2011 Cadillac Cts-v on 2040-cars

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The CadMad shooting brake Eldorado Brougham-Nomad cross is up for auction

The CadMad custom 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham is the coolest car crossing the block at the Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction. All arguments to the contrary are wrong and can be redirected straight to the gallery above. This 16-year project built by Super Rides and commissioned by the late Steve Barton won the Don Ridler Memorial Award at the 2019 Detroit Autorama, which goes to the custom build that shows the best creativity, engineering and quality workmanship. All of those qualities are on full display in this Eldorado Brougham-Nomad mashup. Just so we’re all on the same page, a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was no normal Cadillac at the time. The sedanÂ’s exterior design is thanks to Pininfarina, as Cadillac had the Italian design company tweak its styling. It resulted in a much more subdued Cadillac than the rest of Caddy's giant fin-tastic designs of the decade. Only 200 were made over the course of a couple years, and they remain some of the rarest production Cadillacs to this day. The “Fawntana Rose” Cadillac standing before us is a shooting brake interpretation of that famous sedan. It has lost 18 inches in overall length, four inches in width and the rear doors have been completely eliminated. A Chevy Nomad roof was shortened by a couple inches and grafted onto the bodywork. The builders say that every last piece of sheet metal was modified for this build. Still, thereÂ’s still no mistaking it for a Cadillac. The chrome bumpers and lights were left mostly untouched, and the small fins were retained, as well. That Nomad roof was painted in Titanium Silver for contrast, the same silver thatÂ’s used on the new Ford GT. Things only improve when you open the hood. A 632-cubic-inch twin-turbo V8 built by Nelson Racing Engines (NRE) powers the shooting brake. Most of the time (on 91 octane fuel), it produces around 1,000 horsepower and 950 pound-feet of torque. Feed it 112 octane fuel and NRE claims itÂ’s capable of producing upwards of 2,500 horsepower. Yowza. A four-speed automatic transmission and strengthened Corvette transaxle somehow attempts to put the power down to the rear wheels. The seats are reflective of the amount of power this car puts down — 2012 Cadillac CTS-V buckets were used and modified with mauve-colored upholstery. All the trim was hand-painted, including the wood-grain flooring in back and is meant to “mimic the African Wenge and Tigerwood Maple.”  The time and effort that went into this built is truly astounding.

2016 Cadillac CTS-V arrives with 640 hp, 200-mph top speed

Ask the company's executive team, and they'll tell you "this is the maximum Cadillac V-Series." It's the 2016 CTS-V sedan, and it packs the very best of what's possible at Cadillac. And the company says it doesn't think "anyone thought it was possible that we could push [the CTS-V] this far." The big news is what's underhood: General Motors' supercharged, 6.2-liter LT4 V8, tuned to 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. That's 10 hp and 20 lb-ft less than the monstrous Corvette Z06, and the result is the most powerful car Cadillac has ever produced. With rear-wheel drive, launch control and the eight-speed automatic transmission (sorry, folks – no more manual transmission here), Cadillac says the 2016 CTS-V will sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Naturally, Cadillac's engineers say they have tuned the CTS-V to ensure it can put all that power to the ground with the most precision and poise possible. That starts with the excellent Magnetic Ride Control active damping system (with a claimed 40-percent increase in responsiveness)and a 25-percent increase in structural stiffness that should improve overall handling and steering. What's more, a high-performance Brembo brake package comes standard, as do 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in seriously sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires that will reportedly offer 1g in lateral acceleration. Cadillac also says that all changes to the bodywork are functional. That includes a carbon-fiber hood, front splitter, rear spoiler and diffuser that are super light and aid with aerodynamics and weight reduction – all of which will be available as an optional package for folks who like the exposed carbon look. Inside, it's more of what we're used to on lesser CTS models, but there's newly optional carbon fiber trim, microfiber suede upholstery trim, and some seriously awesome Recaro seats. Additionally, as we exclusively reported earlier, Cadillac will offer GM's Performance Data Recorder in the CTS-V. It records high-definition video with data overlays that's sharable via social media. Beyond that, Cadillac will offer the usual smattering of tech goodies, including Siri Eyes Free, OnStar with 4G LTE, CUE infotainment with navigation and Bose audio. The CTS-V will launch later next year, following the debut of the smaller ATS-V. In the meantime, the sedan will officially bow at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks.

What are the odds an actual Cadillac EV looks anything like this?

The Cadillac EV concept sure looks neat. It's all-electric, too, which is even neater. Unfortunately, it's a concept car, and when it comes to concept cars with Cadillac badges on them, it's best not to get too excited. For instance, you might recall this exquisite piece of automotive art. It was called the Elmiraj. You might recall the production version became the bold face of a new Cadillac and inspired a renaissance for the brand. Jay-Z drives one. Oh wait, no he doesn't. It was never made, nor was anything like it made. This is the Cadillac Escala. It has certainly inspired design cues on production Cadillacs, most notably the just-revealed XT6. However, besides those cues, it's a pretty anonymous large crossover. Hardly anything as stunning as the Escala. Now, perhaps the CT5 will be a dead-ringer, but we wouldn't get our hopes up. Then there's this, the Ciel. Not to be confused with an Acura CL, it was 100 feet long, a convertible and purple. This was also not made. OK, we can see why. And finally, this is the Cadillac Sixteen. As the name suggests, it had 16 cylinders. That's a lot. The most you can get in a Cadillac today is half that many. Now, to be fair, most manufacturers produce concept cars that have zero chance of production. They are meant to serve as inspiration for future designs, showcase future technologies or just draw attention to the brand. The problem with the Cadillac concepts is that they're not that fanciful. Those aren't pod-like Jetsons cars up there. They aren't this nonsense. They look like modern interpretations of the exact sort of grandiose cars Cadillac used to make. The very cars that made Cadillac the "Cadillac of the World." You know, like this. I'm not talking about literal tail fins and pink paint, but that's a CADILLAC. It's confident. It's its own thing. It doesn't need to beat BMW around the Nurburgring to prove something to someone somewhere. The Elmiraj was also a CADILLAC. The XT6 literally wears a Cadillac badge, but it could be anything. By contrast, Lincoln is doing a much better job of tapping into the spirit of its grand past with the Navigator, Aviator and suicide-doored Continental. Nowhere is that better seen than in the cabins of the XT6 and Aviator. One is swank. The other is not. But back to where we started: that EV concept. You'll note that it doesn't actually have a name.