First look: Cadillac’s slingshot coupe

CADILLAC has pulled the wraps from the supercharged CTS-V Coupe, which makes its debut next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit ahead of its US showroom launch in mid 2010.

A marriage between the CTS-V sedan’s blown 415kW 6.2-litre V8 powertrain and the sharp-edged CTS Coupe that was unveiled recently in Los Angeles, the rear-drive 2+2 CTS-V Coupe is designed to go head-to-head with the prestige thoroughbreds of Europe.

But don’t expect it Australia any time soon, as Holden’s plans for Cadillac’s return to Australia last year under its GM Premium Brands banner were aborted by the global financial crisis.

Styled by former Holden designer Max Wolff, the Cadillac CTS Coupe – about 100mm shorter than the Holden Commodore – was to have formed one of the key planks of the Cadillac re-launch platform Down Under.

The hot “V” version of the two-door is differentiated from the standard model by a bulging bonnet, gaping mesh grille openings at the front and unique rear fascia punctuated with centrally located big-bore double-barrel exhaust tailpipes.

Riding on meaty 19-inch alloys, the V Coupe sits on a 23mm wider rear track than its CTS-V sedan counterpart.

It employs GM’s Magnetic Ride Control suspension system, which uses magnetically controlled dampers to automatically adjust the settings on the fly according to driving characteristics. A version of the system is already used in a range of GM products, including Holden Special Vehicles’ up-market E2 models, the GTS, Senator Signature and Grange.

In the CTS-V Coupe, the driver can also select from Tour and Sport modes.

The LSA 6.2-litre supercharged V8 is a direct transplant from the CTS-V Sport Sedan, packing 415 kW of power and 747 Nm of torque. Cadillac says it is the most powerful engine it has ever offered and propels the CTS-V Coupe from zero to 100km/h in about four seconds – about half a second quicker that BMW’s M3 and on par with Porsche’s 911 GT3.

Cadillac claims a CTS-V sedan test car became the first standard production car on street tyres to lap Germany’s Nurburgring in under eight minutes.

The intercooled Eaton supercharger has a unique, four-lobe rotor design to cut noise.

The engine is mated with a choice of six-speed manual gearbox with a dual-disc clutch or six-speed automatic with paddle-shift control.

Brembo supplied the “dual-cast” brakes, featuring hybrid cast-iron and aluminium rotors, while the tyres are Michelin Pilot PS2s. Recaro sports seats will be optional.

Employing the GM Sigma II platform, the B-pillarless coupe rides on the same 2880mm wheelbase as the four-door, but is 51mm lower at 1422mm high, 51mm shorter at 4789mm long and features a faster (62-degree) windscreen angle.

The V versions of the CTS Coupe and Sedan will both be launched in the second half of 2010.