1931 Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Roadster

Unveiled at the New York Auto Show on January 4th, 1930, the Cadillac V-16 became the first true 16-cylinder automobile engine designed and purpose-built from scratch. Under legendary GM Engineering Chief Charles Kettering and Owen Milton Nacker, development began four years earlier in top secrecy. Thanks to evenly spaced firing intervals, a massive forged crankshaft, and ingenious hydraulic valve silencers, the V-16 was incredibly smooth and whisper-quiet, conservatively rated at 175 horsepower with 320 lb-ft of torque at just 1,200–1,500 RPM.

Just 4,378 V-16s were produced through 1940. This example's engine, number 702104, was originally mated to a Club Sedan body supplied to a buyer in Chicago. The present roadster body was newly built to original style number 4302 by craftsman Dick Kingston for collector Walt Dietzel of Oklahoma.

It then joined the noted Richard and Linda Kughn Collection at the Carail Museum in Detroit, before residing in Europe from 1993 to 2022 — participating in the Cadillac Owners Club of Great Britain, The Bennett Run from Margate to Brighton, and the prestigious 2013 St. James's Concours of Elegance at Marlborough House. Finished in superb black paint with burgundy leather upholstery, red-finished chassis frame, and chrome-spoked wheels.

Period accessories include a radiator stone guard, 'Goddess' mascot, Pilot Ray auxiliary lamps, side-mounted spares with mirrors, wind wings, and a luggage rack with trunk.