1989 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Online Find Of The Day: 2008 Cadillac XLR picks up where Excalibur left off

We try very, very hard to keep snark away from creations like the one you see here. After all, someone poured plenty of enthusiasm, time and money into turning a 2008 Cadillac XLR into a modern interpretation of the new-old cars typically done by cottage builders like Excalibur and Clénet. Even so, it's hard not to wince when you set an eye on this machine. With its wheelbase stretched to accommodate the extra bodywork, goofy sidewalls and upkicked nose (examine it in profile, it looks slightly bent in the middle), this "neoclassic" takes whatever was loveable about the Cadillac underneath and buries it in a tacky grave.
Miraculously, the engine bay has been left unmolested, which means the retractable hardtop convertible still features a 4.6-liter Northstar V8 engine good for 320 horsepower. If only that were enough to outrun its shame. If, for some reason, you feel like taking this thing home, Harry Kaufmann Motorcars of Milwaukee says it can be yours for a paltry $74,998. We wish were joking. Check it out here.

Cadillac ATS-V Coupe caught undisguised ahead of LA reveal

Vsport versions of the CTS and XTS sedans are all well and good, but what Cadillac enthusiasts have really been looking forward to is the arrival of the next full-on V model. And here we have it.
Spied in the nude during an apparent photo shoot ahead of its anticipated debut at the fast-approaching Los Angeles Auto Show, the upcoming new Cadillac ATS-V Coupe is set to pick up where the old CTS-V left off, only in a more compact form. Unlike previous spy shots of heavily disguised prototypes, this final version is showing a chrome-framed mesh grille, along with a deep lower air dam with what looks to be a carbon-fiber front splitter. That bulging hood with heat extractor vents is tipped to be packing a twin-turbo V6 engine, breathing out of quad exhaust tips.
The aggressive aero kit also encompasses side skirts, a reshaped rear bumper and a lip spoiler on the truck, while the upgraded rolling stock wears serious low-profile rubber and the brakes appear to be carbon-ceramic units. Peer through the window and you can even see the sport bucket seats with slots for racing harnesses. All of which suggests a serious American challenger to the BMW M4 and its ilk, and we're looking forward to seeing the vehicle in the metal in LA next month.

Confident new Cadillac marketing boss ready to take on Tesla, BMW

When there's a former BMW executive heading Cadillac's efforts to boost sales of its only plug-in, it's a pretty safe guess that the marketing emphasis won't be on environmental friendliness and tree-hugging tendencies. The General Motors luxury brand has appointed ex-Bimmer executive Uwe Ellinghaus to be its marketing chief late last year, and the German-born Ellinghaus is now saying that he's targeting potential customers of Tesla Motors, in addition to BMW, for potential growth in sales of the Cadillac ELR extended-range plug-in. Appointed to Cadillac's head of marketing last November, Ellinghaus recently told Advertising Age that GM needs to highlight the Cadillac's looks and performance. He complimented Tesla for putting more emphasis on those attributes in the Model S than on its lack of emissions or lack of refueling costs (but Tesla hasn't shied away from highlighting the EV's savings). Ellinghaus says that trying to gear advertising "for people who are tree-huggers and green-wash an entire brand" won't be successful. You don't say. So far, the ELR hasn't made much of a dent in US car sales. Through May, Cadillac, which spent about $280 million on all of its US marketing last year, sold 293 units, whereas Tesla had been approaching the 11,000-unit figure for the Model S. With that in mind, Cadillac may be working on a sportier version of the ELR, as spy shots of a test vehicle from May revealed larger brakes and wheels. You can read our First Drive impressions of the ELR here.