Cadillac History (1930 V16)

TheV16 (series 452 and 452-A) is one of the most desirable Caddies today for a number of reasons, but most of all because of the shape, style, and obvious quality.

Although full-custom bodies were built by Fleetwood, Murphy, Waterhouse, Saoutchik, Vanden Plas, Pinin Farina, and others; most were “catalog customs” by Fleetwood. A few cars had Fisher bodies. Only about one fifth were open or convertible. Two-thirds were five or seven passenger sedans or Imperials. The rest were Coupes or Town Cars.

Click to supersize
1930 Cadillac V-16

More than 50 body styles were offered, but the list consists of only a few basic shells with several variations each: metal or leather quarters, with or without quarter windows, fixed or collapsible (Landau) quarters, with or without Imperial division, straight or coach sill, plain or recessed hood/cowl, etc.

With few exceptions, the “41” styles had plain hood and straight sill, the “42” styles had plain hood and coach sill, and the “43” styles had recessed hood/cowl and straight sill.

Windshield treatment varied from vertical Vee to 22 degree sloping as follows:

The sobriquet “Madame X” (with an “e”) is not prominent, if it appears at all, in Cadillac promotional literature. Perhaps the only place Cadillac printed it is in body styling listings found in various parts lists, as early as March, 1930. The term is associated with job/style numbers 4130, 4155, 4161, 4175, in plain, -S, -C, or -SC variations. In later parts lists, job number 4476 is listed as having a “Madame X” windshield.

“Madame X” refers to a large 1884 “portrait by John Singer Sargent of a young socialite named Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau. She was an American expatriate who married a French banker. She became notorious in Parisian high society for her beauty and rumored infidelities.” The painting was risqué for its time because of the plunging (i.e., revealing) neckline. The term as used on the Cadillac was applied to the “41” series bodies built in Detroit because it had an 18 degree flat, crank-up (V-V) windshield which “revealed” the occupants of the car. Possibly the term was used for this car because it was as big and bold as the painting of Madame X which was 2083mm tall and 1092mm wide. [Thanks Tom Kelly for the initial reference to the painting and your quote.]

It is unlikely that the Pennsylvania version with vertical Vee swing-out windshields were thought of as “Madame X” bodies. Job/style number 4276, being style 4476 with coach sill, also has a “Madame X” windshield.

Chrome plated window reveals were used on “41” bodies but were not unique to those styles. Although early body specs listed chrome plated reveals, July 1930 body specs listed painted reveals on “41” bodies. Painted window reveals on “Madame X” bodies are probably as rare as the “standard” rear-mounted spare tire.

In simplest terms, 1930-31 Fleetwood four door bodies with 18 degree windshield, mounted on Cadillac V-16 chassis are “Madame X”; and two Coupe body styles have the “Madame X” windshield.

Body details unique to the V-16 or introduced with the V-16 and seen on the full 1931 line include: Single bar bumpers, dual horns, concave monogram bar, radiator screen. 330mm Guide “Tiltray” headlights, dual rear lights matching the headlights, triple molding on dust shield panels of straight sill styles, five doors in the hood, single matching door in the side of the cowl, and none, one, or two rectangular vent doors in the top of the cowl. Most bodies with recessed hood/cowl had one triangular door in the top of the cowl.