The Cadillac V-Series.R isn't your usual Caddy. Not based on a half-ton pickup truck and not powered by a series-production engine, V-Series.R is a hybrid endurance racer with a stupidly loud V8 engine. Contesting the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the World Endurance Championship, the Dallara-underpinned hypercar is – of course – subject to BoP regulations.
Balance of Performance is the short way of saying technical adjustments to create a level playing field by adjusting power levels and weight. According to Jason Cammisa, the V-Series.R in the featured clip belts out in the ballpark of 645 to 700 horsepower to the rear axle. Its weight? Make that 2,270 pounds or 1,030 kilograms if you prefer the metric system.
Cammisa and the Hagerty crew raced the hybrid monster against Ferrari's entry-level hybrid supercar, that supercar being the 296 GTB. This particular example of the breed is rocking the so-called Assetto Fiorano spec, meaning that it's lighter and corners better than a stock 296 GTB.
Equipped with an eight-speed tranny as opposed to seven for the Cadillac, the Fezza develops a staggering 819 horsepower and tons of torque. Similar to the V-Series.R, it's a rear-drive affair. But as opposed to the Caddy, the Prancing Horse is kind of porky at 3,530 pounds (1,601 kilograms).
Even so, it completely outclassed the V-Series.R from a dig. The 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano kept on accelerating hard all the way to the quarter-mile finish line, clocking a simply ludicrous 10.0 seconds at 144 miles per hour (232 kilometers per hour). The Cadillac needed 10.3 seconds to cover the standing quarter, with its quarter-mile speed being *checks notes* 161 miles per hour (259 kilometers per hour). No road-going vehicle raced by the folks at Hagerty thus far has managed to crack into the 160s.
Photo: Hagerty on YouTube
If you're curious why the V-Series.R was that bit slower to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), namely 3.6 seconds compared to 2.6 seconds, the answer is technical regulations. You see, this racecar starts in electric mode, then at 60 kilometers per hour (97 miles per hour), the NA cross-plane V8 fires up. Said transition from pit lane to race speed takes time, and endurance racecars don't have launch control.
Given the aforementioned, Jason agreed to race Sebastien Bourdais from a rolling start. Guess what? Despite hooking up really hard at the start, Ferrari's V6-powered thriller simply couldn't keep up with the far lighter Cadillac on their way to the finish line. Jason and crew also raced the Fezza against the 750S and the 911 Turbo S, but only from a dig, which obviously favors the Neunelfer.
3,650 pounds (1,656 kilograms) makes it the heaviest of the bunch, whereas the Macca is a featherweight at 3,150 pounds (1,429 kilograms). Both feature dual-clutch trannies, both develop similar peak torque, but in stark contrast to the McLaren, the German coupe is all-wheel drive.
The 911 Turbo S recorded a blistering 2.4 seconds to 60 as opposed to 2.6 for the 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano and 2.8 for the McLaren, but while approaching the finish line, power and weight prevailed over all-wheel drive. Think 10.4 seconds for the rear-engined German sports car and 10.4 seconds for the 750S, with the McLaren passing the Neunelfer just before the quarter-mile mark.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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