2001 Cadillac Northstar LMP01

Cadillac first appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950. Sydney Allard, an engineer and founder of the Allard Motor Company and American entrepreneur and sportsman Briggs Cunningham, entered two Cadillac 61 Coupes. A stock series 61 was given some minor modifications, which included brake cooling, dual carburetors, and an additional gas tank. It was driven by the brothers Miles and Sam Collier to a tenth-place finish. The second Cadillac received a significant overhaul. The entry shared by Cunningham and Phil Walter was fitted with a new aerodynamic aluminum body nicknamed the Le Monstre by the French spectators. The pair finished eleventh despite an off-course excursion.

Cadillac would return fifty years later with the Cadillac Northstar LMP program. In 2000, they announced a plan for two interim design cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and selected rounds of the American Le Mans Series.

For the 2001 season, a two-stage program was unveiled. In stage one, the 2000 Cadillac Northstar LMP, designed by Bob Riley, was revised by Nigel Stroud and became the 2001 model. The changes to the car included a focus on the center of weight, aerodynamics, steering and suspension, safety and substantial chassis modifications to improve rigidity.

The French-based DAMS team was responsible for a two-car effort at Le Mans. After Le Mans, Team Cadillac campaigned two Cadillac Northstar LMPs at Sears Point Raceway, Mosport International Raceway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans.

Stroud would design a new car for the 2002 season in stage two.

The Cadillac Northstar LMP debuted at the 2000 Daytona 24-Hour event. Team Cadillac entered two cars, which finished second and third in the Sports Racer category. However, they were eighty laps behind the class winner. The team's next outing was at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where DAMS joined them. The highest-placed car was sixth in the LMP group. At Le Mans, there were two entries from each group. DAMS had the best-placed Cadillac, finishing nineteenth overall and ninth in class.

The chassis for the Cadillac LMP01 was designed by Riley and Scott's Bill Riley. The mid-engine rear-wheel drive car was the company's first carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis. A new body was created by Nigel Stroud. The LMP01 is 182 inches long and 79 inches wide. The wheelbase is 115 inches with a front overhang of 31 inches and a rear overhang of 37 inches. The cooling ducts were moved from the side of the car to inside the wheel wells. The Cadillac weighs 916 kg, just over the LMP900 class requirement of 900 kg.

The front and rear suspension consists of unequal double wishbones with push-rod actuated springs and shock absorbers. Steering is accomplished by way of a Saginaw power-assisted rack and pinion. Stopping the LMP01 are Alcon six-piston calipers with 380 mm diameter rotors, which are 40 mm wide. The Cadillac uses one-piece forged wheels created by BBS. The front wheels are 13 X 18 inches and the rear is 14.5 X 18 inches. The tires are supplied by Michelin. Delivering power to the rear wheels is an X-Trac Sequential six-speed transmission.

Cadillac's entry into prototype racing was to change consumer's perception of the brand from just a luxury vehicle to a performance car line as well. This concept was furthered by the use of Cadillac's Northstar engine. The 4.0 liter V8 is a downsized and twin-turbocharged version of the Northstar used in production Cadillacs. The motors were tuned by McLaren Engines for more power and improved longevity. The double–overhead camshaft engine with four valves per cylinder produces 600 horsepower and 497 lb-ft of torque.

As planned, the updated 2001 model had its first outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. DAMS entered two Cadillac Northstar LMP01s. The cars qualified seventh and tenth in the LMP900 category. The quicker of the two Cadillacs was the No. 5 entry piloted by Eric Bernard, Emmanuel Collard and Marc Goossens. Unfortunately, they retired after just fifty-six laps. The No. 6 Cadillac was shared by Wayne Tayler, Max Angelelli and Christophe Tinseau and would finish fifteenth overall and fifth in class, fifty-one laps behind the race-winning Audi R8.

North American fans saw the new Cadillac Northstar LMP01 for the first time at Sears Point Raceway. There was reason for Team Cadillac to be optimistic after qualifying. The No. 7 Cadillac Northstar LMP01, shared by Christophe Tinseau and Emmanuel Collard, qualified fifth fastest. Their teammates, Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor, started behind them. Unfortunately, the race was another story, as both cars had issues. The Tinseau / Collard Cadillac finished twelfth overall and seventh in LMP900. Angelell and Taylor retired halfway through the race and were last in LMP900 and twenty-fourth overall.

After a disappointing outing at Sears Point, Team Cadillac was seeking redemption. The team delivered the same qualifying results as the previous event. The No. 8 Cadillac Northstar LMP01 of Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor were gridded fifth for the Gran Turismo 3 Grand Prix at Mosport. It was Christophe Tinseau and Emmanuel Collard's turn to start behind their teammates. At the checkered flag, Tinseau and Collard were in third place. Finishing behind the No. 7 Cadillac were Angelelli and Taylor.

The LMP900 podium for round five of the American Le Mans Series at Mosport International Raceway. Standing in the center for the first time this season are Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro from Audi Sport America. On the left are Jan Magnussen and David Brabham, drivers of the No. 50 Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S. Brabham and Magnussen won the last race at Portland. Team Cadillac's Christophe Tinseau and Emmanuel Collard complete the rostrum. Their teammates, Wayne Taylor and Max Angelleli, finished fourth. This would be Cadillac's best performance of the season, albeit three laps behind the winners.

At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Christophe Tinseau and Emmanuel Collard out-qualified their teammates and would start in sixth place. Unable to match their pace, Wayne Taylor and Max Angelleli qualified ninth fastest. However, during the race, the No. 8 Cadillac Northstar LMP900 of Taylor and Angelleli moved up the order with a pass on their teammates and the retirement of Banana Joe's Lola B2K/10B. They crossed the finish line in seventh place. Trailing them by one lap were Tinseau and Collard.

Round seven of the championship was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. On this occasion, the No. 8 Cadillac Northstar LMP900 of Wayne Taylor and Max Angelleli was seventh fastest and outqualified their teammates. Starting immediately behind Taylor and Angelleli were Christophe Tinseau and Emmanuel Collard. Team Cadillac would benefit from the mechanical retirement of the class-leading Audi and accidents suffered by both Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S entries. As a result, the No. 8 Cadillac finished fourth and the Collard / Tinseau car was fifth.

The final event of the season was conducted at Road Atlanta. The Audi presents Petit Le Mans would be the fourth running of the 1,000-mile race, which is 394-laps. Team Cadillac changed the driver line-up for this contest. The No. 7 Cadillac Northstar LMP1 was driven by Emmanuel Collard and Belgium's Marc Goossens. Christophe Tinseau joined Wayne Taylor and Max Angelleli in the other car. The team collected another fourth and fifth-place result. Tinseau, Taylor and Angelleli finished twelve-laps behind the winners and the Goossens / Collard Cadillac were eighteen laps behind their teammates. Cadillac was fourth in the final Team Championship standings.

Unlike the previous model, the 2002 Cadillac Northstar LMP02 was a new car designed by Nigel Stroud. The driver pairings changed throughout the season. The No. 7 entry was piloted by Emmanual Collard Christophe Tinseau, J.J. Lehto, or Eric Bernard. The second Cadillac was driven by Max Angelli, Wayne Taylor, Christophe Tinseau or J.J. Lehto. Cadillac's debut at Sebring was a disappointment, with the team earning twenty-seven and thirty-first-place results. The cars fared better at Le Mans with ninth and twelfth-place finishes. The season's highlight was at the penultimate round in Miami, where the team grabbed the runner-up spot.

Cadillac's American Le Mans Series prototype program concluded at the end of the 2002 season. They had demonstrated the performance of the Northstar engine and that the company was more than just a luxury brand.

The company would return to racing in 2004. The first-generation Cadillac CTS-V was entered in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT Championship. Before the model was retired in 2007, it earned twelve wins, a Manufacturer and Driver championship.

YEAR	ENTRANT	NO.	DRIVER	CLASS	LAPS	POS.	CLASS POS.
2001	DAMS	5	Éric Bernard Emmanuel Collard Marc Goossens	LMP900	56	DNF	15
2001	DAMS	6	Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli Christophe Tinseau	LMP900	270	15	5

YEAR	ENTRANT	NO.	DRIVER	CLASS	LAPS	POS.	CLASS POS.
2001	Team Cadillac	7	Christophe Tinseau Emmanuel Collard	LMP900	95	12	5
2001	Team Cadillac	8	Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli	LMP900	52	DNF	7

YEAR	ENTRANT	NO.	DRIVER	CLASS	LAPS	POS.	CLASS POS.
2001	Team Cadillac	7	Christophe Tinseau Emmanuel Collard	LMP900	112	3	3
2001	Team Cadillac	8	Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli	LMP900	112	4	4

YEAR	ENTRANT	NO.	DRIVER	CLASS	LAPS	POS.	CLASS POS.
2001	Team Cadillac	7	Christophe Tinseau Emmanuel Collard	LMP900	113	8	8
2001	Team Cadillac	8	Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli	LMP900	114	7	7

YEAR	ENTRANT	NO.	DRIVER	CLASS	LAPS	POS.	CLASS POS.
2001	Team Cadillac	7	Marc Goossens Emmanuel Collard	LMP900	364	5	5
2001	Team Cadillac	8	Wayne Taylor Max Angelelli Christophe Tinseau	LMP900	382	4	4