Cadillac Le Mans Concept, 1953

Cadillac Le Mans Concept, 1953

The Cadillac Le Mans was a concept car developed by Cadillac in 1953. It was named for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, which Cadillac competed in in 1950. The design was a low-profile (51-inches to the windshield frame), two-seat, fiberglass-bodied roadster. It was powered by a 250-HP version of Cadillac's 331 CI V-8, a power output not reached in production Cadillacs until 1955. Though 4 units were built, the model never went into production, and it would be nearly 50 years before Cadillac developed another vehicle with a similar design concept, the Cadillac XLR. Of the four, 1 is documented as having been destroyed in a fire; the other 3 still exist with 1 of those currently in the Cadillac Historical Collection.