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Cadillac is taking the technology, drama and outright performance of its championship-winning endurance racer and turning it into something even more extraordinary. Meet the Cadillac V-ONE concept, a track-focused machine inspired directly by the Cadillac V-Series.R and designed to bring its competition-bred performance closer to private hands.

The V-Series.R has already established itself as one of the most recognizable modern endurance racing cars. From the distinctive combination of electric propulsion leaving the pits to the unmistakable thunder of its naturally aspirated V-8, Cadillac’s LMDh racer has quickly developed a devoted following. Pole positions, race victories and championship success have only strengthened its reputation.

The V-ONE takes that racing pedigree and pushes it in a new direction.

“It’s about as close to the race car as you can get,” says Sean O’Shea, Cadillac LMDh Propulsion Manager and one of the key figures behind the V-ONE project.

Rather than simply borrowing styling cues from the V-Series.R, Cadillac has created a machine that shares some of the race car’s most important hardware while adding a level of craftsmanship and usability that would be out of place on a conventional competition car.

Cadillac V-ONE Is Built Around the V-Series.R’s Racing DNA

The foundation of the V-ONE is remarkably serious. Beneath its bodywork sits the same carbon-fiber chassis used by the Cadillac V-Series.R, with the carbon tub manufactured by Italian racing specialist Dallara.

Even the V-ONE’s bodywork is based on the same molds used to create the V-Series.R race car.

That means this is not simply a concept designed to look like a Cadillac endurance racer. Its architecture is directly connected to the machine that competes on some of the world’s most demanding circuits.

Cadillac Design has nevertheless given the V-ONE a more refined character.

“Even though it’s a race car, even though it’s raw and very functional, we’ve actually surfaced every single part of it by hand,” explains Dominic Najafi, Executive Director of Design for Global Cadillac Design.

Every surface has been carefully developed to produce cleaner reflections, sharper highlights and smoother transitions between aerodynamic elements. Cadillac has also deliberately enhanced certain details to give the V-ONE a more advanced and high-tech appearance than its competition counterpart.

The concept also introduces a new V-Series logo and a new wheel design that previews the direction of future Cadillac V-Series production models.

A Naturally Aspirated 5.5-Liter V-8 With Around 830 Horsepower

The heart of the Cadillac V-ONE remains one of its biggest attractions: the naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8 from the V-Series.R.

It is an engine chosen as much for its character as its performance. The sound of the large-displacement naturally aspirated V-8 is a defining part of Cadillac Racing’s identity, and the V-ONE retains that unmistakable soundtrack.

Building the engine is also anything but a mass-production process.

“It takes 160 hours of build time just to assemble the engine,” O’Shea says.

The engines are assembled in Pontiac, Michigan, by specialists with extensive experience building racing engines. Cadillac describes the engine builders as hand-picked for the job, underscoring just how closely the V-ONE remains connected to the company’s motorsports program.

The V-ONE does, however, receive modifications to make its powertrain more approachable for a driver who isn’t surrounded by an entire endurance-racing team.

The V-Series.R’s hybrid powertrain is designed around strict racing regulations governing the combined output of its internal-combustion engine and electric motor. The V-ONE isn’t constrained by those same competition rules.

As a result, Cadillac engineers have recalibrated the hybrid system to act more directly as a performance boost.

Total output is approximately 830 horsepower.

Even more impressive, the driver can summon an additional 134 horsepower on a straightaway at the push of a button.

For a machine that already sits close to the performance envelope of a modern prototype race car, that extra burst of electric assistance could make the V-ONE an extraordinary experience on a circuit.

V-ONE Performance Targets Race-Car Territory

Cadillac isn’t claiming that the V-ONE is identical to the V-Series.R in outright lap-time performance. Instead, the target is for the concept to lap within approximately 10 percent of the competition car.

That is still an astonishing objective for a machine intended to be more user-friendly than the full race car.

The V-ONE has more overall power than its racing counterpart, but its hybrid system is somewhat simplified. Its aerodynamic package also combines elements developed for different generations and iterations of the V-Series.R.

The result is a fascinating compromise: a car with genuine endurance-racing hardware, substantially more power and a configuration intended to be accessible to a highly skilled track driver without requiring the infrastructure of a professional racing team.

A Race Car With Cadillac-Level Craftsmanship

The visual differences between the V-ONE and the V-Series.R become particularly obvious in the paintwork.

Unlike a typical race car, which is generally wrapped in vinyl graphics and liveries, the V-ONE is hand-painted.

Its finish transitions from a rich silver at the front to an extremely dark Caspia blue toward the rear. Cadillac says the color transition is inspired by the progression from daylight into darkness during a long endurance race.

It is a subtle design detail, but an appropriate one for a car whose identity sits directly between Cadillac’s road-car design philosophy and its endurance-racing heritage.

The attention to detail continues inside.

The Cadillac V-ONE Interior Blends Racing and Luxury

Open the doors and the V-ONE immediately reveals its dual personality.

The cabin is unmistakably that of a purpose-built race car, but Cadillac has added the bespoke craftsmanship expected from the brand’s most exclusive vehicles.

“The interior of the car is one of the main selling points with the car,” O’Shea explains. “You open the doors and you look inside and it’s a clean, purpose-built race car with a bespoke Cadillac interior.”

Cadillac’s designers went through roughly three dozen steering-wheel iterations before arriving at the final configuration.

Many of the controls are carried over from the V-Series.R, keeping the driver’s interaction with the car familiar to those accustomed to Cadillac’s racing machinery.

Blue accents throughout the cabin echo the exterior paintwork, while a GT3-style racing seat provides a different seating position designed to improve visibility compared with the more restrictive seat used in the V-Series.R.

Safety has also remained a major priority.

The V-ONE uses the FIA-approved survival cell from the Cadillac V-Series.R, and its development incorporates applicable FIA safety requirements and validation practices established for the racing car.

That gives the V-ONE an unusual combination of extreme performance, motorsport-derived safety engineering and bespoke Cadillac design.

Cadillac V-ONE vs. Cadillac V-Series.R

Although the V-ONE shares substantial hardware with the V-Series.R, the two cars have different missions.

The V-Series.R is a purpose-built endurance racing machine engineered around the regulations of top-level prototype competition. Every component exists primarily to maximize performance within those rules.

The V-ONE takes that foundation and removes some of those restrictions.

It features approximately 830 horsepower, a more performance-oriented hybrid system and an aerodynamic package derived from different V-Series.R configurations. At the same time, Cadillac has focused on making the car more approachable for a driver operating without a professional race team.

The result is not a road-going V-Series.R. It is something arguably more interesting: a highly exclusive track machine that preserves the core DNA of Cadillac’s endurance racer while allowing designers and engineers significantly more freedom.

The Ultimate Expression of Cadillac Performance

The V-ONE represents a particularly important statement from Cadillac.

The brand has increasingly positioned its V-Series models as the ultimate expression of Cadillac performance, while vehicles such as the CELESTIQ demonstrate the company’s ambitions in ultra-luxury automotive design.

The V-ONE brings those two philosophies together.

“It’s a serious machine, but it’s amazing how we’ve been able to bring this curated design element to it to make it feel like a very special car,” Najafi says.

That distinction is important. The V-ONE isn’t merely a race car with a Cadillac badge. Nor is it a luxury concept dressed up with racing technology.

Instead, it demonstrates how far Cadillac can push both sides of its identity at once.

The V-Series.R provides the motorsport foundation. The V-ONE adds greater power, bespoke craftsmanship and a carefully curated design language. The result is a concept that looks every bit as extreme as an endurance prototype while promising an experience tailored to an individual driver rather than an entire racing organization.

Cadillac describes the CELESTIQ as the ultimate expression of luxury. The V-ONE occupies the opposite end of the spectrum as the ultimate expression of performance.

Together, they illustrate the expanding ambition of Cadillac.

And if the V-ONE is a preview of where the V-Series is heading, Cadillac’s next generation of performance cars could be considerably more exciting than anything the badge has produced before.

Source: Cadillac

NEW CARS

Cadillac CELESTIQ Night Test: A One-of-One Luxury EV Built for Performance in the Shadows

August 27, 2026 Francis Mitterrand

Every champion is forged long before the spotlight arrives. The greatest performances are built away from the crowd, through countless hours of refinement, precision and obsessive attention to detail. Cadillac captures that philosophy with the new CELESTIQ Night Test, a one-of-one commission that transforms the brand’s flagship electric luxury sedan into an exercise in stealth, craftsmanship and exclusivity.

Making its public debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, during Monterey Car Week, the Cadillac CELESTIQ Night Test takes inspiration from the unseen preparation behind world-class performance. Rather than relying on visual drama for its own sake, this bespoke CELESTIQ adopts a darker, more restrained character designed to communicate confidence without demanding attention.

Cadillac CELESTIQ Night Test Takes a Stealthier Approach to Luxury

The defining feature of the CELESTIQ Night Test is its dark and highly disciplined visual theme.

Finished in Caspia Metallic paint, the one-off Cadillac presents a sophisticated appearance that changes dramatically depending on the surrounding light. The subdued exterior finish emphasizes the car’s sculpted proportions while giving the flagship EV a more mysterious presence.

Dark-finish 23-inch wheels reinforce the theme, adding a sense of visual weight and emphasizing the CELESTIQ’s low, planted stance. At the front, a Jade lighting bezel surrounds the headlamps with a dark treatment that helps diffuse the lighting signature rather than simply reflecting ambient light.

The result is a CELESTIQ that feels less like a traditional show car and more like a carefully engineered instrument designed to operate after the crowds have disappeared.

A Bespoke Cadillac CELESTIQ With a Purpose

Cadillac describes the Night Test concept through the analogy of an athlete or musician practicing in isolation. The idea is simple: exceptional performance is created through preparation that most people never see.

That philosophy translates particularly well to the CELESTIQ. Instead of using extravagant colors or excessive exterior detailing, the Night Test commission focuses on subtle contrasts, carefully selected materials and precision.

It is an approach that reflects the broader character of the CELESTIQ, Cadillac’s most technologically advanced production vehicle and a flagship designed around highly personalized customer specifications.

CELESTIQ Night Test Interior Is Designed Like a Precision Instrument

The understated exterior theme continues inside the cabin.

The interior combines Backen Black and Sheer Gray leather seating with carbon-fiber accents and brushed-metal details. Rather than creating an environment dominated by ornamentation, Cadillac has used contrasting textures and materials to give the cabin a technical, sophisticated character.

Carbon fiber introduces a motorsport-inspired element, while brushed metal adds a sense of mechanical precision. The combination with dark leather creates an atmosphere that is simultaneously luxurious and purposeful.

This is particularly important for the CELESTIQ because its cabin is intended to be more than simply a traditional luxury-car interior. Cadillac has positioned the vehicle as a highly individualized experience in which materials, colors and finishes can be selected to reflect the personality and expectations of each customer.

One-of-One Cadillac CELESTIQ Hand-Assembled in Michigan

Like every CELESTIQ, the Night Test commission was hand-assembled at Cadillac’s Artisan Center in Warren, Michigan.

The Artisan Center plays a central role in the CELESTIQ ownership experience. Each vehicle is created from an individually curated selection of colors, materials and finishes, allowing Cadillac to produce a vehicle that can be tailored far beyond the specifications of a conventional mass-produced luxury sedan.

The Night Test demonstrates how that approach can be used to create a genuinely singular automobile. Every exterior treatment and interior material contributes to the same visual concept, giving the vehicle a cohesive identity rather than simply adding individual customization options.

As a one-of-one commission, this particular CELESTIQ represents the extreme end of Cadillac’s personalization philosophy.

Cadillac CELESTIQ Represents the Brand’s Ultimate Technology Showcase

The CELESTIQ sits at the top of Cadillac’s vehicle lineup and serves as an expression of the brand’s vision for electric luxury.

Its significance extends beyond its status as an expensive flagship. Cadillac uses the CELESTIQ to demonstrate how advanced electric-vehicle technology, ultra-luxury craftsmanship and extensive personalization can coexist in a single vehicle.

The Night Test commission adds another dimension to that formula. Instead of presenting technology through a futuristic or flamboyant design, it uses restraint as its defining characteristic.

That makes the car particularly interesting in an increasingly competitive luxury EV market, where manufacturers are attempting to differentiate their most expensive electric vehicles through technology, design and exclusivity.

CELESTIQ Night Test Debuts at Monterey Car Week

The Cadillac CELESTIQ Night Test will make its debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, one of the headline events of Monterey Car Week.

The setting is appropriate for a vehicle built around craftsmanship and performance. Although the Night Test does not attempt to replicate a traditional race car, its design philosophy draws a parallel between motorsport preparation and bespoke automotive engineering.

Behind the finished vehicle is the same fundamental idea: exceptional results come from details that may not immediately be visible.

Cadillac’s Vision of Bespoke Electric Luxury

The CELESTIQ Night Test illustrates what Cadillac believes the future of ultra-luxury electric vehicles can look like.

Its significance is not simply in the Caspia Metallic paint, 23-inch wheels, Jade lighting details or carefully selected interior materials. Those elements matter because they work together to create a singular interpretation of the CELESTIQ.

For Cadillac, customization is ultimately about allowing customers to turn a technologically advanced flagship into something personal.

The Night Test does exactly that. It takes the CELESTIQ and strips away the need for theatrical excess, replacing it with dark finishes, technical materials and an atmosphere built around concentration and precision.

In a segment where luxury is often measured by how much a vehicle can display, the Cadillac CELESTIQ Night Test makes a different argument: sometimes the most convincing form of exclusivity is knowing that you do not need to shout.

Source: Cadillac

NEW CARS

Mazda MX-5 1.5 Gets More Power as UK Says Goodbye to the 2.0-Litre

August 27, 2026 Francis Mitterrand

The Mazda MX-5 is entering a new chapter in the UK, and it is a bittersweet one for fans of lightweight sports cars. Mazda has confirmed a modest power increase for the 1.5-litre MX-5 just as the more powerful 2.0-litre version disappears from the British market.

For the updated model, the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine now produces 134bhp and 114lb-ft of torque. That represents an increase of 4bhp and 3lb-ft over the outgoing engine. The numbers are hardly transformative, but Mazda insists that the changes are about more than simply chasing peak output.

The bigger story is what has been lost. The 2.0-litre MX-5, which produced 181bhp and 151lb-ft, is being phased out of the UK because of increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Existing cars will continue to be available until remaining stock is exhausted, with Mazda UK expecting that to happen around January.

That leaves the 1.5-litre as the sole engine choice for buyers seeking a new MX-5 in the UK.

Mazda Says the 1.5-Litre Is the Engine the MX-5 Was Designed Around

While losing the 2.0-litre engine will disappoint enthusiasts who value outright performance, Mazda is keen to point out that the smaller engine has always been central to the character of the current-generation MX-5.

The company says the 1.5-litre engine’s combination of low weight, responsiveness and accessible performance better represents its Jinba Ittai philosophy—the Japanese concept of creating a close connection between horse and rider.

That philosophy has been fundamental to the MX-5 since the original model arrived in 1989. Rather than relying on huge horsepower figures, the roadster has traditionally focused on low weight, agile handling, rear-wheel drive and driver involvement.

The updated 1.5-litre engine continues that formula, albeit with a little more muscle.

Mazda has also revised the engine’s sound in an effort to make the car feel more engaging from behind the wheel. At the same time, CO2 emissions have been reduced by 1g/km.

Mazda MX-5 Gets Chassis Upgrades

The biggest hardware change may not be under the bonnet.

The range-topping Homura and Homura Plus versions of the 1.5-litre MX-5 will now receive Bilstein dampers and a front strut brace. These components were previously associated with the more powerful 2.0-litre model.

The upgrades should give the 1.5-litre roadster a more focused chassis, with improved body control and sharper responses when the road starts to twist.

For enthusiastic drivers, that could make the reduced engine output easier to accept. The MX-5 has never needed huge power to be entertaining, and a lighter engine combined with upgraded suspension could preserve much of the car’s appeal.

There is, however, one significant omission.

The 2.0-litre MX-5’s asymmetrical limited-slip differential will not be carried over to the 1.5-litre version. That differential was one of the features that helped make the larger-engined MX-5 particularly attractive to drivers who wanted to exploit its rear-wheel-drive chassis.

As a result, the 1.5-litre may gain some of the 2.0-litre’s chassis hardware, but it will not become a direct replacement for the outgoing performance model.

The 2.0-Litre Mazda MX-5 Is Leaving the UK

The disappearance of the 2.0-litre engine is ultimately being driven by emissions regulations rather than a sudden change in Mazda’s opinion of the engine.

According to Mazda UK, the 2.0-litre MX-5 was already removed from European markets in 2024 because of changing emissions requirements. The UK was able to continue selling the model for longer because of different regulatory derogation timings.

That extension has now ended.

Once the remaining 2.0-litre cars are sold, British buyers will no longer be able to order a new MX-5 with the 181bhp engine.

For a car that has built much of its reputation around mechanical simplicity and driver engagement, the change illustrates the growing difficulty of keeping relatively low-volume sports cars compliant with increasingly demanding emissions rules.

Mazda MX-5 Price and Availability

The updated 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 is scheduled to arrive in the UK in January, although Mazda has yet to announce its pricing.

The company has nevertheless stressed that affordability remains an important part of the MX-5 formula. Mazda says the roadster is one of only three convertibles available in the UK for less than £30,000.

That positioning is increasingly significant in a market where affordable two-seat sports cars have become rare.

The MX-5 remains one of the few cars that offers a traditional sports-car recipe—front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, two seats, manual transmission and a folding roof—without moving into premium-car pricing.

Is the Mazda MX-5 Still Relevant?

The MX-5’s future is not completely guaranteed.

The current generation is now more than a decade old, and sales in the UK have declined considerably. Around 4,000 examples were sold in 2019, while annual volumes have subsequently fallen to roughly 1,500 cars.

That makes the MX-5 an increasingly unusual proposition in Mazda’s line-up. It is effectively the brand’s halo model, but it operates in a shrinking segment and uses a platform that has been around for many years.

Nevertheless, the MX-5 continues to have something that many modern performance cars have lost: simplicity.

There is no need for hundreds of horsepower, an enormous battery or an elaborate all-wheel-drive system to make the MX-5 entertaining. Its appeal comes from how little car the driver has to manage.

That is also why the 1.5-litre engine could prove to be more than merely a consolation prize for buyers who can no longer have the 2.0-litre.

The 1.5-Litre MX-5 May Be the Purist’s Choice

On paper, dropping from 181bhp to 134bhp looks like a substantial step backwards. There is no getting around the fact that the 2.0-litre MX-5 is considerably faster and has more performance potential.

But maximum power has never been the only measure of an MX-5.

The 1.5-litre engine’s lower weight helps preserve the roadster’s lightweight character, while the additional chassis hardware on higher-specification models could make the updated car even more enjoyable on a winding road.

In an era when sports cars increasingly depend on enormous outputs and sophisticated electronic systems, the MX-5 continues to make a different argument: less can be more.

That makes the updated 1.5-litre particularly interesting. It may not replace the 2.0-litre as the ultimate MX-5 for outright performance, but it could remain the model that most faithfully represents Mazda’s original philosophy.

A Fitting Evolution for the Mazda MX-5

The end of the 2.0-litre MX-5 in the UK marks the end of an important chapter. Its 181bhp engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and limited-slip differential made it one of the most compelling affordable sports cars still available.

But the 1.5-litre MX-5 is not simply being left behind.

With 134bhp, improved engine sound, slightly lower CO2 emissions, Bilstein dampers and a front strut brace on the Homura and Homura Plus trims, Mazda is giving its smallest engine a meaningful update while preserving the qualities that have defined the MX-5 for decades.

Whether that will be enough to keep the MX-5 relevant in the UK remains to be seen. What is certain is that the affordable, lightweight roadster is becoming an increasingly rare species—and that makes the Mazda MX-5 more important than ever.

Mazda MX-5 1.5 Key Specifications

Engine: 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 114lb-ft
Power increase: 4bhp
Torque increase: 3lb-ft
Drive: Rear-wheel drive
Updated chassis: Bilstein dampers and front strut brace on Homura and Homura Plus
Limited-slip differential: Not available on the updated 1.5-litre
CO2 emissions: 1g/km lower than before
UK arrival: January
2.0-litre output: 181bhp and 151lb-ft
2.0-litre UK sales: Ending once existing stock is sold
UK pricing for updated 1.5-litre: Yet to be announced

Source: Autocar

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