Back when the mere mention of the brand conjured up images of a retirement home, the concept of a Cadillac tuner seemed ridiculous. Not anymore. Caddy's Art and Science surge has opened the door for outfits like California's D3 Research and Design to work the sort of magic the likes of Dinan, Hamann, and Brabus have been practicing for years. D3's focus has been on amping-up Cadillac's already formidable V-series offerings, with its take on Cadillac's XLR-V roadster recently getting a chance to prove its mettle through our battery of performance testing.
On paper, the D3 XLR-V is one killer Caddy. Save for the 20-in. Forgeline MD3P gunmetal-and-chrome three-piece wheels and red valve covers, the modifications to this XLR-V are all business. We sampled D3's Stage 2 Package, which consists of an upgraded supercharger, monster dual intake, Corsa full exhaust system, upgraded intercooler, performance spark plugs, auxiliary methanol injection cooling system, and retuned suspension (although no components are replaced). Rubber also is upgraded, with Toyo Proxes T1Rs sized 245/35ZR20 up front and 285/30ZR20 in the rear replacing the stock 19-in. Pirelli runflats.
All those add-ons are generating eye-popping output numbers -- 575 hp at 5900 rpm and 585 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm -- while providing stellar aural stimulation. At idle, the twin intercooler fans sound like a taxiing airliner while the Corsa exhaust burbles "quietly." Dropping the hammer morphs the burble into an angry grizzly roar that's quickly joined by the supercharger's devilish whine. Sixty mph comes and goes in just 4.2 sec, the quarter in 12.7 sec at 112 mph -- a virtual dead heat with the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG.
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