For Sale at Auction: 1932 Cadillac Series 452 in Carmel, California

Engine No. 1400211 (See Text)
Body No. 16

At a time when fours and sixes dominated the market and V8s were considered a luxury, Cadillac's decision to introduce a sixteen-cylinder engine in 1930 was as audacious as it was revolutionary. Designed as the halo example of the brand's "Standard of the World" reputation, the V-16 left competing engineers astounded, not only for its technical brilliance but also for its sheer visual elegance owing to Harley Earl, featuring concealed wiring, polished aluminum components, and beautifully ridged valve covers. The resulting V-16, with its sophisticated overhead-valve architecture, set a new benchmark in American luxury motoring, igniting a multi-cylinder rivalry among manufacturers.

Of the 15 body styles available for the 1932 Cadillac V-16 (series 452-B), the All-Weather Phaeton by Fisher was a compelling "catalog custom;" combining versatility with formal touring appeal and was the most premium of the Fisher-bodied V-16s.

This Cadillac V-16 All-Weather Phaeton is believed to be one of just three examples to survive out of a total of 13 produced for 1932. A copy of its original Cadillac Motor Car order sheet shows that this example was originally finished in Neutral Gray with Standard Cloth roof and was optioned with the Handy Kit, tire chains, license frames, and the V-16 Radiator emblem. Fitted with engine number 1400290, it was shipped to the New York Branch and was first specified for B. Baruch in Kingsbridge.

The striking Cadillac disappeared for the following two decades until it was discovered at a gas station in Limerick, Pennsylvania by apple orchard owner Stephen Lloyd in 1952. Lloyd towed the Cadillac home to Pottsville and spent the next several years repairing it, which he retold in an interview with Covan Classics. Unable to revive the original motor, he eventually purchased a 1932 V-16 Fleetwood Seven-Passenger Sedan with engine number 1400211 and installed it in the Phaeton, which this example is still equipped with and numbered by today. The V-16, painted a two-tone tan at the time, was subsequently entrusted to the Wendling Brothers, former Fleetwood bodywork experts and acclaimed period restorers, who performed a body-off restoration that included repainting it to a two-tone blue with red accents and a tan roof.

It remained with Lloyd until it was purchased by John Covan c. 1992; four decades after Lloyd had discovered it. Covan passed the V-16 to Hershey-based collector Charles J. Noto in October 2001, who commissioned an in-house restoration in preparation for the show circuit. It was refinished to its current livery of black with red stripes over red leather and notably kept the desirable Cadillac Goddess ornament that had been fitted to the car from the Seven-Passenger Sedan during Lloyd's ownership.

This meticulous restoration proved fruitful, as the car took home First Place at the 2005 AACA National Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, First Place at the 2008 Cadillac & LaSalle Grand National Meet in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the coveted Senior First Prize at the 2008 AACA National Spring Meet in Cumberland, Maryland. The Cadillac was later acquired by the Texas-based consignor in 2024 following more than seven decades of ownership in the Keystone State.

It is furnished with its trio of award trophies, and a vast history file consisting of the copies of the original Cadillac order sheets for both the All-Weather Phaeton Fisher body and the Seven-Passenger Sedan it takes its engine from, invoices for parts and outsourced chrome work during its most recent restoration, a 2005 letter from the AACA confirming the car's Senior status, and period Cadillac V-16 manuals and brochures.

Boasting coveted CCCA Full Classic status, multiple honors from the AACA and Cadillac & LaSalle Club for the quality of its restoration, and remarkable provenance, this 1932 Cadillac V-16 All-Weather Phaeton is poised to continue earning admiration and accolades at the nation's most prestigious automotive gatherings and concours fairways. Equally rewarding from behind the wheel, its magnificent V-16 delivers effortless smoothness and commanding period performance that renders this Phaeton exceptionally well-suited to vintage touring at its most elegant and memorable.