Formula One Is Just The Latest Chapter In Cadillac’s Racing Story

The news that Cadillac intends to enter Formula 1 in 2026 had us reflecting on the marque’s long racing history, which stretches back to the prewar era. Cadillac was even one of nine manufacturers who contested the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock race at Charlotte Speedway in June 1949. Let’s look at some of its key race cars from the past 75 years.

Cadillac Series 61 (1950)

Briggs Cunningham created a monster when he entered two Cadillac Series 61 racers in the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours. One was a conventional production model fitted with a twin-carb engine; the other was arguably one of the most distinctive race cars of all time.

The #2 entry was nicknamed Le Monstre for its streamlined bodywork, which was developed in an aerospace wind tunnel and was a radical departure from the look of any Cadillac before or since. The two American machines finished a creditable 10^th and 11^th, led home by the #3 coupe after Cunningham lost time by crashing Le Monstre early on.

This 1950 Series 61 Coupe, which is available as a Make Offer listing, is a close relation of the #3 car that ran at Le Mans that year. It’s believed to be the only 1950 coupe shipped overseas as an export model, assigned to the US Foreign Service at the time. The unusual, full-length fabric sunroof – which remains in working order – may have been installed by a coachbuilder in Munich, while the Cadillac also has a metric speedometer. As part of an extensive mechanical restoration, the non-original V-8 has reportedly been rebuilt to 1955 specifications, incorporating a 12-volt electrical conversion and a modern Edelbrock carburetor.

Cadillac Northstar LMP (2000)

Fifty years after Le Monstre, Cadillac returned to the Le Mans 24 Hours with a sharp new prototype racer designed by Riley & Scott: the Northstar LMP. Powered by a 4-liter, twin-turbo Northstar V-8, we think the LMP was one of the best-looking sports cars of its time, but compared with other factory efforts (notably Audi’s), it was underfunded and aerodynamically dated.

The LMP’s performance failed to live up to Cadillac’s ambitious expectations in the first two years, but in 2002, with a new chassis, the team got two cars to the finish at Le Mans and scored podiums in the American Le Mans Series, before the program was cancelled.

You’re unlikely to find a Northstar LMP currently for sale, but a production relation of its eponymous V-8 was used extensively in street cars of the period, including the De Ville and its DTS successor. These large, comfortable sedans offer traditional luxury for a modest outlay: take this 1999 car, a late example of the seventh-generation De Ville with only 24,906 miles on the clock, which is offered in a Hemmings Classified Ad for $14,500.

Cadillac XLR (2004)

Yes, the XLR looks absolutely mental as an epic, 3,000-horsepower drag car. This particular Pro Mod was built by Scott Lowery.

But at the risk of cheating a little, let’s not forget the XLR’s Le Mans 24 Hours-conquering cousin, the C6.R Corvette. The yellow racer had incredible longevity, taking outright and GT class wins across nine seasons, including six class wins at Le Mans.

The production XLR fell well short of its sales projections, with just over 15,000 sold in nine years – a fraction of the C6s produced in a similar timeframe – making the two-seat roadster with retractable hardtop a comparative rarity. Prices range from just $20,000 to more than $50,000 for the best of the supercharged XLR-Vs, of which little more than 2,000 were made. The car shown here has logged only 12,072 miles and is described as totally unmodified by the Charlotte, NC-based dealer.

Cadillac CTS-V (2004)

Like the Corvette Racing machines, the first of Cadillac’s SCCA Speed World Challenge GT race cars were built by GM’s road racing partner, Pratt & Miller. It competed over four seasons, securing 12 race wins, the 2005 manufacturers’ championship and the 2005 drivers’ championship for Andy Pilgrim, who took the title without winning a race.

There’s perhaps no cheaper way to imagine yourself in a Cadillac race car than to drive a first-generation CTS. Offered by a dealer in Pompano Beach, Fla., this 2008 CTS is a one-owner car in what appears to be excellent shape. It has 47,906 miles from new and a clean Carfax. The Crystal Red, Art and Science-styled machine has a Cashmere leather interior and all the luxuries you’d expect from Cadillac’s then-radical 3-Series and C-Class rival: memory seats, a Bose audio system, panoramic roof and remote keyless entry.

Cadillac CTS-V.R Coupe (2011)

In 2011 Cadillac returned to the World Challenge – now sponsored by Pirelli – with the Coupe derivative of the second-generation CTS. Its competitors were modern, globally active GT3 cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Audi and more, but Johnny O’Connell’s speed and consistency brought him three consecutive drivers’ championships from 2012-14, while Cadillac secured two more manufacturers’ crowns.

A private seller in Plainfield, Ill. is asking $44,995 for this tastefully upgraded, Thunder Grey ChromaFlair, 2012 CTS-V Coupe. The 39,000-mile car’s 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V-8 is complemented by a Momentum GT cold air intake system and a Kooks performance exhaust. It came from the factory with 19-inch, Y-spoke alloy wheels, Brembo disc brakes, a limited-slip differential and Magnetic Ride Control. The car is said to have spent its time with its second owner in a heated garage, driven mostly only to car shows.

Cadillac ATS-V.R

Cadillac’s last GT car to date was the GT3-spec ATS-V.R, which O’Connell used to continue his streak in the Pirelli World Challenge with a fourth title in 2015. O’Connell and new team-mate, Michael Cooper continued to take race wins in the ATS-V.R through to the end of the 2017 season.

The production ATS ran from 2012 to 2019. This ATS Carbon Black sport package is a hard-to-find, 2017-only limited edition with a V-Series rear spoiler. It features Recaro front seats and low-gloss carbon-fiber interior trim as well as a black chrome grille, black side-window moldings and body-colored door handles for the full stealth effect.

IMSA and WEC

Cadillac’s most recent motorsports engagements have been in IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) competition. First came the super-successful DPi-V.R, which ran in IMSA from 2017 to 2022, and won four times straight in the Rolex 24 at Daytona from 2017-20. Initially underway with a 6.2-liter motor, this was downsized to 5.5 liters from 2018 to mitigate the impact of Balance of Performance restrictions.

Since 2023, Cadillac Racing has been part of IMSA’s revived GTP class with the latest V-Series.R. Like the DPi-V.R, it was developed in partnership with Dallara but unlike its predecessor, it has also competed in WEC.

For 2025, the factory endurance program will be run by Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing. The latter is a subsidiary of TWG Global, which will also be Cadillac’s partner when it begins a new chapter in its racing story as an F1 team from 2026.

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