Cadillac does not build many cars like the Cadillac V-12: a 2-door convertible / 4-door convertible / 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan / 4-door town car / 4-door limousine with 368 cuin Cadillac V12, built from 1930 to 1937 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Its designer of record is Harley Earl.
The background
The Cadillac V-12 is an exclusive V-12 powered luxury car that was manufactured by Cadillac from the 1930 through the 1937. Below only the maker's top-of-the-line Cadillac V-16 line, these were powered by the Cadillac V12 engine, furnished with similar custom bodies, and built in relatively small numbers.
A total of 10,903 were made in the seven model years that the automobile was built, with the majority having been constructed in its inaugural year. It was Cadillac's first, and is to date, Cadillac's only standard production V-12 automobile.
The engineering
Under the skin sits 368 cuin Cadillac V12. Kerb weight is 5200 -. The gearbox is a 3-speed synchromesh manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 1931: 140.0 in / 143.0 in / 1932–33: 134.0 in / 140.0 in / 1934–35: 146.0 in / Commercial: / 1931: 152.0 in / 1932–33: 156.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Cadillac's history is not in doubt: it was built at Detroit, Michigan, United States. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti type 46 roadster, the Maserati 26M, the Delage D6. Its Cadillac stablemates include the Cadillac 353 and the Cadillac ATS.
The money
There is no federal ownership record for the Cadillac V-12 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.