero Beach, Florida, and  is a CLC member with 10 Cadillacs (according to the 2011 directory) ranging from 1913 to 1995, and including a 1940 V16 convertible sedan, a 1958 Eldorado Brougham, a 1970 commercial car (ambulance) and a 1995 custom station wagon. 

Dick Williams, UT [CLC Directory].  I visited Dick in the early eighties when I was looking for a 1959 Eldorado convertible; he had many for sale

Alan Merkel, PA [CLC Directory].   Alan has done intensive research on the early sixteens.  He was very helpful to me when I began my own investigations.

Gunnar L. Henriouille, Sacramento, CA [info from Rick LeForge, Apr., 2009]

E. Dauer, FL [CLC Directory]

J. Duggan, NY [CLC Directory]

R. Ellenbaas, MI [CLC Directory]  

C. Harper, NH [CLC Directory]  

J. Stamper, NH [CLC Directory]  

J. Kinkead, MN [CLC Directory, 2002]

T. Young, CA [CLC Directory, 2002]

This one was photographed in the Louisiana basin, in the 60s, by Rick LeForge; he describes it at that time as "dying";  I wonder if anyone had the brilliant idea to save it?

[ Photo courtesy Rick LeForge ]

This one may or may not have survived.  It was brought to my attention by a sharp-eyed Chris Cummings who spied the photo on Internet in December 2103. The car was purchased new by American businessman Reed Adalbert Albee, noted adoptive father of American playwright Edward Albee. in Larchmont, NY. His adoptive mother was Frances Albee. According to her obituary in 1989, she was a woman with “star radiance,” “tremendous magnetism,” and who was once “irresistibly beautiful.” It reveals much about Frances’s affluence and place in New York society but leaves much unsaid about her family relationships.

         
It is quite possible that the lady in the center photo and the one seated on the Cadillac fender
(RH photo) is Mr. Albee's wife, Frances, at the Lawridge Horse Show in Port Chester, NY, on May 13, 1934
[Photo (L) and detail (R): © Historic Images.com; RH Photo: Bert Morgan]

This car was shipped to Detroit on May 5, 1930.  According to enthusiast-historian Rick LeForge, it was owned at one time by  a Mr. Blake, in Fleetwood, PA.

Prices for this style started at $5950.  One of them (formerly owned by John Rolfe of Sussex, England) came to the UK from the USA for a vacation, in 1938; it had to be abandoned there, in a  London West End Hotel, owing to the outbreak of WW2. There was a magazine article about the car in England's Motor Sport for November, 1962 [pp.894 & 898] following the re-appearance of the car in Sussex.  The engine number was given as "3026", which corresponds to nothing; engine #703026 corresponds to a blank record sheet in the factory archives. As the car was fitted with 7.00x19 tires, it certainly came after #702004. I received the following complementary information in May, 2000, from V16 aficionado, Craig Watrous:  The car was initially shipped to Cadillac of Canada (Toronto) CKD; no factory build sheet exists for it [this may confirm the engine number as being #703026], nor for the next four V16 engine serial numbers;  John Rolfe purchased it for 50 UK pounds in 1951 from a used car dealer located on the Great Western Road leading west out of London.  Rolfe did considerable work on it in the Laguna factory. It was featured in the British publication "Motorsport" in November, 1959 [did Craig mean November 1962?]. Rolfe moved to San Francisco in 1961/62 then to Oregon. In the early 60's an immigrant to the US was limited in the amount of cash they could bring. But, they were allowed to bring one car. Hence Rolfe brought the V-16 and subsequently sold it to raise money. This is the car I first saw in Jon Lindbergh's ownership in 1962. Lundberg traded it to Joe Mikula for a 30 V-16 "V" windshield coupe. I acquired it a year or so later.  Was this one possibly owned also by Norm Uhlir of the CLC (there is a photo of a very similar car in an old Self Starter issue). A color photo of this very distinctive body style was found on eBay in 2011; I am wondering if these are one and the same car.

    
Left: this is the car when it was owned by Joe Mikula, circa 1967-68
Right:  could this be the same car (Internet photo)?

Stamped into the body, the passenger sill reads Fleetwood Body Corp Type 3991. This appears to be a Fleetwood design for the V-8 chassis that was subsequently adapted to fit the longer wheelbase of the V-16 chassis. With a mere 35K miles on the odometer, the car was reported to have sold for $150,000 in just three days at auction. Late Extra [April, 2008]: enthusiast, Chris Cummings, informed me that the car was up for auction again, this time by the Worldwide Group (Lot #20 at their venue in May, 2008); it remained in its unrestored state. Later [March, 2009]: I was contacted by Rick Kelvin, husband of the new owner, Nancy Kelvin, a former resident of Las Vegas. He noticed in the Database that there was listed a "Special 7-passenger towcar" (assumed standard Fleetwood V-8 body modified to receive the V-16 engine); he believed his wife's car was that one. Nancy, researched in depth the car's previous ownership history and ascertained that it had been purchased in 1930 by Dr. John R. Brinkley of Milford, Kansas, the so-called "goat gland doctor.   Rick later supplied me with a detailed report on his and his wife's findings.   I decided that the story was worthy of having its own page in the Cadillac Database. Late Extra [July, 2009]:  I have created an individual page about this car; you can link to it by clicking here.

     
This survivor, formerly from the Wiglesworth Automotive Collection, was sold at auction in October, 2004;
seemingly it had been acquired just two weeks earlier, also at auction,  for "just" $92,000
[ Info and photos: Copyright and courtesy of Cadillac enthusiast, Johan Boltendal from Holland ]

Fleetwood style #4391 transformable Brougham (town car) closely resembles Ms. Kellman's car; thirty of the former
were built; immediately above is one of  TWO V-16s acquired in 1930 by operatic singer, the late Ernestine Schumann-Heink

Reported in Osceola, IA.  Info from Rick LeForge who supplied a "finger print" of the body tag that he got in the 50s. There were a few 1931 parts on the car. He said it was mostly in original condition (in the fifties); the interior was in very fine condition; most of the chrome was redone (yet he described it as "good to poor"); the front seat leather was replaced with the wrong material; a pot-metal part for the footrest was broken; the cigar lighters were the wrong type as was some of the door hardware (non-Cad). Late extra [June, 2009]:  This from V-16 owner-admirer, Rick Kellman [see survivor style #3991, above]: There was speculation when the [this] car was up for auction last year at Worldwide, that it was possibly the Schumann-Heink chauffeur-driven limousine that is identical to ours in configuration. That car exists (although made later) I believe somewhere in California. Rick LeForge reported a V16 in Iowa as being a 4391, body #18. I took the name of the city (Osceola) and contacted a Mr. Noel Friday through my CCCA registry book. He told me that he owned the Schumann-Heink town car between the years of 1967-72, and bought it from two brothers in California. As far as he knew, the car went back to California after he sold it. I have attached a picture of that car also [RH photo, below], taken by Mr. Friday during the period of his ownership. Mr. Friday is an insurance broker in Iowa; he was nice enough to dig through his files and provide me with this photo [below, right]. At the time he owned the car, he was aware of the opera singer's connection, but in those days I don't think provenance played a significant part like it does today. Mr. Friday told me he was sorry he ever sold it, and asked if I ever wanted to sell mine he would be interested, but UNRESTORED only. I would LOVE to see both these cars side by side, although I know the condition of the opera singer's town car to date, would be more pleasing to the eye.  I certainly have no objection whatsoever to your posting this update on your "SURVIVOR" page. After all, getting at the core is what it's all about.

   
The RH car in the photo (above)  was acquired by opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink; it is believed
that Ms. Schumann-Heink bought TWO sixteens at ONE time; the RH photo was provided kindly by Rick Kellman
and shows the  Schumann-Heink car when it was owned ion the late 60s and ear5tly 70s by Mr. Noel Friday
[ LH Photo: the late Al Waddell collection, courtesy of John Conde and the Self Starter annual, 1990]

Shipped to Erdice Cadillac at Davenport, IO, on November 24, 1931, I got a card "fingerprint" of this car's body tag from enthusiast-historian, Rick leForge, in May 2009; he took the print in the fifties, when it was owned by "Cadillac Jim" Pearson who, sadly, passed on in October 1993. At that time Rick said it was a "good, original, complete" car. Jim noted at the time that it sported the wrong 20" wheels; he later acquired and put on the correct wheels. The car was built on a late 1931 V-16 chassis with a black terminal box, a '31 distributor and cap, tin bumper bracket covers; it left the factory with a pair of stainless-steel spoked sidemounts.  Late extra [1/2013]: the following information was supplied kindly by V16 aficionado and friend, Brent Merrill from Canada, whom I met at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elégance in March 2011. Brent recently acquired the car from Steve Plunkett (also from Canada) who said the previous owner to him was another V16 enthusiast, Neil Nicastro. Steve bought the car through RM auctions in November 2004. Mr. Nicastro may have bought it in October 1982 and apparently traded it to RM, likely in 2004. Jim Pearson's son Jeff sent Brent some historical information about the car that he got from a Mr. Sonny Elliott, a former business associate of Jim's when Sonny was 17 and Jim around 26. Sonny remembered the car that Jim owned at one time; he bought it for a possble $4,000 from Akron Cadillac Dealer, Dave Towell,  another acquaintance of mine since 1978; it was Dave who bought and sold 1930 Fleetwoodb #4108C, currently owned by Steven Nannini, as well as the unique 1931 boat-tail roadster by Pinin Farina that is also listed in the Database; Dave bought #4476 in 1968 after attending the AACA Hershey Fall Meet; he had bought it from a Mr. Harold Raymond of Quincy, IL. Jim owned this car for about 15 years and sold it around 1982 for $50K to a Mr. Dave Gano, in Ohio.  Brent has contacted  Dave Towell who remembered owning; however, given that this happened 45 years ago, Dave does not remember much else about it. He may have some photos of it, if he can find them. Later [same week): Brent has been able to track down Richard Gano, a former owner;  Brent said: it was Richard and his son who restored the car; they confirmed to me that when they got it, the car did not have side mount covers or the Trippe lights; they first bought the sidemount covers later from Jim Pierce [Pearson?] for $5000 and later the Trippe lights, so they put both items on during the restoration. Richard bought the car from Jim and agreed to pay his son to restore the car, which the latter did ... and put himself through university that way. Now the son runs the father’s manufacturing company ... I guess everyone was a winner in that restoration as the car is still 100-point and beautiful. Brent sent me a copy of the build sheet, showing the original color to be black on black, with a gold bronze stripe; the car had 6 wire wheels mounted with 7.50x19" Royal tires; this was a rush order (marked "sold rush") and the buyer was to call as regards the method and route of shipment. This was the last but eight  of the 3,251 V16 models built from 1930 up to February 1932. Later [Jebruary, 2013): Brent  contnued his quest for information about his "new" V16; he was able to get in touch with David Gano who had bought the catr from Jim in1977. David sent som pics aas well as these comments (excerpts): ... congratulations for buying one of the nicest V16s that exist! ...(pics) show the motor home that he (Jim), Sonny Elliot and I drove back to Ohio, with the car in tow ... I have some great pictures taken with Jim Pearson and Sonny in Kansas City, circa 1976/7, that I’ll scan and send to you ...  It's not often that a collector can find (and share) the history of a car this old. Great work Brent!

    
Note absence of a golf bag door on the LH side of the actual car   

I believe the photo on the left shows the car before the sidemount covers were added (provenance unknown);
not sure of the meaning of the number 17433-5 it is  possibly just the number of the photo in someone's archives; 

    
I believe these two photos date back to the time when the car was restored by Richard Gano's son;
Trippe lights (not visible in the photos) were installed later; metal sidemount covers are installed here

This photo was taken in front of the home of collector-enthusiast and owner, Steve Plunkett, of Ontario, Canada

Gita photographed the car at the 2014 Concours d'Elégance at Amelia Island, SC,
where it was awarded the prize for the "most elegant Cadillac" at the Show
[the current owner (2014) is also Canadian]

1928/29 sport phaeton, mentioned in Triplett article, C&P, July '72, p.91. Special order from Fleetwood for well-known band leader. This car spent many years in Obie's Auto Museum, on Long Island where it was re-discovered and subsequently restored; the "heron" hood ornament was replaced by a "Goddess"; wind wings were added as were whitewall tires; door handles were updated form 1929 style to 1930-31. Cadillac enthusiast, Jeff Maltby, photographed the descriptive placard relating to this car in the Merle Norman collection, San Sylmar, CA, in 2002.  It reads: Although technically not available in 1930 this dual-cowl phaeton body was installed new at the factory.  The first purchaser, a band leader of some repute, convinced Cadillac to install an earlier, unsold body on this V-16 chassis [PHOTOS BELOW]. Writing in the CCCA monthly "Bulletin" (May, 2004), member Benner Hunt confirmed that the car was owned once by AMR Max Obie.  Mr. Obie had said that the car's wealthy owner so loved his 1929 Fisher sport phaeton that he had the factory transfer its body, later, onto a new V-16 chassis. Late Extra:  The car is now part of the Merle Norman collection [Jack Nethercutt] in San Sylmar, CA.  Latest (March 2012):  I chanced on the car during the 2012 edition of the Amelia Island Concours d'ElCopyrightgance. An updated  placard beside the car had this different text to the one viewed by Jeff in 2002: The car's original owner, Jay Gilbert Maurer, an orchestra leader, stated the way the car is bodied was because he had a 1928 or 1929 Dual Cowl Phaeton V-8, and he wished to buy a V-16. However, he found the standard V-16 Phaeton unacceptable with roll-up windows. Mr. Maurer, because of some contacts at GM, was able to get them to put a special Fisher Sport Phaeton body on the V-16 chassis. Then he purchased the car ... In 1954, Max Obie purchased the Phaeton from the original owner, that had languished [the car and not the owner] in a barn since WW2.  Gaylord R. "Jim" Pearson, the car's 3rd owner, was a founding member of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, the Classic Car Club Museum & a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America. The  car was restored by Jim Pearson, Kansas City in 1978-79 [it must have been completed in mid-June1978, because he passed away the very day Gita, the kids and I arrived in Kansas City on our first trip to the USA].  In 2005, the Phaeton as purchased by the present owners, Helen and Jack Nethercutt and is part of the Nethercutt Collection. 

    
(Left) photo: Long Island Automotive Museum
(Right)  photo: Kruse auction catalog (?)

                  
As displayed in the Merle Norman collection, San Sylmar, CA

    
On display at Amelia Island Concours d'Elégance, March 2012
[ Photos: Copyright 2012, Gita Saunders ]
 

         
These three photos  courtesy of the late Gene Babow

?

This is NOT a photo of the "unknown"
V-16 coupe mentioned here; it is a 1932 model

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

Notes / Comments

     
[ Photos:  Ebay, May 2008 ]

     
[ Photos:  Ebay, May 2008 ]

4130S
4330S
???

4330S

4361S
???

This info from the list of survivors prepared by Rick LeForge. Only the chassis remains. The car was owned at the time by Wayne Merriman. Could this be a typing error in the style number or effectively a LaSalle body mounted on a Cadillac V-16 chassis (initial digits "46" identify Fleetwood   bodies mounted on the LaSalle 134" wheel base chassis in 1931)? 

702631

Former White House car. Body was junked. Only the engine remains. Info from Rick LeForge. According to Rick LeForge, this 7-pass. limousine [imperial], a former White House car, was shipped to Washington, DC, on 12 Sept. 1930. The body was later junked. Only the engine remains. It was owned at one time by Elmer Franzen of Minneapolis, MN. Late Extra [6/2009]: I saw this motor during the 2009 Grand National in Las Vegas; it is currently in the collection of Sun Belt Corp.  owner, Jim Rogers. The Sunbelt Communications Company is the owner and operator of several television stations located in the western United States. Headquartered in Las Vegas, NV,   Sunbelt was founded in 1979 following the purchase of KORK-TV, Las Vegas NBC affiliate, by local attorney James E. (Jim) Rogers and 16 Las Vegas residents. KORK-TV was renamed KVBC in 1980, and Rogers expanded Sunbelt's reach to include other stations in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. Most of Sunbelt's stations are NBC affiliates. Rogers has three children, Suzanne Rogers Plant, Kimberly Rogers Cell, and Perry Rogers, and six grandchildren. He is married to Beverly Barlow Rogers, who is also active in Sunbelt and its charitable endeavors. Rogers was selected because of his success in business, generosity to the community and involvement with education, including ISU. He was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top 12 philanthropists in the U.S. Jim and his wife Beverly have a passion for classic cars which has resulted in their creating one of the best collections of classic cars in the United States. The 160 automobiles they presently own range from a 1931 Cadillac V-16 to a 1976 Rolls Royce. The collection has been shown throughout the western states and has been used in many events, including parades, marches, advertisements and local affairs. Their interests also include a horse ranch located in Pocatello, ID, where they raise and ride Tennessee walking horses.

         
[ Photos: © 2009, Yann Saunders ]

Only the engine remains.  Info from Rick LeForge; owner was listed as Bob McGinnis of San Diego, CA

Restored engine, sold by RM Auctions in late 2009 for $10,165 [lot #155]