1931 Cadillac 452A V-16

There was time that automobiles were often judged by the number of cylinders their engines had. It could be argued that this is sometimes the case today, but in 1931 the Cadillac 452A and it’s 16 cylinders said a lot. The car was an all-time great for Cadillac. Cadillac produced two of only three production, gasoline-fueled V16 engine models in automotive history.

Cadillac Unveils Their Expensive V-16

The Cadillac 452A V-16 was introduced at the New York Auto Show on January 4, 1930. This was a bit over two months after the great stock market crash. Timing could have been better but nobody could predict the future. The style of the car was a collaboration between Cadillac GM Lawrence Fisher and GM stylist Harley Earl. The body for all 1931 Cadillacs were longer and lower than previous models. Theses cars also had a longer hood. The 1931′s also had a chrome plated screen that covered the radiator and gave the car an expensive look. Cadillac used it’s longest wheelbase and very elaborate bodies for the V-16’s.

Cadillac led the way in developing the V-16 although both Peerless and Marmon were attempting to do the same. All three automakers were working on this project during the last years of the Roaring Twenties. The goal was to design a smooth running engine that would provide more than adequate power. Cadillac used the term “continuous flow” to describe their V-16. Continuous flow implied that the engine multiplies power and subdivides it into a continuous flow, always922w a chrome plated scaae-fuel: chrome plated e Roed e0mbedby="caption-a00"chment-12139" style="width: 300px" class=00"ccaption alignleft">