A little over a week ago, I wrote about an interview that Bob Lutz did for the MotoMan TV Youtube channel. In it, he discusses his experience with the development of the C7 Corvette. There was a moment in that video where he mentions that the C7 was planned to have a Cadillac counterpart. That never came to fruition. But, what about the C8 Corvette? Could it have a corporate cousin waiting in the wings with a Cadillac badge? An XLR perhaps?

The Cadillac XLR was planned for

First, let us start off with the video of Bob Lutz discussing the C7 Corvette. Bob Lutz is a former General Motors executive, and he was asked for a report card on the automotive industry. So, it is a long video discussing several manufacturers. You will need to skip forward to the timestamp 51:15 to find the part where he talks about the C7 Corvette. The video is posted below. 

In the video, Mr. Lutz discusses how the C7 Corvette was originally a $900 million dollar project that included the Cadillac XLR. So, this clearly points to the thought that the XLR has not been forgotten. Also, it suggests that General Motors still has an itch that it has not yet scratched. Since no XLR has come to fruition yet, will one come soon?

Other Cadillac two-seaters

To some, it may sound strange to think of a Cadillac two-seater. But it is not unprecedented. Not too long ago, Cadillac had two of them. The Allante and the XLR both wore the Cadillac badges. The Allante platform was not shared with any other vehicle in the General Motors stable, though. However, the XLR was launched as a two-seat convertible after the Allante’s demise. It would become the basis for the next-generation Corvette, albeit in modified form. 

The C8 based renderings

A Cadillac XLR based on the mid-engine C8 Corvette chassis also seems to be on the mind of Kleber Silva, a designer from Brazil. He recently posted a rendering of his thoughts on what a revived Cadillac XLR would look like on the Vette’s chassis. He did not do a bad job. 

The rendering shows that the front end borrows the current Cadillac design language quite well. On the side profile, it looks like wheels are the only changes. In the rear, however, the only change to my untrained eye is the Cadillac badge that replaces the Corvette lettering in the center of the trunk lid. 

Gone but not forgotten

The Cadillac XLR is long gone, but not forgotten. The interest by General Motors in the previous generation’s Corvette development to at least consider an XLR for a revival proves that there is still a sliver of hope that it might return. Obviously, someone in GM loves the XLR enough to have suggested it. Though GM has not alluded to a revived XLR, there are still fans out there left wanting. GM does not often leave fans wanting. But fans with desire are a lot different that fans with money to pay for their desire. An XLR revival would need to make financial sense. Until it does, we will have to keep looking at Mr. Silva’s renderings and wonder, what if?