The Cadillac Le Mans was a low-slung, sporty two-seater concept car which debuted as part of the GM Motorama at New York's Waldorf-Astoria in January, 1953.

It is difficult to imagine the impact of the Motoramas in those heady days. These extravaganzas showcased the products of the mighty General Motors. In those days, GM had over 50% market share in the U.S. Public interest in GM's offerings was so great that, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on January 21, over 12,000 visitors passed through the Waldorf exhibit, totally ignoring the televised swearing-in of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike rode in a white '53 Cadillac Eldorado convertible in Washington's post-inaugural parade.

In 1953, GM exhibited seven dream cars at its Motorama, including the Buick LeSabre, the Buick XP-300, the Buick Wildcat I, the Pontiac Parisienne and the Cadillac Orleans, a four-door hardtop concept with suicide doors, the Oldsmobile Starfire as well as the prototype Chevrolet Corvette which would go into production in June of '53.

Because of the sheer number of crowd-pleasing concepts shown that year, the 1953 Cadillac Le Mans did not get as much attention as it might have otherwise received. In a live televised segment on NBC's 'Today' show, host and car enthusiast Dave Garroway focused on the 1953 Pontiac Parisienne and the Corvette, ignoring GM's other dream offerings.

Named to acknowledge recent Cadillac racing successes by Briggs Cunningham at the 1950 LeMans 24-Hour race, the Cadillac Le Mans had a fiberglass body on a 115 inch wheelbase chassis (the Corvette's wheelbase was 102 inches). The front end styling of the Le Mans presaged the look of the 1954 production Caddys:

The Le Mans show car was powered by a 331 cubic-inch V8 engine producing 250 horsepower. Production '53 Cadillac engines made 210 horsepower. The Le Mans stood 51 inches tall and had a bench seat capable of seating three across.

Cadillac constructed four Le Mans roadsters (in various colors, including metallic blue and silver), at least one of which made the rounds in the late '50s with quad headlamps and subtler tailfins.

In later years, Cadillac would show other concept sports car teasers but never offered a production sportster until 1987 when it debuted the two-seat Cadillac Allanté. Sadly, the Allanté and the later XLR roadster were market failures. While the public was excited by the concept of a Caddy sports car, they were apparently less interested in actually purchasing one. (posted 7/30/13)