GM Releases First Official Pictures of the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Racecar

After teasing us with a couple of renderings in December, Cadillac today released the first official photographs of the CTS-V Coupe racecar, ahead of its North American International Auto Show debut on Monday, January 10.

GM also took the opportunity to re-confirm Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim as the pilots of the two cars that will be entered in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT series for the 2011 season. The first track tests are scheduled to begin in late January, at Sebring International Raceway, while the season will kick off on March 25-27 in St. Petersburg, Florida. No tech specs have been released.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

GM Issues Separate Recalls on Cadillac CTS and Escalade, and Chevy and GMC Trucks

General Motors is recalling close to 100,000 vehicles in two separate campaigns. In a posting with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], GM said the first recall affects almost 96,000 Cadillac CTS sedans from the 2005-2007 model years over concerns that some of the vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the passenger seat may break the connection. The company said that if this occurs, the sensor may not detect the presence of a front seat passenger and will disable the air bag.

Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge, however, GM has yet to provide an owner notification schedule for the CTS recall.

The second recall from GM concerns approximately 1,260 Cadillac Escalades, Chevrolet Avalanche and Silverado 1500s, and GMC Sierra 1500s, all from the 2011 model year. These trucks may have a faulty rear-axle cross pin, which could fracture and become displaced within the axle.

GM said that if the pin shifts out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock, in which case, the driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without prior warning.

The company added that this safety recall is expected to begin during January 2011.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Cam-Shaft Wraps Cadillac CTS-V Sedan in Matte White and Pushes Output to 630HP

Mostly known for its car wrap offerings, German aftermarket firm Cam-Shaft has presented a new tuning package with styling and performance upgrades for the Cadillac CTS-V sports sedan. Being a car wrap expert, Cam Shaft started out by masking the car's bodywork in a matte white finish. It then applied a matte black tape on all chrome accents found on the CTS-V including the grille and window surrounds. In addition, the exterior mirrors and the alloy wheels also get the same matte black color treatment.

Regarding the engine modifications, the German firm turned to a company called "Wait4me". The performance kit includes some fiddling around with the 6.2-liter V8 engine's compressor as well as the addition of a larger air intake and an ECU optimization. The end result is an output of 630-horsepower, up from the regular model's 556-hp.

According to the aftermarket tuner, the white wrap is priced at €2,250 [about US$2,980], while the black detailing on the body and the wheels will cost you another €3,250 [US$4,300 ]. Finally, the engine upgrade is priced at €3,800 [about US$5,050].

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________