Cadillac unveils its stunning Ciel four-door convertible Concept, and re-focuses on style, blogs our intrepid Road Test Editor, Howard Walker.
No one would argue that in recent years, Cadillac has lost just a little of its mojo. While all these hulking Escalade SUVs, and tire-shredding, high-performance V-models are all well and good, Cadillac for me should be more about luxury and grandeur. And possibly less about boy-racer performance. That’s why the spectacular Ciel four-door convertible concept that Cadillac built for the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, shows the direction Cadillac should be heading.
No, they won’t actually put a four-door convertible like this into production. But the styling elements – that massive grille, slimmed-down headlights, those breathtaking proportions – will likely make it on a future flagship four-door luxury sedan to compete against BMW’s 7-series and Mercedes’ S-Class.
What the Ciel – that’s French for sky – does is let us dream a little: Driving California’s’ Highway 1 while the sun sinks over Big Sur. Pulling up outside the Kodak Theater on Oscar night. Fittingly, the car was designed, not in Detroit, but at General Motor’s North Hollywood design studio in California.
As Cadillac’s design boss, Clay Dean said: “The Ciel is about the romance of the drive. It emulates the great touring cars seen on the greens at Pebble Beach, but with a modern flair that projects Cadillac’s vision of the future.”
Just like the early 1960s Lincoln Continental, the Ciel has four big doors and four armchair-like seats. And like the Lincoln, the rear doors are hinged at the rear suicide door style. And remember, Mercedes dallied with the idea of giant four-door convertible with its hulking Ocean Drive concept back in 2007. While it would have made a great Maybach convertible, nothing ever came of it.
Naturally a car like this should have some hulking V12 under the hood. But that’s not politically correct these days. So it uses Cadillac’s gas-sipping base 3.6-liter V6, but with twin turbochargers to boost power to an acceptable 425 horsepower.
Of course, no concept car is complete without an electric motor somewhere or other. So the Ciel has a bank of batteries and an electric motor to allow it to glide slowly and effortlessly on its massive 22-inch wheels along Sunset Boulevard.
So applause for Cadillac. Let’s see a return to luxury and glamour. Maybe that’s what Ciel really stands for – Cadillac Luxury.
For more information about possible production of the Ciel and other vehicles built off Cadillac's Omega platform, read Paul Eisenstein's report at The Detroit Bureau, http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2011/08/gm-likely-to-give-go-ahead-to-cadillacs-flagship-omega-project/
For more information about the latest from Cadillac, please visit, http://www.cadillac.com/