Photo: jlord8/Instagram
“America’s sports car,” the Chevrolet Corvette, has always been incredibly successful. But some people always wanted a little bit more. If luxury was the name of the game, then Caddy was the answer.
Well, the premium American automaker offered solutions only for brief periods. From 1987 to 1993, they worked with Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina to produce the stunning Allanté. However, maybe that one strayed too far away from the sporty ethos of ‘Vettes.
As such, perhaps people were better off with the two-door, two-seat, RWD Caddy XLR. A model that was both powerful (Northstar V8 + supercharging) and stunningly luxurious. Complete with Bulgari instrumentation, a retractable hardtop, as well as GM’s famous Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension, among others.
Alas, the XLR was even shorter-lived, as it was offered only for model years 2004-2009. Well, it still had enough time to gain a faithful cult following. Including automotive pixel masters. Case in point. Jim, the virtual artist better known as jlord8 on social media, probably also loves the XLR as he is back with yet another reinvention of the nameplate.
Unlike the prior revived XLR that quickly became a mid-engine superstar based on the C8 Chevy Corvette Convertible Stingray, this one is done traditionally. And almost in a contemporary key. So, the recipe of front-engine plus RWD has been kept intact. And now the CGI modernization is based on a mashup between ‘Vette’s C7 iteration (2014-2019MY) and the third-generation Caddy CTS.
Even better, we are now dealing with yet another high-performance XLR-V transformation. As such, instead of the original’s STS-V supercharged Northstar V8 with 443 horsepower, there is something feistier behind that CTS-V front fascia. That would hypothetically be a 2016-2019 supercharged LT4 gasoline 6.2-liter V8 engine. Complete with up to 640 horsepower!
As for the design, it seems that fans are in agreement that it pays fitting homage to both the original XLR, as well as the Allanté predecessor. And we totally agree.
As such, perhaps people were better off with the two-door, two-seat, RWD Caddy XLR. A model that was both powerful (Northstar V8 + supercharging) and stunningly luxurious. Complete with Bulgari instrumentation, a retractable hardtop, as well as GM’s famous Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension, among others.
Alas, the XLR was even shorter-lived, as it was offered only for model years 2004-2009. Well, it still had enough time to gain a faithful cult following. Including automotive pixel masters. Case in point. Jim, the virtual artist better known as jlord8 on social media, probably also loves the XLR as he is back with yet another reinvention of the nameplate.
Unlike the prior revived XLR that quickly became a mid-engine superstar based on the C8 Chevy Corvette Convertible Stingray, this one is done traditionally. And almost in a contemporary key. So, the recipe of front-engine plus RWD has been kept intact. And now the CGI modernization is based on a mashup between ‘Vette’s C7 iteration (2014-2019MY) and the third-generation Caddy CTS.
Even better, we are now dealing with yet another high-performance XLR-V transformation. As such, instead of the original’s STS-V supercharged Northstar V8 with 443 horsepower, there is something feistier behind that CTS-V front fascia. That would hypothetically be a 2016-2019 supercharged LT4 gasoline 6.2-liter V8 engine. Complete with up to 640 horsepower!
As for the design, it seems that fans are in agreement that it pays fitting homage to both the original XLR, as well as the Allanté predecessor. And we totally agree.
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