1991 Cadillac Front Wheel Drive Deville Fleetwood S&s Hearse 51,000 Miles on 2040-cars

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Liberace's gilded Cadillac could be yours

With their chrome grilles and oversized wheels, it's hard not to notice a Cadillac these days. But this one is even more blingtastic on account of the 23.75-karat gold-leaf bodywork.
The 1931 Cadillac Golfer's Drop Head Coupé is said to have belonged to the inimitable performer Liberace, who didn't just have it covered in gold - he also had the exterior door handles plated in silver and the inside handles in 24-karat gold as well. It's also got a white leather interior and headlights that - well ahead of their time (if you'll pardon us, Mr. Tucker) - pivot with the steering wheel. All that bling is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission that pales in comparison to the seven, eight and even nine-speed gearboxes appearing on luxury sedans today.
The project was undertaken over the course of three years in the 1970s by one Jack Smith from Kansas. Smith (if that was his real name) sold it at auction in 1975, and it was most recently displayed for 12 years at a museum in Germany which claimed it was Liberace's own. The car is now going up for sale by Barons' at the Sandown Park horse racing track in Surrey, England, on September 17, when bidding starts at 85,000 pounds - equivalent to over $130,000 at today's rates.

Cadillac XT5 confirmed for 2016 as next-gen SRX

Cadillac's entire lineup of 2016 models gets a major infotainment upgrade this summer with improvements to CUE and integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's one major exception for now, though. The SRX retains the old system until its all-new generation, called the XT5, debuts early in the 2016 calendar year. "When we transition into all new product lines, we will evolve the naming convention to suit the new classification we have announced. So SRX becomes XT5 next year," company spokesman David Caldwell said in an email to Autoblog. Earlier spy shots and rumors suggest the XT5 might be offered with a turbocharged four-cylinder and naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines, plus a nine-speed automatic transmission. For the rest of Cadillac's models, CarPlay arrives with the launch of the 2016 vehicles, and Android Auto joins later. Using either of them requires a connection via USB, and they add a new projection icon on the CUE screen. Once activated, both systems integrate with driver's phone and incorporate features like navigation, music, and contacts. They can also accept voice commands. Even for those that don't want to hook up a smartphone, CUE should work better thanks to a more powerful processor. Start-up times for the infotainment system are expected to be faster, and Cadillac claims that it's also more responsive for voice recognition, navigation searches, and media. The navigation interface is simplified, as well. The Escalade, CTS, and XTS can now be ordered with a 360-degree camera system to display on the screen. Cadillac Enhances Phone Integration for 2016 Models with Apple CarPlay, CUE Upgrades APPLE CARPLAY AVAILABLE AT LAUNCH; ANDROID AUTO COMING LATER IN MODEL YEAR 2015-06-09 NEW YORK – Cadillac's 2016 model year products will feature enhanced connectivity and control, including the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the predominant new systems for in-car phone integration. These additions are part of a broader enhancement of CUE, Cadillac's user experience, with new features and a faster, streamlined operation. Apple CarPlay will debut in 2016 Cadillac models featuring CUE's 8-in multi-touch screen except the SRX Crossover, a model that will move to an all-new generation in early 2016. Android Auto is expected to be phased into 2016 production at a later date. The 2016 model year will begin this summer.

GM laying off more than 4,000 workers Monday morning

According to reports from Automotive News, The Detroit News, and CNN, General Motors plans to begin laying off more than 4,000 salaried workers starting Monday morning. In a statement to AN, a spokesperson for the automaker said, "We are not confirming timing. Our employees are our priority. We will communicate with them first." We've been expecting layoffs at General Motors since November, 2018. At the time, the Detroit-based automaker announced it would seek to shed 8,100 salaried employees, shut down five assembly plants in North America, and kill off several slow-selling models. One month earlier, GM offered buyout packages to 18,000 workers and said it would seek to cut its global workforce by 25 percent. A spokesperson said at the time the moves were "proactive steps to get ahead of the curve by accelerating our efforts to address overall business performance." The cost-cutting moves are expected to save GM up to $2.5 billion in 2019 and as much as $6 billion by 2020. David Kudla, CEO and chief investment strategist of Mainstay Capital Management, referred to the impending culling as "Black Monday" and told The Detroit News that the layoffs would begin around 7:30 a.m. and continue in waves throughout the coming days and weeks. GM plans to deliver on its fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 earnings report on Wednesday. President Donald Trump plans to deliver the annual State of the Union address a day earlier on Tuesday. We expect to hear plenty more from both sides over the next several days.