1981 Fleetwood Braugham Cadillac Sunroof White Burgandy Carpet Immaculate on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cadillac is returning to endurance racing with a new prototype in 2017

In two months, Cadillac will return to top-tier endurance racing with its all-new Daytona Prototype International racecar after 14 years away. The car, which adheres to IMSA's new DPi regulations, looks as long, low, and Cadillac-like as anyone could have hoped. It's set to debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and will compete head to head with the likes of Mazda and Nissan in what is shaping up to be one of the most diverse and exciting forms of American motor racing in years. The new car will be run by Wayne Taylor Racing, the team that previously fielded the Corvette Daytona Prototype. Wayne Taylor himself has won the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, in 1996 and 2005. He now manages the team and leaves the driving duties to his two sons, Ricky and Jordan. They'll be joined in the cockpit by Max Angelelli, Wayne Taylor's teammate in 2002 at Cadillac's last unsuccessful attempt at endurance racing. To understand Cadillac's new car, officially called the DPi-V.R., you need to understand IMSA's DPi category. Basically, manufacturers are allowed to base their car on one of four chassis that follow the FIA LMP2 regulations. The chassis come from either Dallara, Onroak Automotive, ORECA or Riley/Multimatic. Cadillac will base their car on the Dallara platform. The DPi regulation differ from the LMP2 in two major ways: non-standardized engines and the ability to change certain parts of the bodywork. The DPi regulations are intended to give the variety of the top-tier LMP1 cars at a fraction of the cost. When it came to choosing an engine, Cadillac wanted to power the new car with something kinda sorta production based. The new car will use a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter pushrod V8 that shares some base architecture with the engine in the current CTS-V. While the power output hasn't been announced, expect about 600 horsepower. While that's down compared to the CTS-V, there is far less mass to move around as the Dallara chassis is a svelte 2,050 lbs. Since all the teams will be running different engine configurations, expect restrictors of some sort to help balance the power disparity. The parts of the body work that can be modified - The nose, sidepods, rear wheel arches and rear valance - have all been designed to mimic Cadillac roadcar design elements. Even the wheels look like they were pulled straight from the CTS-V. The front splitter, the floor, and the diffuser are common elements shared with other DPi cars.

Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.

Woman thwarts car thieves by jumping on hood

When a pack of car thieves tried to steal a Milwaukee-area woman's car at a gas station, she didn't run for help. Oh no. She hulked out, jumped on the hood, and screamed her head off until the thief finally ran off. According to WISN, Melissa Smith was gassing up her white Subaru Outback at a BP station near Milwaukee's historic Third Ward on the afternoon of May 24. As she stood there pumping gas and minding her own business, a black Cadillac swung slowly around the front of the Subie and came to a stop just off the front left corner. As Smith turned her back to hang up the pump nozzle, a dude bailed out of the Caddy, crouched down, and snuck into the Outback's driver's seat. "I didn't see him till I saw him get into my car. Or someone was in my car, and had my, 'Oh, hell this isn't happening to me today' moment," Smith told WISN. As soon as she saw the thief in her car, Smith ran around the front then leaped on to the hood. She started yelling and pounding on the windshield as the thief tried to pull away from the pump, but he refused to stop. He tried a couple quick stops in an attempt to shake her off, but to no avail. "He looked at me, and he laughed at me, which really irritated me," Smith said. "He was laughing while I was on my car, and he was trying to throw me off, so zero remorse." Smith clung to the Subaru, shouting and pounding until the thief gave up. He abandoned ship, jumped back into the Caddy, and the group of thieves sped away. Unfortunately, when the thief bailed he left the Subie in gear with Smith still holding on for dear life. "Then I had to chase my car into the street and stop it before it hit somebody else," Smith said. Thankfully, Smith was unharmed in the incident, but the crooks got her purse, phone, wallet, and sunglasses. Milwaukee police are still looking for the suspects, who they say stole the black Caddy before trying to steal Smith's Subaru. Related Video: News Source: NBC News, WISN Auto News Weird Car News Cadillac Subaru Crossover Sedan carjacking milwaukee