Cadillac V-12 series 80/85 – Origin

The Cadillac V-12 series 80/85 is a vehicle produced by Cadillac from its model year of 1936 through 1937. The development of the Cadillac V-12 can be traced as far back as the mid to late 1920s as a lot of car manufacturers set out to produce multi cylinder engines. In that light, Cadillac started to work on two multi cylinder engines, the V-12 and V-16. Both the Cadillac V-16 and V-12 engines were designed by Owen Nacker and they had similarities in their equipment as well as other parts.

Cadillac V-12 series 80/85 – Overview

 In 1936, the Cadillac V-12 was renamed the 80 and 85 Series. The models had a wheelbase of 131″ and 138″ respectively. The V-12s were now designed with Fleetwood bodies and had Turret Tops. A total of 901 V-12 series 80 were sold that year. Production of the Series 80 was stopped in 1937, leaving only the Series 85 with a long wheelbase. The introduction of an oil-bath air cleaner and a pressure radiator cap were the only major technical improvements.

Further Advances

There were later improvements on the Cadillac V-12 as Cadillac had an overhead cam V-12 slated for development in the late 1960s which was part of the General Motors V-Future design. The program led to a fiberglass mockup of a V-12 driven Eldorado coupe that remained secret until an article was published in 1984 in Special Interest Automobiles.

In the late 1980s, news of recent V-12 technologies reappeared. In 1989, Cadillac revealed a fully functional Cadillac Solitaire concept, fitted with a 6.6-liter DOHC 48-valve V-12 with multiport fuel injection developed by Lotus. A Northstar-powered V-12 was used in the 2001 Cadillac Cien concept car and tested by Cadillac engineers as a slightly improved Cadillac Escalade engine. The 2007 AutoWeek article reported that the V-12 in the design process was to be based on the High Feature V6.

A Northstar-powered V-12 was used in the 2001 Cadillac Cien concept car and tested by Cadillac engineers as a slightly improved Cadillac Escalade engine. The 2007 AutoWeek article reported that the V-12 in the design process was to be based on the High Feature V6.

Cadillac V-12 series 80/85 – Production

In the two years that the car was produced, a total of 1379 vehicles were manufactured with more than half being built in its first year. Sales reduced as there were only 478 sales and at the end of 1937, and the series 85 was ended.

Cadillac V-12 series 80/85 – Price Range

The Cadillac V-12 series are very rare in today’s market, and prices range from $50,000 to as high as $400,000 depending on the condition of the vehicle and the model.

That’s all folks, if you have enjoyed the article, it’ll be greatly appreciated if you share it, and stay tuned for another classic car articles.