Custom 1937 Cadillac V-16 Hartmann Cabriolet

Custom 1937 Cadillac V-16 Hartmann Cabriolet - photographed at the Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville, California.

Custom 1937 Cadillac V-16 Hartmann Cabriolet - Click Photo(s)for Larger Image

Cadillac released only two V-16 chassis to independent coachbuilders in 1937. One was sold to Phillippe Barraud, a wealthy young playboy living along the fashionable Swiss Riviera on the shores of lake Geneva. Barraud commissioned Willy Hartmann, a body shop owner in Lausanne, "to create a look similar to a Figoni et Falaschi-designed car" on this huge chassis.

Basic stock Cadillac components were used on this streamlined, hand-formed fantasy, which is one of the largest cabriolets ever built. Initially there was some doubt whether it could be registered in Switzerland as a private car due to the 22-foot overall length.

Barraud drove his car to all the fashionable haunts where it caused a sensation as it continues to do today.

Manufacturer: Cadillac Motor Car Company, Detroit, Michigan
Coachbuilder: Carrosserie Hartmann, Lausanne, Switzerland

Specifications

Engine: V-16, OHV
Bore/Stroke: 3"/4"
Displacement: 452-cid
Horsepower: 185 @ 3800 rpm

Photo By: Douglas Wilkinson
Date: June, 2005
Location: Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville, California
Copyright: 2005 © Douglas Wilkinson - All rights reserved