Cadillac reveals Elmiraj concept

Remember the Cadillac Ciel concept from a couple of years back? This is Caddy's follow-up, the Elmiraj concept coupe, unveiled at Pebble Beach.

As with the Ciel, it's a study peeking into Cadillac's luxury car future, cars that will sit at the top of the brand and make lots of noise. It's powered by a 4.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8, delivering 500bhp and 500lb ft of torque, using technology pinched from the 2014 CTS V Sport.

That earlier Ciel concept promised to reinstate the romance of open-air motoring, and though the Elmiraj gets a roof, it's no less extravagant. It weighs in at 1814kg, is 5207mm long - a shade longer than a Mercedes S-Class - and a whopping 1930mm wide, and shares its chassis and structure with "an ongoing Cadillac vehicle development project slated for future production". Hmmm.

There are the vertical lights front and back, two functional vents in the car's bonnet to cool the V8, 22-inch aluminium wheels with ceramic brakes, and a four-seat interior with a single piece instrument panel extending across the full width of the car.

There's more inside, too. Things like camel leather, three-dimensional, sculptured sections of hand-picked Brazilian Rosewood (we assume this is a tree, though we cannot be absolutely sure), a 10in touchscreen and analogue dials.

"We were influenced by the 1967 Eldorado," says Caddy's design director Clay Dean. "Both its actual design and the fact that in its time that car was a very stark contrast and a new direction".

We can't argue with the 'new direction' bit, but is it the right direction for Cadillac? We'd say so...

Vijay Pattni