"Refueled: The Return of the CTS-V" is the name of Cadillac’s new series of short films that were created to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the development of its all-new CTS-V Coupe racing car, with which the company marks it return to competition after a four year hiatus. The newly released footage documents the genesis of the CTS-V Coupe racecars as well as their connection to the production version of the sports coupe.
The Cadillac CTS-V will make its competition debut at the season-opening race of the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT series in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 25-27. The GT series’ schedule for 2011 includes eight races in the U.S. and Canada from March to October. Click through to the jump for the videos.
We’ve already told you about Top Gear’s plans to export the franchise to China, but today we stumbled upon what is claimed to be the first 15-minute long pilot episode of the TV series. China’s version of the famous car show keeps the familiar format with three male hosts and includes an oddball test where a Cadillac STS is compared to a donkey to see which is better suited to millstone work. If you follow the jump, you can watch the full video while we’ve also added a second clip that contains some English subtitles, though there’s no way of being sure about its accuracy.
If there's one company that knows a thing or two about tuning GM's products, it's Lingenfelter. The Indiana-based tuning firm has just announced its latest package for the Cadillac CTS-V series, which covers the sedan, station wagon and coupe models. In stock form, the CTS-V's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 churns out 556HP and 551 lb.-ft of torque.
Lingenfelter's engine tune includes a variety of mods such as ported LSA cylinder heads and the addition of LPE's GT9 ZR1 supercharger camshaft, which help push the V8's output to more than 700-horses at the crankshaft. The long-time GM tuner also tried out a CTS-V Coupe with a manual transmission on the dyno, with the test yielding 623HP and 617 lf-ft at the rear wheels. Follow the jumps for a video and detailed info on the tuning package.
Lingenfelter Cadillac CTS-V Turnkey Package:
- Engine removal and removal of supercharger assembly, cylinder heads and camshaft - Lingenfelter CNC porting & polishing of LSA cylinder heads for optimal flow - 2.165" diameter hollow stem intake valves - 1.59" diameter high temperature inconnel exhaust valves - Lingenfelter multi-angle valve job, cc chambers, surfacing and spring height adjustment - Competition Cams valve springs, titanium retainers, 10 degree locks - Lingenfelter GT9 camshaft - GM Head gaskets & head bolts - 2.55" diameter steel supercharger drive pulley - powder coated black - 8 rib - 8 rib serpentine belt - Lingenfelter LS9 solid supercharger isolator coupling - Port and polish supercharger front cover - Lingenfelter air intake duct - K & N Air Filter - Lingenfelter 10% overdrive harmonic balancer - 63 lbs/hour fuel injectors - Fuel injector connector change - 160 degree thermostat - Professional installation - Engine testing and expert ECM tuning - Chassis dyno testing before and after installation - Excellent drivability, highway mileage not adversely affected - Lingenfelter certificate of authenticity - Lingenfelter 2 year/24,000 mile warranty
Some of you may have noticed a special, one-off car among the beauties showcased in our San Diego Automotive Museum gallery piece. It's Louie Mattar's $75,000 1947 custom Cadillac. In 1952, Mattar and two other men drove this one-of-a-kind Caddy from San Diego to New York and back, without a single stop. Their trip totaled 6,320 miles!
To be able to do this, Mr. Mattar worked 5 years on modifying his 1947 Cadillac, which, by the time it was completed, turned into quite a unique car. For examples, the Caddy automatically refills the radiator and changes the oil. Having drilled axles, the wheels could be inflated while turning and, also, hydraulic jacks could raise the car to allow the wheels to be changed while moving.
Driving more than 6,000 miles non-stop can take its toll on a car, so, for more complicated repairs and adjustments, the hood featured clear panels, which allowed the driver to keep on going, while the other two passengers fiddled under the bonnet, standing on movable platforms attached to the side of the car.
Aside from setting the aforementioned cross-country endurance record, Louie's Cadillac is considered to be the first motorhome ever built. The three men who completed the grueling journey had a rolling home at their disposal. The modified Cadillac featured many luxuries such as an electric stove, refrigerator, TV, washing machine, chemical toilet, shower, medicine cabinet and kitchen sink. They even had an ironing board, all integrated into the back seat.
Up front, the car had a nationwide mobile telephone, PA system, tape recorder and a Turkish pipe. Not many modern cars feature such a varied equipment list, let alone a complete bar for those moments when monotony and homesickness struck.
The shiny trailer held a 30-gallon reserve of water (50 gallons were in a tank mounted in the car), 230 gallons of gas and 15 gallons of oil, meaning that it needed refueling only three times during the week-long trip (September 20-27, 1952), done of course while moving, on airfields located in Kansas City, Camden and Omaha.
Two years later, the same car was also driven non-stop from Anchorage to Mexico City, over a distance of 7,482 miles.
Check the videos below for more information on this one-of-a-kind car and his creator.
According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, the Cadillac Escalade is numero uno when it comes to stolen car claims here in the US. The group says that for the first three years of the third-generation Escalade's production (2007-2009) there have been an average of 10.8 claims - from stealing the rims up to the entire car - for every 1000 insured Escalades. That's approximately five times more claims than the average car.
This surge in Escalade theft isn't just because Cadillac's big SUV is many celebrities' vehicle of choice, however. After 2006, the SUV was actually made easier to steal than most cars because GM did away with the simple yet effective steering wheel lock. Instead, it was replaced by some electronic nannies that were supposed to be "better". Don't worry, the lock's back for 2010, so all you up and coming pimps will have harder-to-jack rides. Watch the report in the video below.
