The Fallen Stars Cadillac Cien

23 July 2022
3 min read
6 images

Cadillac, General Motors’ premium brand for over 100 years, was the star of a profound brand image transformation, a process that began in 2002 at the Detroit Auto Show with the introduction of the Cadillac Cien.

Cien introduced Cadillac’s contemporary style, whose traits are clear in this rear image

Today, with the presentation of the Project GTP destined to bring the prestigious American brand back to Le Mans in 2023 with success clearly in its sights, one cannot but remember the futuristic Cien with its powerful longitudinally mounted 60-degree, 7.5-liter V12 which produced 750 hp and 881nm of torque.

Exactly 20 years ago, Cien gave the Cadillac brand that was famous for its luxury sedans a sporty makeover. This new positioning gave us the Project GTP destined for the IMSA and WEC Championships with Le Mans in its sights

An engine that featured direct injection and Displacement on Demand, with start-stop functionality and the ability to “turn off” half of the cylinders under light-load conditions.

Like many of the most extreme sports cars, the Cadillac Cien proposed large scissor-doors that were much more practical to use in real life, especially when parking

Designed at General Motors’ Advanced Design Studio in England by Simon Cox, Cien ushered in a new era of style for the brand that has now become part of its DNA. The removable roof and the opening of the scissor doors contribute to its strong character as a true super sports car. The performance is up to par too, with a declared top speed of over 350 km/h.

Sporty on the outside but unmistakeably Cadillac on the inside, both in the design and in the abundant use of leather. In other words, comfortable sportiness

Cadillac used this unique example not only to encourage the Le Mans and IMSA program, but also to promote the renewed image of the brand. Hence its roles in films such as The Island and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Cien has also made it to video games such as Midnight Club, Gran Turismo and Asphalt. Not a bad career for a “single”!

The powerful 7.5-litre, 750hp V12 engine had the characteristic of using only 6 cylinders whenever maximum power was not needed