To
Be
OFFERED
AT
AUCTION
at
RM
Sothebys'
Arizona
event,
22
January
2021.
Estimate:$750,000
-
$850,000
One
of
just
14
examples
built
and
four
known
survivorsAccompanied
by
a
copy
of
its
original
build
sheet,
including
an
options
sheetOriginal
chassis,
engine,
and
coachwork;
well-known
historyMeticulously
maintained
restoration
by
the
great
Fran
RoxasFormer
Pebble
Beach
Concours
d'Elegance
Best
in
Class
winnerClassic
Car
Club
of
America
(CCCA)
Full
Classic
This
striking
Cadillac
was
one
of
just
fourteen
examples
of
the
highly
sporting
Convertible
Coupe
by
Fisher
delivered
on
the
1932
V-16
chassis,
only
four
of
which
are
known
to
have
survived.
Its
build
sheet
records
its
original
delivery
with
stainless
steel
wire
wheels
and
a
single
rear-mounted
spare;
a
second
page
of
additional
options
includes
the
Heron
radiator
mascot
still
present.
Delivery
was
made
to
a
dealer
in
Brooklyn,
New
York.In
1959
the
Cadillac
was
discovered
in
a
sawmill
on
an
American
Indian
reservation
in
Northern
Minnesota
by
early
Full
Classic
enthusiast
Elmer
O.
Franzen
of
Minneapolis.
As
he
recounted
in
the
February
1966
issue
of
the
Cadillac-LaSalle
Club's
The
Self-Starter,
"For
four
years,
the
cajoling,
wheedling,
pleading,
coaxing,
in
fact
everything
short
of
blackmail,
continued
with
no
success
as
far
as
closing
a
deal
was
concerned."
His
persistence
had
paid
off,
however,
and
in
late
1965,
"the
fellow
decided
to
sell
just
to
get
rid
of
me."
Photographs
of
the
car
as-found,
published
in
The
Self-Starter,
testify
to
its
solid
and
intact
overall
condition,
as
well
as
to
its
presentation
with
its
rear-mounted
spare.
Significantly,
the
article
also
identifies
the
Cadillac
clearly
by
both
engine
and
body
numbers.
Mr.
Franzen
noted
that
all
of
the
exterior
trim
remained
with
the
car.Mr.
Franzen
further
commented
that
he
intended
to
begin
work
on
the
car
once
he
had
concluded
some
earlier
projects.
However,
little
work
was
completed
before
the
car
(and
a
second
1932
V-16)
were
transacted
in
the
late
1960s
to
fellow
collector
Wayne
Merriman
of
Shawnee,
Kansas,
in
a
trade
for
three
or
four
other
automobiles.
Mr.
Merriman's
son
recently
recalled
that
his
father
had
pursued
the
car
for
years
before
finally
buying
it,
and
that
it
retained
much
of
its
original
paint
and
"was
so
original
that
it
was
a
good
reference
point
for
other
cars."
It
remained
untouched
in
the
collection
until
the
early
1990s,
when
it
was
sold
to
avid
collector
Ronald
Benach
of
Lake
Forest,
Illinois.The
Cadillac
was
the
first
of
several
automobiles
to
be
restored
for
Mr.
Benach
by
the
great
Fran
Roxas;
the
scrupulous
restorer
first
took
numerous
detailed
photographs
of
the
car
upon-delivery,
confirming
its
fine
originality
and
intact
condition.
He
then
completed
a
painstaking
restoration
in
the
wonderful,
rich
period
Cadillac
color
of
Bottle
Green,
with
a
rich
tan
leather
interior
and
khaki
cloth
top,
and
the
original
rear-mounted
spare.In
1995
the
restored
V-16
appeared
in
the
"American
Classic
16
Cylinders
1930-1937"
class
at
the
prestigious
Pebble
Beach
Concours
d'Elegance,
and
was
judged
Best
in
Class.
It
would
return
to
Pebble
Beach
with
Mr.
Benach
in
2002,
this
time
as
an
exhibition-only
entrant.After
remaining
a
long-term
denizen
in
the
Benach
Collection,
as
what
Ron
Benach
describes
as
"the
first
to
enter
and
the
last
to
leave,"
the
car
was
acquired
in
2017
by
the
current
owner;
under
his
tenure,
the
Cadillac
has
enjoyed
the
superb
care
and
maintenance
typical
of
his
ownership.
Freshening
performed
under
his
ownership
has
included
a
rebuild
of
the
carburetors
and
new
porcelain
on
the
exhaust
manifolds.
In
2018
the
car
was
exhibited
at
the
Amelia
Island
Concours
d'Elegance,
where
it
received
the
Claude
Nolan
Cadillac
Award
for
the
Most
Elegant
Cadillac.This
is
inarguably
one
of
the
finest,
most
desirable
of
all
V-16
Cadillacs-a
striking,
landmark
acquisition
for
any
collection.To
view
this
car
and
others
currently
consigned
to
this
auction,
please
visit
the
RM
website
at