'32 Cadillac V16 convertible coupe

I don't much care for the '32s either--I always felt that the headlights were a touch too small, like the King Bee lights on a hot rod.

That said, who the hell would kick that one out of bed for eating crackers? Certainly not I! I like the lack of sidemounts on this one, and while I do not believe double rear spares were offered, I think they would really finish the car nicely. One single little spare tire back there looks kind of bourgeois on such a car as this.

Great car.........interesting to see what it will bring.....numbers anyone? 7 figures over/under? 

This configuration was the designer's ideal: no side-mounts 'bullseye' to interrupt the flow as the eye traced the hood length and fender sweep to the windshield which then began defining the body mass.   The rakishly-mounted rear spare parallel with the sweep of the deck completes this sublime profile.

Glad my sense of this car's magnificence is widely shared!  Although maybe the better hope with any car is that everyone else hates what you love, so that no one else would ever want to buy such a horrible thing. 

Any 1932 Cadillac 16 is a fantastic car.......a convertible coupe........how can you go wrong?

Discussed on pgs. 2-3: 

I don’t think anyone guessed over $1 mil.   My guess: hammer at $540k.  $594k all in.

The seven digit  is the Roadster number.............my fault. The correct over/under number would be 600k. Sorry, I was half asleep.

If it were a 30-32, the over under would be 375k.

1935PackardDec 9, 2020

Looks much better after someone figured out how to properly install the top boot

32's are great cars but at the end of the day it is a convertible coupe which relates to a roadster as a convertible

sedan does to a phaeton. The 32 roadster has cut down doors and a sleek windshield since it does not need to deal

with the side windows. Its top also drops way down into the body when in the lowered position.

In 32 the convertible coupe was on the short wheelbase and used the standard Fisher body

unchanged from those on the v-8. In fact it is the same body as the red v-8 that started this thread. Maybe the market

is that strong on a very nice older restoration....... but that would shock me.

Johnny

A '32 V16 Roadster is also a Fisher body on the shorter of the two V16 chassis and has the same body as a V8 roadster.  I agree the sportiness of a Roadster wins every time, but I doubt there's more than a few hundred k difference given the great provenance of this convertible coupe, fantastic(older)restoration, and potentially one of two with a build sheet that matches the chassis and motor.  This is going to to be a good test.

I've been a very lucky boy and have been able to drive a couple of different 30 V16 Roadsters.  Smooth, easy to drive, don't make you look stupid trying to shift it.  But the one thing that stood out to me was the hood did not feel very long, relative to other "titan" level cars.   The 32 hood looks a little longer,  is true?

I really like this convertible coupe.

alsancleJan 3, 2021

I've been a very lucky boy and have been able to drive a couple of different 30 V16 Roadsters.  Smooth, easy to drive, don't make you look stupid trying to shift it.  But the one thing that stood out to me was the hood did not feel very long, relative to other "titan" level cars.   The 32 hood looks a little longer,  is true?

I really like this convertible coupe.

I think the Cadillac hoods are a little more "broad" than other marques, particularly Packard. My '29, for instance, doesn't seem very long to me from behind the wheel simply because it's also quite wide and relatively flat along the top. I think that contributes to the feeling that it isn't quite as long. Packards are probably the pinnacle simply because their very design makes the hood look especially long, narrow, and pointed, and therefore it appears longer. I've never been behind the wheel of something like a Duesenberg, but I have a lot of experience with the Marmon Sixteen, which also has a very long hood and it's also a bit broad and not as long-looking as a comparable large series 1932 Packard despite the fact that the Marmon's hood is nearly six feet long... 

The lack of sidemounts on this particular convertible coupe surely helps with the side view proportions.

Your Royale should totally nail the long, lean hood though. Extra long, somewhat narrow, and butted right up to the dash. I bet that's an awesome view!

I'm gonna start a thread on Classic era hood lengths.

edinmassDec 10, 2020

The seven digit  is the Roadster number.............my fault. The correct over/under number would be 600k. Sorry, I was half asleep.

If it were a 30-32, the over under would be 375k.

I wanted to quote myself because I thought I went high on this,  but it seems I must have been dreaming.   But since you were wrong I'll quote you instead. 

 Sold For $1,022,500

Well.....I did say seven figure over/under. That’s a world record price for a V-16 Conv Coupe......by a ton. I don’t care for the rear spare.......and 32’s are rare..........but seven figures is roadster money. Wonder where it went. 

Just came over here to note that sales price and you beat me to it.  Quite something.

edinmassJan 27, 2021

Well.....I did say seven figure over/under. That’s a world record price for a V-16 Conv Coupe......by a ton. I don’t care for the rear spare.......and 32’s are rare..........but seven figures is roadster money. Wonder where it went. 

7 figures is 30/31 roadster money.  You are discounting the 32 factor.  Much more attractive.

NOT a roadster.........in the 30/31 cars the price ratio is 4-1 to 6-1, and while 32's are rare......its no where near a roadster. The earlier vs later is understandable, but as a purist, and a early era collector, I prefer the first design for lines...but not the fuel system.

edinmassJan 27, 2021

NOT a roadster.........in the 30/31 cars the price ratio is 4-1 to 6-1, and while 32's are rare......its no where near a roadster. The earlier vs later is understandable, but as a purist, and a early era collector, I prefer the first design for lines...but not the fuel system.

As someone with taste,  I understand why the 32 fender line would bring a lot more money.

Btw,  I've been heavily involved in the hobby since I was 4 years old.    I was over 50 before I knew that there was a whole pack of people who wanted sidemount cars.  That was news to me.

With European cars, especially Mercedes there is almost a 2x premium for the rear mount cars.   Typically they are double vs single,  but there is a big premium.   I always assumed that was true across the board.