100 Points V16 Cadillac or the Phantom of a mystery princess?

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We found another great back-to-back comparison for you with our friends from Worldwide Auctioneers. They will be selling this duo on 22-23 April in Auburn, Indiana. Both are top-of-the-line prestige motors from 1930 and both were owned by the privileged of the time — one an American self-made millionaire, the other an Italian princess, or so it is believed.

1930 Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Roadster

The millionaire in question was Atwater Kent, whose fortune was born out of the invention of the ignition coil. He kept his Cadillac Series 452 V-16 Roadster, a model that had just been introduced, at his Bel Air mansion until 1941. Five more owners followed before a painstaking restoration was carried out, making the car a multiple concours winner with over 50 wins at Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este and the 21-Gun Salute in India, to name just the more prestigious ones. The well-documented history accompanying the car may have helped here, too, as well as the fitment of various rare and original accessories and its original tools. But if we are to believe the auctioneer, it’s superior in many other ways. To quote the sales blurb: "Regardless of body style fitted, it was a clear statement that this was no ordinary automobile and no ordinary owner." And: "The quality of the restoration is so superior that it has been awarded ‘Best of Show’ and 100 points numerous times."

1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Imperial False Cabriolet

Can that be topped? Well, perhaps it can. Although different in many ways, could a Rolls-Royce Phantom of the first series be called the Cadillac’s European counterpart? Hang on, this 1930 example was bodied by Hibbard & Darrin as an Imperial False Cabriolet on a Springfield, Massachusetts-built chassis, with the slightly shorter wheelbase and four-speed gearbox. Oddly, perhaps, the original owner is believed to have been an Italian princess named Signora Pageteli. She seems to be unknown to the world wide web and no more than just that appears to be known about her from the car’s paperwork. So further investigation would be much welcomed here. The fact is that the car was in the US by 1970, when and where it was restored. "Today, this very special Rolls-Royce Phantom I presents very nicely for the age of the restoration", or so the seller states. Perhaps not the 100 points of the Cadillac, but most certainly an intriguing automobile, which may hide more of an interesting history, too. Which one would you prefer?

Words Jeroen Booij. Pictures Worldwide Auctioneers.

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