VSR concept the Cadillac of hot rods

Take a huge engine and drop it in a basic chassis. The VSR follows the classic hot rod formula to a tee.

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

Cadillac and General Motors have unveiled the VSR Cadillac V-Series Powered Sports Rod Concept, or VSR for short, at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. What's the VSR concept, you ask? Well, according to GM:

"This concept features a contemporary hand-sculpted body and unique blend of Cadillac styling cues, with proportions and form that evoke images of earlier days of race cars/sports cars and 'Hot Rodding.' Race car engineering, state-of-the-art electronics and technology express the modern supercar era."

That means that GM had taken a lightweight and stripped-down aluminum hot rod chassis and slapped a thoroughly modern 6-liter, 400-horsepower Cadillac V-8 engine under its clamshell hood. This engine is probably a close relative to the 6.2-liter mill that powers the CTS-V. It transmits its power and torque through an automatic transmission to a pair of meaty, 22-inch rear wheels shod in TOYO Proxes S/T tires.

Cadillac VSR concept--photos

Up front, a pair of 20-inch wheels is connected to an electric powered rack-and-pinion system to handle the VSR's steering duties. All four corners are independently suspended on Air-Ride Technology Shock Wave air struts. Halting the VSR to a stop are a quartet of disc brakes with six-piston calipers and 13-inch rotors.

Although on display in a single seating configuration, the VSR actually seats two with its passenger side tonneau cover removed. Both passengers sit in carbon fiber bucket seats, but only the driver gets to tickle the custom steering wheel and play with the Digital instrumentation by Medallion. Cabin tech comes in the form of an iPhone/iPod Touch compatible audio system and a rearview camera system by Peak.

We don't expect to see this baby on the road any time soon, but it's good to know that someone at GM still has an active imagination.