The mighty 16-cylinder Cadillac requires little introduction to the studied Full Classic enthusiast: its smoothness and power were without parallel, literally, as at the time of its introduction there was no other V-16 on the market, and only Marmon and Peerless would ever attempt to challenge it.

It could be had in an utterly dazzling roster of catalogued bodies, including Fleetwood’s style number 4302, the two-passenger roadster.

This was the least-costly factory body, and also the lightest—a happy coincidence for those buyers who appreciated its neatly hewn, tightly packaged lines and the speed that it wrung out of the V-16 engine.

About 100 examples were made in 1930 and into 1931, and even in their era they were held in the same esteem among Cadillac devotees that Duesenberg men held the Murphy “disappearing top” convertible—the most desirable body on the greatest chassis.

A NOTED V-16 ROADSTER About 20 original examples of the V-16 roadster remain in existence, but some have ...