The Cadillac V-One Hypercar Escapes From Le Mans

Cadillac made a billion-dollar bet on itself by entering Formula 1 this season, but it has already spent the entire 21st century at the track.The brand has been competing in various racing series since 2000 in order to help shed its image as a purveyor of classic American luxobarges by challenging its sporty European rivals on their turf.It recently stepped things up with the introduction of the V-Series.R, which races in the top Hypercar class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans against the likes of BMW, Aston Martin, and Ferrari.The hybrid prototype, a collaboration with racing car builder Dallara, is powered by a 5.5-liter V8 augmented with an electric motor and can reach a top speed of 215 mph on the Circuit de la Sarthe’s famed Mulsanne Straight.Until now, you needed to be one of the world’s most elite racing drivers to be invited for a shot behind the wheel, but soon you may just have to write a check. A very big one.Cadillac is displaying a toned-down version of the car it calls the V-One Concept at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering at Carmel, California, which it hopes to one day sell to some of the well-heeled car enthusiasts who make the annual pilgrimage to Monterey Car Week. It is what’s known as a “track day” car, which isn’t meant for racing, but simply driving on circuits for thrills.“The Cadillac V-One Concept is the ultimate manifestation of a customer performance concept and is a clear sign of our ambition for the Cadillac V-Series brand in the future,”Cadillac Executive Design Director, Dominic Najafi, explained.The V-One Concept is equipped with an 830 horsepower hybrid powertrain. CadillacAston Martin and Ferrari already have similar offerings based on their racing cars, which are priced from $3.5 million to $5 million and sold by the dozens. The purchase of one often includes exclusive driving events organized by the automakers that provide a unique networking opportunity for their owners.The V-One Concept wears essentially the same body as the competition car, complete with a large wing and dorsal fin stabilizer, but sports a hand-painted two-tone color scheme void of any corporate sponsor logos. Except for Cadillac’s, of course.As it is unshackled from regulations, Cadillac was able to make it even more powerful than the racing car, boosting its output from 670 horsepower to 830 horsepower. Specific performance figures have not been shared, but it only weighs about 2,300 pounds, so the acceleration promises to be more than brisk.The interior has a single racing seat, which would be customized to fit the driver, and is more spartan than the V-Series.R’s. There are fewer buttons and switches, and a digital screen is embedded in the hub of a rectangular steering wheel, which has controls for a pit lane speed limiter and a radio to communicate with the support crew that would be required to accompany it on any outings. It also has paddles mounted behind it for shifting through the semi-automated seven-speed gearbox, which doesn’t require a foot-operated clutch.The spartan cockpit is outfitted with a single seat like that of a competition car. CadillacCadillac calls it a concept because it hasn’t formally confirmed it will go on sale. But its presence at The Quail is a strong signal that it has already decided to do so if it receives a good reception among the other multimillion-dollar cars on display.If not, while it doesn’t sell traditional luxobarge cars anymore, it will always be happy to show you something in a 682-horsepower Escalade-V SUV that is the size of a cruise ship.

The Cadillac V-One Hypercar Escapes From Le Mans

The Cadillac V-One Hypercar Escapes From Le Mans

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