Red Noland Collision Center

Cadillac CTS-V Challenge

2009-10-29

By Barbara Wieland Oct. 28, 2009 For a handful of car enthusiasts, automotive writers and a GM vice chairman, May the best car win is more than just an advertising slogan for the Detroit carmaker. The words are a call to a challenge that will play out Thursday on a four-mile race track in upstate New York. At stake are bragging rights and the reputation of the Cadillac CTS-V, a performance version of a luxury sedan built at the Lansing Grand River assembly plant. Lutz At The Wheel General Motors Co. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, 77, a former Marine Corps jet fighter pilot, will steer a CTS-V around the course, taking on challengers driving a BMW, a Mercedes Benz and an Audi. We believe the CTS-V to be the very highest-performing four-door car in its class, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said. Why not do the race if you produce a car like this? The idea for the race came about as Lutz was on a conference call with journalists a month ago. While discussing the May the best car win slogan, Lutz - known to be something of a wildcard among the automotive press - said he felt so strongly about the slogan that he'd take any of the writers on. Reporters from Web sites Jalopnik.com and TheTruth AboutCars.com were the first to take him up on the challenge. Then, Lutz opened up the offer to anyone. Four car enthusiasts also signed on. The contest will go down at Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, N.Y. The track is a cross-country course with turns, hills and other features that will put the cars through their paces. Caldwell said the race will be a clean one. While many people assume Lutz has experience racing cars, Caldwell said that isn't the case. The only training the vice chairman has received was a short practice session in Michigan. He's not a professional race car driver. He's a professional blogger, Caldwell quipped. And if Lutz loses? Then he doesn't win, Caldwell said. A big part of this is to remember that cars are fun. In Lansing, the people who build the CTS-V already are getting in on the fun, GM spokeswoman Heidi Magyar said. Race 'A Sure Bet' That's especially true of Jeff Bell, a 44-year-old manufacturing engineer who has been driving a CTS-V since July. In my opinion, (the race) is a sure bet, he said. There's nothing that can touch it. The event should open people's eyes to the option of buying a high-performance vehicle that is built in America, he said. A lot of people, when they buy their Mercedes or M-Series BMW, think they're the only car like that, Bell said. I think they'll be very surprised.