Cadillac sold only 300 V-16s in 1932—but it was the result of the Great Depression, and no reflection on the quality of the automobile they built. Not only was the V-16 superbly engineered, but fresh new styling gave it a sporty air, care of the lengthened hood, lowered roofline, more curved fenders, and streamlined headlamp shells. It was a powerful, costly machine that looked the part and was among the most visually distinctive of its era. Today it is also among the rarest.

The John D. Groendyke Collection’s handsome five-passenger sedan was ordered in February 1932 by the Cadillac Auto Company of Boston, Massachusetts, built a month later, and delivered in the spring. It remained on the East Coast for many years, and in 1988 it was noted as being in the ownership of Terrence Teodori in New Jersey. Later it became part of a prominent Full Classic collection in Northern Ohio, and in that ownership it was restored by the collection’s in-house shop between 2007 and 2014. As part of this work, the body was returned to the original color of Viceroy Maroon Dark, with a beautiful and correctly tailored broadcloth interior. The result is truly spectacular in every way, benefitting more recently from the fine maintenance of the John D. Groendyke Collection, typical of all of their vehicles.

Among the most beautiful examples of closed coachwork on the scarce 1932 V-16 chassis, this Cadillac is one of virtually unbridled and unequaled opportunity—deserving of either the show field or the open road. It is tempting to imagine it as a CARavan participant, loaded with passengers and luggage, carried with ease behind the gently purring V-16.