Cadillac Tips its Hand with New Elmiraj Concept

Cadillac debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours their strongest indication yet of the future of the brand. The Elmiraj name is a dual nod toward the classic El Dorado as well as to the El Mirage dry lake in California. The car itself, though, is a nod to something much more interesting. Though only having two doors, it doesn't take much squinting to see how this previews the upcoming 7-Series/S-Class competitor. Additionally, this car carries Cadillac's now wreath-less logo (and a grill design that closely mirrors the silhouette of said shield). As if that wasn't enough, this concept packs the first iteration of a previously unknown and unrumored 4.5l twin-turbo V-8 packing upwards of 500hp. No word from Cadillac if this is the successor to the former overhead cam Northstar V-8 that GM shelved years ago or if this is a version of GM small-block. Displacement suggests that this is the former (taking a small-block down in displacement would be fairly inefficient given its fixed bore spacing would mean a large amount of extra metal between smaller cylinders. Cadillac suggests that the engine shares tech with the 3.6l twin-turbo V-6 - but a 60-degree V-8 would be unorthodox...and 4.5l would suggest shared parts with an unknown 3.4l version of the 6. The technologies likely shared are the turbo system design and overhead cams with variable valve timing and direct injection. Given this soft debut, we'd expect additional details to hit soon - perhaps at the LA or Detroit auto shows this fall/winter.