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Hollywood Design  Cadillac’s Hollywood-designed deep blue Elmiraj coupe was dramatically unveiled at Clint Eastwood’s Tahama Golf Resort during the 2013 Pebble Beach automotive week.  Cadillac and General Motors management is coy when asked if they will build the Cadillac Elmiraj concept coupe. To a person, journalists who were at the unveiling want to believe Cadillac can find the means to build this car.  If Cadillac were given the green light to build Elmiraj, Cadillac management says they could have it in production in about two years.

The Elmiraj entered the circular driveway of Tahama following the upcoming Cadillac ELR electric coupe, the 2014 Cadillac CTS, and the Cadillac Ciel concept car.  This string of Cadillacs show the latest executions in Cadillac’s Art and Science design language.  Cadillac calls the Elmiraj a concept to test the top of the Cadillac range.  It also calls the car a “grand coupe”.  Think of Elmiraj as Cadillac’s 21st Century idea of what an Eldorado would be like today.  As a design exercise, the Cadillac is a homerun.  Reportedly, Elmiraj is the second of three concepts testing Cadillac’s future.  The first was the Ciel.  If the third concept is as good looking as Ciel and Elmiraj, Cadillac’s future looks rosy indeed.

Driver’s Car  Powered by a 4.5L Twin Turbo V8 putting out 500-horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, the Elmiraj has the chops to be an outstanding automobile.  The 22-inch wheels and unique Michelin tires visually reduce the size of this large car.  Cadillac wanted a shape that communicates power and performance… a driver’s car.  It looks like they have succeeded.

Coupes are usually selfish cars designed for the joy and comfort of the driver and front seat passenger.  Elmiraj is a 4-passenger coupe and Cadillac tries to accommodate the two rear seat passengers comfortably.  The front seats slide forward ten inches and door openings are curved to widen at the upper edges.  While ingress/egress for the rear seats will undoubtedly be a challenge, Elmiraj has not forgotten how important rear seat passengers are.

BMW Resemblance  If “grand coupe” doesn’t remind you of something, it should.  BMW’s 6-Series 4-door coupe is called a “gran coupe”.  In fact, the Elmiraj – as good as it looks – is very reminiscent of the 2-door BMW 6-Series coupe.  Elmiraj is larger than the BMW, however, with an overall length of 205-inches compared with BMW’s 193-inches.  The BMW looks long, low and sleek.  The Elmiraj looks longer, lower and sleeker.