Start with what the Cadillac V-16 is: a 2-door convertible / 4-door convertible / 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan / 4-door town car / 4-door limousine with Cadillac V16 engine, built from 1930 to 1940, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Harley Earl.
The background
The Cadillac V-16 (also known as the Cadillac Sixteen) was Cadillac's top-of-the-line model from its January 1930 launch until 1940. The V16 powered car was a first in the United States, both extremely expensive and exclusive, with every chassis being custom-finished to order. Only 4,076 were constructed in its 11-year run, with the majority built in its debut year before the Great Depression took strong hold. The onset of World War II reduced the sales, resulting in its demise.
The engineering
The engine is Cadillac V16 engine. On the scales it comes to 5300 -. Drive goes through 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 1930–31: 148.0 in / 1932–33: 143.0 in and 149.0 in / 1934–37: 154.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Cadillac line-up the Cadillac V-16 has a clear place: the factory was Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Assembly), United States. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Chrysler LeBaron, the Bentley 8 Litre, the Vauxhall Cadet. Its Cadillac stablemates include the Cadillac 353 and the Cadillac ATS.
Owning one today
There is no federal ownership record for the Cadillac V-16 — 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.