TOYS

DON’T MISS THE BEAT

Cadillac has a heritage deeper than almost any other automotive brand. The luxury division of General Motors is 120 years old. Among American car badges, only Buick is older. And at its peak, Cadillac enjoyed a reputation few car companies have ever matched.

DESIGNED to DELIGHT

CADILLAC CELESTIQ EV

It once built some of the world’s most luxurious cars – an American Bentley. In recent decades, Cadillac has styled itself an American BMW or Audi.

Its best-selling product remains the untouchable Escalade large SUV. But the company has advertised luxury sport sedans like the Germans do and pushed its V series of high-performance models as its showpieces.

That’s leaving a lot of history on the table. But not for long.

GM plans to remake Cadillac again. The brand has promised to go all-electric – an opportunity to make American buyers see it in a new light.

With that in mind, Cadillac today unveiled a new banner carrier meant to show off everything its designers can do. It’s such a callback to history that the first press release explaining the car mentions “the artisanship and customization that defined early Cadillac sedans such as the bespoke V-16 powered coaches of the pre-war era” as inspiration.

Meet the Cadillac Celestiq – a modern electric car inspired by your great grandparents’ dream cars.

The full-size ultra-luxury sedan you see in these photos isn’t meant for sale… yet.

Cadillac officially calls it a “show car” to illustrate that it’s not production-ready. But insiders have said the Celestiq is headed for production, with about 400 a year to be handbuilt at GM’s Warren Technical Center research facility.

The Celestiq bears some resemblance to today’s Cadillacs. The familiar sharp-edged sheet metal creases and vertical lighting elements are here. But it looks as though designers filtered them through an F. Scott Fitzgerald story to create a 1920s-meets-2020s vehicle. Designers took inspiration from several periods of Cadillac’s history, the company says.

Touchstones include “classic architecture such as the mid-century masterpieces of architect Eero Saarinen” and the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.

They come together to create a beautiful car from the front but an oddly-proportioned one from the rear. The front fascia is imposing, with its lighted false grille borrowing the Cheshire Cat grin of the Lyriq SUV. But the rear is bulbous. It reminds us of the Porsche Panamera, but somehow more angular. The Panamera looked odd until everyone got used to it, so maybe the Celestiq’s rear will seem right eventually.

Inside, the look is sumptuous. The seats are upholstered in chevrons of red leather, deepening to black at the headrests. Piano black and brushed nickel trim look right out of an upscale bar.

But it’s 2022. Touchscreens are everywhere. The dashboard looks like one immense LED screen – 55 inches diagonally – but is segmented with privacy filters so that the driver sees the usual instruments while the front passenger can watch video the driver can’t see.

“The Smart Glass Roof features Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology that allows for four zones of variable lighting,” Cadillac says, “allowing passengers to fine-tune their cabin experience for completely personalized comfort and visibility.”

Cadillac describes the Celestiq as a car that “considers the entirety of travel as a curated experience — one intended to evoke an emotional response.”

It looks like nothing else on the road, which could well evoke the response they’re going for. But will ultra-luxury buyers pay Maybach money for a car from the people who brought you the $37,000 XT4? We’ll have to wait to see if the emotional response is that strong.

CELEBRATE ON SEPTEMBER 28TH WITH A COLD ONE!

While a beer can be enjoyed by beer lovers on almost any day of the year, Septermber 28th is certainly an extra special one. It’s National Drink Beer Day, a delightful day in which the dedicated activity is clearly stated in the name. What could be better?

Honestly, there is no shortage of beer drinking holidays on the calendar because, well, most people not only enjoy drinking beer–many of them are decidedly passionate about it! From German Beer Day to IPA Day to Stout Day, from Oktoberfest to Homebrewing Day, this tasty beverage is worth celebrating all throughout the year.

But this day offers the simplest of instructions when it comes to this world-renowned beverage: Drink Beer.

How to Celebrate National Drink Beer Day

Held annually, this exciting holiday is recognised in many different countries across the globe and taking part could not be easier. Try out these fun ideas for celebrating National Drink Beer Day, or get creative and come up with some other unique activities. The only important thing on this day? It is required to Drink Beer!

Sample a New Kind of Beer

With hundreds of different new and traditional varieties available, National Drink Beer Day gives all drinkers a wonderful opportunity to sample both local and internationally brewed ales and lagers.

Although, of course, just any old beer will do on this day, it might be fun to make it special by trying something new and adventurous.

Now it’s time to raise a glass of your favourite ale or lager and celebrate National Drink Beer Day!

Info from daysoftheyear.com