[ last
update: 12.09.2007 ] Best viewed with a screen image size of 600 x 800 pixels
The (new)
Cadillac Database©
The Cadillac V16
Series 452B
1932
Part 2
First Generation
Production Records
Return to The (New)
Cadillac Database© Index Page
or to the "V-16" index page
(le résumé en français se trouve en bas de page)
Front clip, 1932
[ grille badge says "V16" ]
|
 
Two detailed views of the superb vee-sixteen cars of
1932
[ These detail photos: courtesy "Jim", a great Cadillac enthusiast ]
|
Two different views of luxurious 1932 town car
styles; both of these appeared in colorful ads of the time |
In 1932, production of the V16 dropped dramatically in comparison with the
banner years of 1930-31. In the second year of production, the number of super-cars
built - and named the Series 452-B models - was less than 10% of those built in the first
two years, i.e. the Series 452-452A cars.
The effects of the depression were starting to be felt, even in the
stratosphere of the very rich ...or they just did not want the multitude of needy
Americans to know that they, the rich, still had wealth sometimes unlimited. The superb
product portfolio spoke thus of the 1932 models:
"The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
The observ'd of all observers"
Whereas Fleetwood had dressed around 98% of the sixteen-cylinder chassis built
in 1930-31, in an effort to reduce production costs Fisher was assigned the task of
creating the bodywork for almost one quarter of the 1932 V-16 production. In my
opinion, the Fisher-bodied V-16s of 1932 are no less breathtaking to look at than their
Fleetwood counterparts. They are equally valuable too.
In my opinion, the sixteens of 1932, whether with Fisher or Fleetwood
coachwork, are the most beautiful and desirable of the entire V-16 line. They number
only 300, so if you want one, you had better hurry up. Buy yours now!
If any user(s) have one (or more) of the cars listed here and would like me to
show a photo of it in the V-16 section of The (New) Cadillac
Database©, please drop me an e-Mail:
The numbers of each body style are listed below, by wheel base and coach
builder, in ascending order of rarity, i.e. the most prolific styles being shown first.
Special thanks to Z. Taylor Vinson of Washington, DC, for allowing me to copy,
for your enjoyment, his breathtaking 1932 V16 product folder. Most of the artist's
renderings in color, below are from the ten folders included in that
prestige portfolio of Fleetwood creations for 1932. The latter portfolio is, in the
opinion of many collectors, including me, one of the most beautiful pieces of automobile
literature on which a car lover could ever wish to feast his eyes. Each folder measures an astounding 11½ x 15 inches; all are adorned in the art
deco style. These folders come in a large presentation box measuring 12 x 16 inches
marked "Fleetwood Custom Coachwork"; the box, and each folder inside, carries on
the cover a circular medallion done in blue tones showing the various models in company
with their obviously wealthy owners; each medallion is surrounded by the Fleetwood
wreath. An 8-page introductory brochure provides the general specifications and some
of the common features of that year's sixteens.
Should you wish to acquire this Fleetwood marketing
set today, you must be prepared to pay upwards of $1000 for it. The individual folders may
occasionally be found separately; currently [1999] they command about $100 each.
Production numbers
of the 1932 Cadillac V-16
[in ascending order of rarity]
| Style Number1 |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Standard
Fleetwood bodies
[149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 32-16-213 [5175] |
5-pass limousine [$5445] |
49 |
Bodies #1-36 and #38-502 |
| 32-16-212 [5175-S] |
7-pass. sedan [$5245] |
47 |
Bodies #1-30 and #32-483 |
| 32-16-209 [5130-S] |
5-pass. sedan [$5095] |
29 |
Bodies #1-29 |
| 32-16-222 [5181] |
5-pass town coupe [$5095] |
24 |
Bodies #1-22, 51 and 524 |
| 32-16-226 [5191] |
7-pass. limousine brougham [$5945] |
7 |
Bodies #1-5, 8 and 95 |
| 32-16-225 [5112] |
5-pass town car [$5795] |
4 |
Bodies #1-4 |
| 32-16-227 [5125] |
7-pass. town car [$5945] |
2 |
Bodies #1 and 35 |
| |
Sub-Total |
162 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Standard
Fisher bodies
[143" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 32-16-159 |
5-pass standard sedan [$4595] |
56 |
Bodies #1-604 |
| 32-16-178 |
2-pass. coupe [$4495] |
16 |
Bodies #1-15 and 355 |
| 32-16-168 |
2-pass. convertible coupe [$4645] |
14 |
Bodies #1 and 3-155 |
| 32-16-155 |
2-pass roadster [$4595] |
3 |
Bodies #1-3 |
| |
Sub-Total |
89 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Special
Fleetwood bodies
[149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 5131 |
5-pass. limousine ("Madame X") [$5945] |
5 |
Bodies #1-5 |
| 5155 |
5-pass. limousine ("Madame X") [circa $6100] |
4 |
Bodies #1-4 |
| 5130-FL |
5-pass. limousine [circa $5300] |
2 |
Bodies #2 and 75 |
| 5131-S |
5-pass sedan ("Madame X") [circa $5800] |
2 |
Bodies #1 and 2 |
| 5125-C |
7-pass. town landaulet [circa $6500] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5125-Q |
7-pass. town car with quarter windows [circa $6200] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5129 |
5-pass. limousine [circa $5400] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5140-B |
5-pass. limousine with cloth top [circa $6200] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5155-C |
5-pass. landaulet ("Madame X") [circa $6600] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5156-C |
5-pass. landaulet [circa $6700] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| 5165 |
7-pass. limousine ("Madame X") [circa $6800] |
1 |
Body #25 |
| 5175-FL |
7-pass. limousine [circa $5700] |
1 |
Body #45 |
| 5175-H4 |
7-pass. limousine with 4" extra head room [circa $5900] |
1 |
Body #374 |
| 5185 |
5-pass. convertible Victoria [circa $6500] |
1 |
Body #83 |
|
Sub-Total |
23 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Standard
Fisher bodies
[149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 32-16-273 |
5-pass all-weather phaeton [$5195] |
13 |
Bodies #1-163 |
| 32-16-280 |
5-pass. special phaeton [$4795] |
3 |
Bodies #1, 3 and 43 |
| 32-16-279 |
5-pass. dual-cowl sport phaeton [$4945] |
2 |
Bodies #1 and 2 |
| 32-16-256 |
5-pass standard phaeton [$4695] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| |
Sub-Total |
19 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Special
Fisher bodies
[149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 32-16-252 |
5-pass town sedan [circa $4700] |
2 |
Bodies #1 and 2 |
| 32-16-259 |
5-pass. factory demo sedan [circa $4500] |
1 |
Body #315 |
| 32-16-262 |
7-pass. sedan (factory test car) [circa $4700] |
1 |
Body #574 |
| 32-16-272 |
5-pass coupe [circa $4600] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| |
Sub-Total |
5 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Special
Fleetwood body
[165" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
| 5177 |
8-pass. limousine [circa $6000] |
1 |
Body #1 |
| |
Sub-Total |
1 |
|
| Style Number |
Body Type |
Units Built |
Notes |
Remainder
of 1933 V-16
Production |
| -- |
Blank data sheet in factory records6
(possibly a test engine) |
1 |
|
| |
Sub-Total |
1 |
|
1 The Fisher
styling codes consist of 1 to 4 digits; however, in the thirties, it was customary
for Fisher to include also the
year [in this case "32"] and, sometimes, the
number of cylinders [i.e. "16"]. Therefore, a typical body tag on the 1932
would show the style number or styling code as
"32-16-159". I have chosen to show only the last part of that code, as it
corresponds to the numbers listed in the Database section
devoted to the Fisher body coding system.
2 The "missing" body in the
sequence [#37] received modified Fleetwood coachwork; the interior height was increased
four inches; this car was assigned Fleetwood style #5175H4
3 This body seems to be another
missing one in the series of 56 bodies built by Fleetwood to Fisher style #32-16-159;
these
are numbered from 1-60; this one (body #31) was assigned
to a factory demo car and given style #32-16-259
4 The fact that body numbers ranged
from 1 to 60 might suggest that 4 cars are missing; in fact some of the numbers in
that series were assigned to other other
multi-cylinder chassis like the V8 and V12, thus accounting for the broken
sequence; I assume bodies #51 and 52 in the series were
converted to the special town coupe style #32-16-222;
presumably also, body #57 was pulled off the line and used
as the 1932 factory test car with style #32-16-262. The
final missing body may have been assigned to a V8 or V12
chassis.
5 Broken sequence; the missing
bodies may have been assigned to V8 or V12 chassis
6 The
Cadillac Master Parts List shows at least one job #32-16-263 to have been built
on the V-16 chassis; that model is not
shown in the preceding table; it is described as an
imperial sedan [limousine] for 7 passengers, with metal back, quarter
windows, auxilary seats and a central division
glass.
| Production
Summary
1932 Vee-Sixteen
|
Standard
Fleetwood bodies [149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
162 |
Standard
Fisher bodies [143" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
89 |
Special
Fleetwood bodies [149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
23 |
Standard
Fisher bodies [149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
19 |
Standard
Fisher bodies [149" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
5 |
Special
Fleetwood body [165" wheel base V-16 chassis] |
1 |
Sub-Total
(cars built) |
299 |
Remainder of
1933 V-16 Production [blank record] |
1 |
Grand
Total (engine/chassis) |
300 |
Picture Book
of the 1932 Cadillac V-16
Production
[in ascending order of rarity]
Fisher, style #32-16-159, standard sedan (56 units)
143-inch wheel base
 
  
This one was purchased by automotive writer, Michael
Lamm, in 1952, for $90 (LH image); he invested a couple of
hundred dollars to restore it (center and RH image) and then ran it, trouble free, for two
years before going off to college;
it may have survived; Michael remembers seeing the car for sale in Hemmings Motor News,
back in 1977, for $22,000!
[ Photos: Self Starter, courtesy of Mr. Lamm ]
|
Fisher, style #32-16-213 [Fleetwood
style #5175], 7-pass. limousine (49 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
 
B&W photo shows factory mock-up of the largest of
the Fleetwood sedan and limousine styles for 1932
This shot was taken in front of the GM building in
downtown Detroit
|
Fisher, style #32-16-212 [Fleetwood style #5175-S], 7-pass. sedan (47 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
 
One of these cars was shown at the Cadillac national
convention, held at the end of 1931; upholstered
in Wiese plain gray cloth #4310, it was painted entirely black with a Tokio ivory
stripe; wheel rims
too were painted black and the spokes all were stainless steel; it was priced at
$5639.75
B&W photo is a factory promotional shot
|
Fisher, style #32-16-222 [Fleetwood
style #5181], 5-pass. town coupe (24 units)
149-inch wheel base
Line drawing from book of Fleetwood offerings,
1931-32
 
 
 
Dig the crazy color schemes the artist's dreamed up
for this model! One of these cars was shown at the Cadillac
national convention, towards the end of 1931; upholstered in Wiese taupe cloth
#4306, it was painted Clio dark
brown with Clio light brown fenders and Ariane light beige wheels; it was priced at
just one quarter under $5200
|
Fisher, style #32-16-178, 2-pass. coupe (16 units)
143-inch wheel base
|
Fisher, style #32-16-168, 2-pass. convertible coupe (14
units)
143-inch wheel base
 
Photo on right shows a factory mock-up
|
Fisher, style #32-16-273, 5-pass. all-weather phaeton (13 units)
149-inch wheel base
Line drawing of proposed style #5180, from book
of Fleetwood offerings, 1931-32
[this style was finally built by Fisher and not Fleetwood]
|
Fleetwood, style #32-16-226 [Fleetwood style #5191], 7-pass. limousine brougham (7 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
 
One of these cars was shown at the Cadillac national
convention, held at the end of 1931; upholstered
in Wiese taupe cloth #4311, it was painted Thessalen green with black fenders;
wheel rims
were painted Chantilly green and the spokes all were stainless steel; it was priced
at $6351.75
This color illustration is from an ad of the time
|
Fleetwood, style #5131, 5-pass. "Madame X"-style limousine (5 units)
149-inch wheel base
One of these was built to special
order for Mr. R.S. McLaughlin,
CEO of General Motors, Canada; it has survived
One of these cars was shown at the
Cadillac national convention, held at the end of 1931; upholstered in Wiese
#3270 with black "shoe-leather" piping, it was painted Jones Dabney black
throughout, with a chrome stripe; wheel
rims too were black and the spokes all were stainless steel; there was no price
indication but I am guessing $8,000+
|
Fleetwood, style #32-16-225 [[Fleetwood style #5112], 5-pass. town car (4 units)
149-inch wheel base
Line drawing from book of Fleetwood offerings,
1931-32
 
|
Fleetwood, style #5155, 5-pass. "Madame X"-style limousine (4 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
|
Fisher, style #32-16-155, 2-pass. roadster (3 units)
134-inch wheel base
 
B&W photo (right) shows a factory mock-up
|
Fisher, style #32-16-280, 5-pass. special phaeton (3 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
|
Fisher, style #32-16-252, 5-pass. town sedan (2 units)
149-inch wheel base
Special Fisher style #252 town sedan for five
passengers [2 units]
In this illustration, from a period ad, the body is mounted on the V12 chassis
|
Fisher, style #32-16-279, 5-pass. dual-cowl sport phaeton (2 units)
149-inch wheel base
|
Fleetwood, style #32-16-227 [Fleetwood style #5125], 7-pass. town car (2 units)
149-inch wheel base
 
 
|
Fleetwood, style #5130-FL, 5-pass. formal limousine, with quarter windows (2 units)
149-inch wheel base
I have found no photographic record of this style;
this filigree image is my own guess
as to he car's its appearance; I simply blanked out the rear quarters on the
drawing for style #5130S
|
Fleetwood, style #5131-S, 5-pass. "Madame X"-style sedan (2 units)
149-inch wheel base
This style is outwardly similar to style #5131 but
there is no partition or division glass. One of the two cars built was on
display at the Cadillac national convention, held at the end of 1931; upholstered in Wiese
#3990 piped with leather, it was painted Jones Dabney black throughout, with a
chrome stripe; wheel rims too were black and the spokes all were stainless steel; there
was no price indication but I am guessing around $8,000
|
Unique V16 Styles
on the 1932 Series 452-B chassis
Fisher, style #32-16-256, 5-pass. standard phaeton (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
|
Fisher, style #32-16-259, 5-pass. standard sedan (1 unit)
Factory test car [probably body #31 of Fisher style #32-16-159 batch]
149-inch wheel base
I have found no photographic record of this style;
this filigree image shows Fisher style #159, the regular 5-pass. sedan;
my guess is that job number 259 was very similar in appearance
|
Fisher, style #32-16-262, 7-pass. Sedan (1 unit)
Factory test car
149-inch wheel base
I have found no photographic record of this style; my
guess is that Fisher pulled
off the line car #57 of the 32-16-159 run and assigned it this new number
|
Fisher, style #32-16-272, 5-pass. Coupe (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
My guess is that this model was outwardly very similar to style #222
[Fleetwood style #5181], above
|
Fleetwood, style #5125-C, 7-pass. town car landaulet (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
This filigree image is a montage that I prepared,
using an artist's
view of Fleetwood style 5125, to give an idea what this job looked like
|
Fleetwood, style #5125-Q, 7-pass. town car with rear quarter windows (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
This filigree image is a montage that I prepared,
using an artist's
view of Fleetwood style 5125, to give an idea what this job looked like
|
Fleetwood, style #5129, 5-pass. limousine (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
My guess is that this job
probably was a mild variation on style #5130;
when job numbers were within one or two digits of a regular style, that was generally the
case
|
Fleetwood, style #5140-B, 5-pass. limousine with Burbank top (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
This is my own montage using the artist's rendering
of style #5131
 
This unique model survived (photo) and is in the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame;
it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August, 2002 (right)
[ Photo (right): courtesy "Jim", a great Cadillac enthusiast ]
|
Fleetwood, style #5155-C, 5-pass. limousine-landaulet (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
This artist's view, I guess, is from the Book of
Fleetwood, for 1932
|
Fleetwood, style #5156-C, 5-pass. limousine-landaulet (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
My guess is that this job was similar to job #5155C
[see above], except it had
center-opening doors and lacked the Madame X windshield; it was
reportedly built for a Mr. Klingler, doubtless a man of means ...and fine taste
 
These are factory publicity shots of the selfsame
body style, but built on the V-12 chassis;
despite bright window framing and a sloping windshield, this model does not qualify as a Madame
X
|
Fleetwood, style #5165, 7-pass. "Madame X" style limousine (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
 
Initially I had anticipated that this body style resembled Fleetwood style #5155
(top);
that was before an Internet contact provided a (poor) copy of the original drawing
(immediately above)
|
Fleetwood, style #5175-FL, 7-pass. formal limousine (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
For this montage, I simply blanked out the quarter
windows
on the artist's rendering for style #5175
|
Fleetwood, style #5175-H4, 7-pass. limousine (1 unit)
with 4 inches extra interior headroom
149-inch wheel base
The artist's rendering for style #5175S was used as
the base for this illustration
|
Fleetwood, style #5185, 5-pass. convertible coupe (1 unit)
149-inch wheel base
 
 
|
Fleetwood, style #5177, 8-pass. limousine (1 unit)
 
Special Fleetwood style #5177 limousine for eight
passengers on 165-inch wheel base chassis;
this spacious, chauffeur-driven limousine was commissioned by the wealthy Annenberg
family
|
Details
Left: 1932 V16 engine; right: 1932 V16
instrument panel |
Custom Creations
on the V16 chassis for 1932
Kellner & Gygax of Biel/Bienne,
Switzerland, are said to have built this sporty-elegant convertible Victoria
on the V16 chassis for 1932; however, as no bare chassis were shipped abroad in
1932, it is more likely it was built
in 1932 on the 1930-31 V16 chassis -perhaps on one of the six European tour cars?).
The artist's view, above, was
supplied kindly by Harry Wohlgroth, a Swiss friend. Harry found the illustration in the
annual Swiss Automobil
Revue for 1932. Any complementary information or photos of this Swiss creation
would be greatly appreciated
|
Master Parts List Irregularity?
The MPL shows at least one job #32-16-263 to have been built on
the V-16 chassis [not shown in the preceding table]. It is described as an imperial
sedan [limousine] for 7 paasasengers, with metal back, quarter windows, auxiliary seats
and central division glass.
The following accessory groups were
available in 1932:
#7 was for 5-wheel jobs (spare wheel mounted in the rear):
it included a hood ornament, a tire cover, bar (?), hinge-mounted rear-view mirror,
license plate frames, tire chains and a handy repair kit. It cost $72.50.
#8 was for 6-wheel jobs (two spare wheels in special fender
wells): it included black painted fenders, a hood ornament, two metal spare wheel covers,
rear-view mirrors mounted on these covers, license plate frames, tire chains and a handy
repair kit. It cost $110.00.
#8A was for 6-wheel jobs (two spare wheels in special fender
wells): it included fenders painted any color but black, a hood ornament, two metal spare
wheel covers painted to match the fenders, rear-view mirrors mounted on these covers,
license plate frames, tire chains and a handy repair kit. It cost $115.00 [i.e.
there was a $5 charge to paint the fenders and spare wheel covers!]
(résumé en français)
Les effets du krach de
Wall Street en 1929 commençaient vraiment à se faire sentir, même aux niveau le plus
élevé de l'échelle sociale. On peut supposer aussi qu'il n'était pas de bon ton
de vivre de façon trop ostentatoire à une époque ou la foule se pressait devant la
soupe populaire.
Les Cadillac à moteur seize cylindres de 1932 sont
beaucoup plus rares que celle de 1930-31, la production totale ne s'élevant à 300
unités. Ces chiffres, nous les devons à M. Carl Steig du Club Cadillac La Salle,
Inc. Il a épluché avec soin les fiches de fabrication de chacune de ces
automobiles superbes. Une seule fiche manquait à l'appel: mystère!
Cette année là Fisher
et Fleetwood se partagèrent la tâche d'habiller les 300 chassis qui furent
fabriqués cette année là. Malgré la fabrication restreinte,
il y eut néanmoins 34 modèles tous différents les uns des autres. En fait,
certains modèles peuvent paraître identiques à d'autres; en réalité, cependant, il
est des différences notables au niveau de l'habitacle.
La liste a été établie par ordre croissant de la
rareté du modèle ainsi que dans l'ordre numérique des types, selon le catalogue
Fleetwood de l'époque. Les modèles les plus "nombreux" viennent en tête (56
unités!)
Il y eut quelques survivants; on pourra
les admirer en cliquant ici.
|
Return to The (New)
Cadillac Database© Index Page
or to the "V-16" index page
© 1996, Yann
Saunders and the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, Inc.
[ Background image: the powerful frontal image of the 1932 Cadillacs; only the grille
badge gave a clue to the number of cylinders under the hood ]
