Every so often, a concept car comes along that’s made of pure distilled essence of want. Something that tugs on your heartstrings, for you know it’s unobtanium, but it’s begging to be unleashed on the streets. This is one of those concept cars. Say hello to the Cadillac Sollei, an electric convertible concept so exquisite, Cadillac ought to put it into limited production.
The Sollei isn’t something alone the lines of a drop-top CT5. It’s a Rolls-Royce-tier ultra-luxury car, a wax-sealed declaration to the Spectres and Baturs of the world. From the long silhouette to the subtle boat tail rear end, it just exudes elegance, and while a huge part of that is the form factor and luxurious appointments, you can’t deny that the colorway of this concept also plays a role.
See, the creators of the Sollei painted it Manila Cream, a factory Cadillac paint option for 1957 and 1958. Paired with a similar warm cream interior, the result is nothing short of stunning. Add in a little bit of pink lemonade on the doors for the beverage chiller and glassware storage compartment, and voila. This is some serious high-fashion stuff, but as I say, spec matters. This convertible still would’ve made an impact in a deep burgundy or pearlescent green, but the colors Cadillac chose make the whole thing look as decadent as fine silk.
For now, the Cadillac Sollei is just a concept, and that’s a shame. Cadillac should put this sumptuous convertible into production, and from a technical standpoint, it very well could. The Sollei is a Celestiq from the firewall forward, and it rides on the same Ultium platform as Cadillac’s ultra-luxury electric sedan. This means it has DOT-approved headlights, side markers, and front end panels that are already in use on a production car. What’s more, the Sollei also features actual side mirrors, a proper rearview mirror, the airbag-equipped steering wheel and dash pad from the Celestiq, and real running gear. The only real concept car flight of fancy here is the lack of visible exterior door handles, an issue that would be totally solvable, especially when playing in entry-level Rolls-Royce territory.
What’s more, the electric luxury convertible space is currently completely empty. There’s nothing quite like this on the road, and it’s not hard to imagine how fascinating an experience it would be motoring along with the top-down on near-silent electric power. The loudest thing, depending on speed, would likely simply be the sound of the tires, and that can be substantially reduced by simply slowing down and enjoying nature.
Cadillac hasn’t offered a convertible for sale in 15 years when the XLR bowed out in 2009. What’s more, Cadillac hasn’t sold a four-seat convertible since 1985, when the last factory-sanctioned Eldorado convertible was built. It’s about time we had a new Cadillac convertible, and the Sollei could very well be it. Come on. Be the standard of the world again.
(Photo credits: Cadillac)
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I don’t think I like this quite as much as some of the previous gorgeous Cadillac concepts, but they should absolutely build it. You can’t be the Cadillac of cars by doing watered down versions of what everyone else builds. See also: Escalade.
The Sollei is a classy design, carrying itself with understated dignity and presence. Broad, sweeping lines convey a confidence and a grace that engages the viewer on a wholly different plane of understanding.
Of course, Cadillac won’t build it.
Proof there’s still someone at Cadillac who gets it.
I’m going to assume right now that just like Ciel, Cien, Escala, Sixteen, and so, so many Cadillac concepts that proved the same thing, we’ll never hear about this again.
i wan’t paying much attention at the time, but isn’t 1985 about a decade too late for the last Eldorado convertible from the factory?
1976 was the “last convertible” because of rollover regulations that never happened. So GM brought back convertibles in the mid 80s and got sued by the people who bought 1976 cars.
Love the “got sued by people who bought the 1976 cars” part. Wow. Least me guess, a fair number of people snapped up a buncha ‘76s to sit on and never drive as “last ever convertible obviously = instant high dollar classic”. Expected regulations never come to pass, almost a decade later GM brings back convertibles even if not initially factory, the group that bought the 76s specifically for a future auction block absolutely shits their whole asses as they watch their “investments” crater and then sue the company that wiped their retirements or kids’ education or whatever
That is exactly correct. And GM really hyped the “last ever” 1976 convertibles with special editions and trim packages, people went nuts paying over MSRP to get one, then stored them away in climate controlled garages as future investment pieces. Only for the worst case scenario regulations not to come true. Chrysler came out with the LeBaron convertible 6 years later, people went crazy for it, and the rest of the domestic industry rushed to add convertibles back to the range. Making the owners of 100 mile Eldorado Bicentennial Editions with plastic still on the seats feel suddenly very stupid and litigious.
Sort-of. For 1984 and 1985, Cadillac contracted ASC to chop the roofs off of a few Eldorados. They were officially commissioned by Cadillac and sold through Cadillac dealers, so those cars are technically the last of that line.
For the last fully factory built one, yes, but not the last factory sponsored/factory supported one, GM contracted an outside coachbuilder to cut the roofs off Eldorado coupes in the ’80s, which were then sold through the regular dealer channel.
I think the car looks great, though I personally think the front grill is so busy that it partially overwhelms the fluidness of the design of the rest of the front end.
Also, I have low faith that Cadillac will put this into production and not just add it to the ever-increasing list of amazing concept cars that should have been made bit weren’t.
Wow – this is a great looking car. Far better than anything Cadillac’s put out in many years. I’d love to see a pic with the top up, but I guess we don’t get those yet.
And according to another source, it comes with a bespoke journal for bird watching. Hell, why not?
That rules
They haven’t figured out how to build the top yet, and won’t even bother to unless this gets a green light.
Rear 3/4 view is a 10. And I love the buttercream color. The front view – eeesh. Fix the detailing and I would love it.
Oh man please actually make this! This, even more than the Celestiq, screams what GM wants Cadillac to be. There is an elegance and a presence that you could see from those big late 50s/60s high convertibles that are still what the brand is most associated with. I know they’ve teased concepts like the Ciel and the Elmiraj (my favorite…) but face it – when they were showing off those concepts Cadillac wasn’t anywhere close to playing in that world, it was far more fantasy and design stuff than anything else. Celestiq has lots of money into it and is in fact a real, production vehicle they are selling to people.
It happened! GM finally pulled the trigger to launch Cadillac into the space they’ve teased for 20 years. This looks much less lie design study to me – those previous ones showed a lot of form and detail that did appear in Cadillacs going forward (Elmiraj grille and lines translate super well into the ATS-V fascia, for instance), as where this draws from the designs of the already real Celestiq. I know GM has a horrible track record of this, but I’m way way more hopeful this one will become real, it’s simply to pretty not to!
Surely Cadillac didn’t spend all that money on the Celestiq and its bespoke build center to not offer a convertible…
Solleiq?Or is Cadillac done with the “iq”?
After the Ciel I can’t trust any concepts from them
Forget the effete sounding Sollei name, this an Eldorado Biarritz. It’s also the very first Cadillac design I’ve liked since the 1958 Eldorado Biarritz. I’m just talking aesthetics here, not performance. I do realize Cadillac has built some great cars in the intervening decades, I just couldn’t stand their looks. This, I want. And that paint job and interior: it’s like eggnog with cinnamon swirled in. OK, that sounded a little effete …
Agree. Except for those wheels.
Eye of the beholder etc etc. To me it looks like a Roomba that sucked up some tin foil that got tangled in its wheels.
Wow! This car is so unique I think it would produce Cyber Truck levels of head-snapping out on the road. And yet it would be the exact opposite of the CT in every other way. I would pass this thing and think we’re finally heading into a hopeful future rather than a dystopian one. This car is seriously, ostentatiously, beautiful. Cadillac design has finally found itself after wandering in the Art & Science desert for decades.
I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but this really doesn’t do it. The rising line before the rear wheel relates to nothing behind the rear wheel. The vertical blades at the rear are at odds with the horizontal nature of the lighting above and seem an unnecessary attempt to include tail fins because… Cadillac? The lower bumper looks like it was pulled off a different vehicle altogether and the wheels look like cheap Pep Boys hub caps.
The interior use of wood is cool, until you get to where the trim sweeps forward to meet a couple of screens that look like they are held in place with black construction adhesive and are a different height from the trim next to it. The transition from trim to screen is artless. The front end may be a Cadillac signature now, but it still looks like the mandate was “carve out a rectangle in the front and fill it with shit.”
Compared to something like the Elmiraj, which actually was a beautiful vehicle, this thing pales in comparison. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 did it better.
Looks like a fantastic place to park an LT4, or (be still my heart) an LS based V12.
Let’s dream big here. Actually make the V16 from the Sixteen concept and throw that in here.
I would sell my kids to buy that car.
I already called dibs on selling your kids for that car. Too late. You may need to make more depending on how marketable your children are. This could turn into a “quantity is a quality” type situation…
It just depends how much you value Lego building and T-ball skills.
Given these things have at least a 9 month lead time, I’m gonna need you to get started on a few extras.
T-ball… pshhhh…. you expect me to be able to buy this by selling a couple kids that aren’t even in the slow-pitch relm. What am I supposed to do with this?!?!?
Sometimes I wish I had kids to sell. They probably wouldn’t be worth much, but maybe with some cash on top I could buy this car.
The thing that seems to get lost in photos of the Celestiq and presumably this as well is that they are huge. Like just a few inches shy of Escalade ESV size big. I saw one parked next to a CT6 and had to do a double take to confirm that it was in fact a CT6 and not a smaller CT4 or CT5. This thing looks great and I’m sure the presence in person is incredible. I’m sure it would cost some obscene amount of money though.
It absolutely should go into production alongside the Celestiq and get out before Rolls Royce makes a Spectre Drophead Coupe
Does this look a bit Lucid to anyone else?
Nope
I need suicide doors for the backseat & I’m all in
Bingo. I was coming here to say exactly this.
So much of the Ciel concept was recaptured (nicely) for this move to the Celstiq platform. I wonder if they went with a 2-door just to differentiate a little from the Ciel. But, yeah, I’d love to see this as a 4-door with rear suicide doors.
If this ends up in the concept bin like every other gorgeous Cadillac concept of the last 24 years it will be a true tragedy. This is the most Cadillac Cadillac in decades.
Seriously, there are over 2 decades of fantastic Cadillac concepts that the world has never been able to embrace. GM needs to stop teasing everyone, and finally release one of these lust-worthy concepts for the rich masses.
Ehhhhh. The Ciel, Elmiraj, Escala, and Sixteen were all clearly better and certainly more “Cadillac” than this–at least to me. I’d also arguably rank the Cien and Evoq as cooler, though, they haven’t aged quiet as well as the previously mentioned ones and they feel less “Cadillac” and feel more like when they were trying to do weirder/sportier things with Cadillac.
I’m not the target audience, but YES! Let’s bring anything to market that isn’t a crossover.
So is this one of the concepts for what eventually became the Celestiq, or a potential platform-mate given the vast amount of engineering that went into the BEV+ platform and is only used in the Celestiq
Yeah, that is absolutely gorgeous, which is one reason why it isn’t coming, we can’t have such nice things. They might use the name and color on a limited edition trim level on a crossover, though
Even though it’s a 1950s color, it somehow also reminds me of that pale yellow that was extremely popular on Cadillacs in the 1980s
I mean the Celestiq, which this basically is, is already hand built so I imagine they’re just gauging interest to actually make.
Its a modern “ToddFather”! (Stranger Things)
Does the screen works with polarised sunglasses? Which I assume is standard uniform?