“Why would you repaint a brand new car?” Why indeed…
The 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe is a beautiful product straight from the factory and is available in 8 colors; orange not being one of them. Why would anyone want to drive a vehicle that shines as much as the sunrise over Tampa Bay? Maybe the folks at Cadillac should ask themselves that because the sparkle of the finish in the Florida sunshine draws attention wherever it goes. The Dimmitt Automotive Group has been a dealership that has always prided itself in heavy personalization of vehicles, and this project is just another example of the professional work done by the staff in Clearwater. Through bold color mixing, subtle interior touches, unique exterior selections, and body panel changes, this Coupe gives customers of the Dimmitt Automotive Group some ideas of what is possible in making their vehicle truly special.
The color had to be perfect, and our staff in the body shop nailed it. The original concept color that was discussed for the Coupe was along the lines of an orange metallic used by Lamborghini a few years back. This color seemed a little too pastel and tame, so after shooting a few samples and playing with the mixture, the hue was chosen. The body and panels were stripped and prepped for paint, as well as most of the interior trim. After a few days the results would confirm our correct choice of color – spectacular!
During the separation of interior from body, the seats, door panels, and rear interior panels were treated to a perforated leather insert from Katskin called “Barracuda”. Most of the harder interior surfaces were treated to an orange metallic finish as well. The instrument cluster sports orange LED indicators for the K40 laser/radar package that has been added.
Performance wise the 3.6 liter V6 remains stock, but has been dressed up a bit. The engine cover was treated to a splash of orange as well; topped off with a chrome Cadillac wreath and crest. The strut tower cross brace has been treated to a high polish to reflect the color of the engine cover when the hood is up.
One of the most common ways of personalizing a vehicle is changing the wheel and tire package. This proved to be one of the most difficult choices of this build. While there are many wheel options available, after a while they all start to look the same. The wheels for this project needed to be as unique as the car, so we chose a staggered fitment of 20” Motiv Motion alloys wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. The wheels were refinished to match the car and the standard Cadillac CTS center caps were adapted to the wheel to finish the appearance of the wheel package.
Protecting an investment like this is necessary, so the front end is wrapped in a clear film to prevent road debris from damaging the beautiful paint. The glass is also treated with a window film to protect the interior from harmful UV damage. We want this Coupe to be shining example of unique vehicle personalization wherever it may travel!
While this Coupe did not arrive as a CTS-V model, you would not know that by looking at it. The standard front fascia, hood, and rear fascia were all removed in favor of the V bodywork. The previous generation CTS model could more easily mimic a V by installing a mesh grille and a few emblems. This generation makes the imitation a little more difficult, but not out of the realm of possibility. In adding the V front fascia, HID projector fog lamps were installed with a black mesh covering the opening for the brake cooling ducts. The front grilles, normally a hyper silver finish, were painted body color on the upper and a satin gray on the lower while maintaining the chrome surround standard from Cadillac. This look was to explore the “tuner” look for the front end that is popular on some import sports cars as well as sport compacts. The rear fascia received a similar treatment to enhance the lines of the lower diffuser. And while at the rear of the vehicle, the exhaust tips and tail lamps are unique as well. The exhaust was inspired by vintage Italian sports cars and was actually sourced from a close relative of the CTS – Corvette. The current generation Chevrolet Corvette sports the twin tips spaced further apart, but seemed to be a perfect fit for the Coupe. The tail lamps began life as the European spec tail lamps for the standard Coupe, but are not a direct plug in for the US model. So the internals of the US model lamps were transplanted into the shell of the European model tail lamps, giving a clean finish to the rear of the car.
Vehicle personalization is an integral part of what the Dimmitt Automotive Group has stood for in the Tampa Bay area, and this 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe is another shining example of what is possible in the automotive market place. Hopefully whoever decides to make this vehicle their own will enjoy owning it as much as we have enjoyed building it!
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Contact DAVE KOCHER directly at (727) 364-1526 or email dkocher@dimmitt.com for inquiries on this beautiful customized Cadillac.
1 comment:
beautiful!!!
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