V-16 Survivors [1933]

[ last update: 04.28.2008 ] Best viewed with a screen image size of 600 x 800 pixels

Body Style	Body Number	Eng.+LX Number	Latest available information
?	n/a	5000001	This engine only was for a time in the Harrah collection, Reno, NV.
33-16-168	8	5000011	This is a unique, Fisher-bodied convertible coupe; it was thoroughly restored by Dick Shappy, R.I. The new owner (2005), Aaron Weiss, is such a perfectionist that he gave the car a nut-and-bolt, ground-up restoration.
Thanks to Mike Fairbairn of RM Auctions, this partially restored car has been identified as being VIN #5000011; it is seen here during restoration by Dick Shappy of Rhode Island [ Photos this row: © and courtesy Joe Gildea ]
33-8-225 or 33-12-225	#8	possibly 5000042	This non-original survivor may have been owned in the early seventies by Bruce Duncan of Rockville, MD. The photo below (left) is from the archives of The Automobile magazine. The car was rediscovered in 2/2005 by enthusiast and CLC member, Jeff Maltby who supplied the other photos. It still has a black hood and black side mount covers; the rest of the body was black but is currently in primer. Jeff says the deceased owner acquired the car 3 years ago (2001-2002). It is all there, very straight, solid, no rust with OEM interior needing a full restoration. Jeff will try to provide the actual VIN. The photo he sent of the body tag (below) is that of Fleetwood style 33-8-225 or 33-12-225 of which at least one of each was built, according to the Master Parts List [the V8 version had a leather covered roof, which this car does not]. I am awaiting further information regarding this "custom" survivor, from one of its prior owners, Bob Hoffmann.
This was initially believed to be the missing (third) Fleetwood town car, style #5525; the body tag reveals that it is a Fleetwood town car body from a V-8 or V-12 chassis that was mounted, at some point in its life, on the chassis of a V-16
5508	#2	5000077 [5266LX]	This ad appeared in the Self Starter in Feb. 1995: 1933 Cadillac V-16 special convertible coupe by Fleetwood style 5508. Not shown in any literature, 1 of 4 produced, original owner [was] a famous inventor, fully documented car with matching numbers. This is a low-mileage car. Some restoration work has been done but car needs completion (the photo accompanying the ad - below - says it all!) I am guessing that the color photo, lower row, right, depicts the same car, after completion of a full restoration. Carl Stoutenberg, a vee-sixteen aficionado like me, reports that this was Fleetwood special order #5266 (SFBO¹ #69 on build sheet). The dash plaque on the car reads Theodore W. Case, car #117. The latter number may indicate that the car is the 117th out of 126 sixteens built in 1933. Late extra (9/2005): Restored by RM in Chicago for Carmine Zeccardi, the car was sold to John Groendyke, then resold again to Carmine, who still owns it today [thanks to Mike Fairbairn of RM Auctions for this update] ^____________ ¹ SFBO = Special Fleetwood Body Order number. According to Carl Stoutenberg, this is where detailed body specifications are to be found. On original build sheets it is listed in a box titled Fisher Order Number. The same form blank appears to have been used for both Fleetwood and Fisher-built cars. BTW, not all cars have an SFBO number; this was typical of sixteens of the 1933 production run
Owner John Groendyke Photo: Classic Car Club of America [CCCA] Photos (above 2 rows): Internet, 2006
5508?	?	5000101	I had noted that this car was formerly owned by Richard Le Forge of Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Rick Zeiger, CA, informed me in May 2002 that this car once belonged to him too. It has again changed hands. The new owner is David Kane of New Jersey. The car has undergone a full restoration and was shown at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August that year. It was featured on the program cover as well as on that year's poster. The artist chosen for 2002 was Nicola Wood who was featured in the CLC Self-Starter. The 2002 CLC Directory lists the owner as Dick Shappy of RI. In fact, there may be confusion between this Fleetwood- bodied (?) car and Dick's rarer (unique!) Fisher-bodied convertible coupe, style 33-16-168 (listed above)
Photo (left): CCCA; (right) Pebble Beach, 2002
5508?	?	?	A similar car [above car?] car was formerly owned by Everett Stevans of Beautrice, Nebraska
5525	#1	5000045 [5195LX]	Three were built at a cost of $11,000 each. This one was (is?) owned by Leo & Ivy Chu of Beverly Hills, CA, or by Otis Chandler [according to aficionado Richard Stanley, 5/2001]; its first owner was screen star Joan Crawford. It was offered for sale (year unknown) by Mitchell E. Cooper Used Cars of 8835 Sunset Blvd; the price at that time was $1,250! Today it is worth quite a bit more!! The car took second place at Pebble Beach in 1994, and third prize again at Pebble Beach in 1995 (see Self-Starter, January 1996, p.12). Currently (2001) it is in the Chandler collection of the Vintage Museum. The following previous owners have been identified: Ms. Joan Crawford (1933- ???), John Quarty of Chandler's San Marcos Resort, AZ (??? - ???), Willard Brown and Don Lee of Hillcrest Motors (in the fifties), once again Hillcrest Motors (1975-???), Dr. Murphy of PA (bought at a Sotheby auction in 1995).

5525	?	possibly 5000042	This second car of three built is a part of the Robert Keyaerts collection at the Keyaerts Cadillac Museum, in Langeais, Touraine, France. The first owner is said to have been Marlene Dietrich, although I have seen no photos of her with this particular car. Marlene is known to have had a similar town car from the 1934-35 production so there may be confusion here between the 1933 and 1934 models. Nota: from perusing older Club newsletters I noticed that a town car with engine #5000042 was formerly owned by a Mr. Kamrar Mayflower. Does anyone know this gentleman; could it be this car? Check out the survivors for 1934-1937 for Marlene's "other" V-16.
Photos: courtesy Magali & Genevieve Keyaerts Excerpt and cover of book Marlene Dietrich, by her daughter, Maria Riva; I believe it refers to the 1934 town car that the actress once owned
5530FL	14	5000088 [5270LX]	Unique, 5-pass. formal sedan; full story in CLC annual; first owner, Vanderbilt family [special order #5270LX]. Stenciled on the firewall are the numbers "M5000088" [motor], "B14" [body], "J5530" [job] (although the actual Fleetwood styling code is 5530-FL). The car is reported to have cost $12,500 when new.
Photos: (right) Michael Bromley, (left and top row) CLC
[5555]	?	?	This car was dismantled and sold for parts in the early seventies
5575-S	5	5000024 [5092LX]	This car was offered for sale on the Internet, 7/1999; it needed full restoration; the price was $25,000. Late extra [3/2006]: Mike Fairbairn of RM Auctions currently owns the car; he bought from the previous owner, Dick Shappy of Rhode Island. Mike says he has a 2-page build sheet for it; the car was shipped first to G.W. Shroyer, former mayor of Dayton, Ohio; the second page details the car's special features. Nothing is known of the car's history until 1973 when it belonged to a Japanese collector in California from whom Dick Shappy bought it around 1999 or 2000.
Photo: Internet 1999 This photo was taken during Dick Shappy's ownership
5575	?	5000031	A limousine like this one (below) was shown as being owned by a Joe Mikula, in the Self Starter for Nov.-Dec. 1967, p.6
Photo: (left) CLC, (right) Gene Babow Could this be the same car?
5575	?	5000056	This one was formerly owned by Louis Gravel of Westmont, Quebec, Canada
5575	?	5000097	This one [Fleetwood special order #5138LX?] was formerly owned by Wilbur Smith of Doniphan, MO.
5575	?	5000117	Formerly owned by John McCartney of Kinston, NC [early seventies]
5575	?	?	This car was offered for sale at auction in the late eighties. I have no other details about it. It could be one of the cars listed above
Photo (left) : Auction catalog; (right) Could be this restored car ?
5575?	?	?	These two are pictured in the book Standard Catalog of Cadillac, 1903-2000; they too may have survived.
Photo on right could be an original factory shot; I had not seen it before 2000 [ Photos: Book Standard Catalog of Cadillac, 1903-2000 ]
5575	?	?	A similar model was owned in the early seventies by Leo Gebhart of Englewood, OH
5575-FL	?	5000042	Numbers confusion? This engine number is listed also as possibly belonging to a town car, style 5525. Formerly owned (1967) by Patrick Ferchill Jr., of Longview, TX. Subsequently (circa 1969) sold to an enthusiast in Arkansas. The owner's nameplate had been removed from the dash. Mr. Ferchill believes it may have belonged to Joan Crawford, the actress, who we know owned a V-16 town car of the same vintage (see above) Possibly this survivor ...with a weak rear door handle spring?
5575-FL?	?	?	A similar formal sedan [this car?] was owned in the early seventies by James Taliague of Houston, TX
5575-S	?	?	Such a car was owned by Dean Brown of Linwood, CA, in the early seventies
5575S	?	?	A 7-pass. sedan of this type was owned in the early seventies by Jack Passey, Jr., of Freedom, CA Enthusiast Mike Fairbairn of RM Auctions informed me in March 2006 that he had spoken recently to Mr. Passey who confirmed that he hd effectively owned a Fleetwood style #5575S for many years, starting in the '40s. He had sold the car to the McGowan brothers in Connecticut. Jack's car was apparently an excellent, unrestored car with original paint. Later, he discovered his chassis, fenders, bumpers, etc., underneath a V16 convertible sedan project that was being sold at Hershey. Apparently, the brothers McGowan had bought Jack's car because they knew of a '33 convertible sedan body that was sitting on a '32 chassis. They bought that car and switched the body onto Jack's sedan chassis. It is not known what happened to the sedan body. Since we don't have the VIN for Jack's car, we need to keep in mind that there is a convertible sedan out there [style #5579] with non-matching numbers.
5575S?	?	?	Another 7-pass. sedan of this type was owned in the early seventies by Terrence Wyban of Richmond Heights, OH
5576	?	?	James P. Barrow, Dallas, TX; article in CLC 7/1992, pp.8-9 Photo: CLC
5576	?	?	A similar car [or the above car] was owned in the early seventies by Michael Tyron of Clifton Heights, PA
5579?	1	5000056	The first owner of this splendid convertible sedan was singer-showman, Al The Jazz Singer Jolson. It spent many years in the former Harrah collection, in Reno, NV. This special order was car built on 3.31.1933; it weighed 6110 lbs and cost an astounding $8000 in 1933. Eight of them were built. This one was offered for sale on the Internet in 3/2002 by Cave Creek Classics, for $325,000
Photo [left] : courtesy of the late Hollis Weihe, CLC Photos: courtesy Harrah's Museum [ Photos: courtesy Mike Thomas, volunteer tour guide at the National Automobile Museum ] Is this the same car? (shown here with road lights and travel trunk, mounted on folding luggage rack) Sixteens for 1933 carried an individual ID plate honoring the owner
5579	"01" [ ??? ]	5000082 [4710LX]	Seen advertised for sale in Scottsdale, AZ [annual Barrett-Jackson venue]. The car was bid up to "only" $175,000. I give you what BJ says about the car (I have found their vehicle identifications, descriptions and VINs to be frequently unreliable): leather interior, completely restored auto, including engine [?], 250 miles since major overhaul, judged 100-point car, first place in CCCA 1998, first place national Cadillac club, first place senior AACA 1998. Believed to be once owned by President Hoover [were this true, I believe we would have heard about it!]. Frame was removed during WW2 to be used in war effort [?]. An original 1933 frame [with engine?] was located and a five year restoration was completed in 1998 [i.e. the numbers don't match - see entry above, re the 7-pass. sedan owned in the early seventies by Jack Passey, Jr., of Freedom, CA]. Could this be a third survivor (body only?) since the chassis was removed in the forties. In 2002, it was owned by Barton Jarvis of Portland, CT. It is CLC Senior car #272. The Kruse group, competing auctioneers, reportedly sold this car for $265,000 at their Auburn, IN, venue in September 1999 [Lot 1018]. Did BJ buy it from Kruse? Sadly to say, so many of these top notch cars seem to just go from one auction venue to another, in the hope of seeing bid prices go up! Late extra [4/2001]: the car was again offered for sale by Barrett-Jackson for $295,000 ...money, money, money, it's a rich man's world [ABBA]. I guess the $30,000 price increase is the cost of storage since 1999! Late late extra [11/2005]: One more attempt was made to sell this incredible machine; this time it was offered on eBay, with a starting bid of $165,000. The vendor [Hyman, of St. Louis, MO, a vendor who enjoys an excellent reputation] included a photo of the body tag showing body number "01" as well as "4710LX". To my knowledge, body #1 [of the 8 units built] is the Al Jolson car [engine #5000056], shown above. Latest [12/2005]: the car has been acquired by enthusiast Aaron Weiss. Aaron is such a perfectionist, I suspect he is getting ready to perform some restoration wonders on this car. Many photos below are courtesy of Mike Fairbairn, of RM Auctions.
Photos (above 5 rows): courtesy of Mike Fairbairn, RM Auctions
5579?	?	?	An AWP like this [the above car?] was owned in the early seventies by Joseph Albanese of Edison, NJ. Could it be the above car?
5579?	?	?	Another [the same] AWP was owned in the early seventies by Donald Shields of Manasquan, NJ. Again, could it be the above car?
5579?	?	?	Fred Weber collection [info from book "Fleetwood" by James J. Schild]
5579A	1	5000116	This unique all-weather phaeton (convertible sedan, [5514LX]) for five passengers has survived. It was owned in the early seventies by Richard Kohman of Verona, NJ. Many photos of the car were taken at the Gilmore Museum's Cadillac-LaSalle Experience in Kalamazoo, MI, in June 1993. At that time the car belonged to CLC member the late Roy Warshawsky [CEO of J.C. Whitney] who had it restored in 1990 by Fran Roxas. Carl Stoutenberg reports that this was Fleetwood special order #LX5514. The SFBO number on the build sheet is marked G.E. Crandell #143 car; Aficionado Carl Stoutenberg found out that Mr. Crandell was an advertising executive of the Montgomery Ward corporation in Chicago. That dash plaque number, carrying Mt. Crandell's name, does not jive with my theory that it could be the 143rd sixteen for 1933 ...since only 126 units were built that year! The plot thickens ...or perhaps consecutive special order numbers were given irrespective of engine confirguration (V8, V12 and V16). This car was acquired in the nineties by Neil Nicastro, a friend of Carl's. Late extra (09/2005): the car was acquired at auction [RM, lot #264] by Carmine Zeccardi of New Jersey [thank you Mike Fairbairn for this update]. The car is painted dark Crescendo Green; it is trimmed in dark brown leather and has a tan top. Could this be the car owned formerly by William Chorkey of Farmington, MI (see article in CLC 1/1996, p.12? It may be also the car offered for sale by Kruse in 8/1996). BTW, the black "slant back" car formerly owned by Bill Chorkey now belongs to Steve Plunkett of London, ON.
This photo was taken at the Gilmore Museum's Cadillac-LaSalle Experience in June, 1993 [ Photos, above two rows: courtesy Neil Nicastro ] This snapshot, I believe is from the last auction sale when the car changed hands for $682,000
5585	#9	?	As only two units were built of this body style, I assume this is the other one [4572LX], the first being the Montgomery car]. Restored by Fran Roxas of Allsip, IL, this 100-point car was sold by RM Classics at Amelia Island, in May 2001; it is currently (2001) in the Otis Chandler collection (Vintage Museum). The first owner is listed as: Hill Blackett (or Hill Bluikett - spelling ?) . Other former owners include: Cameron Peck (1941-???), Charles Jones of Woodland, CA (1950s-1988), Roy Warshawsky of Chicago, IL (1988-1996) and Ron Benach (1996-2001). To confuse matters, it is the same color as #45, the Montgomery car! Latest [Dec. 2006]: the owner is a member of the CCCA; his name is Jeff Ozan. Note: frequent visitors to the V-16 section of the Database will have observed that this entry and the one below have been reversed; indeed, I had got the two cars confused and was put right by V-16 owner and enthusiast, Terry Wenger. Thanks, Terry!

5585	#10	5000043	Only two of these were built. This one was owned by actor Robert Montgomery. It is painted black. Its second owner was a doctor in Chino, CA; could that doctor have been Rick Lenz? A 1933 convertible Victoria was shown as being owned by a Mr. Rick Lenz, in the Self Starter for Nov.-Dec. 1967, p.6; I assume it is this car, as the owners of the other one all have been identified. In 1999 the Montgomery car was owned by William Francis Jahant, of Claremont, CA; he has had the car since the late fifties [he joined the CLC in October, 1959]. I believe this car was offered for sale by Kruse in 8/1996. The number on the owner's plaque is #45 [which previously I thought was the body number]. Note: frequent visitors to the V-16 section of the Database will have noted that this entry and the previous one have been reversed; indeed, I had got the two cars confused and was put right by V-16 owner and enthusiast, Terry Wenger. Thanks again, Terry !
?	?	?	A limousine with divider was offered for sale by Kruse in 8/1996; the reported first owner was Mrs. Hammond of the Hammond Organ Company
?	?	5000102 [5441LX]	This car was offered for sale by Kruse in the nineties; it was described as being in excellent condition; no numbers were listed. Carl Stoutenberg reports that this was Fleetwood special order #LX5441
[unk.]	?	5000028 [LX4571]	Reported to have survived - details sought]
[unk.]	?	5000081	This 1933 V16 engine is a spare one in the collection of Dick Shappy, R.I.
[unk.]	?	5000106	Reported to have survived - details sought]
[unk.]	?	?	The late Roy Warshawsky is alleged to have owned a 1933 V-16 that was previously owned by the King of Denmark; who knows this car? Where is it today?

(résumé en français)

On trouvera ci-dessus des renseignements précis ainsi que, parfois, des photos se rapportant aux Cadillac à moteur seize cylindres de l'année 1933 qui auraient survécu.

Pour admirer l'ensemble de la production des V-16 de l'année 1933, cliquer ici.

Petit supplément gratuit pour lecteurs francophones:

La Chrysler-Cadillac V16 de 1933

On peut voir des choses étonnantes si on sait où regarder [ce pourrait être là le slogan publicitaire d'un fabricant de lunettes d'approche pour citadins voyeurs...] Mon regretté ami Gene Babow, bien trop tôt disparu, historien des automobiles américaines de la décennie d'avant guerre (1930-1939), n'avait pas les yeux [ni l'objectif de son Canon] dans la poche lorsqu'il se trouvait en face d'une belle classique.

Connaissant mon goût immodéré pour les Cadillac à moteur seize cylindres il m'avait fait parvenir, avant sa mort, les photos ci-dessus [voiture jaune]. Non, il ne s'agit pas d'une Cadillac [une fois n'est pas coutume] mais bien d'une superbe Chrysler Imperial, année 1933, équipée d'un moteur Cadillac à seize cylindres. L'histoire ne nous dit pas si ce luxueux torpédo fut équipé dès le départ de ce moteur d'emprunt ou s'il fut installé par la suite.

La Chrysler-Cadillac V16 de 1933 a droit de cité à deux titres:

1° elle est équipée d'un des rares moteurs Cadillac V-16 de 1933 (dont il ne fut construit que 125 unités cette année là) et

2° la première voiture de feu mon père [ci-dessous], achetée en avril 1948, était un magnifique torpédo Chrysler CB6 de 1934 qui, quoique de dimensions un peu plus réduites que l'Imperial, ressemblait de très près à ce merveilleux monstre (calandre, phares, parechocs AV, ligne générale de la caisse):

N'étant pas spécialiste de la marque Chrysler, je vous livre néanmoins les quelques informations que je possède concernant cette marque. La firme fut fondée en 1925 par Walter Percy Chrysler dont l'aïeul, un certain Kreissler, avait débarqué de l'Allemagne kaiseroise quelques générations auparavant.

Les robustes voitures de la marque Chrysler, à moteur 6-cylindres en ligne, visaient à concurrencer [et l'ont fait avec beaucoup de succés] certains modèles Packard, Lincoln, Pierce Arrow et même [honte sur nous !] ...Cadillac. On les reconnaîssait (comme les Vauxhall britanniques) grâce à une cannelure fuyante de part et d'autre du capot moteur.

Une berline de la marque s'était distinguée en 1926 en couvrant la distance de Kansas City à Denver (1123km) en 13 heures et 56 minutes, soit à une moyenne d'environ 80kmh. L'année suivante elle établit un nouveau record en effectuant l'aller-retour San Francisco-New York-San Francisco (10,754km) en 167 heures et 59 minutes, soit à une moyenne de 64kmh.

Le génie de Chrysler s'illustra dès 1926 avec le lancement de la nouvelle "Imperial", habillée dès 1927 par de grands carrossiers tels que Locke, Dietrich et Le Baron. Une de ces voitures termina en 2e place le Grand Prix de Belgique à Spa en 1928 à la vitesse moyenne de 92kmh.

Dès 1931 la marque adopta le 8-cylindres en ligne d'une cylindrée de 6,3 litres. Mais les Imperial véritablement impériales, si je puis me permettre ce jeu de mots d'une habileté déconcertante, sont apparues dès le 1er janvier 1932 avec les séries "CH" sur chassis à empattement de 343cm, et "CL" à empattement de 371cm.

La voiture que nous pouvons admirer ci-dessus en photos, fait partie de la série "CL" de 1933, la dernière en fait car elle allait être supplantée dès l'année suivante par la bien curieuse Chrysler Airflow, la Coccinelle version Detroit et franchement destroy.

On reconnaît aisément la Chrysler Imperial de 1933 grâce à sa calandre inclinée et à ses verres de phares en coupe-vent. Cette carrosserie de type double phaéton est l'oeuvre de la firme Le Baron, née de l'association de deux haut-couturiers automobile, MM Ray Dietrich et Tom Hibbard. Hibbard et Darrin avaient travaillé ensemble chez le carrossier Brewster à New York. Ils ont voulu donner à leur nouvelle firme un nom à consonnance française, qui soit facile à prononcer dans les deux langues et qui rappelle Paris, capitale à l'époque de la haute-couture automobile.

Le nom Imperial a été utilisé chez Chrysler, sans discontinuer, depuis 1926. Comme "Eldorado" chez Cadillac, il a toujours désigné les modèles Chrysler les plus chers. Avant 1954 ils faisaient partie intégrante de la gamme Chrysler, mais dès 1954 Imperial devint une marque autonome, au même titre que Plymouth et Dodge.

Pour terminer ce reportage sur un (beau) mariage de convenance entre la Chrysler et la Cadillac, sachez qu'à Auckland, en Nouvelle Zélande il existe un pareil ensemble Cadillac-Chrysler (ou vice-versa), s'agissant d'un moteur Chrysler équipant cette fois ci un torpédo Cadillac.

Ami(e)s des automobiles américaines Chrysler et Cadillac, vous avez le bonjour de:

"Mr Cadillac"