The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California is featuring the 2002 Cadillac Cien centennial concept car in its Modern Concepts exhibit, giving the public a chance for another first-hand look at this remarkable piece of General Motors design history.
Showcasing a variety of concept cars like the Cadillac Cien, the Modern Concepts display will be open to the public via paid admission through July 2025, giving visitors a chance to look at the unique vehicles that the Museum describes as “automotive fantasy brought to life.”
Given the designation “Cien” to mark the 100th anniversary of Cadillac – with the word meaning “one hundred” in Spanish – the Cadillac Cien is a two-seat, two-door supercar with a rear mid-mounted engine. The engine it is built around, an experimental 7.5L V12 gasoline powerplant, is said to crank out 750 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. Though capable of propelling the Cien to a top speed of 217 miles per hour, the V12 offers fuel economy similar to that of a V8.
A creation of Simon Cox, who also designed the Opel Speedster and Isuzu Vehicross among other vehicles, the Cadillac Cien can also operate on just six cylinders to save fuel while cruising, thanks to GM Displacement on Demand (Active Fuel Management) technology.
The Museum points out that the “flat-plane styling” of the 2002 Cadillac Cien, which gives it a highly distinctive look, found its way into 21st century Cadillac designs in general. Electronic paddles mounted on the column echo Formula 1 as they control the supercar’s semi-automatic transmission.
The Cien, which is said to have been inspired by the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, has a body made from composite aerogel carbon fiber. Among many other special details, the vehicle also includes blue glass in its windows, imitating the look of sport sunglasses used by athletes and people with an active recreational lifestyle.
Admission to see the concept cars on display is $21 for an adult, or $49 for Vault access, where 250 rare cars and motorcycles from the earliest days of motoring to today can be viewed.
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Comments
Shame GM never built this. Caddilac always seems to have the best concepts over the years that never get built.
Still looks great, Kip!
Good job.
If Cadillac had built his it would have failed.
Cadillac has yet to earn the right to market a car like this. Win Lemans and then bring the car.
Also how do you top the Corvette without using the Corvette? They made that mistake with the XLR.
I have to agree. Cadillac of the early 2000s would have not gained anything by producing this as the product in showrooms was still in transition.
Also, GM was not in a situation where it would have made a vehicle remotely close to the concept.
Now, it’s an entirely different story and GM and Cadillac can pull something like this off. The rumors of a Cadillac hypercar indicate that GM thinks it can.
Again vs the Corvette how do you market it.
We have one Corvette at $180k and 1064 hp what do you do to get people to pay more for a Cadillac?
Note the Zora is coming with more HP and AWD.
I feel Cadillac should go with a front Mid to give them a totally different car and compete with the front engine a Ferrari touring cars.
Either way to build another Cadillac Corvette will fail.
I agree with you but Cadillac doesn’t have to make their car pricier. A luxury touring GT that is raceable but doesn’t is my vote. I haven’t raced my V-Sport but I know what it will do and don’t have to prove anything. My friends with their GTish versions of MB, Audi, Lexus, BMW’s don’t race them but we all enjoy what we have and the occasional punch it when getting on the freeway. See my post.
Cadillac is racing in the port class the street car need not be a race car.
When I say compete I mean in sales.
The key is not just being an another modified Corvette. In feel a great touring coupe could be built on the CT5 platform with a convertible option.
Prototype class so the street car need not be a race car.
The bottom line it must be a different car than a Corvette spin off.
“Cien” is Spanish for hundred, but the origin is Latin. “Centi” as in Centigrade, and the cent in U.S. money.
Pre C8. I’d love to see Cadillac produce a true RWD GT Coupe with rear seat leg room. MB, Audi and others are producing such a car with anticipated low volumes. GM has a bunch of great engines and transmissions along with the FWD (E-Ray) battery pack.
Very cool car, I like it more than the Corvette. Very cool classy performance. It has show and go.
I saw it in person there
I remember seeing this at either the Detroit or Chicago auto show. Stunning, one of the best looking cars ever. Have never stopped wishing they would build it.
I agree with Paul. It looks far better than the C8. I know the C8 is a great car but I find some angles are awkward looking. And yes I’ve owned Vettes and am a fan. But the new one does nothing for me.
Agree, it’s the first Vette that doesn’t really appeal to me.
Much of the Corvette is designed for a reason. Air intakes and downforce.
The Cadillac was a show car and far from production.
I hope the cadillac sixteen is next.
I know do not like it but the cold fact is if the Cadillac is built on a Corvette you will need to give people a reason to buy it over the Corvette. The XLR failed gor this reason. Nice car but for less money the C6 was the better car.
Just like this bespoke EV Cadillac I don’t see anyone that will spend big money on a car that will see resale dive.
The VSeries is the only Cadillac that retains value.
If they built a CT5v coupe like they showed drawings of and a Convertible version they would continue to earn cred to move to more expensive cars. Out side the states few love Caddy and in the states they have a decent following in the used models of the V.
But to get excited over show cars that are nearly 20 years old are dead ends. Neither of these were production and generally could do 35 mph with out cracking one off fiberglass panels.
I would love to see an AWD Cadillac in rally racing like Audi did. This would really help in Europe.