1930 Cadillac V-16 All-Weather Convertible Sedan by Murphy | RM Sotheby's | The Arizona Auction

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Arizona Auction event, 28 - 29 January 2027.
$1,000,000 - $1,500,000 USD

• A V-16 Cadillac with fascinating provenance, and the only known V-16 Cadillac custom-bodied by Murphy
• Purchased new by Charles S. Howard, Jr., son of Charles S. Howard, noted West Coast GM distributor, San Francisco-based Buick dealer, and owner of Ridgewood Ranch, the home of Seabiscuit
• Formerly of The Mozart Collection, The McMullen Collection, The Andrews Collection, and now offered from The Groendyke Collection
• Well-preserved restoration by Brian Joseph’s Classic & Exotic Service
• Multi-entrant at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, including a first in class victory
• A Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic

THE MAKING OF THE MURPHY-BODIED V-16

Charles S. Howard saw the promise of automobiles early on, and at just 28 years old secured a meeting in Detroit with Billy Durant, at the time the president of Buick. Durant, who years later formed General Motors, was impressed by the young Californian and offered him the Western states distributorship. In 1905 Howard opened his Buick dealership in San Francisco on Golden Gate Avenue, beginning a very successful automotive career. In 1913 he moved his operation to a 40,000-square-foot, four-story building on Van Ness at California Avenue, and by the 1920s he was referred to as “the world’s largest motorcar dealer.”

A Buick man through and through, Howard’s success in business afforded him many luxuries in life, including the acquisition of the famed Ridgewood Ranch in 1919. He transformed the property into a thoroughbred facility, and in August 1936 acquired his most famous horse, Seabiscuit, the grandson of Man o’ War—widely regarded as one of the best racehorses of all time, prior to Seabiscuit’s rise to fame. Seabiscuit went on to have an illustrious career of his own, famously beating the 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral by four lengths, and was voted horse of the year in 1938. Seabiscuit’s story was immortalized in a 2003 movie, in which Charles S. Howard is played by Jeff Bridges.

Unlike his father, Charles S. Howard’s oldest son, Charles Howard, Jr. was not a Buick man, preferring the upscale Cadillac. By 1930, Charles Jr. was in the market for what would be his fourth Cadillac, likely to the chagrin of his father, who supposedly would not allow Cadillacs on the family ranch. Amusingly, even with his high status with GM, Charles Sr. refused to help place the order, forcing Charles Jr. to make the 10-minute walk five blocks south to Don Lee’s Cadillac dealership to order his car on 25 March 1930.

Desiring custom coachwork, Charles Jr. was unable to simply buy a chassis with radiator and running gear from Cadillac, as was common across the industry when a client wanted a non-factory body. Cadillac instead required all buyers to specify a full car when ordering, likely to help increase revenue to support the company during the Depression. Accordingly, Charles Jr. selected the cheapest body style, a Fleetwood roadster, finished in a unique color combination for the period of Clare Purple and Blue Grey with an Ivory White body stripe and specified with six wire wheels. The car was completed and shipped to California on 17 April 1930.

The Howards had commissioned custom cars in the past, with the family having turned to the Pasadena-based coachbuilder, Walter M. Murphy, on more than one occasion. Murphy, famous for completing coachwork for a number of Duesenbergs, was thus a logical choice for Charles Jr., who selected an All-Weather Convertible Sedan body style from the firm’s impressive catalogue. This was a design by Franklin Q. Hershey, particularly noted for his work on period Duesenberg Model J bodies.

The All-Weather Convertible featured roll-up windows in all four doors ,with quarter windows at the very back that could be unbuttoned and removed. The front windshield featured a sporty rake, a look carried over for the passenger cowl windshield; the latter could be rolled up or down depending on the rear passenger’s wind tolerance. The car’s fenders were completed in steel, while the body and hood were made of lightweight aluminum. This was a car with presence with the top up or down, with all windows retreating neatly into their doors and the top folding nearly flush with the car’s natural beltline.

Charles Jr. took delivery of his new Murphy-bodied V-16 finished in the tasteful shade of Algonquin Green—ironically, a 1930 Buick color option from DuPont. He would go on to own the car through the war years, and even after. A period photo of the Cadillac in Mendocino County depicts the car still in its original Algonquin Green livery, likely taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s, possibly while still under Charles Jr.’s ownership.

AFTER THE HOWARD YEARS

In the 1950s the Cadillac was acquired by Dr. Robert N. Craycroft of Los Angeles, California. An early collector and active racer, it is possible that he acquired the car directly from Charles Howard, Jr., as he too was a racing enthusiast at that time. Around 1959, Dr. Craycroft sold the car to his friend Bob Gillespie.

In 1961 a Cadillac enthusiast by the name of Norman Taunton bought this Cadillac while on his honeymoon, returning home, as he later related, “with two loves.” Mr. Taunton wrote of his acquisition in a 1962 issue of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club’s magazine, The Self-Starter. He repainted the car in its correct Algonquin Green but otherwise preserved it as-acquired, including its original red leather upholstery and hand-hammered trim hardware, as well as the speedometer and clock supplied by Murphy for rear seat passengers.

By the late 1960s the Cadillac was part of the Brucker Family Collection, noted for displaying Hollywood movie cars, hot rods, Kustom Kulture cars, and even airplanes in their Movie World – Cars of the Stars museum in Buena Park, California. Approximately a decade later it was sold to Don Westerdale of Los Angeles, who commissioned the car’s first restoration. In 1985 Mr. Westerdale sold it to renowned collector John Mozart. It would subsequently pass through Jim King of Beverly, Massachusetts before joining the collection of John McMullen of Lapeer, Michigan in 1994.

McMullen entrusted his V-16 Murphy-bodied Cadillac to the pre-war experts at Brian Joseph’s Classic & Exotic Service of Troy, Michigan, for a second restoration. Following its completion, the car went on to win its class at Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance in 1996 and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1997. It later won Best of Show at 2003 Bay Harbor Concours d’Elegance.

In June 2007 RM Auctions famously offered The McMullen Collection, from which this Murphy-bodied Cadillac was acquired by the late Paul Andrews of White Settlement, Texas. The car was prominently placed at the center of The Andrews Collection’s Cadillac room with a Cadillac neon script on the wall behind it. The car remained a part of that collection for the next eight years.

In May 2015, RM Auctions proudly offered The Andrews Collection, at which time this car was acquired by John Groendyke, a noted connoisseur of the Cadillac V-16. Just months later Mr. Groendyke showed the car for the first time under his ownership at the 2015 Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s, where it was awarded the David R. Holls Memorial Trophy for Designer’s Choice. In April of 2017 Mr. Groendyke commissioned Dan Kirkpatrick to reupholster the interior in Glazed Berry Garrett Leather with Dark Red Wilton IV carpets. In 2018 the Cadillac won Best of Show Prewar at the San Marino Classic in Southern California. Its final showing under John Groendyke’s ownership came at 2025 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Now proudly offered from The Groendyke Collection, this Cadillac features a beautifully preserved restoration, matching the elite standard for which his cars are known.

With its mighty V-16, Cadillac aimed squarely at its luxury rivals. This All-Weather Convertible Sedan offers a compelling contrast to Duesenberg in particular: It not only boasts double the cylinders of the vaunted Model J, but it was ordered with stunning bodywork by Murphy—a coachbuilder so closely associated with Duesenberg chassis—to utterly spectacular effect.

A true thoroughbred that stood furlongs ahead of the rest upon its delivery to Charles Howard, Jr., this is a grand classic Cadillac that has for years been cherished by an impressive roster of discerning collectors. Its fascinating provenance and stunning style would make an excellent addition to any discerning stable. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/az27/.