1938 Cadillac V-16 Fleetwood Sedan 1 of 17 Mae West

Cadillac stunned the motoring world with the introduction of its revolutionary V-16 at the New York Auto Show on January 4, 1930, the culmination of a closely guarded engineering program led by Owen Milton Nacker under GM engineering chief Charles Kettering. By 1938, Cadillac had completely redesigned its flagship engine, introducing the sophisticated 431 CI L-head V-16 that would power the final generation of Sixteens through 1940. Offered here is one of the rarest examples from that celebrated lineage: a 1938 Cadillac Series 90 V-16 Seven-Passenger Formal Sedan wearing Fleetwood Style 9033F coachwork, one of only 17 produced that year. Published survivor records identify just six complete examples by body and chassis number, with perhaps no more than eight believed to survive. Adding extraordinary provenance, this automobile, Body No. 13 and chassis 5270175, was previously owned by legendary actress Mae West, placing it among the most historically significant surviving examples of Cadillac's ultimate prewar motorcar. Finished in stately maroon with a black padded formal roof, this imposing Fleetwood-bodied Cadillac is powered by its 431 CI flathead V-16 paired with a three-speed column-shifted manual transmission. Its chauffeur's compartment is trimmed in black upholstery and features a split bench seat, banjo-style three-spoke steering wheel with "Sixteen" horn button and dual windshield wipers, while a crank-up glass divider separates the driver from the exceptionally luxurious rear compartment. Hidden behind distinctive blind rear quarters, passengers are treated to a button-tufted Mohair bench seat, folding jump seats, footrest bar, Art Deco-style ashtrays, wood-grain trim and an integrated partition clock. Exterior appointments include dual fender-mounted spare tires with locking hard covers and top-mounted mirrors, reverse-hinged rear doors, running boards with broad rubber step plates, distinctive three-bar fender accents, chrome bumpers and bullet-style headlamps, along with color-keyed steel wheels, Cadillac-scripted chrome hubcaps and period-style whitewall tires. Accompanied by two photo books, a yellow California license plate and assorted spare parts, this exceptionally rare V-16 combines magnificent Fleetwood formal coachwork, remarkable scarcity and the glamour of documented Mae West provenance.