A decade ago, the elegant excess of Cadillac's "Sixteen" Concept Car set off alarms throughout the global auto industry as it rolled into the North American International Auto Show.
Cadillac's "Sixteen" Concept Car is a 1000 horsepower 13.6 liter V-16, 5000 pound, 19 foot long engineering and design statement taking conceptual cues from the legendary Cadillac V-16s of the 1930s. The Sixteen is an example of truly advanced, leading edge automotive engineering and design wearing few of the typical bells, whistles, video games and gimmicks that clutter some concept cars. Its "Displacement on Demand" V-16's Active Fuel Management system shuts down 12 of its 16 cylinders during normal motoring and cuts eight cylinders during more spirited driving. Only full throttle allows all 16 cylinders to fire and deliver 1000 horsepower and 1000 lb/ft of torque. Four-wheel steering helps ease the Cadillac Sixteen concept car through real world driving situations.
Part of Cadillac's "Art and Science" design theme, the Sixteen, it was widely rumored, came very close to achieving production status. One thing it did very well was to influence and flavor Cadillac's product planning. The latest generation of Cadillacs carries the spirit of the Sixteen's concept and execution in their design DNA.
"We wanted a super luxury flagship," said Wayne Cherry, the retired Vice President of GM Design who led the Sixteen design project. "The Sixteen had to have a presence. We wanted it to be the ultimate expression of Cadillac; to reinstate Cadillac as a world leader in design and technology and a reminder of the heritage of Cadillac."
The 18th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Cadillac Concept Class includes:
1949 Coupe de Ville
1952 Convertible Coupe
1953 Le Mans Concept
1953 Le Mans
1953 Supercharged Eldorado
1956 Eldorado Brougham Motorama Town Car
1958 Eldorado Biarritz
1959 Cyclone
1961 Eldorado
2002 Cien
2003 Sixteen
Wayne Cherry, Vice President Design General Motors (Retired)
About The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
Now in its second decade, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, "The Amelia" draws nearly 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. Since 1996, the show's Foundation has donated over $2 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other deserving charities on Florida's First Coast. The 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is scheduled for March 8-10, 2013. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org.
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