Back in 2003 Cadillac came out with the Cadillac Sixteen, a concept car equipped with a huge 13.6L V16 meant to showcase Cadillac’s new-found mojo and to gauge the public’s reaction to the brand’s direction. The timing wasn’t right just yet, but in recent years we’ve had the Ciel and the Elmiraj leading up to the recently announced production CT6. Alas, none of them have a V16.
In another time, a V16 Cadillac was the right idea. Anxious to take the American luxury lead from Packard, Cadillac was the first American manufacturer to develop a sixteen-cylinder car. The 165-horsepower 452ci motor wasn’t high on power (compared to, let’s say, a Duesenberg), but it wasn’t short of smoothness. Offered with 10 body styles by Fleetwood and Fisher (plus others if you wanted an outside coach builder to handle the design), a V16 Cadillac was a true bespoke vehicle available in just about any color and any manner of personalization − all for a $6500 starting price. That’s about ten times more expensive than a Chevrolet.
While the time was right for Cadillac, the timing was for America was wrong due to the stock market crash of 1929. Initial V16 sales were quite good at over 3,000 through 1931, but afterwards sales fell drastically and, by swan-song 1940, production was in double digits.
The above 1931 Cadillac V16 is a permanent fixture of the GM Heritage Center.
Comments
This would b a Great Time for Cadillac to go Buc Wild, with Microprocessors that can fit on a tip of a pin, Cylinder Deactivation, Start Stop Tech and mated to a 10 Speed Transmission, I can see this going into the “Upper Flagship” from the CT6!!!! 😉
IMO, I would love to see a V16 with a dual hybrid mode type of technology. But I am happy that we are getting a CT6 and CT8/9 models so I am content with those models right now.
The V16 would have to wait and does not make good business sense to produce the V16 over a V12 engine first. Cadillac may consider a return of a V12 one day once Cadillac reestablish itself.
I do not see a V12 let alone a V16 in the future.
To be honest lets keep this real and we are just lucky they will do their own advanced V8 as it is.
The day Lamborghini stops making V12 cars is the day I eat my hat, big engines aren’t going anywhere, they’re just going to be relegated to less and less of daily driving duty with electric motors taking over that more and more.
If you boil the hat it taste better.
It will be a while but at some point there will be an end. Many of the Supercar makers are going to these new hybrid systems to extend the life of these big engines but there is a limit there too.
The small limited brands like Lambo can get away with it longer because they can leverage it out over several brands since they are owned by VW. That is what they do now with their V10 with Audi.
For a company like Cadillac to bring such an engine into production with no sharing or trading on any modular or sharing aspect is difficult to do.
It will not be cheap or easy doing their own V8 unless they have some partnership worked out but the odds are we will see a V8 with a Hybrid and Turbo chargers in the future making the same power as a V16 or V12.
Also factor in the difficulty of packaging a V16. Long hoods like the Sixteen look great in show cars but not so great when you are trying to get around town. VW did a W16 and it fits in a very small space.
While a neat and romantic idea for 16 cylinders the fact remains GM and Cadillac have a lot of more important things to deal with than an engine that really would not be anything more than a show piece.
Even Benz and BMW has cut back on their larger engines. Even Jag no longer makes a V12.
The day will come soon the only cars to have engines so large will be hybrids systems in cars nearing or over a Million dollars like a 918 and Laferrari.
That stupid CAFE Standards.
Not jus yet. Wait until Cadillac has reeestablished itself as the Premire Luxury brand in the world again. Then if they do it it should only be offered as a limited special hand built option at a Super Preminum price.
If Caddy went in this direction it should be for something similar to a Bugatti Galibier. Only build a few of them too, and no package levels ie. you buy the Sixteen and it only comes in one trim package, no plastics, no cheap engines. Unfortunately according to Top Gear VW doesn’t make any money on cars like the Veyron so GM executives would never allow it.
the should build a v16 sedan and Cien supercar with 750 to 850 hp to be a competitor to the la ferrari, 918 and p1. the v16 sedan, coupe and convertible will compete with the rolls royce ghost and bentley continental GT. put the engine in a chevy impala chevy Silverado SS, buick riviera, and GSX ,and make the impala it rear drive to keep cost down.
Sadly due to the CAFE Standards, it’s not gonna happen.