The Cadillac V-ONE Concept Shows What a Production Version of its LMDh Race Car Could Be

• The V-ONE concept is a slightly more polished version of the V-Series.R race car.

• The race car has 10 wins and 32 podiums to its name.

• Unlike the race car, the V-One concept is painted, and its hybrid powertrain is tuned differently.

While Cadillac’s performance in its first Formula 1 season has not been impressive, the same cannot be said of the brand’s other motorsports ventures.

Indeed, Cadillac has had significant success in the IMSA Sports Car Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship since 2023, thanks to the V-Series.R race car.

In fact, this hybrid LMD race car took 10 wins and 32 podium finishes in the three years since its introduction, along with the 2023 drivers’ championship, teams’ championship, and constructors’ championship.

Like many of its competitors, Cadillac is looking at ways to capitalize on this success off-track by developing a road-going version of its race car.

While only a concept for the moment, the Cadillac V-ONE shows what a production version of the V-Series.R could look like.

This is to say that the concept seems remarkably complete, with headlamps, taillamps, mirrors, and everything else that is needed for driving on public roads.

To start with, Cadillac took an identical chassis to that of the V-Series.R, which is a carbon fibre tub manufactured in Italy by Dallara.

The body panels are also created using the same moulds as the race car, and the engine is the same naturally-aspirated 5.5 L V8 unit.

There are a few differences between the V-One and the V-Series.R, of course, such as the tuning of the V8 engine and the hybrid system, which have been tweaked to be more useable off-track.

A benefit of the V-One over the V-Series.R is raw power, as its powertrain is not limited by race regulations. This means that the combined output of the gasoline engine and the hybrid system is higher than in the race car, with a total of 830 horsepower instead of “only” 671 horsepower.

The V-ONE concept also features a push-to-pass feature, where a button on the steering wheel adds a momentary boost of 134 horsepower.

Speaking of the steering wheel, the concept features a similar but not identical wheel to the race car. While the buttons have been modified to be more user-friendly, the wheel still features a screen and LED shift indicators.

The driver’s seat is also different from the race car, being a wider GT3 style seat that improves visibility over the racing seat used in the V-Series.R.

The interior is finished in black alcantara and carbon fibre, along with blue accents that recall the livery found on the outside.

Visually, this livery is the most evident difference between the concept and the race car, since the V-One is painted rather than being wrapped in vinyl.

Cadillac chose the paint design, which seamlessly blends from silver up front to dark blue at the rear, to represent the shift from day to night over the course of a typical endurance race.

While we don’t know if the V-ONE concept will lead to a production version, Cadillac has said that its next high-performance V models will be inspired by the concept, notably by its logos and wheel designs, which should feature on upcoming V models, possibly including the next generation of the CT5 V Blackwing.

The Cadillac V-ONE concept will be displayed at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, in Carmel, California, on August 14^th, 2026.