1933 Cadillac V-16 Seven-Passenger Sedan by Fleetwood
Sold For $550,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Engine No.5000024
Body No.5
An utterly outstanding V-16 Cadillac
Known history, with four owners from new
Professional body-off restoration
Pebble Beach Concours award winner
Entirely matching numbers; build sheet-documented
Body Style 5575-S. 165 bhp, 452 cu. in. OHV V-16 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front and live rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel vacuum-assisted mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 149 in.
This car, engine number 5000024, was one of only ninety-nine V-16 Cadillacs produced in 1933, and it is one of only two known survivors in this style, number 5575-S. It was originally delivered to prominent Dayton, Ohio, manufacturer and politician George W. Shroyer, whose career included serving as the mayor of Dayton. The fastidious Mr. Shroyer ordered his new Cadillac with no fewer than three pages of custom features, which outlined such unique touches as special woodwork, unique trim (including a polished stainless steel body and fender edge trim), and a luxurious lamb’s wool carpet for the rear compartment.
The car was shipped to Mr. Shroyer on February 1, 1933, and it remained in his ownership until June 14, 1963, at which time the retired mayor was 98 years old. It was sold by him to Arthur H. Kusuhara, of Canoga Park, California, and then later passed to well-known Cadillac enthusiast Dick Shappy, of Rhode Island, who owned it only briefly before selling it to the present owner in 2006.
This spectacular automobile then underwent a no-expense-spared restoration, which was overseen by the renowned team at RM Auto Restoration, of Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. The car was carefully restored exactly back to its original delivery condition, as specified on the build sheet. Its owner proudly notes that the build sheet, a copy of which is on file, “lists about ten things that were individually numbered—not just engine and chassis, but starter, generator, axles, transmission, and much more. Every single one of those components is still on the car.”
The exhaustive restoration included not only a full disassembly and rebuild of the engine, transmission, brakes, and chassis, but because of its display at Pebble Beach in chassis form, many normally unseen components were also restored to concours standards. This included the tops and sides of the chassis, which were hand-rubbed and polished, but also such things as the instrument shells, wiring harness, switchgear, and the back sides of the instrument panel and glove boxes. The woodwork was painstakingly restored, with much of the marquetry replaced due to water damage to the veneers. The exterior paintwork was painstakingly color-sanded and hand-buffed to a perfect gloss, setting off the astonishingly straight brightwork.
It is also important to note that, unlike many of the other chassis displayed at Pebble Beach, this stunning V-16 was entered in the traditional 17-mile Tour d’Elegance. In preparation, it was fitted with a custom oak buckboard-style body with button-tucked leather seats on traditional iron springs, floorboards, and an instrument board designed to accommodate the restored dash components. As you would expect, given the extensive restoration, the chassis performed flawlessly on the tour and exhibited exhilarating performance, which was partly due to its dynamometer-tuned engine and chassis but also a result of the exceptionally lightweight coachwork!
Following its exhibition as a bare chassis at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2008, the car was returned there as a completed restoration in 2010, and it was awarded Second in Class in the hotly contested American Classic Custom category.
This is more than just a handsome, well-known, and well-documented Cadillac V-16; it is a beautifully preserved, well-maintained, sweet-running show car. It is perhaps the only V-16 of its kind that has been restored to such a high standard, and it is certainly the only one with continuous ownership history since new.
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Robert Myrick Photography
