Cadillac has never produced a mid-engined vehicle in its 123-year history, but the brand is once again exploring the idea with the V-One concept. Revealed at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, the track-focused machine is closely related to Cadillac’s V-Series.R endurance racing car and could potentially lead to a limited customer production run.
Cadillac’s First Mid-Engined Experiment Was the Cien
Cadillac first explored an all-out sports car with the Cien concept in 2002. The striking design became familiar to players of Gran Turismo and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix, while its styling drew inspiration from the F-22 Raptor.
The Cien featured a bespoke V12 engine and received strong enough interest to generate plans for production. Those plans were ultimately canceled because of a lack of development funds and questions about the potential customer base.
Cadillac V-One Revives the Idea
More than two decades later, Cadillac introduced the V-One concept, roughly 24 years after the Cien. The car was shown at The Quail during Monterey Car Week and is essentially the brand’s endurance racing hypercar without its racing decals.
The competition version is known as the V-Series.R and has already had successful outings in motorsport. Cadillac is now using the V-One to gauge customer interest, although the concept is fundamentally different from the Cien.
V-One Production Has Not Been Confirmed
Speaking to Road & Track, Cadillac LMDh propulsion manager Sean O’Shea said, “It is a concept in name. We are always looking to see where interest is, and what we want to do in the future.”
O’Shea did not say that Cadillac will produce the V-One, but his comments leave open the possibility of building a small number of examples for special customers.
If the V-One were produced in its current form, it would not be expected to be road legal. Instead, it would be a highly expensive track-day machine for owners willing to use it. If Cadillac made enough changes to make it roadworthy, the V-One could be positioned against the Aston Martin Valkyrie or Mercedes-AMG One.
What Powers the Cadillac V-One?
The V-One does not share components with Cadillac’s road-going models. Its chassis is made by Dallara, which also supplies chassis for the IndyCar series and other open-wheel championships worldwide.
Its suspension uses a race-car setup, with double wishbones at all four corners and pushrod springs and dampers.
Power comes from a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 paired with standardized hybrid components. Output is rated at 670 hp, which is the limit capped by the World Endurance Championship.
Without those restrictions, the engine could produce more power. A customer version could potentially receive additional horsepower, although Cadillac has not confirmed such a version.
Cadillac V-One Could Cost Seven Figures
Cadillac has not made a final decision on whether to sell the V-One to customers outside of motorsport. If the company does move forward with production, the price could reach $1 million.
For now, the V-One remains a concept as Cadillac continues to gauge interest in bringing its race-bred hypercar to customers.
