By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

I thought I’d follow up my Toyota Cressida spotllight with another one, this time on a distinctively American machine – a ’61 Cadillac Coupe De Ville owned by a fellow named Hunter Bender of Sacramento, California. Spotted at Billetproof 2009 in Antioch, this low slung beauty stopped me dead in my tracks, and I’ve been anxiously waiting slammed month to post up a few photos of this car. Continue reading at Speedhunters.

— By Mike Garret

Earlier today, Cadillac released shots of its new CTS Sport Wagon, and I think Caddy’s design team just delivered another home run. Seriously, there aren’t too many new cars which look as good from the back as they do from the front, and the hind quarters on this latest addition to the CTS line are unquestionably hot. Fuel economy was obviously a factor in the wagon’s design, so it won’t be available with a V8, but the optional 304 horsepower six should insure the car has plenty of pep. The wagon isn’t set to be released until 2010, but those attending the Pebble Beach Concours have already gotten to see it in the flesh, and plenty more folks will get the chance when it hits the show circuit in the coming year. Check out six more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Revealed!" »

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!

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.