Production CTS-V Is Team Cadillac's Secret Weapon

DETROIT - The pursuit of an "unfair advantage" - a decisive edge on the competition - is a time-honored tradition in auto racing. Team Cadillac's unfair advantage in the SPEED World Challenge is the immensely capable production CTS-V performance luxury sedan that provides the foundation for the CTS-V race cars. With GM small-block V-8 power, a world-class chassis architecture, and Cadillac's commitment to performance, the CTS-V has the right stuff for the road and the race track.

The CTS-Vs that compete in the GT class of the SPEED World Challenge are the first race cars developed by GM Racing in conjunction with Cadillac and GM Performance Division, an in-house center of expertise that creates enthusiast-oriented versions of production models. The CTS-V, the first vehicle to wear the high-performance V-Series badge, expresses Cadillac's focus on performance and luxury.

"The CTS-V race car started with a great set of blueprints," said Dave Spitzer, GM Racing program manager for Team Cadillac. "The rear-wheel-drive production CTS-V provided both the inspiration and the hardware for the racing version. Many of the same GM components, technologies, processes, people and facilities were used in the development of the production CTS-V and the CTS-V race cars."

Technology transfer is a two-way street. Lessons learned on the track have benefited production Cadillacs, just as GM's vast technical and human resources enriched the CTS-V race car. Moreover, the rules of the SPEED World Challenge Series require that the production-based CTS-V race cars retain strong links with their showroom counterparts.

The production and race-prepared versions of CTS-V share common technology that's embodied in an all-aluminum GM small-block V-8 engine, body structure, front and rear suspensions, steering system, differential and half-shafts. They also share talent, as GM engineers who conceived the CTS-V for street use were directly involved in the creation of the race car.

"The CTS-V race car has significant connections to the production CTS-V in three categories: parts, people and facilities," Spitzer explained. "The CTS-V race cars began life at the GM Lansing Grand River assembly plant, the facility that builds every CTS-V. By weight, 73 percent of the race car is stock or derived from production parts, including the engine, the gearbox, the differential, the suspension and many other key components."

GM's legendary small-block V-8 engine powers both the production and racing CTS-Vs. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2005, this remarkable motor has won more races and more championships than any other production engine. Now a new generation of production-based engines is continuing the small-block's winning tradition in road racing. SCCA, the sanctioning body for the SPEED World Challenge, has mandated that all GM-powered entries use the same engine specification to simplify technical inspection and to ensure a level playing field.

Individuals from throughout GM bring their expertise to the Cadillac racing program. Tony Roma, who manages GM Powertrain's high-performance production V-8s, also manages the CTS-V race car engine program. Jim LaFontaine, a GM Powertrain engineer who works on transmission programs for GM High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) implemented the race car's transmission development. Mike McCann, from the Advanced Vehicle Integration Group, designed the race car's rear suspension. Kip Wasenko, who is responsible for design for HPVO products, also designed the CTS-V body modifications for the race car.

"People from many GM departments and disciplines participated in this project," Spitzer noted. "We also used GM facilities extensively in the design and construction of the CTS-V race car. These included the GM Aerodynamics Laboratory and seven-post chassis rig at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Mich., and the Vehicle Handling Facility at the GM Proving Ground in Milford, Mich. We employed a range of advanced tools such as FEA (finite element analysis), modal analysis and CAD (computer-aided design) in the project.

In addition to the SPEED World Challenge, Cadillac CTS-Vs also competed successfully in the Grand Am Cup series and in SCCA T2 in 2004.

"These were not factory-supported efforts, but the fact that independent teams can race and win with CTS-V is a testament to the performance capabilities of the production car," said Karen Rafferty,
V-Series and Cadillac racing marketing manager.

While created for distinctly different environments, the production CTS-V and its racing siblings are the products of this two-way exchange between the realms of production and motorsports. Both are infused with Cadillac's distinctive style and standing as one of the world's great marques.

"We are racing to help sell cars and change the image of Cadillac," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "With the knowledge generated throughout our racing program, we have been able to make tangible improvements in our production products. Our success on the race track has also built enthusiasm for Cadillac among our dealers, employees and customers."

Is it an unfair advantage to race a four-sedan against two-seat sports cars? In the case of Team Cadillac's CTS-V race cars, it just might be.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 324,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

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