06/20/2026
The 1937 Cadillac Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet stretches nearly twenty-two feet in length on a 154-inch wheelbase, making it one of the longest prewar American automobiles ever built.
It was commissioned in late 1936 by Swiss paper-mill heir Philippe Barraud, who purchased a bare Series 90 V16 chassis through the Edelweiss Garage in Lausanne and commissioned custom bodywork from Carrosserie W***y Hartmann, located near his residence.
Barraud’s design inspiration came from the elegant Figoni et Falaschi Delahaye displayed at the 1936 Paris Salon. The finished car featured flowing pontoon-style fenders, an extended sculpted hood, fully enclosed wheel skirts, and a gently sloping rear deck. It was originally painted off-white with an orange accent stripe along the body.
Power came from Cadillac’s final-year overhead-valve V16 engine, a 452 cubic-inch unit engineered by Owen Nacker. The engine used a 45-degree V configuration and produced around 185 horsepower. It was paired with a three-speed synchromesh transmission and Cadillac’s first hydraulic drum braking system, moving a vehicle that weighed over 6,000 pounds.
For 1937, Cadillac produced only fifty Series 90 chassis, and just two were shipped without bodies for external coachbuilders. This example is one of those rare two.
