Cadillac V16 engine

The Cadillac V16 engine is the name given to two different sixteen-cylinder petrol engines that Cadillac designed for the most luxurious cars it sold. The first, a 45-degree overhead-valve design of 452 cubic inches or 7.4 litres, was built from 1930 to 1937 and was in effect two straight-eight engines sharing one crankshaft and an aluminium crankcase, with a separate carburettor for each bank, a counterweighted crankshaft and hydraulic lash adjusters. It was first rated at 165 brake horsepower, and 3,878 of these Series 452 engines were made. The second, built from 1938 to 1940, was a side-valve design of 431 cubic inches or 7.1 litres with a very wide 135-degree vee, which made the engine lower and simpler while producing as much power. Cadillac also derived a V12 from the first design. Cadillac made two of the only four production petrol V16 engines in history, and later attempts to revive the idea in the 1980s and in 2003 never reached production.