Cadillac Fleetwood Brouhham on 2040-cars

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Online Find Of The Day: 2008 Cadillac XLR picks up where Excalibur left off

We try very, very hard to keep snark away from creations like the one you see here. After all, someone poured plenty of enthusiasm, time and money into turning a 2008 Cadillac XLR into a modern interpretation of the new-old cars typically done by cottage builders like Excalibur and Clénet. Even so, it's hard not to wince when you set an eye on this machine. With its wheelbase stretched to accommodate the extra bodywork, goofy sidewalls and upkicked nose (examine it in profile, it looks slightly bent in the middle), this "neoclassic" takes whatever was loveable about the Cadillac underneath and buries it in a tacky grave.
Miraculously, the engine bay has been left unmolested, which means the retractable hardtop convertible still features a 4.6-liter Northstar V8 engine good for 320 horsepower. If only that were enough to outrun its shame. If, for some reason, you feel like taking this thing home, Harry Kaufmann Motorcars of Milwaukee says it can be yours for a paltry $74,998. We wish were joking. Check it out here.

Shatner's Rivet motorcycle to enter limited production with CTS-V engine [w/video]

William Shatner has entertained the world for decades, from playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek to covering songs like Rocket Man and Common People. Now in his 80s, Billy Shatz has embarked on one of his weirdest projects yet: helping to design the wild Rivet One trike with motorcycle fabrication company American Wrench. Now, you can order one too with power as crazy as the three-wheeler's design. We last saw the Rivet One's aluminum body with the styling like a menacing, art-deco easy chair a few months ago, but now Shatner has started talking about the trike's powerplant, which is based around the heart of a Cadillac CTS-V. "It's a beast with advanced guts. It's powered by an all-aluminum, computer-controlled, supercharged and intercooled V8 engine – producing over 500 HP," Shatner said to Gizmag. Keep an eye out because Shatner intends to captain the Rivet One from Chicago to Los Angeles later this year. Also, if you want a ride like Captain James T. Kirk, the company is taking requests for the trike, made on a build-to-order basis after completing Shatner's job, according to Gizmag. Prices aren't announced yet but expect the number to be as out of this world as a voyage of the Enterprise. The video below provides a further look at the Rivet One's unconventional design. Superheroes Wanted - A Look At The Machine from Rivet on Vimeo. News Source: Gizmag, Rivet via VimeoImage Credit: Rivet Motors Celebrities Design/Style Cadillac Motorcycle Performance trike William Shatner american wrench

Luxury car brands scrambling to avoid a blue Christmas

DETROIT — When financial markets surge to new records, sales of luxury cars usually rise, too. Instead, October U.S. auto sales reports on Wednesday showed that a collapse in sales of luxury sedans is accelerating. Consumers have gradually shifted over to luxury sport utility vehicles from sedans in the past decade, but the trend — which has occurred in both the non-luxury and luxury sedan segments of the auto market — was particularly pronounced in October. Sales of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz S-Class, long a global benchmark for large, premium sedans, plunged 49 percent in October, and are down 24.8 percent for the year to date. General Motors' Cadillac brand said it sold just 779 of its CTS sedans in October. Demand for that car, designed to compete with German luxury sedans, is down nearly 33 percent for the year. "There's still a significant portion of the market that wants a car, but I'm sure there were people who preferred a horse to a car at one point." Cadillac's best-selling model this year is the XT5 compact SUV, which has more than doubled sales from a year ago. The shift within the luxury vehicle market away from sedans toward SUVs of all sizes is forcing some of the most prestigious brands to scramble to add SUV models to their lineups or boost SUV production to meet demand. "In the short term, there will be pressure to add (consumer) incentives, cut production or both," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. "And we just don't see an end in sight to this trend." The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trading at all-time highs, usually a good sign for luxury sedans, but as major automakers reported new U.S. vehicle sales for October on Wednesday, sales for passenger cars continued their slide while luxury SUV and crossover sales rose again. According to Kelley Blue Book data, in 2007 luxury sedans made up 7.6 percent of U.S. new vehicle sales, while luxury SUVs made up 4.2 percent. Through September this year, luxury SUVs made up just over 7 percent of the market, compared with 4.9 percent for luxury sedans. In the short term, luxury brands could use holiday season sales promotions to clear slow-selling sedans off dealer lots, analysts said. Toyota's Lexus brand said on Wednesday it will launch its "December to Remember" year-end sales promotion for the 18th straight year.