CONCEPT CARS - THE CIEL, THE CIEN, THE MCLAREN F1 & THE BUGATTI

This Sunday [08/21/2011], the Cadillac Ciel is slated to be unveiled at a private show in Montery, California, right on the heels of Kim Kardashian's blockbuster wedding in Montecito, California [which was a private event that featured about 400 family friends and celebrities]. That wedding cost about 10 million dollars and People Magazine has paid 1.5 million to get the exclusive rights to publish the wedding photos, which are yet to be released. Anyway, here are photos of the Ciel for you to view, free of charge:

 

 
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Having a host of retro themes engrafted into its exterior design, the striking Ciel show car touches on its heritage while providing a vision of where Cadillac design might be headed in the near future. General Motors [parent company of Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet and some other smaller firms] claims the open-top four-seater could be powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the company's 3.6-liter direct injection V-6 engine, paired with a hybrid system using lithium-ion battery technology. The Ciel features cool rear-hinged suicide doors, which may not be included in the production model.

Cadillac sales now lag behind overseas rivals like BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. But Cadillac has regained ground on competitors in recent years with a renewed focus on distinctive design. Confident that there is an opportunity for growth, GM management has given Caddy the green-light to add a variety of new models to their production set, including the ELR plug-in hybrid, approved just this week, as well as the small Cadillac ATS and larger XTS.

On the other hand, the Cadillac Cien has been showcased in auto shows over the past few years [debuting back in 2002], and it is less boxy than its cousin, the Ciel. Yet GM is yet to give the green-light on the production of this voracious 12-cylinder sexy beast, shown below.

 

 

The Cadillac Cien had a longitudinally mounted 60-degree, 7.5-liter V-12, which produced 950 hp and 950 lb·ft (1,288 N·m) of torque. And its top speed may actually be close to 300 miles per hour - although GM never officially released its acceleration and top speed specs.

In some ways, the Cadillac Cien [above] resembles the infamous 1996 McLaren F1 sports car [shown below], with its suicide doors:

 

Back in March 1998, the McLaren F1 set the record for the fastest road-legal car in the world, peaking at 231 mph (372 km/h). But it 's record was topped by the Buggati Veyron [the 2010 super sport model with a V-12 engine], which has a top speed of 268 mph. And in 201,1 a Bugatti convertible was released, and it was showcased at an Auto Show in Dubai.

 


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