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Model year production of V-16 Cadillacs totaled 315
units. Ninety of these V-16 equipped motorcars were
fitted with Fleetwood 7 passenger limousine coaches.
Competition between motorcar
companies during the Great Depression was fierce
with each company vying for a larger piece of a
declining market. Luxury car manufacturers offered
their customers larger and larger engines. Cadillac,
Packard, Duesenburg, and Rolls-Royce all offered
V-12 and V-16 engines in addition to their standard
V-8 engines.
The massive V-16 engines were for
all tense and purposes the equivalent of two V-8
engines connected in tandem. The engines were
equipped with duel carburetors, oil baths, air
cleaners, distributors, manifolds, coils and fuel
pumps.
The 1938 Cadillac was designed
with an Art Modernaire motif, the style of the era.
The car on display has had only three owners. The
car remains in original condition. The paint,
chrome, and interior have not been restored,
modified or altered. The V-16 continues to run
quietly and smoothly and is as tight as any current
car. A formal limousine, the car is equipped with a
center divider and duel jump seats. As was the
custom of the day, the driver’s compartment is
trimmed in leather while the passenger compartment
is trimmed in mohair.
The 1938 Cadillac Series 90 is
certified by the Classic Car Club of America. |
