It seems that the Cadillac V-One concept unveiled last week could become a small-series production model. That would give GM’s richest and most loyal customers the opportunity to buy an almost exact copy of the V-Series.R racing hypercar that competes in endurance races.
Technical package: almost like Le Mans
Like the race car, the V-One uses a Dallara chassis and a hybrid powertrain with a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8. Due to performance balancing rules, the racing V-Series.R is limited to 670 hp, but the concept, free from such restrictions, produces 830 hp.
Competitors have already taken this path
Ferrari and Aston Martin are already building and selling limited series of track versions of their Le Mans hypercars. McLaren plans to do the same soon. If Cadillac finds enough customers willing to pay substantial sums for an ultimate track car, it could follow the same path.
V-One is a concept only in name. We are always looking at where there is interest and what we want to do in the future.
— Sean O’Shea, head of Cadillac LMdh powertrain
Racing program remains a priority
O’Shea added that Dallara has told GM it is ready to build any number of V-One chassis. However, he stopped short of confirming production at this stage. The company will have to ensure that producing a limited run of customer cars does not harm the racing program and the resources allocated to it.
The most important thing for us is not to harm the racing program. V-One is designed to elevate our brand and draw attention to everything we do, and then allow a person to get behind the wheel and do the same as our professional drivers. Especially with the body and what we will do with various suppliers for the engine: if the project becomes a reality, we have to be sure that everything is sufficiently changed to use our network, but not to the detriment of the race car.
— Sean O’Shea
What could be the next step
So far, Cadillac has not made a decision about mass production of the V-One, but the very fact that such a concept appeared indicates the brand’s intention to establish itself in the segment of the most expensive track hypercars. If the project gets the green light, it will become not just a show car, but a way for GM to gauge public interest in extreme machines inspired by Le Mans. At the same time, the company seems unwilling to sacrifice its racing program for small-series production, so potential buyers will likely have to wait until engineers find a balance between the two directions.