John has gone off to Florida again. This time his sister is graduating. Or something like that. So anyway, you're stuck with my version of the news for the next two days.
- New pics of of the 2010 Nissan Cube have surfaced. Looks cool in a dorky kind of way. Jalopnik.
- The convertible CTS Coupe is a no go. I think GM is high. Can we get a petition going? Autoblog.
- The Volt prototype is already going 40 miles in electric-only mode, and all signs are pointing to GM actually hitting their 2010 launch goal. Motor Authority.
- Some jackass rear ended Drew Barrymore and then tried to get away. Barrymore chased down the driver, got the license plate and turned it over to the cops. Nice work! UGO.
GM has just announced that Caddy's new 550 horsepower hot rod has broken the Nurburgring record for a production sedan. Take that BMW! The blistering time of 7 minutes and 59 seconds was set this morning, and GM will release full documentation in the coming days. Stay tuned!
The CTS-V earned a convincing victory over the RS 4 in this week's Showroom Showdown. In general, style and the horsepower seemed to trump AWD and "German engineering." But my favorite quote was by Tony87: "Even if the Caddy was made in some mexican sweat shop. I'd rather have a burrito than a plate of sauerkraut, and i'm german." According to the UAW, the CTS is built in North America. Stay tuned for another match up next week.
GM really stepped up to the plate with 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. I mean, come on, 550 hp!!! It seems to be aimed squarely at the BMW M5, but will be priced a lot lower--probably in the mid-$60k range. I had to look around a bit for a worthy challenger in that price range, and finally (with Sean's help) came up with the Audi RS 4. Now, the Audi only delivers 420 hp, but you get AWD and "German engineering." So, which would you choose, the Caddy or the Audi?
While we're not entirely sure of the year nor the designation — we're pretty sure what we've got here is what we've been talking about for quite some time now. Yes, that appears to be a wagon-ized version of the already popular Cadillac CTS. We are going to hazard a guess that if it's being built starting next spring it'll have to be a 2010 CTS Wagon. Of course, with the current guess of the Cadillac CTS coupe bear a designation of "CTC" we're thinking maybe the General could name this big-in-the-rear and blade-edged Caddy the "CTW." Whatever. Seriously, the boys and girls at the General can name whatever they want to because all we know is that is surely some seriously pants-tightening Cadillac Style going on under that camo cladding. We likey. More pics and a full report on the Cadillac CTS Wagon from the spy monopoly of Brenda Priddy over at Jalopnik.
A big smoky burnout by a burly late-70's Cadillac is generally a good thing. But the red smoke makes it all the more satisfying.
I’ve never seen one measly minute of the Sopranos. I also have never seen any of the Godfather movies, and I found Goodfellas only mildly interesting. So I don’t know squat about this Paulie Walnuts or Patsy Parisi. Nor do I care.
But I do know that $18,000 for a 2003 Cadillac CTS with nearly 100,000 miles on the odometer is about twice what any similar car without HBO provenance should go for. Then again, the Barrett-Jackson auction over the weekend where the car sold at no reserve did take place in Palm Beach, Florida, the epicenter of God’s Waiting Room--or, as a friend of mine calls it, America's Wang. Plenty of well-off retirees were on hand all weekend, so maybe one of their like snapped it up.
As for the other six cars that formed the Sopranos collection at Barrett-Jackson, a 1997 Mercury Villager sold for $3,100 (normally $4,000-$5,000); Vito’s 2000 Cadillac DeVille, complete with front-end damage, sold for $7,500 (normally $8,000-$9,000 without the front-end damage); each of Patsy's bullet-hole-ridden 1993 Cadillacs sold for $2,500 (normally $2,000-$3,000 sans ventilation); and each of the 1999 Lincoln Town Car “hit man” cars sold for $2,600 (normally $4,000-$5,000). Thus, save for the Paulie Walnuts Caddy, collector cars these weren’t. Two more pics after the jump.
Continue reading "Sopranos Cars Cross the Block" »
I go to shows all the time, and I have to admit, I'm a little jaded. Honestly? It's not often I find something I haven't seen before, so I go looking for unusual cars. Because I want to see something different, something new. But when I went searching at DUB Detroit, not only did I see something I hadn't seen before, I encountered something I thought I'd never see. Ever. So take a deep breath. Because this Coupe DeVille, which I assume is called the "Hardest Cock on the Block," has a cockfighting theme. For the uninformed, cockfighting—the "sport" of pitting roosters against each other for "entertainment"—is illegal virtually everywhere in the States. And in most places, it's against the law to even watch, like dog fighting. Anyway, I stalked this car all day, trying to see if I could get the owner on camera, but either he didn't ever hang out, or I just kept missing him. Of course, maybe this isn't the type of guy you want to run into—the etching on the windows reads: "I wake up ready." I'm not exactly clear on what that means, but I'm pretty sure it involves a gun. More pics after the jump.
Continue reading "Just Unreal: Cockfighting Tribute Car " »
Back in 1999, Edmunds bought a 1948 Cadillac Fleetwood, chopped it up and converted it to office furniture. Ok, maybe I could forgive them for a little wretched dot-com excess (not Jen, she is seriously pissed off). But then they brag about it in their goofy office tour video. Seriously, what's up with that? Is nothing sacred? Couldn't they just stick with the Aeron chairs?
While I was ogling the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept in New York, I got a chance to chat with Jim Taylor, the General Manger of Cadillac. Given the reception the concept got in Detroit, and the fact that the CTS was named Motor Trend's Car of the Year, the dude is obviously pumped about Caddy. He was also pretty forthcoming about the lackluster styling of the previous-gen Cadillacs. "Cars are a fashion business," he explained, "people buy them for the same reason they buy cloths, to look good, and to feel good about themselves." He went on to say that the makeover Caddy launched back in 2002—remember the Led Zeppelin spots?—was intended as a shock to the system, and that the over-corrections made during the process are responsible for Caddy's renaissance. Along with the Coupe, Taylor was clearly excited about the high-performance CTS-V sedan which will drop in 2009. With 550 horsepower and a six-speed manual available, it should be pretty ferocious. Check out a 360 view here. What do I have to do to get a test drive?
Ok, so cars don't have flesh. Or at least none of the ones in New York do—that would be creepy. But after spending 15 miuntes gawking at the Caddy CTS Coupe Concept this morning, I can see why this sweet machine drew so much attention in Detroit. The back end looks even better in person. Let's hope the General builds this baby!
By Rich
Automotive Traveler
GM has proven with its revitalization of Cadillac, that when their designers, stylists, and engineers are unleashed, they can produce world class products. Nowhere is that more evident than with the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS. In one fell swoop, Cadillac has gone from a bit player in the under $40,000 sport sedan category, to a world class competitor to the leading brands from Germany (Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz) and Japan (Infiniti and Lexus). It’s a game-changing paradigm shift. More...
Continue reading "2008 Cadillac CTS DI Performance Sedan, GM Finally Hitting on All Cylinders " »
When Hagerty released their list of the Top Ten Future Collector Cars, Caddy's souped up XLR made the list, and it's easy to see why. Even now, they aren't a terribly common sight, and since it shares a platform with the Corvette, there's plenty of grunt to complement the chiseled features. As someone who's always liked the idea of a drop-top, but just hates the most cloth roofs look, the idea of a convertible hardtop sounds cool. I know, I know. They take up too much space. They weight a ton. They're overly complex. And I'm not arguing that track cars should have them, but on the XLR, it makes sense. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this one moves like a Transformer. Check it out.
Looking at the old badging is one my favorite parts of car shows, and this site has a cool page documenting how emblems have evolved over the years. While BMW's spinning prop has been essentially unchanged since the '20s, and Aston Martin has used the same winged badge since the '30s, brands like Buick and Mazda have seen dramatic changes, and the story behind the Cadillac logo is pretty fascinating. What's your favorite?
By Dan
Hemmings Motor News
Here’s a tip for all you aspiring automotive engineers and designers: if you’re trying to convince a major manufacturer to consider a concept, don’t use another company’s hardware to do so. Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s U.S. distributor in the late 1960s, thought Ferrari needed a mid-engine street car. So he had his son come up with a mid-engine design and then contracted Zagato to build it, all in an effort to convince Ferrari to go rear-engine. Here's the kicker: he used a drivetrain from a Cadillac Eldorado shoved to the back of the car, and and Eldo wheels all around. Unsurprisingly, Ferrari balked and Zagato only built the one car, dubbed the Cadillac N.A.R.T. Now, the N.A.R.T. has come up for sale over at the Hemmings classifieds. "Make offer" the ad states in its best shove-it-to-the-curb-with-a-plastic-sign terminology. Not a year and a half after it sold at RM’s 2006 Monterey auction for $57,750. Interested? Get thee to Belgium.
