Cadillac’s Magnificent V-16 Engine: History, Photos, Specifications

[Bruce Nunnally]

For a halo car, sales were surprisingly strong. Cars were in dealerships by the spring of 1930, and in the first two months of sale the V-16 cars accounted for some 20 percent of Cadillac's sales, far more than GM expected. But the Great Depression was taking hold, and the introduction of the 135-hp V-12 engine in 1931, fitted to a smaller chassis, impacted V-16 sales. Cadillac sold 2,887 V-16 cars for 1930, but only 750 in 1931, more than half of which were leftover 1930s—only 364 V-16s were produced in 1931. 

Read more: https://www.automobilemag.com/news/cadillac-v-16-engine-history-photos-specifications/