Automobile Cadillac V-16 Roadster 1930 in vendita

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To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Arizona Auction event, 28 - 29 January 2027.
$850,000 - $1,050,000 USD

A very rare V-16 with fascinating ownership
Beautiful older restoration in a charming color combination
Formerly of The Frank and Milli Ricciardelli Collection, and a prominent fixture of The Groendyke Collection since 2015
Past showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Boasts past AACA and CCCA awards
A Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic

In January 1930, Cadillac surprised the automotive industry with the unveiling of their revolutionary V-16 at the New York International Auto Show, held at the Grand Central Palace. Developed in secrecy by Chief Engineer Owen Nacker, Cadillac’s new 452-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) overhead-valve V-16 boasted 175 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, allowing the cars to reach speeds of 80 to 100 mph depending on the coachwork. At the time of its debut, it was the world’s only 16-cylinder passenger car engine in production, and only Marmon and Peerless would attempt to challenge Cadillac’s V-16 engineering supremacy in the decade that followed.

While buyers could choose from an extensive portfolio of Fleetwood bodies, none offered the distinct advantages of style number 4302, the two-passenger roadster. As the lightest factory body option, the roadster was able to fully maximize the Cadillac V-16 experience. Happily, this was also the least expensive body style in the catalogue, though affordability in this case was relative.

In period, the Fleetwood roadsters were held in the same high esteem by Cadillac devotees as the famous Murphy “disappearing top” convertibles were by Duesenberg enthusiasts. Cadillac produced about 100 examples of style 4302 across 1930 and 1931, ensuring they remain just as rare and highly coveted today as they were when new. Only 10 original factory V-16 Roadsters from that period are known to have survived to the present.

A GRADUATION GIFT

This 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster by Fleetwood left the factory finished in black with an apple green pinstripe and spokes, with the interior trimmed in black leather, and a beige cloth convertible top. It was specified with wire wheels, dual fender-mounted spares, and a 4.07:1 rear axle ratio. Upon completion it was shipped to Cadillac’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania branch located on Shackamaxon Street.

The Cadillac was purchased new in the late spring for Rayford Weinstein by his parents, Harry and Yetta, as a high school graduation gift. While thrilled with the generous gift from his parents, Rayford would sometimes joke his parents loved his older brother more, as he had received a Murphy-bodied Duesenberg. Throughout his life Rayford cherished his Cadillac, showing it and participating in local parades. The car followed him throughout his career as a doctor, and even into retirement in North Carolina.

In 1969 William Meffert, then a graduate student at the University of Virginia, was working part-time for early automobile restorer Dick Terhune. Meffert was returning from a trip to South Carolina, where Mr. Terhune had sent him to pick up an Anderson automobile, when he made the acquaintance of James “Red” Huggins at a Gulf station in Fairmont, North Carolina. Huggins, intrigued that people were restoring old cars as a business, revealed that he knew where an old Cadillac convertible was in town.

Meffert followed Huggins to a house where a 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster—this car—was stored in a garage, appearing in original condition and displaying 18,000 miles, albeit with a bent front fender and axle on the passenger side. Meffert met with Dr. Weinstein, who reminisced about his cherished Cadillac and, seeing Meffert’s enthusiasm, offered to sell him the car for $5,000. After a loan from his father and the sale of another car, Willy Meffert was able to acquire the Cadillac. He quickly replaced the damaged fender and axle with correct original components sourced from another chassis and began enjoying his very own V-16.

In 1971 Meffert was starting a business and decided to sell the Cadillac to his friend Bobby McGowan of Brandford, Connecticut. Two years later, it was acquired by Gifford Osborne of New Jersey. Mr. Osborne was a renowned V-16 enthusiast and would go on to own the Cadillac until his passing in 1986. Robert Rich of Pennsylvania subsequently bought the car and sold it to a prominent New Jersey collector.

TO RESTORATION, AND THE SHOW FIELD

That collector was J. Frank Ricciardelli of Monmouth Beach. Frank and Milli Ricciardelli commissioned a full restoration of the Cadillac, and at its debut showing, the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it won a class award. At the 2002 CCCA Annual Meeting it achieved a Primary First Place with a perfect 100-point score. At Hershey 2003 it earned an AACA National First Prize, in addition to a Senior First Place at the CCCA competition in 2003, once again with a perfect 100-point score. In 2006, it served as the poster car for the Concours d’Elegance of the Eastern United States. Its next showing came at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, where it received a trio of awards including Best in Class, Most Elegant Cadillac, and the Barry Meguiar Award for Best Finish.

John Groendyke, long known for his unparalleled collection of Cadillac V-16s, had hunted for years for the perfect roadster, and in 2015 he acquired this Cadillac from the Ricciardellis. Its first showing under Mr. Groendyke’s ownership came in 2017 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. In 2019, at the 41st annual Concours d’Elegance of America at the Inn at St. John’s, Mr. Groendyke was honored as Collector of the Year. There he proudly displayed six of his Cadillacs, including this 1930 V-16 Roadster.

Boasting an exceptional ownership history along with an award-winning restoration, this magnificent Fleetwood roadster, from the Cadillac V-16’s first year, represents a rare opportunity to acquire a milestone of American automotive engineering. Few pre-war automobiles command this level of respect, ensuring it will always be received with absolute reverence wherever it is shown.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/az27/.