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Believers, true and otherwise.
Wow. Just wow. Thanks for putting the Cuorerosso in Rants, totally removed from the Caddy in On The Table. Both vehicles would probably cost the same in final execution, but the Alfa would likely get driven. The aptly named Cadillac Escalade-V 125th Anniversary Collector Series will be just that, a collector car that only comes out at the next concours. Available in Unimaginative Grey or Rental Car White. Who would actually drive one amongst a public that will be completely oblivious to the fact that it costs over twice as much as a plain one? Where’s the hubris in that?
Christopher Blanchard
Prescott, Wisconsin
Forever Sebring.
Going to a race at Sebring is on my bucket list. The track has been shortened to about 3.7 miles from the 5.2 when Andretti won. Take a look at old videos and it’s a miracle anyone in the dark could stay on the track. It's a bunch of runways and taxiways marked by pylons along with being a rough course with different surface materials in various places. But without question, one of the great courses of all time.
Dave Goldin
Rochester, Michigan
There's always one.
It's clear that the car makers know there is a tiny cost-no-object sliver of the market, and are doing their level best to meet it. I mean, really, what is the cost of production difference between this Most Special Edition Escalade and the normal one; not even factoring in the amazing profit margin of the base version.
We've seen Porsche, Stellantis, and now GM go for the gold, literally. We may snort "yeah right" but you and I both know that somewhere in the world, there is person who has to have it. This is why a 911 is now a $150k car, a Jeep ain't cheap, and there is whole cottage industry of folks buying and selling exotics soley to bump prices to an end sucker.
I guess you need to play the allocation game at the Caddy dealer too now. I miss the days when I didn't buy an ATS-V because the dealer slapped a $25k Dealer Cocaine Fund sticker on it; Benz got that money instead, and under sticker.
Casey Raskob, Esq
Green Leafy Burbs, New York City
Two questions.
So, I guess the question that still needs to be answered is... or, actually questions since there are two of them: How much crap can you pound into the basic Chevy Tahoe and still be able to open the doors? And then how high can you raise the price before people start to just walk away? The latest “Anniversary” Escalade seems to be on the brink of answering that important pair of questions.
DJV
Wilmington, North Carolina
Design and more.
I could not agree with you more on design. Theme, history, purpose and statement all wrapped in one offering. Some are devoted to making a strong message. Hyundai-Kia are doing something. (I may not like some but they are doing design).
I'm glad to see your comments on the Cadillac 125. I don’t get it. I thought I was the only one. These are destined to be gobbled up by Cadillac dealer owners and supplier big shots.
MotoGP is great racing. Thanks for covering it. IMSA is great too. Formula 1 is a joke. Suburban sized cars. All the race rules. No passing. I ll pass. Mario was on Martin Brundle's grid walk today in Austin. Great to see him.
Where do you find the true believers? At GMI we had a student car club - “The Firebirds.” We had autocross events, dyno HP contests and notable guest speakers (David E. Davis for one.) Most of our group of 25 were stifled and thwarted in work at GM. 80% were forced out after 10-15 years. Shameful.
Martin R.
Frankenmuth, Michigan
GM does GM.
Wow! I can't wait another minute or take another breath without having my very own Escalade- V 125th Anniversary Collector Series SUV for only $239K delivered! And all this after then GM VP of Cadillac sales, the cigar chomping Pete Gerosa, famously stated in 1997 that, ”Cadillac would never tarnish and lower itself to sell an SUV”. Famous false epitaph for today’s leading profit generator for GM. Yet the magic of GM manufacturing-for-profit engineering science endures as the nearly quarter million-dollar Escalade-V rolls off the same dies, jigs, fixtures, welding robots, paint booth and Arlington, TX plant as Tahoes and Yukons that can MSRP for 1/3 the money and are also wonderfully profitable. Now that’s true believer genetic genius descended from legacy GM profit philosophy.
For my money I’ll take a new Tahoe 9C1 PPV with the comfy padded seats, a suspension that laughs at the 160 MPH certified speedometer, and batteries with an alternator that can power a trailer park somewhere west of Laramie. With money left over, I can put the wife in a Yukon Denali XL for trips to church and the hair dresser. She never looked better.
Dr. John
Phoenix, Arizona
Design matters only if you can afford it.
Message: I agree with you that design matters. In a world where 1,000 cars are available to purchase, design is all we have left. However, HP numbers and design choices only matter to those that can afford it. The rest of the world that lives day-to-day only care about affordable vehicles. Design isn’t on their radar. The bespoke badging on the front doesn’t matter. Driving home yesterday from North Carolina I was among a sea of black/silver/white pods driven by a customer base beaten down by high prices and banal styling. The buying experience has been dumbed down so much nobody orders a car anymore. The dealers purchase the most popular color, great, load it up with options, then wait for someone to say “I’ll take that”. Design has been trumped by availability for those that need a car.
JRR
Plymouth, Michigan
Where's Richard?
I agree with your choice of the best American racers except you left out one - Richard Petty. While I think NASCAR is a bullshit, pretty much staged high-speed reality show these days, when Petty raced it was really competitive, and he won against some very serious drivers. He deserves a spot on your list.
Ted R
Raleigh, North Carolina