Really, that headline ought to read: "Cadillac to build Cadillac." The crest and wreath has been emblazoned on all kinds of very interesting cars of late, but in its quest to establish itself as a performance brand, Cadillac has been missing something. Yes, the current range-topping XTS sedan looks decent, but it's a front-driver that comes with nothing larger than a V-6. They'll be doing a twin-turbo version soon enough, but what part of "twin-turbo V-6 front-wheel drive" says Cadillac to you? No, a proper Caddy of the old school is essentially a yacht for the road, somewhere between big, brooding menace and chrome-finned splendour. To my mind, it doesn't just need to sit beside a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and look creditable - it needs to do better than that.
Quite frankly, Cadillac should put Rolls-Royce in their crosshairs, and I know what you're thinking: no American car could ever match the peerless heritage of the RR brand. Why not? The Cadillac of the 1930s used to, and why not at least aim at creating a driving experience as special as that of a Rolls-Royce, rather than some charmless wafting German executive limo? We'll have to wait a further two years before GM will launch their flagship. In the meantime, here's hoping they pull out all the stops, put Goodfellas on the DVD and force all the designers to listen to nothing but Frank Sinatra.
THE DARK KNIGHT SURPRISES
Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na Bat-truck! For some reason, Ford has built itself a Bat-truck. Seems a perfectly sensible thing to do. "Holy Lasers!" and whatnot.
We're not talking the gravely voiced Dark Knight here - this red-and-black, be-finned F-150 is made in the mold of George Barris's original creation. That particular Batmobile was also a Ford underneath, a Futura concept, and the V-8-powered truck echoes its somewhat campy (but legendary) lines.
Put together by Galpin Auto Sports in South Cali, the truck was sketched out by Barris's grandson Jared in Tuxedo Black with Ferrari Red accents. Everything was together just in time for Comic Con in San Diego (ah, that makes sense), and Galpin is reportedly taking orders for anyone who wants to convert their F-150 to Batspec.
Look, if you're thinking about sticking bat-fins on your pickup, just get your best friend to come over and Biff! Pow! Socko! some sense back into you.
SUBARU'S SEXAGENNIAL Well, sort of. Actually celebrating a birthday this year is Fuji Heavy Industries, the pragmatically named company that churns out the rugged all-wheel-drive machines that urban dwellers so love.
After a series of name-swapping reorganizations more convoluted than three seasons of Days Of Our Lives, the Nakajima Aircraft Company split into subsidiaries and then reorganized, taking the name of Fuji Heavy Industries in 1953.
The company produced a jet, and I have to wonder why Subaru doesn't make a bigger deal of this given how Saab was always trumpeting its aeronautical heritage. They also built the Subaru 360: this wonky little micro-car was basically like a VW Beetle in many ways, except mostly worse.
They sure are cute though, if slightly deformed.
From humble beginnings, the Subaru brand has grown into a full range of vehicles, and has been on something of a tear recently, with the redesigned Forester doing very well.
BENTLEY BULKS UP Bentley has announced a concept of what a Bentley SUV might look like called the EXP 9 F, which sounds like what a Dungeons and Dragons character receives as a reward for slaying an orc.
And speaking of slaying orcs.. .. Given that most Bentleys are already the size of your average ocean-going vessel, swelling one up to the size of a Range Rover isn't all that difficult. The problem is how the styling of something like a Mulsanne looks when ballooned up, and I can tell you that, so far, efforts have not been pretty.
Also, with the new lighter-weight Range Rover starting to trickle out and gain a foothold, Bentley's foray into the luxo-SUV field is going to have some stiff competition. Anyway, look forward to spending 2016 stuck in aparking lot while one of these behemoths attempts a 48-point turn.
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