Arriving seemingly out of nowhere, Cadillac have unveiled a concept that harks back to the brand’s most era, where big-bodied convertibles were king. The Cadillac Sollei is exactly what the brand needed, and we just had to take a closer look…
It’s been a long, long time since we last used the words ‘Cadillac’ and ‘Showstopper’ in the same sentence, and yet 2024 is bringing us yet more craziness. This time, it’s in the form of a drop-top Caddy that combines the brand’s futuristic EV ambitions with the style of its past, known as the Sollei.
This elongated, elegant, and electric convertible shows the brand’s aspirations to return to the benchmar in the world of bespoke, offering select clients the opportunity to create even their wildest of visions. Over the decades, the Cadillac name has dwindled from its star-studded past, mostly down to sharing components from its General Motors siblings, leaving customers feeling somewhat short-changed when purchasing a premium vehicle. That is all about to change, though, and the Cadillac name is hoping to return to its glory days, with the fully electric Sollei and the recently launched Celestiq as their poster cars.
The desire to recreate the past is evident even in Cadillac’s colour choice. The Sollei has been hand-painted in Manila Cream, a colour that was first found on their big-bodied cruisers back in 1957 and 1958. You won’t find any white wall tyres here, but this all-new convertible glides on 23-inch polished silver wheels, which suit the car down to a tee. The design celebrates elegance, with each trim and line carefully designed to allow the Sollei to hold monumental road presence.
Inside, the Sollei is as opulent as you would expect, and features (we had to double check this out of sheer shock), a 55-inch pane of glass that spans the entire width of the dashboard, home to two separate screens. 55-inch! For those longer journeys, and the ones that require a tipple after a long day of cruising, the Sollei boasts an integrated chiller with a powered glass door, with a bespoke crystal decanter and glasses.
Unveiled at Cadillac’s design house in Vanderbilt, the team describes the Sollei as a design exercise, and has been created purely as a way for the company to “push the boundaries of future bespoke commissions,” something we’re all for if it means we get to see more Cadillacs like this on the road!
