Throughout the 1930's, most American auto manufacturers were in a race to see who could cram more large cylinders under the hoods of their beautifully sculpted offerings. In the mind of the average consumer, more was better, and the V-12 and V-16 engines quickly became the pinnacle offerings for most manufacturers. While the large multi-cylinder engines would be the showpieces, it was the venerable V-8 that would prove to be the engine that powered the bulk of cars coming off the line at Cadillac and the engine that undoubtedly kept the sales figures up and the lights on at the factory.

Cadillac introduced their L-head V-8 to the world in 1915 but the engine fell prey to the same issues that plagued most early V-8's, the biggest of which was the excessive vibration caused by the motor. 1923 saw a basic redesign of the engine and the introduction of a new split crankshaft with 90-degree offset. This effectively solved the problem of excessive vibration and set GM and Cadillac at the forefront of innovation through the late 1920's. 1928 saw a slight redesign of the engine, bumping displacement to 341 cubic inches, but more important was the introduction of the synchromesh gearbox, making for silky smooth shifting. From 1930-1935, Cadillac once again increased the displacement of the L-head V-8 to 353 cubic inches. This is the engine that would power both the 353 series and the 355 series. The combination of the smooth running V-8 and the slick synchromesh gearbox made the 353 series Cadillacs one of the smoothest driving vehicles to come out of the 1930's. The 353 series remains very usable even in today's world of modern traffic, with good power, smooth shifting, and solid road manners.