A Look at baT Auction Success Story: Return of the CTS-V.R
BaT member Ctsvr brought his CTS-V race car, which he won from Dlawrench back in November 2024, back into to the public spotlight at Road Atlanta. He recently wrote in to tell us about his Cadillac and included some great photos and a video of the car in action!
As a Cadillac CTS-V enthusiast (specifically the first-generation V1), I naturally had my notifications turned on specifically for that model on Bring a Trailer. When I saw this Cadillac CTS-V.R up for sale, I knew I had to make it happen. I had previously attempted to purchase one of the other chassis out of a private collection, but was never able to come to an agreement on the deal.
A bit of background: GM Racing tasked Pratt Miller to build a Cadillac race car to compete in sports car racing, building on the successes of the C5.R. PME produced four of these chassis to campaign under the newly formed “Cadillac Racing” umbrella for the 2004 to 2007 Speed World Challenge GT Championship series, which culminated in a Driver’s Championship for Andy Pilgrim in 2005 and a Manufacturer’s Championship for Cadillac in both 2005 and 2007.
This particular car, Chassis CTSV001, was the development car built in the spring of 2003, which Pratt Miller hauled around to various tracks across North America discreetly testing for the upcoming season with factory Cadillac driver Max Angelelli at the wheel.
When I purchased the car in November 2024, I had the pleasure of dealing with two former Pratt Miller employees. One took care of the auction and communication with prospective buyers, and the other (the owner of the car itself) was a former VP of Engineering at PME as well as the Chief Engineer on the CTS-V.R project. Both of these folks have been a phenomenal help with the car, and continue to be to this day.
The car had largely sat since 2008, whether it was inside Pratt Miller’s front lobby as a showpiece, or in the showroom of their local vehicle graphics installer location. I knew well going into the auction that it would need a lot of love.
I spent all of eight months going through almost everything on the car: rebuilding the suspension with new spherical bearings and dampers, replacing the entire fuel system and any hardware removed, updating the suspension design to the latest revision, changing fluids, updating all safety equipment, and so on and so forth. There were times in the “restoration” that the end seemed way out of sight, but I had great support from Pratt Miller in any way they could, even down to providing the engineering drawings so I could have new custom wheels made.
On June 13 the fuel system was finally installed, and the car started for the first time since December 2024.
And on June 14, the car made its first few passes on the track for the first time in approximately 16 years. It was everything I could have dreamed of as someone who had chased these cars for years. The Katech-built V8 revved up to 7,400 rpm, the clutchless Hewland dogbox shifted flawlessly, and the awesome chassis, which was capable of rolling speed, effortlessly ran through the elevation changes of Road Atlanta. It ran perfectly, turning 50-plus laps across the entire weekend, and I was able to give rides to six different people.
Thanks to Pratt Miller, countless friends and family, and Bring a Trailer for allowing me to finally have and drive my dream car. I look forward to enjoying it and sharing it with others for years to come!
Thanks for sending this update, Ctsvr! Your shakedown video is one for the ages. We’ve included more of your excellent photos in a gallery below, and please feel free to keep us updated on how your future events go!
If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to community.content@bringatrailer.com, and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.
We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
