The 1920s were a time of great economic growth in the United States and, because of this, by the late 1920s many American automakers were preparing new, ultra-luxury cars. It was during this time that Cadillac, one of the finest automotive makes in the world, released the first V16 engine. It was a jaw-dropping advancement in automotive technology and led to others soon jumping on the V16 bandwagon.

The beginnings of Cadillac

In 1902, the Cadillac Automobile Company was formed by Henry Leland. The company was named for Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac, the French explorer who founded Detroit in the 1700s and was one of Leland’s distant relatives.
Early models were basic and powered by a 10 HP, one-cylinder engine, similar to Ford’s earliest models. Thanks to Leland’s background as an engineer and machinist, the early Cadillacs were built with a level of precision that was uncommon. It was Leland who introduced the concept of “interchangeable parts” to the car business, a breakthrough in a time where much automobile construction akin to artisan crafting.

The early luxury market

By the 1920s, Cadillac was a well-known maker of automobiles and began to move into the American luxury market. There were several luxury car companies at the time, but the standard-setter was Packard. The management at Cadillac decided that they wanted to compete with Packard in the luxury car business.

Origins of the V-16

In 1926, Cadillac hired Owen Nacker, previously a senior engineer at the Marmon Motor Car Company, as the new head of engine development. His first task was to head up a design group that would produce the world’s first V-16 engine. And do so in total secrecy. As a cover, the engine was promoted as a V-12, not a V-16, even within Cadillac. As a result, very few people knew about this engine.

The grand entrance

After nearly four years of clandestine development, on December 10th, 1929, Larry Fisher (Cadillac’s president,) shocked their dealers declaring that certain Cadillacs would be available with a newly designed V-16 engine. Most dealers couldn’t believe it and placed orders for as many as they could afford.

The V16 continued to be popular for another decade but was discontinued when advances in V8 technology made it an overly expensive option.

Chrysler’s turn

Now that the concept had been proven, Chrysler started work on their first V-16 engine in 1941. The application wasn’t for automobiles, however. Because of the storm clouds of war forming in Europe, the engine was being designed for high-performance aircraft.

The Chrysler V16 development took almost four years. It was enormous, a full 122 inches long and weighed a whopping 2430 lbs dry. Prototypes were installed in several P-47 aircraft and tested with excellent results.

Unfortunately, the Chrysler V16 never saw full production according to Kindle Autoplaza of Cape May Court House, a local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealer in Cape May Court House, NJ. A new technology was being developed: the jet engine. The power to weight ratio of jet engines was so superior that internal combustion engines was quickly pushed to the side in most military applications.