Back to back: Marmon Sixteen or Caddy V-16?

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RM Sotheby’s gets busy getting busy in 2021, with its first grand sale in Arizona on the 22nd of January. With lots of desirable motors to choose from, we pick out only two though, but they are both ever so attractive dating back to 1932, in as-new condition and – foremost - with their sixteen cylinder engines.

1932 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Coupe by Fisher

The Cadillac is a V-16 Convertible Coupe with a flamboyant body by Fisher. Fourteen are believed to have been built, with just 4 known to survive today. Sold new through a dealership in Brooklyn, New York, early traces of the car remain unknown, but the known history goes back 62 years never the less, since it was rediscovered in 1959. The car was found in a sawmill in Minnesota at the time, with the discoverer needing another six years to persuade the owner to sell it to him. He never got to restore the Cadillac though, and a next owner kept it in its original order. His son recalled: “It retained much of its original paint and was so original that it was a good reference point for other cars.” A new owner decided to do things differently in the early 1990s, though. The Convertible Coupe underwent a full and thorough restoration. We don’t know what the original colour was, but since the blurb mentions: “He chose the period Cadillac color of Bottle Green, with a rich tan leather interior and khaki cloth top”, we think it may have been something else? It won Best in Class at the 1995 Pebble Beach concours never the less and seems to have lost none of its beauty since.

1932 Marmon Sixteen Five-Passenger Sedan By LeBaron

Hard to beat? Perhaps a Marmon Sixteen could do that. RM offers a 5-Passenger Sedan bodied by LeBaron in the same sale, which may be less extravagant in style but least as attractive in the mechanical and rarity department. Again, there is no mention of its earliest days, but the history of this car goes back to 1961, when it was offered for sale as a project car in Ohio. One very active Marmon-enthusiast became the new owner, restored it, kept it for years and even entered it in the Rallye de Monte Carlo of 1974! After he passed away in 1986 the car came in the hands of another real enthusiast, who drove it at the Minneapolis Motor Speedway in 1993 and kept it until 2014. The next, and current, the owner started a full restoration next and didn’t take half measures. New pistons, heads, valve train, camshaft, and bearings, rebuilt transmission and all the brightwork was re-chromed. Like the Cadillac, it still looks superb with an engine room you could eat from. Your choice..?

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.

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