For eleven years prior to World War II, Cadillac defied the norms of practicality and produced an extravagant supercar, a 16-cylinder luxury automobile that could be tailored to the customer's every want. Big, thirsty and lavish, it cemented Cadillac's place in the top tier of motoring magnificence. Each of the cars has its own colorful and fascinating story to tell. Driven by a life-long love of the V-16 and an interest in the history of his own car, the author has assembled more than 65 of these tales, gleaned from interviews, books, periodicals and documents, into a liberally illustrated book. Each story is shaped by the people a particular car touched, and the events they lived through together. All are an important part of our automotive and cultural history.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Introduction delete 1  1. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi  2. Kiwi Cadillac  3. A Ghost Appears Briefly  4. Ferdinand, the Gentle Bull  5. A Veteran Driver  6. Frozen in Time  7. Bound for Spain  8. Message in a Bottle  9. Destination Czech Republic 10. A Somewhat Shopworn Showgirl 11. A Surviving Twin 12. From Parts Car to Show Car 13. A Hybrid of a Different Sort 14. Dealer Demo Special? 15. A Tattered Town Car 16. A Very Clever Car 17. A West Coast Classic 18. The Head Chef’s Coach 19. California Dreamin’ 20. David Holtzman’s Car 21. A North Country Convertible 22. Brought Back from the Dead 23. Photographer’s Model 24. Raising Cane 25. Mysterious House Guest 26. The Banker and the Countess 27. Lone Star Legacy 28. Two for the Road 29. Old Red Between pages 116 and 117 are 12 color plates containing 22 images 30. Paul’s Phaeton 31. Senator Glass’s Limousine 32. Bull 33. Mogul Mobiles 34. A Million-Dollar Cadillac 35. Rollston Convertible Coupe 36. Chariots for the Princes 37. The Baker’s Dozen 38. Charm City Convertible 39. A Coachbuilt Cadillac with a French Touch 40. Styled in Sweden 41. Restoration Interrupted 42. In the Land of the Rising Sun 43. Demolition Derby Veteran 44. A ­Latter-Day Hardtop Sedan 45. One-of-a-Kind Touring Car 46. We Just Take Care of Them 47. Dry Lakes Record Holder 48. Hot Rod Cadillac 49. The Carash Custom Roadster 50. A Chrysler Lion with the Heart of a Cadillac 51. A Visit with Cadillac Jim 52. Presidential Provenance 53. Old Money 54. A DuPont Convertible 55. Grace 56. Helen 57. A Very Long Sedan 58. Opposition Research 59. Let’s Make a Deal 60. Shiny, Streamlined and Sleek 61. 1938 Town Sedan 62. 1939 Limousine 63. And Power Everything 64. Dr. Brinkley’s Coupe 65. An Air Conditioned V-16 Limousine 66. The Last V-16 Epilogue delete 253 Chapter Notes delete 255 Bibliography delete 257 Index delete 259