Contrary to popular belief, Detroit is still producing cars that have class and power. Cadillac’s XLR-V comes loaded with power and luxury, but has plenty of room for improvement. This is where D3 Cadillac steps in. D3 Cadillac is a division of D3 Research and Design that has made a commitment to specifically tune Cadillac’s celebrated lineup.

Based in Los Angeles, CA, D3 has more than 60 years of combined design, motorsports, and racing experience. For the past 10 years D3 has been focused on improving performance and styling for GM automobiles. The results were so positive, that D3 Cadillac was formed to develop and cultivate the Cadillac niche market. D3, along with GM, is serious about making Cadillac a world class competitor in the luxury and performance market, currently dominated by German manufacturers. D3 knows that aftermarket tuners for these companies, like AMG, Brabus, etc. were also world class and nothing but the best would suffice. D3 is not comfortable with being anything but the number one Cadillac aftermarket provider. In short D3 has not come up short to themselves or their customers. Quality and detail brings an impressive product to the market that fuels the passion in every Cadillac owner around the world.

Now that we have established where D3 came from let’s turn our attention to what they are currently up to with Cadillac’s XLR-V. They started with a stock 2008 Black XLR-V and unleashed its Stage 2.5 Performance Package on it. The results, a car that possess 600+ HP complemented by 600+ TQ compared to its stock numbers of 443 HP and 414 TQ. The Stage 2.5 package does not hold back with its upgrades that start with a Stage 1 & 2 Air Intake Systems which allows the engine to take a deeper breath. With more air moving through the engine they added a blueprinted supercharger lid, supercharger lid spacer, stainless headers w/ hi-flow cats and full stainless exhaust system to increase the airflow efficiency resulting in an exhale that growls like a wild animal. To keep the sweat off this beast’s brow they cool it down with a upgraded intercooler system, twin electric fans, methanol injection system and an intercooler reservoir. And to keep its legs moving they put on a boost pulley upgrade, performance spark plugs, and a custom ECU dyno tune all to help this animal stretch his legs and run. The only parts that keep this car under control are the performance sway bars and a full brake caliper upgrade. Also, D3 upgraded the wheels and tires to a 20” custom Forgeline wheel and fit a 285 tire on the rear wheels.

After witnessing what D3 has done under the hood we couldn’t ignore the luxury upgrades they added to the exterior and interior of the car. Keeping in mind that Cadillac is the “Standard of the World” when it comes to luxury and class, D3 set out to refine those points. At first look these upgrades are subtle, but once you take it all in you can appreciate the work as a fine piece of art. They first added black suede to the door panels and center seat sections accented with a red diamond stitch. The red stitching continues on the steering wheel that has been wrapped in black suede as well. The same black suede and red diamond stitching continues onto the headliner and down the A pillar. Not stopping there with the upgrades, they added a wind restrictor etched with a Cadillac V-Series logo that illuminates. They also took every piece of chrome and refinished them into black chrome. Just when you thought that D3 couldn’t throw anymore at this car they dove head first into the trunk adding suede to all the trunk pieces. Custom V-Series and Cadillac logos were embroidered to these pieces to remind us that Cadillac combines power and luxury into one package.

All in all D3 has not overlooked any detail to keep their customers love affair with their car full of passion every time they get into their car. The designers and engineers take pride in providing the ear-to-ear smile that accompanies any purchase of D3’s products and/or in-house builds.

For more information, please visit www.d3rd.com.

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