By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(December 1, 2014) You can almost hear the joy in his voice: “This car sounds wicked and screams like it's ripping holes in the air. I love it,” says Andy Pilgrim, Cadillac Racing driver. “We have paddle gear shifters for the first time, and I'm enjoying the new tools. The engine torque is remarkable, as always, pulling strongly out of the corners.”

Why is he so happy? He finally has a new race car to play with. The CTS-V Coupe he and Johnny O’Connell have been racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series GT Championship is a reskinned version of the Pratt & Miller CTS-V sedan raced from 2004-2010. It’s an old car.

The ATS-V.R, besides having a dumb name, meets FIA GT3 specs, and is eligible to run in more than 30 GT series around the world. It’s powered by the LF4.R, a race version of the twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 found in the Cadillac CTS Vsport and the just introduced ATS-V that produces up to 600 hp @ 7,400 rpm and 520 lb.-ft. of torque.

Unlike those cars, however, the ATS racer has a rear transaxle that helps even out the weight distribution to 49% front, 51% rear.

Cadillac ATS-V.R

    Reinforced production unibody with eight-point welded roll cage; carbon fiber hood, deck-lid, front fenders, doors, rear fenders
    LF4.R 3.6L, Twin-Turbo V-6 with production aluminum block and heads, up to 600 HP@7400 RPM torque 520 ft-lb (unrestricted), developed and built by GM Powertrain
    120 liter (31.7 gallons) fuel cell
    Bosch MS5.1, programmable ECU
    BorgWarner EFR Series twin-turbochargers, boost set to FIA specifications
    Carbon fiber intake with integral high-capacity water-to-air-intercoolers
    Side exit direct exhaust from turbos, no mufflers
    Xtrac sequential six-speed rear-mounted transaxle; steering wheel-mounted paddle shift; no lift shift; limited slip differential with 3.13 final drive
    Electronic, driver adjustable traction control
    Brembo, six-pot front with 380mm rotor, four pot rear with 355mm rotor; Bosch ABS M4 controls with driver-adjustable modes
    Three-way Penske adjustable shocks, front and rear independent SLA suspension
    ZF hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion steering
    BBS 12 x 18-in. aluminum front and 13 x 18-in. rear wheels
    315/680 x 18 front, 325/705 x 18, series spec race tires
    Carbon fiber five-piece aero kit including side skirts, front splitter, fascia and dive planes, rear diffuser and rear bumper cover
    2,900 lb. /1,315 kg. dry weight
    Motorola two-way radio
    Pratt & Miller-developed side-impact-reducing crush box
    Carbon fiber custom-molded cool seat and competition driver air conditioning system
    Willans six-point racing driver seat belts
    Dash display rearview cameras

The Virtual Driver