The American V16 That Was Too Expensive For The Depression

Looking back, you might guess that cars were still a rare luxury during the Great Depression. In truth, more than half of American families had access to an automobile by 1929, and we had nine cars on the road for every 10 households. The automotive revolution took place over the course of the 1920s. By the start of the Great Depression, we were already on the road.

The average income for a family in 1930 was around $2,000, while a new car cost $600. Median family income today is around $90,000, with a car typically costing around $50,000, so, in some ways, we were better off during the Depression. Even so, when the 1930 Cadillac V16 hit the market at around $6,000, it was way more car than most Americans could afford.

Cadillac’s First V16 Was Built From A Pair Of Straight-Eights

As a mass-produced 16-cylinder engine, the Cadillac V16 was the first engine of its kind anywhere in the world, and Cadillac kept the project shrouded in secrecy until it was ready to launch. Packard had already built a V12 by this point, and Cadillac’s general manager, Lawrence Fisher, fed a rumor to the press that the brand was building its own 12-cylinder in order to throw reporters off the trail. What we eventually got was a pair of Cadillac Straight-8s on a common crankshaft at a 45-degree angle.

The V16 was known internally as the 452, for its cubic-inch displacement, and it was an engineering marvel for its time. The rocking motion inherent to a V-shaped engine was managed with a counterweighted crankshaft, it featured hydraulic lash adjusters, and each cylinder bank packed a single barrel updraft carburetor, meaning the carb is positioned so that the air flows upwards into the engine, drawn into the vacuum created by the pull of the piston.

V16s were an oddity in 1930, and they’re an oddity today. In fact, despite inventing the production V16, Cadillac hasn’t put another 16-cylinder engine into mass-production in the century since this one first hit the drawing board, and it’s not for lack of trying.

A Beautifully Designed Car For A Beautifully Designed Engine

Credit: Bring a Trailer

From 1930 to 1934, the V16 was sold in the Series 452, or Cadillac V16, and, whether or not you go in for this old-timey stuff, you’ve got to admit that this car would make the richest Dick Tracy villain blush. The model in our gallery was one of the first off the assembly line, a 1930 convertible with a beige top.

Credit: Bring a Trailer

The Cadillac V16 was sold in a range of body styles, with every model being custom-made to order. The paint job, leather interior, and chrome on this model were added in refurbishments over the years, but the exterior color and chrome are intended to match how the car looked as it rolled off the dealer’s lot.

This model features vacuum-assisted mechanical drum brakes, hydraulic shock absorbers, a three-speed manual transmission, and a pair of side-mount spare tires.

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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.