The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V has been everywhere in the last few weeks, reviewed by all the major motoring news outlets some declaring it better than the king of the segment, the BMW M3/M4.
Axis was invited, brave of Cadillac, to Monticello Motor Club to find out if the ATS-V lives up to this promise.
A couple of disclaimers are in order first.
1: I, as a European, will admit to unabashed car snobbery bordering on the Clarksonian.
2: In the Axis pier group, we are all amateur racers/track/junkies/borderline psychos when it comes to our cars. Our track vehicles are modified to better perform and be reliable on track, replacing brakes and suspension is seen as just something you do. When something breaks or wears out, we call it our a-hole tax because we are a-holes for doing what we do to perfectly good machines.3. One of the original Axis group, after many years working for a bavarian automaker has recently moved to Cadillac and that is an integral part of the story.
Axis generally does not get invited to these car events. The last time we were was for the launch of the BMW 1M. Back then, BMW put some fairly strict limits on what you could do at the track, for example you were not allowed to do two consecutive laps without stopping in pit lane!
Lame.
When Stee and I arrived at Monticello, the Cadillac team just said: "There are the cars, you have 6 hours of track time, do what ever you want just don't be "that guy".
Awesome.
