One of the great things about cars is that every so often, you’ll come across one that is so lovingly designed that you can’t help but spend much of your time gazing at it. The Cadillac Escala concept is that car.
We’ve had a dearth of truly stunning new and concept car debuts at this LA Auto Show, but for me one of the biggest standouts is one that didn’t even get revealed here. When it was first shown off at Pebble Beach over the summer, it was hope that a big Cadillac V8 flagship was one step closer. Also, it was gorgeous.
The Escala concept has a working 4.2-liter V8 under the hood, so it’s supposedly drivable. There’s only one of it in existence, so driving it around a public road isn’t really a good idea. Still, though, it’s the V8 that Cadillac is developing for future models.
Taki Karras, the Escala’s head designer, told me that the concept was developed in only a few short months—eight or nine. More than anything else, he said, he wanted the Escala to be the bridge between Cadillac’s current design language and what’s to come.
The concept is made from a combination of carbon fiber, aluminum and fiberglass.
It wears nine layers of paint, which is why it can appear brown, gray or dark blue under different lighting.
Keeping the Escala’s look simple was difficult. Too few lines would have made it boring. Too many lines would have made it busy.
The interior is designed to feel open and spacious. The B-pillar was removed for aesthetic purposes and a brace was added behind the front seats in order to maintain rigidity and stiffness.
The doors feature a gorgeous walnut trim that was inlaid with brushed aluminum.
The front seats had small speakers built into them. The rest of the interior was wrapped in a light-colored wool that would look gorgeous as a suit.
I must have spent almost an hour looking at the Escala. It’s big, definitely, but it has such presence. What will it take for Cadillac to built a production version of it? The short answer is you guys. If you guys scream for it enough (with your wallets, preferably) then the chances of it happening will rise exponentially.
So do it. Send mail, smoke signals and Morse code to Cadillac, telling it to build the damn thing already.