http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=motorsports&loc_code=index&content_code=05453390

http://www.autoweek.com/images_content/2002_01/caddy_front.jpg

They want to challenge for podiums this year. Are they up there with the Audis yet?

From Fastdetails.com:

Cadillac LMP 02 Revealed at Sebring Press Launch
"It's all about Le Mans..."

Sebring, Fla., 14 Jan 2002 - Team Cadillac presented their new Le Mans and ALMS challenger in Sebring, Florida, Monday. The completely new Cadillac Northstar LMP 02 will mark the next step in General Motors' luxury brand's sportscar racing program.

The Cadillac Northstar LMP 02 features all the latest in sportscar technology, both in the mechanical and the aerodynamic domain. The best technological experience and knowledge in sportscars was made available by matching the Brackley, UK, based design team and the Warren, Mich., based GM Racing engineers. The trans-Atlantic team produced the stunning looking car in less than nine months.

Cadillac's third season in the world's top sportscar competition includes a race debut in the 50th Anniversary Sebring 12 Hours on March 16, as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

"Participation at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series is a means to connect with luxury customers through a program that demonstrates endurance, durability and technology," said Cadillac's General Manager, Marc LaNeve. "We anticipate considerable improvement over our performance in 2000 and 2001. The past two years have demonstrated that we can endure and also have innovative technology, like the Northstar engine. Now, we're looking to be present on the podium race after race."

Le Mans winning designer Nigel Stroud is Team Cadillac's chief designer and led this new design team. While Stroud and the rest of Team Cadillac were still working with the 2001 car, resources were allocated to begin development of performance packages as early as May of last year.

"It's been a very busy year," said Stroud. "The Cadillac Northstar LMP 02 is completely designed using CAD, which means not a single piece of paper or a pen has been used. The car packs a number of sportscar novelties, but we obviously won't disclose which ones just yet. We spent some 40 days working in the wind tunnel to define the aerodynamics. We also tried a number of very extreme mechanical solutions, but in the end decided to go for a more conventional, yet state-of-the-art package."

As was the case in the previous two years, the Cadillac LMP will be powered by the already legendary Northstar V8 engine. The reliable engine had zero failures through the entire 2001 season and has allowed Team Cadillac to focus on gaining power and improved drivability. "The Northstar engine program has made impressive progress, and we fully expect this steady improvement to continue," said Cadillac LMP Program Manager Jeff Kettman. "Working with our development partners, Ed Keating and his group have produced an extremely reliable engine package. With the enhancements that they are introducing this year, we anticipate further improvements in outright speed while maintaining the reliability and fuel efficiency that are absolutely essential in endurance racing."

Confirming their confidence in the program, Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, Eric Bernard and Emmanuel Collard will again lead the Cadillac's attack in Le Mans and selected races of the American Le Mans Series. Third drivers for the Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans endurance classics will be announced shortly.

Between now and Cadillac's fourth start in La Sarthe (1950, 2000 and 2001), the team will embark on its most intense test program yet, including numerous test days on several race tracks, as well as further development in the wind tunnel.

The Northstar LMP engine is paired with a new (Xtrac-derived) six-speed sequential gearbox in 2002. Paddles mounted on the steering wheel activate gear changes through a pneumatic shifting mechanism. This system allows the driver to shift gears without moving his hands from the wheel.

"The pneumatic shifter is completely self-contained," said chassis designer Nigel Stroud. "Unlike many hydraulically operated systems, it does not require oil pressure from the engine. Consequently, we believe this air-operated system offers advantages in both reliability and maintenance."

The Cadillac LMP design team explored a variety of imaginative body and chassis layouts before finally selecting a shape that is familiar to road racing fans. "We looked at several concepts that really pushed the limits, but none satisfied all of the requirements for downforce, cooling and packaging simultaneously," Stroud said.

"Advances were made in the construction of the monocoque by using a different method of bonding the two halves together," he continued. "The side-mounted radiators employ water-to-oil heat exchangers to cool the gearbox, which eliminates the aerodynamic penalty of a separate air-to-oil cooler for the transmission. This system also stabilizes the gearbox oil temperature, especially at the beginning of a race when the lubricant is preheated by the engine coolant."

Safety considerations also figured prominently in the design of the Cadillac LMP 02 A Formula 1-style cockpit surrounds the driver while head restraints molded from shock-absorbing foam cradle the helmet's back and sides. An innovative pedal box assembly provides an extra measure of protection for the driver's lower extremities.

"The monocoque is the primary survival cell," Stroud explained. "Inside of that is a secondary cell to protect the driver's feet. This 'box within a box' also offers the advantage of a fully adjustable pedal assembly to accommodate different drivers."

The double wishbone suspension employs F1-style cast stainless steel uprights that mount six-piston monoblock brake calipers and carbon fiber discs. The power steering is electronically assisted (electric motor vs. conventional hydraulic motor)

Technical Specifications: Cadillac Northstar LMP 02
Chassis
Construction: Carbon fiber monocoque with aluminum honeycomb core
Weight: 900 kilos (1984 lbs)
Length: 465 cm. (193 in.)
Width: 200 cm. (78.75 in.)
Height: 102 cm. (40.15 in.)
Bodywork: Carbon and Kevlar with Nomex honeycomb
Suspension: Double wishbone front and rear with pushrods
Dampers: 4-way adjustable gas-filled
Brakes: AP 6-piston monoblock calipers - carbon fiber discs
Steering: KYB electric power steering
Wheels: BBS one-piece forged magnesium custom designed for Cadillac
Wheel Diameter/Width: Front - 18 in. / 13.5 in. || Rear - 18 in. / 15 in.
Tires: Michelin Pilot
Gearbox: Xtrac 6-speed sequential
Clutch: AP four-disc carbon, 5.5 in. diameter (160mm)
Fuel Cell: Capacity: 90 liters (23.7 gal)
Data Acquisition: Pi Sigma with Bosch telemetry

Northstar Engine
Type: Twin turbocharged and intercooled V8
Displacement: 4000 cc (4.0 liter - 244 cu. in.)
Bore x Stroke: 93 mm (3.66 in.) x 73.4 mm (2.89 in.)
Lubrication: Dry sump with oil to water heat exchanger (oil tank in front of engine)
Fuel System: Bosch
Engine Controllers: Bosch
Turbochargers: Garrett
Intercoolers: Secan air-to-air
Restrictors: Twin 32.4 mm diameter
Maximum RPM: 7500
Brake Horsepower: 600+
Top Speed: 200+ mph (322+ kph) in Le Mans trim

pic:
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcad1.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcad2.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcaddy3.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcaddy4.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcad6.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcaddy7.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcad9.htm
http://www.fastdetails.com/focus/Cadillac/newcaddy12.htm

The new car looks promising as it is the first Cadillac LMP that's actually built to modern specification. Complete with paddle shifter and full long tail aerodynamic. Coupled with a tried and tested engine(the Northstar V8 has 0 failure in 2001, quite amazing...). This could be a real challenger to Audi's dominance....

Is Cadillac yet as well-oiled a machine as Audi? I think that's a large part of their sucess as well. I wonder how their budgets compare two. They're probably both astronomical.

Audi probably has a way bigger budget than Cadillac. GM's commitment toward their sportscar program(with both full factory effort in GTS(Vette) and LMP(Cadillac)) has been pretty conservative.....

Beating them AUDIS??!!!!! MWWAHAHAHHAHAHA..... just as what ppl in audi said last year.... Try again, next year, harder, son....

kinda lonely here, eh RM? missed me:D LOL

And why not? Caddilac has done some pretty amazing thing with the technologies they've been working on.

Originally posted by McLarenFan
Beating them AUDIS??!!!!! MWWAHAHAHHAHAHA..... just as what ppl in audi said last year.... Try again, next year, harder, son....

kinda lonely here, eh RM? missed me:D LOL

Yeah it's kinda lonely in here....heh:)

You never know though, now they got Lehto on board for Le Mans and Sebring, and the car do have a reliable powerplant that is hopefully more powerful this year, and a pneumatic system for the sequential box instead of a hydralic which plague competitors in last year's Le Mans. This car does have the potential to be a winner....

should dub yourself with the title "useless mod" heh:D

newayyy, pneumatic(sp?) ? heh. new tech, it should've been better, at least on paper. dont forget what happend to Benetton F1 last year. on paper they should won the championship with the EVA, GDI and wide angle V10. but did they? :)

that's why they got their 10k miles testing program going before the Le Mans, which mimics the development program for the McLaren F1 GTR, and now they got a McLaren driver......heh

having a McLaren driver dosen't automatically equals to faster car....
plus only 10k mile? i think the new tech will mature in 2003 not 2002. too early. no matter how extensive your simulation/testing programme maybe, it is still a simulation. not the real thing.

i'm still rooting for audi although i dont really prefer them. i support McLaren but that dont mean i still think they will have hope to runaway with the championship after schumi won 6 GP in 2001. i'm just being more realistic, nobody can challange the audis as of this year. maybe the next will be more competitive....

the 10 k mile testing program worked for McLaren didn't it? It did win 1995 Le Mans 24 hours....

And Lehto is a good man for the job, no matter which car or which team he has been in, he is always the fastest on the line up.....he is no McNish, but I think he is quick enough to get the job done, and not just quick in normal racing sense, quick in a endurance racing sense....

McLaren already have a very reliable and powerfull car before the testing programme started. so there is a diffrence.

Cadillac's car is also quite reliable, they had 0 engine failure in 2001 season, the gearbox which the new one is based on has been in used for 2 years, the pneumatic system is the new component.....so in a sense they got more the 10k already on most components......now they just need to test the complete package.....

so what happened? did they crash the whole season, or just not fast enough?

Simply don't have the pace....the old chassis by R&S was of an older design(something along the line of the 333SP era...), not enough aerodynamic, not enough regidity....

that car looks hot!!


i love the "my other car is an STS" sticker... i wonder if they'll keep that on the racing version.

Yes they do, I've seen the 2001 car when it was at Mosport, it has that thing on it, should have taken a picture though....:D

And about that 10000 miles test, it's to be done in 26 days......the testing will include "several" 24 hours tests according to the team, looks like they are pretty serious about their challenge for Le Mans in 2002....