Cadillac’s Sweet Sixteen Concept

Introducing the star of “As the Standard of the World Turns”

 

The “Sweet Sixteen” is everything that makes a Cadillac…a Cadillac. Its long, low-slung architecture brings the future to the present. Unmistakably Cadillac in all aspects, the Sixteen Concept is most definitely what the traditional Cadillac buyer expects in an ultra-luxury sedan. It’s a new century, there exists a new breed of Cadillac buyer like myself that looks for more than superficial power…we want pure, unadulterated luxury out of a Cadillac. The Sixteen has a totally avant-garde design which combines unique styling cues that made Cadillac the number one choice in luxury automobiles. Introducing the eminent star of the show presenting a superlative encore performance…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”

 

The “Sweet Sixteen” is designed in class with the Rolls Royce Phantom and the Bentley Mulsanne. The Sixteen’s interior reflects the same elegance and levels of ultra-luxurious appointments, as a world-class luxury sedan should. With its exclusive all glass roof, passengers are ensconced within an ambience of elegance and a panoramic view. The dashboard houses Steuben crystal instruments and a BVLGARI clock.

When not in use, the front passenger seat converts to become the lower half of a full recliner for the right rear seat passenger. This posh interior of the Cadillac Sixteen seats four…and only four. The production version would have optional multi-media communication packages available to turn the Sixteen into an elite rolling board room for the executive who demands panache in his personal limousine.

The seats are upholstered with hand-stitched leather in a light cream color. Hand-woven silk carpet in a matching shade is luxuriously under foot. The warmth of genuine walnut burl veneer inlays grace the dash, door panels, and both front and rear center consoles. Sophisticated architectural mood lighting complements shapes, color, and texture in this 21st century ultra luxury sedan. The Cadillac Sixteen has “Retro-mod” character, it’s as classic as it is contemporary. Its timeless elegance will challenge the years.

Elegance used to be the Cadillac synonym. Being the largest sedan in the Cadillac Dynasty, the Sixteen is a distinct definition of rolling technology. It has the luxury length of 223.3” and a wide 81” stance reminiscent of the traditional Cadillac luxury sedans. This Cadillac moves its occupants with tremendous verve and élan…it is sixteen cylinders of formidable performance with unparalleled esteem.

This is seduction embodied as an elegant motorcar. The Cadillac Sixteen is the type of luxury one expects from the “Standard of the World.” It is most definitely the contemporary edition of the formidable “Standard of the World.” The Cadillac Sixteen celebrates the heritage of the automaker’s craft. It is more than a mere styling exercise, it is a fully operational testing launch pad of technology…Cadillac style-

The Cadillac Sixteen is still alive and remains a working concept. It looks as fresh and contemporary today as it did when it was created in 2003. According to former GM VP Robert Lutz, the Sixteen was to restore Cadillac to “The Standard of the World “ quality and craftsmanship. The Cadillac Sixteen is the crowning achievement of Wayne Cherry now retired GM chief designer.

The Sixteen would sell in excess of $300,000. It is hand-crafted in the same tradition as Cadillac’s first V16 engines of the 1930s. The car’s engineering is a combination of Cadillac’s Art & Science design theme and classic Cadillac styling cues. The Sixteen is the “Glamour car” missing from the Cadillac brand. That formidable Cadillac brute-force elegance is missing from the brand. Here is how impressive Cadillac was as the V16 brute, Cadillac’s very first V16-

1930 Cadillac V16 convertible sedan

The Cadillac V16 was also known as the Cadillac Sixteen and was also the brand’s Flagship. They were completely bespoke vehicles built at a highly restricted pace. This all-new vehicle attracted rave reviews from the press and instant adoration from enthusiasts around the globe. The majority of these magnificent motorcars were built in 1930 before The Great Depression. The Cadillac Sixteen was a Harley Earl design under the direction of Larry Fisher (Fisher brothers aka Fisher Body). Two generations of the fabulous V16s were built between 1930 and 1940. Only 4,076 cars were built making them highly collectible.

 

1930 Cadillac Series 452 V16 Sport Phaeton

1930 Cadillac Series 452 V16

The first generation known as Series 452 and Series 90 were built from 1930 until 1937. This Fleetwood-bodied Flagship was available in 10 basic body styles with an additional 30 artist’s renderings. Per the “Cadillac and LaSalle Club” there were 70 different body styles built by Fisher and Fleetwood on the Sixteen’s chassis.

1933 Cadillac V16 Convertible Phaeton by Fleetwood

Cadillac’s first V16 engine could be thought of as two straight-eights sharing a common crankshaft. Each bank of eight cylinders operated independently. It was very well-engineered with a counterweight crankshaft which was an amazing feat to accomplish back then. This sixteen-cylinder behemoth was equipped with overhead valves and hydraulic tappets. It used two single barrel carburetors, one dedicated to each bank of cylinders. The Series 452 CID V16 produced 165 bhp capable of speeds 80-100 mph depending upon the vehicle’s weight.

The Series 452 was built from 1930-1934. Series 90 produced 185 bhp and had displacement of 431 CID and was built from 1936 to 1937. Both V16 powerplants had 5-bearing crankshafts, wet sump lubrication, and water cooling. The first generation V16 Cadillac Sixteens because of their bespoke nature, varied in length and wheelbase. Cadillac has always been the leader when it came to power, presence, and prestige. A V16 Cadillac was an extremely classy automobile built for the well-heeled clientele. Cadillac earned the status of “Standard of the World” through engineering excellence.

1935 Cadillac V16 452D Imperial Phaeton

1938 V16 Sunshine Special for President Franklin D. Roosevelt

The second generation V16 was built from 1938 through 1940. The V16 Series 90 and V12 Series 80 and 85 were merged into Cadillac’s new “L” head V16. The new engine was equipped with twin fuel pumps and a 9-bearing camshaft. The engine was extremely quiet at cruising speeds as well as idle speeds. The “L” head had in-block valves. It was the same 431 CID as its predecessor producing the same 185 bhp.

The 1938-1940 Cadillac Sixteens had the swiftest acceleration of any automobile in the world at the time with improvement in fuel economy over the OHV V16 engines. The 1938-1940 was built on the D-body platform. They were 222” in length riding a long 141” wheelbase with a 77.6” width. For the 1938 model year only 315 were built with production ending for the 1940 model year in December 1939 building only 138 vehicles. Now you see where the modern-day Cadillac Sixteen gets its DNA…

1938-1940 Cadillac V16 TownCar

1941 Fleetwood Series Seventy-Five

 

 

1957 Eldorado Brougham handcrafted by Fleetwood

The “Sweet Sixteen” has a dramatic design hinting at traditional Fleetwood coachcrafting. The Cadillac Sixteen is without conjecture the quintessential Flagship. It continues the poised dignity that was the hallmark of every Cadillac. Automobile works of art such as the “Sweet Sixteen” will return Cadillac to “Standard of the World” status again only if cars like this emerge.

The beautiful Cadillac Sixteen rides on a long 140” limo-length wheelbase which adds to the vehicle’s silky smooth road manners. Its all-aluminum structure reduces the car’s unsprung weight making it light on its feet and very quick for its capacious demeanor. The Cadillac Sixteen is the first truly beautiful luxury sedan to appear since the death of the traditional Cadillac.

The dashing 21st century architecture’s lightweight design was achieved through an extensive use of aluminum for  many components and its overall structure. Its long hood and short rear deck augment the pillarless hardtop sedan design that made Cadillac so popular during the 1950s and 1960s. It is a modern interpretation of everything that made a Cadillac a Cadillac. Its head and tail lamps feature LED technology.

The strikingly beautiful dual paneled hood hinged with a single center spine is power operated displaying sixteen-cylinders of pure excitement. The engine bay is designed to be beautiful with the same attention to detail as the rest of the car. The Cadillac Sixteen’s outrageously luxurious styling includes an all-glass photosynthetic roof. It rides on 24” aluminum wheels and is front engine with rear drive. The Cadillac Sixteen is as formal as it is elegant…

The Cadillac Sixteen is powered by a 13.6 litre 830 CID 32-valve sixteen-cylinder engine in “V” configuration. The all-aluminum engine is light, powerful, and relatively simple in design. Technology from Cadillac allowed the engine to shut down eight cylinders under most driving situations. The “Displacement on Demand” XV16 powerplant offers the advantages of a pushrod engine. It has the flexibility of design and power output to keep it simple and inexpensive from engineering aspects, thus, making it powerful normally aspirated without turbos, superchargers, or Overhead Valves.

 

The XV16 has fewer parts than any DOHC V8 engine. This massive powerplant produces 1,000 hp @ 5,500 rpm packing the prolific punch with 1,355 Nm of peak torque @ 3,000 rpm. This engine is almost as powerful as the Bugatti Veyron V16 Grand Sport Vitesse with its 1,250 hp V16 engine. The engine is mated to GM’s electronically controlled 4L85-E 4-speed automatic transmission. Performance is estimated as 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-100 mph in 7.3 seconds with a top speed of 232 mph. It could do the ¼ mile @ 130 mph in 11.4 seconds.

The naturally aspirated V16 is equipped with sequential multiport electronic fuel injection. With its modulated displacement, Cadillac’s “Displacement on Demand” technology, it can be driven with V8 engine economy. This sophisticated “DoD” fuel saving technology allows the engine to run on 4, 8, or all 16 cylinders depending on the driving situation. The XV16 features Variable Camshaft Phasing and an enhanced combustion system for increased fuel economy, lower emissions, and greater power output.

 

 

 

Its svelte performance is due in no small part to its independent four-wheel suspension. The Sixteen’s wheels are anchored close to the ends of the vehicle to optimize handling characteristics under all driving conditions. “Heart-throbbing” performance disguised as a luxury sedan is the Cadillac Sixteen. It rides on large P265/40 R24 tires matched to 24” aluminum wheels. The limousine-length wheelbase of 140” smoothed the ride…remember the Cadillac magic carpet ride?

The Cadillac Sixteen is built on a lightweight high-strength aluminum-steel spaceframe with a Sigma-based high arm SLA suspension in the front and independent semi-trailing arms fitted to the rear. A “Short Long Arm” (SLA) suspension is a modified version of the traditional upper and lower control arm configuration. The upper arm or the “A” arm is shorter than the lower “L” arm.

The SLA is also known as an unequal length double wishbone suspension. Its four-bar link design is formed by the unequal arm lengths which changes the camber of the vehicle as it rolls keeping the contact patch square on the road. This also aids positively in cornering and reduces outer edge tire wear. SLA’s are short spindle; the upper ball joints on the spindle are inside the wheel, or long spindle, where the spindle tucks around the tire with the upper ball joint above the tire.

Further suspension enhancements include “Quadrasteer” the Sixteen’s unique four-wheel steering system that allows a tighter turning radius at lower speeds improving right turns and parking maneuvers. This sophisticated steering system enhances its maneuverability Cadillac-style. The Sixteen is a highly refined and superbly crafted Cadillac. It is also equipped with four-wheel ventilated power disc brakes featuring six-piston calipers and 16” rotors.

The Sixteen’s independent rear semi-trailing arms incorporate geometry designed to reduce wasted energy due to rear-end ‘squat’ or dive from the powerful V16 engine torque. Each wheel hub is located by large triangular arms pivoting at two points. This type of rear suspension set-up is less intrusive allowing a flatter floor for more trunk space.

The Cadillac Sixteen Concept exhibits exemplary fit and finish, precise engineering, with elegance and legendary luxury, all Cadillac-style. The “Sweet Sixteen” is everything that makes a Cadillac…a Cadillac. It combines classic and contemporary styling cues to create a timeless motorcar of unequaled stature. The Cadillac Sixteen is the quintessential Flagship. Its 13.6 litre 32-valve XV16 engine moved this personal limousine with aplomb. The Sixteen is exotic and spirited in performance. If seduction could be embodied as a four-door ultra-luxury sedan, this is it, and it is completely in character for this Cadillac of Cadillacs.

This is the way that the world views Cadillac: “The Standard of the World” and until Cadillac returns to this way of designing luxury sedans they will continue to lose market shares in the ultra-luxury car arena where Cadillac belongs… by right. The Cadillac Sixteen is the star of the show and a jewel in the crown of the brand. The next time you look at the Cadillac CTS and XTS…think Cadillac Sixteen…this is where they were initiated but neither can touch the formidable Cadillac Sixteen’s grace and stature. So you see, Cadillac can be quite the visionary in technology. Let’s give the “Sweet Sixteen” a standing ovation…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”

The “Sweet Sixteen”