1933 CADILLAC V16 ENGINE – Series 452

A HISTORICAL MILESTONE OF THE ENGINEERING AND STYLING THAT WILL NEVER BE SURPASSED

The Cadillac V16 engine was the start of the luxury car cylinder race when it debuted in December 1929. Development of the engine began in 1926 driven by the need for more power to meet the demand of bigger and more luxurious cars. The solution to more power was to increase engine size by adding cylinders. This arrangement was inherently balanced and thus smooth in operation, a priority for Cadillac customers. The resulting engine displaced 452 cubic inches and was rated at a conservative 165 horsepower when introduced. In subsequent years, the horsepower rating would increase to 185. Cadillac engineers took the extra step of building a realistic full mock-up to visualize the engine in development. The goal was to assure the engine would be visually impressive, something that an owner would be proud to show to their friends. V16 development was done under the highest of secrecy. The new engine and car broke cover when dealers got to see them for themselves on December 27, 1929. The first cars the public would lay eyes on were at the New York Auto Show in January 1930. Despite the stock market crash just months earlier, orders for the new car quickly poured in. The initial exuberance and sales success would be short lived as the Depression strangled the car market. Approximately 3250 cars were sold by February 1932. Sales slid precipitously from there, in 1932 production dropped to 300 cars for the model year and in 1933 it fell again to 125 cars. The 452 series V16, would remain in production through the 1937 model year. Estimates vary but approximately 3,863 Cadillac V16 cars were produced between the 1929 introduction and the close of the 1937 model year. The V16 would live on in 1938 through 1940 in the guise of a flat-head engine with a 135 degree ‘V’ configuration.
As the internal combustion engine gives way to electrification, the days of the multi-cylinder engines are past. The Cadillac V16 will stand as a historical milestone of engineering and styling that will never be surpassed.