The Cadillac Northstar LMP was a series of Le Mans Prototypes built by Cadillac for the American Le Mans Series and for an attempt to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Cadillac had last raced in 1950. The cars were named after the Northstar V8 engines that powered them.
Cadillac Northstar LMP at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Racing years | 2000-2002 |
| Class | Le Mans Prototype |
| Chassis 2000 | Riley & Scott carbon-fibre monocoque |
| Chassis 2001-2002 | redesigned by Nigel Stroud |
| Engine | 4.0 L twin-turbocharged Northstar V8 |
| Power | about 650 hp (485 kW) |
| Turbochargers | IHI, then Garrett from 2002 |
| Gearbox | X-Trac, pneumatic shift from 2002 |
| Teams | Team Cadillac, DAMS of France |
| Monocoques built | seven in 2000 |
| Project ended | 2002, to concentrate on Chevrolet Corvette |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Northstar LMP.
History of the Cadillac Northstar LMP
For the new project GM turned to Riley & Scott, builders of the successful Mk III chassis, who developed a from-scratch LMP around a bespoke carbon-fibre monocoque. The design carried elements of Cadillac’s Art and Science theme, notably a working egg-crate grille on the nose and large side scoops feeding the turbochargers. The engine was a heavily modified 650 hp version of the 4.0-litre Northstar known as the L47, which had already been raced by GM in the Indy Racing League from 1995; for the LMP it was twin-turbocharged with IHI units, and McLaren Engines helped with development. Seven monocoques were built: two for Team Cadillac in the United States, three for DAMS in France, one crash-test car that became a show car, and a spare tub.
Racing in 2000
Cadillac split its effort between two championships: Riley & Scott ran the factory team in the American Le Mans Series as Team Cadillac, while DAMS ran a customer team in the European Sports Racing World Cup. At the 24 Hours of Daytona the two cars took second and third in qualifying and finished 13th and 14th despite problems. At the 12 Hours of Sebring one car finished sixth, 29 laps behind the winning Audi R8. In Europe DAMS took seventh and eighth in its first race and fifth at Silverstone, but both cars retired at Le Mans.
LMP01 and LMP02
For 2001 the car became the Northstar LMP01, still on the Riley & Scott chassis but with completely redesigned bodywork by Nigel Stroud, more angular on the sides with the sidepods diving down towards the front wheel arches and cooling ducts moved into the wheel wells. Two 2000 cars were upgraded to the new body and a third was built fresh. For 2002 Cadillac built a completely new car, the LMP02, again designed by Nigel Stroud, with a raised footbox in the nose allowing a large central air intake, new Garrett turbochargers and a pneumatic shift system for the X-Trac gearbox. Three new chassis were built. The project ended in 2002 when GM decided to concentrate on the Chevrolet Corvette programme; Cadillac returned to prototype racing in 2017 with the DPi-V.R.
Design and features
- Twin-turbo Northstar: a 4.0-litre racing V8 of about 650 hp, developed with McLaren Engines.
- Carbon-fibre monocoque: Riley & Scott chassis in 2000, with seven built.
- Cadillac styling cues: the Art and Science egg-crate grille on the nose of the 2000 car.
- Two teams: the factory Team Cadillac in America and DAMS in Europe.
Cadillac Northstar LMP versions
- Northstar LMP (2000): Riley & Scott chassis and IHI turbochargers.
- Northstar LMP01 (2001): redesigned bodywork by Nigel Stroud.
- Northstar LMP02 (2002): new chassis, raised footbox, Garrett turbos and pneumatic shift.
- Show car: the crash-test monocoque converted for display.
The racing engine came from the road-going Northstar family, and Cadillac’s earlier racing story is told in the Le Mans concept article. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Video: Team Cadillac LMP Video News Release – Part 2
Video by Michael Scholl on YouTube.
Sources
- Cadillac Northstar LMP, English Wikipedia: development, engines, chassis, racing results
