1938 Cadillac Series 90 V16 Convertible Coupe

Description

“Cadillac shows the world how truly magnificent a motor car can be!” Just as the Great Depression descended over the world Cadillac boldly introduced their V16 engine. The overhead-valve engine had been designed during the late Roaring Twenties; now in 1930 few could afford such opulence.  

The Great Depression was cruel to luxury automakers — by 1938 Pierce-Arrow, Peerless and Marmon were already gone, and Packard was surviving with smaller, lower cost cars. So too was Cadillac, but that year they still introduced their second-generation V16 engine. It featured a flat-head design with an unusual 135-degree cylinder angle, resulting in lower cost and weight while delivering supremely smooth whisper-quiet operation. The new engine was mounted on a shortened chassis of the same 141.25-inch wheelbase as the eight-cylinder Series 75, enabling the two series to share over 50 meticulously crafted Fleetwood body styles, designed by Harley Earl’s pioneering Art & Color Department of General Motors with an elegant Art Deco flair. The Cadillac Series 90 V16 was an icon of opulence, yet in these challenging times just 515 of these glorious V16s were built in 1938, the penultimate year for this model, including just ten two-door Convertible Coupes. 

This 1938 Cadillac Series 90 V16 began life with an Imperial Limousine body, but when restored in the 1980s it was fitted with a Series 75 Convertible Coupe body, identical to the ten original Series 90 Convertible Coupes due to the shared platform of the two series. The result is a magnificent homage to one of the last of the classic pre-war V16 convertibles.  

Highlights 

• Restored with an impressive Convertible Coupe body by Fleetwood 

• Designated CCCA Full Classic eligible for CCCA CARavans 

• Finished in Italian Cream over plush red leather interior 

• Original 431 cu-in flat-head V16 rated at 185 hp at 3,800rpm 

• Original three-speed manual transmission 

• Original optional radio and antenna 

Features 

• Luxurious 141.25-inch wheelbase 

• Independent coil spring front suspension 

• Semi-elliptic leaf spring rear suspension 

• Four-wheel Bendix hydraulic drum brakes 

• Dual Carter carburetors and dual fuel pumps 

Known Imperfections 

• ⁠It’s an older restoration, there are some cracks in the older paint. 

• Under the passenger headlight paint is cracked 

• Paint on top rear of the driver’s door and front of rear quarter is slightly cracking 

• Hood is chipped on front from use 

• Trunk bottom edge has a few chips from use 

• Bottom left trunk has some paint cracking

Included 

• Keys

• Convertible top boot 

Ownership History 

This distinguished 1938 Cadillac V16 was originally commissioned through the Scotts Smith Cadillac Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to its original General Motors build sheet, it was initially equipped with an Imperial Limousine body. 

In 1952, the car was acquired by Mr. James Kiser of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a passionate Cadillac collector who also owned a 1935 model. Kiser’s family would go on to cherish this V16 for over fifty years. Remarkably, it still retains its original engine and transmission, along with factory-specified options such as the radio and aerial. 

During the 1980s, the original Limousine body was replaced with a meticulously restored Convertible Coupe body from a Series 75 — virtually identical to the Series 90. This transformation was carried out by Russell Jackson, and the car was later featured in an issue of The Self Starter, the Cadillac Club’s magazine, which highlighted the precision and craftsmanship involved in recreating one of the ten original Series 90 Convertible Coupes. The consignor has owned this V16 since 2017, and since it is an older restoration, he says of the condition, “Very solid, no rust, good candidate for top side paint job. The driver’s fender has already been repainted because of the cracking paint.”