Key Takeaways
- Cadillac has the desire and means to build a hypercar but will not confirm development.
- Cadillac may draw inspiration for its hypercar from Formula 1, Le Mans endurance racing, or both.
- Dozens of hypercars are on offer globally, which may be a reason for Cadillac’s apprehension about entering the low-volume market.
The market for low-volume hypercars has exploded in recent years – the launch of new brands like Nilu27 is proof of this – and Cadillac may soon help itself to a slice of that pie. Mike Simcoe, the Vice President of Global Design at General Motors, was recently quizzed by Australian media, including Drive, about whether the luxury marque has any intentions of producing a hypercar of its own, and his response was intriguing.
“Could we build one? Yes. Would we like to? Yes. Are we building one? That would be giving too much away,” said the executive, adding that it would be “silly” to ignore the attraction of more Blackwing high-performance models. He also said that it doesn’t matter whether the vehicles are powered by combustion or electricity. “Cadillac is committed to performance. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having a conversation about [Formula 1].”
Two Potential Inspirations
If you’ve been keeping up with Formula 1 over the past year or two, you’re likely aware that Cadillac intends to join the grid with Andretti. When that will happen exactly remains to be seen, but both GM and the Andretti family are determined to join the roaming circus despite rejection from Formula One Management itself. Should their bid eventually be successful, Cadillac could develop something all-new in the same vein as the Aston Martin Valkyrie, but we suspect that any hypercar Cadillac builds would draw inspiration from another top-tier form of motorsport.
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Cadillac has already designed and built the Project GTP racecar (later renamed the Cadillac V-LMDh and then V-Series.R) for Le Mans Hypercar competition, and the endurance series was originally created with road-going hypercars in mind. Therefore, it should not be very difficult to adapt the design for a low-volume special edition, and while the race car is limited by various Balance of Performance regulations (including a horsepower cap of 670), Cadillac could let its hair down with the road-legal version and easily give us over 1,000 hp and some trick aero. This seems like a more cost-effective way to join the hypercar game, but the allure of F1 influence may be even more valuable.
Loads Of Competition For Cadillac’s Potential Hypercar
If Cadillac is serious about this hypercar, it will need to think of ways to make it stand out from the crowd. Alpine is working on a hydrogen-powered hypercar, Pininfarina offers an electric one, and Pagani continues to provide gasoline-powered works of art. Bugatti is also preparing to launch its Chiron successor this month, and even Honda is thinking about a hypercar of its own. At some point, the market will surely become oversaturated, and that’s probably why Cadillac doesn’t want to confirm anything just yet. First, Cadillac needs to see if there’s enough demand, and then it needs to make sure that the offering is unique in some way. But we have faith. Cadillac’s decision to enter endurance racing and to try to enter F1 is proof that its ambitions are lofty, and a hypercar would only elevate the prestige of the Caddy crest. Fingers crossed.
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Source:
Drive
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