2005 Cadillac XLR

The Cadillac XLR was the brands first convertible since the 1994 Allante, and Cadillac did not arrive at it quietly. The XLR was developed as the halo car for the entire Cadillac lineup, the car that was supposed to prove the brand had returned to building vehicles worthy of the badge. To do it, they built it on the same chassis as the C6 Corvette, using the same hydroformed steel perimeter frame and composite bodywork technology, assembled at the same Bowling Green, Kentucky facility right alongside the Corvette on a dedicated production line. What they added on top of that foundation was a level of luxury and refinement that the Corvette was never intended to offer. Only 15,460 were ever built across the entire production run, which makes this one of the rarer American luxury roadsters ever produced. This one is finished in Crimson Pearl, a deep, rich color that suits the XLRs sharp angular body lines perfectly, and it presents in clean condition throughout.

Under the hood is the 4.6 liter Northstar V8 producing 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, backed by the five speed automatic. At launch Cadillac noted the XLR was the lightest and most powerful vehicle in its class, with the longest wheelbase, widest track, and lowest ride height of any competitor. The power retractable hardtop opens and closes in under 30 seconds at the press of a button, converting from a quiet, solid coupe into an open roadster without asking anything of the driver.

Inside, the tan leather interior is clean and well appointed with a heads-up display, wood interior accents, steering wheel media controls, heated seats, and an infotainment screen. The instrument cluster was designed by Bulgari, which gives the cabin a level of detail and craftsmanship that sets it apart from anything else Cadillac was building at the time. The Magnetic Ride Control suspension, standard on the XLR, reads road conditions and adjusts the dampers almost instantly, giving the car a composed, confident ride that suits its grand touring character perfectly.

The XLR competed directly against the Mercedes SL500 and the Jaguar XK8 at launch, and most automotive writers who drove all three agreed it held its own in every meaningful category. The fact that buyers often chose the Europeans anyway is widely considered one of the great missed opportunities in modern Cadillac history, and it has left the XLR as one of the more undervalued American luxury cars of its era. Clean examples in distinctive colors are starting to attract the attention they always deserved.

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