For the record, we've heard absolutely nothing about Cadillac creating a new sports car based on the Chevrolet Corvette. There's no hint, no suggestion, nor are there even rumors floating around. But you know what? We love that someone in the General Motors Design studio is at least thinking about it.
The racy red Caddy you see here comes from GM Design on Instagram, and if you instantly see shades of Corvette in the shape, you're not the only one. The thought sprung into our minds right away, and judging by some of the comments on the social post, others caught the same vibe. From the front fascia design with its angles and vents to the wide rear fenders, it looks ready to battle the Audi R8 for supremacy in the luxury mid-engine scene.
Or does it? The longer we look at this head-on view, the more we consider perspective. The widebody design certainly makes the hood look short, as you'd see on a mid-engine car. But depending on your perspective, the hood could be longer, representing a front-engine vehicle with a rather short deck. The existence of what looks like hood vents also supports the theory tor this being a front-engined Caddy coupe. In the end, it doesn't really matter. The car looks mean as hell, be it front-engined, mid-engined, or completely de-engined in favor of electric motors. It sure would be cool if Cadillac built it.
Fans of Cadillac performance know that building a luxury coupe with Corvette DNA isn't unheard of. The XLR debuted for the 2004 model year, utilizing the bones of a C6 Corvette fused with Cadillac's Northstar V8 engine. It offered an automatic or manual transmission, and in supercharged XLR-V spec, it made 443 horsepower (330 kilowatts). Production didn't last long, however. The last XLR rolled off the line in 2009, with just over 15,400 being built.
Gallery: Cadillac Project GTP Race Car
There's no reason to believe a new Corvette-based Cadillac is coming, but the luxury division does have a sleek, mid-engine machine in the works. It seats one, and you decidedly won't be able to drive it on the street because it's a full-on race car. Cadillac is working on a new GTP race car that will enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. Little is known about the car, aside from it packing a hybrid powertrain. A teaser announcement from February offered a glimpse of the front, where we see corner vents not entirely unlike the vents on this sketch.
