Cadillac unveils Ciel concept

In the highly celebrated 90s television programme, Batman: The Animated Series, the designers sketched out an art deco paradise, imagining how citizens of the 1950s would view the future. It was all gothic skyscrapers and ice-cold noir. And the cars they drove looked like modernised post-war Cadillacs...

Keep this in mind as you peruse these pictures of the rather striking new Cadillac Ciel concept, unveiled yesterday at Pebble Beach, California. Despite being a four-seat convertible - and you should know the TG mantra on this - the open-air grand tourer looks pretty fantastic.

Caddy has installed a twin-turbocharged 425hp 3.6-litre V6 engine paired with a hybrid system using lithium-ion battery technology, producing a useful 430lb ft of torque, conceived to waft the Ciel along the glorious, amorous Californian coastline.

Words: Vijay Pattni

"Large, expressive luxury is innate to Cadillac," says global design director Clay Dean, "and the Ciel recalls that heritage. The Ciel is about the romance of the drive, but with a modern flair that projects Cadillac's vision for the future."

Ah yes, the future. The four-door Ciel features suicide, French-style doors, nickel-plated bright work accenting the sweeping lines and an interior that features olive wood, machined aluminium, hand-tipped leather and cashmere blankets for the rear passengers.

It's 12in longer than a CTS saloon and rides on 22in aluminium wheels and independent multi-link rear suspension.

"With the Ciel," says Dean, "the journey is the thing. Cadillac is demonstrating that the bandwith of the Art & Science philosophy is wide."

Batman's weekend ride, you'll no doubt agree. Like it?