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Caddy’s attack
1 year ago
An Eldorado; the sort of car most of us picture when we hear 'Cadillac'
Purveyors of quality, reliability and precision engineering, Cadillac was the first American manufacturer to be awarded the Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club, in 1908. Caddy won the award for part-interchangeability after the club deconstructed three Model K Cadillacs, scrambled the components, and then reassembled the machines. Soon after Cadillac adopted the slogan ‘the standard of the world,’ and continued to innovate technologies for the mass-production of luxury. In 1914 Cadillac became the first American manufacturer to use a V8 – three years before Chevrolet and 15 years before Ford – and so helped define American motoring for the next hundred years. Not limited to mass-luxury, in 1930 it offered coachbuilt cars powered by the first road-going V16 at a time when Bugattis made do with paltry straight eights.
By the middle of the century Cadillac was one of the world’s pre-eminent manufacturers of luxury automobiles. All that was missing was a racing pedigree. This changed in 1950 when Briggs Cunningham entered two Cadillacs into the 24 Hours of Le Mans at a time when there was little American presence in European motorsport. Cunningham’s Cadillacs were the first American entries in 21 years and – when they crossed the line in a more than respectable 10th and 11th overall, and 2nd and 3rd in their class, beaten only by a Caddy-powered Allard – and the first American cars to finish the race since 1928.
Despite sharing a stock Cadillac chassis, the two cars could scarcely have looked more different. While the car that finished 10th was a broadly stock Coupe De Ville, the car driven by Cunningham, appropriately nicknamed ‘Le Monstre’, wore custom bodywork and breathed through five carburettors. The car showed serious pace and if it hadn’t been for the team’s limited preparation and an early crash, it could have finished well. Despite the promise of this private entry, Cadillac did not return to La Sarthe and its efforts were eventually overshadowed by Cunningham’s 1960 class victory in a C1 Corvette and Ford’s dominance of the race later in the decade. After the 1960s it was clear that Chevrolet was GM’s performance marque and Cadillac its luxury option.
"Jerry Seinfeld, then a young New York celebrity and 1990s icon, drove a series of European cars including BMWs and Saabs, while the ill-fated Cadillac gifted to his father was ultimately crashed into a swamp. At the turn of the millennium, it was clear that Cadillac was appealing to the bingo demographic"
For a long time it seemed Cadillac had no need for a motorsport presence as it dominated the US luxury market. Its cars were quintessentially American. With their lazy V8s and even lazier steering, their interiors an orgy of velour and leather, very few Cadillacs were sold outside of North America. Which was fine until European and Japanese manufacturers began to gain a foothold in Cadillac’s domestic market. Lexus’s arrival in the US was a shock to all domestic brands but few more than Cadillac as the Japanese marque quickly gained a large market share. With Mercedes-Benz and BMW also making inroads, Cadillac was under threat.
Returning to Seinfeld, the manufacturer’s waning desirability was clear. Jerry Seinfeld, then a young New York celebrity and 1990s icon, drove a series of European cars including BMWs and Saabs, while the ill-fated Cadillac gifted to his father was ultimately crashed into a swamp. At the turn of the millennium, it was clear that Cadillac was appealing to the bingo demographic, a situation GM both wanted and needed to change.
One innovation that sought to improve Cadillac’s reputation in the ’90s was the Northstar V8. With its dual overhead cams, aluminium cylinder heads and sophisticated engine management, the motor was intended to compete with those found in increasingly advanced imported cars. And it was this engine that powered the Cadillac Northstar LMP900 as the brand returned to Le Mans in 2000. Despite a disappointing first attempt, in which the highest placing Cadillac finished 19th, ignominiously behind even Corvette Racing’s GT cars, Cadillac entered three consecutive Le Mans and showed signs of competitiveness. In 2002 the car demonstrated its pace potential, even outqualifying Bentley and starting the race in 7th. And 24 hours later one of the cars crossed the line in 9th place, Cadillac finally besting the results of Cunningham’s entry over half a century earlier.
“With Cadillac’s share of the US luxury car market continuing to fall, the brand re-orientated itself once more towards a more youthful demographic. It made sense, therefore, as Cadillac pushed its V-Series high-performance showroom models for Caddy to have a presence in North American prototype racing”
But with the exception of sports car racing in North America, Cadillac did not compete in motorsport between 2002 and 2017. In the meantime, Corvette Racing took six class wins at Le Mans and in 2014 won the Daytona 24 Hours outright with its Corvette DP Prototype.
Why then, in 2017, did GM choose to rebrand its prototype programme from Corvette to Cadillac? Having declared bankruptcy in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, many GM brands, Cadillac included, suffered massive losses though, unlike Hummer, Saturn, Saab and Pontiac, at least it survived. But Corvette sales remained strong right throughout the 2010s. Corvette’s motorsport success and appeal to younger buyers helped shield it from the recession, resulting in the two-seater sports car outselling Cadillac’s flagship Escalade in 2015.
With Cadillac’s share of the US luxury car market continuing to fall, the brand re-orientated itself once more towards a more youthful demographic. It made sense, therefore, as Cadillac pushed its V-Series high-performance showroom models for Caddy to have a presence in North American prototype racing. Then Cadillac president, Johan de Nyssche, emphasised this when the prototype was announced, referencing how ‘the ATS-V and CTS-V are transforming our brand’s product substance.’ The Cadillac DPi-V.R went on to win four consecutive Daytona 24 Hours. For the first time in its history, Cadillac was winning races at the pinnacle of its chosen field of motorsport, just as its road cars were seeking younger buyers.
‘Le Monstre’ – the ugliest Le Mans car?
In 2019 Cadillac achieved record global sales, built on the back of an excellent performance in China. For GM, Europe was the next target. This coincided with the introduction of the LMDh prototype rules which allowed cars to compete in both IMSA’s GTP class and the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar category. Cadillac’s V-Series.R made its debut in both championships in 2023, finishing on the podium not only at Daytona but Le Mans too, its first in France, a lifetime after its first entry. Not only was it competitive, the Cadillac won the adoration of the fans too, largely thanks to the charms of its bellowing V8 motor.
Which brings us to 2024 when, after another successful season in WEC and IMSA, GM was finally invited to join the Formula 1 grid from 2026. After a joint initial bid with Andretti Global was rejected, the approved Cadillac entry could be competitive from the outset. Beginning with customer Ferrari engines, Cadillac will field a full works entry before the end of the decade. Despite the fact that the Andretti name means more to European motorsport fans and the Corvette badge holds greater racing pedigree, GM has proven that Cadillac is successfully mutating into a credible sports-luxury brand. Should the team also succeed in Formula 1, there’s no limit to what this once fuddy-duddy marque might go on to achieve.
