1932 Cadillac Series 452B

FROM THE DICK SHAPPY COLLECTION: The 1932 Cadillac V-16 Imperial Cabriolet Madame X Body 5155-C Model 452B by Fleetwood

Only a total of 300 V-16 Cadillac cars were built in 1932, making this Imperial Cabriolet Madame X Model Style 5155-C Model 452B a very rare car. According to Concept Carz, "One of the most exclusive and expensive versions was the 'Madame X,' a four-door, five-passenger divider sedan, named by Cadillac master designer Harley Earl after a 1929 movie by the same name starring actress Ruth Chatterton. The cost exceeded $7,000 when new ($1,000 over the standard 16-cylinder Cadillacs) and was a special body style by Fleetwood featuring slender door and windshield pillars, chrome window-edge moldings, and a raked one-piece windshield."

Of the 300 V-16s built, only four Madame Xs were made, and this is the only 1932 V-16 with a collapsible rear quarter that is known to exist today. The coachwork was designed by Fleetwood Metal Body Co., known for crafting high-quality, custom-built luxury bodies for many classic vehicles.

This spectacular car was on special display at the 1933 Chicago Auto Show. It was purchased by Rudolf C. Block, son of William H. Block, founder of the Block department store in Indianapolis. It was special-ordered with a painted radiator shell, which still graces the car today, and may have been delivered with double-sided green-wall tires. Mrs. Block's chauffeur regularly drove her in the vehicle until it was put into storage in the 1940s at the Block family mansion. It was later gifted to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum after being renewed to factory condition by Block's grandson for display. It was then housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum for many years before entering the collection of Dick Shappy in 2011. This vehicle remains in superb condition.


MODEL: 452B

BODY STYLE: 5155-C

ENGINE: 452 cu. in. OHV V-16

ENGINE NO.: 1400110

SERIAL NO: 1400110

COACHWORK: Fleetwood

CARBURETORS: Detroit Lubricator

BHP: 165 at 3,4000 RPM

TRANSMISSION: 3-Speed Manual Gearbox

BRAKES: 4-Wheel Vacuum-Assisted Drum

SUSPENSION: Semi-Elliptical Leaf-Spring

DOCUMENTATION: California Title

RARITY: One of Four Built

CONDITION: Superb

FEATURES: (2) Lightweight occasion seats, rear clock and speedometer, special-order painted radiator shell, gold-plated handles and fittings, German silver pin-striping inlays, smoker's companion roof vent (draws the cigar smoke out of the passenger compartment while in motion), dual metal sidemounts with review mirrors, Cadillac radio

SHOWS: Displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance


FLEETWOOD

The coachwork was designed by Fleetwood Metal Body Co. in Fleetwood, PA, known for crafting high-quality, custom-built luxury bodies for many classic vehicles. Founded in 1909, their work only adorned the best, including Cadillac, Duesenberg, and Rolls-Royce.


Cadillac
In 1902, Henry Ford left the Henry Ford Company with several of his key partners, and with Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company, they began manufacturing automobiles with Lelands single-cylinder engine. They named this venture Cadillac Automobile Company after the French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, and based the logo on his coat of arms. This made Cadillac among the first automotive brands in the world, and they immediately began producing 10 HP horseless carriages called Runabouts and Tonneaus that were almost identical to the Ford Model A. Because of their precision manufacturing and reliability, they quickly accumulated orders and in 1905, merged with Leland into the Cadillac Motor Company. By 1906, they were the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed car and took international notice as the awards for interchangeability and reliability began to pile up.

Its no wonder that General Motors took notice of Americas premier luxury car maker and purchased it in 1909. Together, they founded the mass production of automobiles and many innovations, including (the first) full electrical systems, Synchro-Mesh manual transmission, the first mass-produced automatic transmission, steel roofs, dual-plane crankshafts, and shatter-resistant glass. Of the three engines they developed, the V8 set the standard. They would go on to make more than large luxury vehicles, producing limousines, military vehicles, ambulances, and even hearses. In the midst of the Great Depression, they introduced the iconic V-16 engine, and sales bounced back and then some by 1940.

To this day, Cadillac automobiles remain a global brand of luxury, at the pinnacle of GMs 2.7 million vehicles sold in 2024.