Photo: Instagram | Jlord8
Unlike other North American automotive brands, Cadillac has remained committed to sedans despite the never-ending chase for high-riders with an electric twist. However, there is a body style that will likely never make a comeback in the brand's family, not as we all know it, and that is the roadster.
Surely you remember the Cadillac XLR, don't you? It was a front-engine and rear-wheel drive model with seating for two and almost perfect weight distribution. Made at the Bowling Green factory in Kentucky, it shared many components with the C6 Chevrolet Corvette and came with a choice of two V8 engines.
Presented at the North American International Auto Show in 2003, it entered production the same year. Some of the highlights were the adaptive suspension, head-up display, transmission (five-speed auto or six-speed auto) mounted at the rear, and the Bulgari-designed instruments on the inside. It was also Caddy's first vehicle to feature a radar-based adaptive cruise control and was part of the nominees for the 2004 North American Car of the Year.
The spiritual successor to the Allante manufactured between 1986 and 1993, the Cadillac XLR stuck around until 2009, when the GM-owned premium car brand pulled the plug on it, though not before expanding the offering with a V-Series variant. The XLR-V came with a supercharged V8 shared with the STS-V, albeit featuring a bit less power at 443 horses. It featured the Z51 Corvette's brakes, had a six-speed automatic transmission and 19-inch alloys, and took a little over four and a half seconds to hit sixty mph (97 kph).
Now, since the XLR was basically a re-bodied 'Vette, some are still wondering what a modern-day take on it would look like. And if you're part of that crowd, which you probably are otherwise, you wouldn't be reading these lines, then the rendering signed by Jlord8 and shared on social media recently could make your heart go racing. The pixel manipulator modified the C8 Corvette with a few styling traits inspired by Cadillac's modern-day vehicles, and the result is worth a look.
It has new LED headlamps, LED DRLs, Caddy's grille decorated by the premium car marque's logo, new wheels, and a few other tweaks that make it worthy of unofficially using the XLR moniker. But as we already told you, chances are Cadillac will never launch a two-seater ever again, even if they have all the right tools and access to other platforms and motors to make it happen. The reason is obvious, as such a model would not sell in great numbers, especially since it would be pricier than a 'Vette.
But assuming they might give it another shot and use the C8's underpinnings to bring it to life, would it be something you'd perhaps consider, or is the normal 'Vette simply enough to quench your thirst?
Presented at the North American International Auto Show in 2003, it entered production the same year. Some of the highlights were the adaptive suspension, head-up display, transmission (five-speed auto or six-speed auto) mounted at the rear, and the Bulgari-designed instruments on the inside. It was also Caddy's first vehicle to feature a radar-based adaptive cruise control and was part of the nominees for the 2004 North American Car of the Year.
The spiritual successor to the Allante manufactured between 1986 and 1993, the Cadillac XLR stuck around until 2009, when the GM-owned premium car brand pulled the plug on it, though not before expanding the offering with a V-Series variant. The XLR-V came with a supercharged V8 shared with the STS-V, albeit featuring a bit less power at 443 horses. It featured the Z51 Corvette's brakes, had a six-speed automatic transmission and 19-inch alloys, and took a little over four and a half seconds to hit sixty mph (97 kph).
Now, since the XLR was basically a re-bodied 'Vette, some are still wondering what a modern-day take on it would look like. And if you're part of that crowd, which you probably are otherwise, you wouldn't be reading these lines, then the rendering signed by Jlord8 and shared on social media recently could make your heart go racing. The pixel manipulator modified the C8 Corvette with a few styling traits inspired by Cadillac's modern-day vehicles, and the result is worth a look.
It has new LED headlamps, LED DRLs, Caddy's grille decorated by the premium car marque's logo, new wheels, and a few other tweaks that make it worthy of unofficially using the XLR moniker. But as we already told you, chances are Cadillac will never launch a two-seater ever again, even if they have all the right tools and access to other platforms and motors to make it happen. The reason is obvious, as such a model would not sell in great numbers, especially since it would be pricier than a 'Vette.
But assuming they might give it another shot and use the C8's underpinnings to bring it to life, would it be something you'd perhaps consider, or is the normal 'Vette simply enough to quench your thirst?
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