Friday

Last Leg... We drove 8 hours Thursday night to get from North Carolina to Nashville. It included driving through a downpour in the Smokey Mountains. The Coupe with the summer tires did great! Jeff was driving and said the vehicle never felt unstable. Great performance.

First stop was Crest Cadillac in Nashville. Luckily, we were not near the flooding. Lots of great interest in the vehicle. A few customers came by.

Our last stop was unbelievable! Sam Swope Cadillac in Louisville, KY. Over 40 acres of every car dealership you can imagine!! I have never seen so many car dealerships in one location, let alone owned by the same man. In the picture, the man to the right of the picture checking out the Coupe is Sam Swope. 85 years old, out in the 85 degree heat on the black asphalt and completely into checking out the car! In fact we had a number of sales folk from the competitive dealerships checking it out. Lots of interested customers too.


So that was it... Jeff and I headed for home about 4pm and made it back to Michigan just before midnight. Great trip.

Thursday

Thursday took us to the heart of NASCAR country. From Raleigh to Cary to Greensboro to Pinville, North Carolina.

We started out at Hendrick Cadillac, as in Hendrick Motorsports! Answered lots of questions to the sales people on the V-Series (again - - really wished we had a V on the trip). http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/hms_intro.asp


At Bill Black Cadillac in Greensboro (again, as in Bill Black Autosports) we got to see the vehicle the dealerships sponsors in races - #19 and met the driver. All very exciting!

http://billblackautosports.com/








If I thought it was hot on Tuesday.... whooo.... It hit 100 degrees as shown on the outside temperature diplay in the car!! Two of the walk arounds that day were done outside.

Weds.

We started off early on Weds. in Chantilly, VA at an amazing dealership - Moore Cadillac. Absolutely stunning! The picture you see is taken from the second floor balcony. We did not get a lot of traffic from this dealership since they were part of the "Taste of Ralston" event over the weekend where a Coupe and a Coupe V had been on display.

Later that day we did dealership ins Richmond, VA and Norfolk, VA. I don't think Jeff or I will ever drive in Norfolk again!! Bumper to bumper traffic going in and going out. But still a great show at both of the dealerships! Lots of interested customers.

Tuesday

I'm going to call Tuesday - HOT!

I'm not just talking about the 92 degrees we hit in the region - - the Coupe was HOT too!

First stop was Frankel Cadillac in Cockeysville, MD. We got a special treat by having the car cleaned and prepped SPOTLESS by the dealership. WOW. They were a great group of guys with lots of interest and a few customers. I spent a great deal of time talking to one customer who had a Cadillac in the 1990's and had significant quality problems. They had turned Lincoln owners as a result. They had been hearing about the Cadillac quality improvements and were coming in to do some test drives and give Cadillac another shot.

On to Capitol Cadillac in Greenbelt, MD. The previous dealership had warned us we were going into the "high rent" district but I was amazed at some of the things I heard there. We had one customer looking to buy a V-Series coupe. I was sharing some of the V accessories plan and he replied not to bother his customization shop would be putting on new wheels and grill and likely repainting the vehicle for him too.

By afternoon we were at Coleman Cadillac in Bethesda, MD. Lots of interest in the new Evolutionary Green. We need to get some samples out on the web and color chips at the dealers.

Now I have to admit, Jeff covered Lindsay Cadillac in Alexandria, VA for the evening while I was able to have a home cooked meal with my two daughters that live in Northern Virginia.

Monday night

What an exciting day! We started out in Monroeville, PA at #1 Cochran Cadillac. Jeff and I spent most of the time doing the walk around with the sales people and answering questions on the vehicle. Everyone was very excited to see the car. Looked like at least 2 would be placing orders soon.

Then after a LOOONG 6 hour drive, we landed in Wilmington, DE at Delaware Cadillac. At this dealership we spent most of our time talking with selected customers that had lined up to see the Coupe. Again, at least 2 sold vehicles. Many other planned on returning next month when the Coupes arrive. Everyone continues to be completely impressed!!

Thanks Rich Pinto for a couple of reviews on the CTS Coupe.... Great reviews!


http://jalopnik.com/5568271/2011-cadillac-cts-coupe-first-drive
"No, the real story, and what sets the Coupe apart from its siblings, is its exterior design. It's the most polarizing car shape I've ever seen. From that sassy ass all the way forward, you either love it or you hate it. Your eyes move from the back, past the touchpad door handles and the side vents, all the way to the "Art & Science" signature pointed nose. The whole car (whether with the performance tuning setup with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires or the summer tire setup with 19-inch wheels and summer tires) just screams "look at me." Jalopnik


http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/21/2011-cadillac-cts-coupe-first-drive/
"At the end of the day, however, ride and handling, acceleration and even the interior aren't the point of the CTS Coupe. Style is, and in that regard Cadillac has grand-slammed it. Take a look at the competition. All of the previously mentioned Germans and Japanese two-doors simply can't hold a candle to the Coupe's glorious lines. The shape and the shape alone is what will attract buyers. And really, by taking the bold way out and "building the concept car," Cadillac has accomplished something we think is really, truly special. With the already gorgeous front end of the CTS coupled to the sculpted, athletic profile and sleek, groundbreaking rear, the Coupe is a powerful statement. Announcing that not only is GM on the road to recovery, but that Cadillac is once again ready to compete with the world's best." Autoblog

Monday morning

Jeff Maes and I got to Cranberry, PA late last night. Jeff and I spent most of the time memorizing the tour book. Pennsylvania is beautiful with the rolling hills.

The drive in the CTS Coupe was smooth and exciting. Lots of looks. I continue to be amazed at just how much stuff we were able to get into the trunk of the coupe.

We start out this morning at Cochran Cadillac not too far from here and then end this evening at Delaware Cadillac in Wilmington, DE. Hope to have some great pictures tonight.

Kick off

Purpose of this blog is to build excitement around the new 2011MY CTS Coupe. Not that this car needs any more excitement. This is one of the most EXCITING cars I have every driven.

A group of us from General Motors will be visiting a number of Cadillac dealers throughout the United States the week of June 21st. I wanted to share my experiences and invite others on the tour to do the same. I'm expecting many pictures!!