Cadillac Cien?

tonypro99 · Jan 13, 2011

Hey all;

I was wondering if Cadillac released a Mid-Engine sports car along the lines of the Cien concept would any of you purchase it for lets say a $140,000 Price Tag?

Weigh in your opinions here thx!

Tuna · Jan 13, 2011

$140k is out of my price range. Besides that would more likely be the price of a mid-engine Vette and not a Caddy.

Cadiblk · Jan 14, 2011

I would much rather spend that kind of money on a year or two old Ferrari as opposed to a vette or cadillac.

Rob · Jan 15, 2011

tonypro99 said:
Hey all;

I was wondering if Cadillac released a Mid-Engine sports car along the lines of the Cien concept would any of you purchase it for lets say a $140,000 Price Tag?

Weigh in your opinions here thx!

Personally, I would hope that they would not.

Cadillac has always been a luxury brand that was supposed to exemplify the best of the best when it comes to the luxury segment of the market.

Over the years - especially in the last 3 decades, I think Cadillac has lost it's identity and lacks vision in some areas.

When the CTS first came out - I liked it....after a long period of growing on me. It took SEVERAL walks around the car and contemplation from different angles to finally start to have some appreciation for it.

Then the XLR came out: the first thing I thought of was: "holy S$$$, that's it! That's what the CTS was missing." The CTS - while being a nice car, is too oblong for me....it's big and bulky. The XLR looks like someone stepped on a CTS and the sides popped out.

It looks sleek, sexy and passionate. It gave me that: "God I want one of those someday...." feelings. The CTS hasn't done that for me.

Don't get me wrong: I like the CTS-V and the CTS-V coupe (until you get behind that enormous rear-end), but not enough to go buy one.

Cadillac has been wanting to go after BMW and Mercedes for quite some time now. The CTS was the start of that assault.

In some ways, I think they have failed. In other ways, I think they've come relatively close. However: rather than diverting attention and funds towards building a mid-engine sports car for the marque - I'd rather see GM put the time, money and effort into taking the CTS, massaging it, paring it down in size and weight and REALLY giving Germany something to worry about.

Save the mid-engine sports car concept for Corvette.

Not to ramble on here, but just a case in point:

I've always loved BMW's since the 2002 model 3-series debuted. I bought a 2004 330xi a few years ago - fully loaded. Great car, extremely fun to drive, perfect size for me, goes like stink, carves corners pretty well, and the AWD is freakin' awesome in the snow and makes the car that much more fun to drive.

Today, I'm hopefully trading it in on a 2008 335xi 2-door coupe which I've always lusted after. I want so badly to feel that same level of excitement for a CTS, but I just can't.

The BMW has all the options I want, the build quality I'm looking for, and that sweet, sexy design and appearance that I love. While the current generation of BMW is slightly bigger than my 2004, it still retains that "just the right size" for me. I look at a CTS and I just see a bloated wall of sheet metal sitting there in front of me.

Cadillac: please take the CTS back to the drawing board: retain some of the design elements, shave off 4 inches of height off the car, and give me a 325hp engine with at least 300 lb-ft of torque. I don't want an anemic drivetrain, and since I already have a Corvette in the garage - I have no need for a 500+ horsepower engine for a daily driver back and forth to work.

Stay away from playing around with a mid-engine concept and give that money to Corvette Engineering so that they can finally let Zora's dream come true.

Jetboy · Jan 15, 2011

Good post Rob. I could not agree more.

fascady · Jan 17, 2011

That would be a really tough choice between a mid-engine Vette, and a Cien! I love the Ciens lines, especially if they put adequate Horses under that big hood! But the Vette with a small block-midengine with a blower! Now that would be exciting!

Tuna · Jan 18, 2011

Hi Rob,
Personally I like the idea of a 500+ HP grocery getter but that's just me.

Also, a mid-engine Caddy just doesn't sound right to me either. I'd rather see GM try that in the Vette first.

The second generation CTS can be had with a 304 HP and 273 lb-ft of torque engine - pretty close to what you're looking for anyway. The 'standard' CTS models weight in around 3850 lbs also. It's the V series versions that weight in over 4200 lbs (my wagon is supposed to be closer to 4400#).

unionrunner · Jan 20, 2011

Cien!?!

Probably not, certainly not new, out of my toy budget and I'm not convinced it could be done right at $140k. Maybe after it had been out a couple of years, been owned and babied by a GM exec as a show piece, the kinks worked out and was half priced - then I might well step up. Besides that gives me a couple more years to save up.

Cadillac Tech · Jan 22, 2011

Cadillac Cien pictures

Here's pictures of the Cadillac Cien @ The Meadow Brook Hall car show in August 2002;

Tuna · Jan 22, 2011

I believe a "Cien" replica was used in the movie "The Island".

fascady · Jan 22, 2011

Beautiful! Didn't it have a V-12? Some pretty awsome looking front rotors.

Cadillac Tech · Jan 22, 2011

fascady said:
Beautiful! Didn't it have a V-12? Some pretty awsome looking front rotors.

Yes, a V-12 NorthStar

fascady · Jan 22, 2011

Thanks! I hadn't read the other post with the Meadowbrook pics. Are there any specs on that engine available, or on the cars performance? Or was it basically just a show piece/concept?

fascady · Jan 22, 2011

I found a sight with the info on the car; I'm still impressed!

Little Woman · Jan 23, 2011

I think it is a pretty good looking car. V12 wow.

Cadillac Tech · Jan 23, 2011

Cadillac Cien information from Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2002 program;

TREE MAN · Feb 18, 2011

Rob, I know you said you were rambling in your post but at one point I thought I was reading a Car & Driver article. Everyone may have their own opinion but you illustrated yours exceptionally well.

I am kind of torn between the two, I agree with many of your points regarding GMs hit and miss approach with some of their new ideas. However I also love the XLR so much I might be willing to take a chance on something like a Cien if I had the opportunity. I am kind of imagining a Cadillac version of the Audi R8, obviously just out of the price range for most people but along the lines if Unionrunner's rationalization if I saved up for a few years and got one used at half its original retail price it could be well worth it.

Thats essentially how the XLR worked out for me, I am still fairly young so I'd be insane to blow 75-80 grand on a brand new Cadillac. I loved the car so much after the car show I saw it at I just kept saving until the time was right and got one practically showroom condition for less than half its original MSRP.

rwd · Mar 4, 2011

It's nice looking, but I'm not really interested in mid-engine or V10/V12's. A properly-designed, front-engined, large-displacement V8 will work just fine. If they just stuck a C6 powertrain under the car, I'd buy one. Or an XLR body/top on vette running gear.