20 Years, 1989-2009
pratt & Miller Engineering
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CADILLAC CTS-V Meeting the Challenge Can a four-door Cadillac sedan beat legendary sports cars like Porsche and Viper on the race track? That was the challenge presented to Pratt & Miller when Cadillac launched its Team Cadillac motorsports program in 2004. Competing successfully in the Sports Car Club of America’s World Challenge GT series was a key element in Cadillac’s rebirth as a brand that delivered both performance and luxury. Cadillac dominated the World Challenge GT for the four years that the menacing black CTS-Vs competed in the production-based road racing series. Cadillac won manufacturers championships in 2005 and 2007, and Andy Pilgrim captured the drivers championship in 2005. The Cadillacs scored 12 wins in 41 races (the most victories by a manufacturer), 10 poles, 13 fastest laps, and 38 podium finishes. Pratt & Miller provided design, engineering, fabrication, and trackside support services from Day One. “The challenge of the Cadillac CTS-V program was to make a four-door sedan competitive with two-seat sports cars,” said Gary Pratt. “The Cadillac race cars were based on production bodies, so we had to fabricate the roll cage and structure inside the shell, like building a ship in a bottle. We had developed our in-house engineering capabilities to the point that the entire car was designed on a computer before we cut the first piece of tubing.”
Pratt & Miller deployed an arsenal of high-tech tools to turn the production CTS-V into a racing champion. Working within SCCA guidelines, the body was modified to lower its center of gravity and accommodate wide racing tires. Sophisticated computer simulations analyzed engine cooling, aerodynamics, and chassis setups. Pratt & Miller fabricators fashioned an adjustable carbon fiber rear wing with complex compound curves to balance the race car’s aerodynamic performance. The success of the Team Cadillac program changed perceptions of the Cadillac brand by demonstrating the marque’s performance capabilities. Working alongside GM Racing, Pratt & Miller made Team Cadillac the standard of excellence in the SCCA World Challenge GT series.