Yat Ming 1938 Cadillac V-16 Presidential Limo

For all the waste that’s attributed to the U. S. Government, they sure hang onto presidential limos for awhile. The 1938 Cadillac V-16 served three Presidents—Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. After all, why shouldn’t the leader of the most powerful country in the world ride in style? And, who said that ride had to be the current year’s model? Class is class, and the Caddy V-16 was a statement in that direction.

With this model from Yat Ming, I was immediately impressed with the gleaming, glossy black finish. Wow, did it sparkle! The image is also mounted on a plastic (but good looking) base, with a nametag emblazoned with the words: “Presidential Series – 1938 Cadillac V-16 – Road Signature.” I can’t help wondering why they didn’t provide a cover.

The features include: two folding jump seats, an opening compartment that has two rifles (M-1 Garands?) and a telephone. (Man, that must have cost a bundle, given the state of the art in mobile phones of the day!) The seats (other than the jump seats) are of soft vinyl. The interior detail’s a bit crude and oversized but acceptable at the price. The undercarriage detail, once I removed the model from the base, is also not bad.

The interior floors, along with the trunk, include “carpeting.” The engine details are so minimal, one wonders why the hood is made to open (customizers, get cracking!). Included in the box are two flags to insert in the front bumper mounts—Old Glory (with the correct number of 48 stars) and the Presidential Seal flag.

The exterior detail is where this image succeeds. Aside from the great-looking paint job, the chrome’s nicely scaled, and the lights have clear lenses (less 2 of the taillights)—not just paint. Surprisingly, the three chrome accents on each fender are separate 3-D parts, not painted. Even the wheels, whitewalls with full hubcaps (with Caddy emblems) and contrasting painted rims that match the interior color, look sharp. Two tailpipes, with visible mounting clamps, reside beneath the rear bumper. You might wish to add a dab of black paint to the ends, for realism.

If you think your collection (I did) needs a presidential limo, this ain’t a bad start.

-Tom Pine