XLR8D by 443 horses  by Thom Blackett

SAN DIEGO – Michael Jordan, the former, then not former, then former again NBA star, has more money than many nations, can jump to the top of virtually any waiting list, carries more influence than the inside of an empty tequila bottle, and possesses an exotic car ownership history that makes Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche collection look like an under-funded weekend hobby. Jordan, like Seinfeld, has long had a soft spot for fine automobiles, an indulgence endlessly satisfied by his impressive financial standing. However, he has reportedly never owned an American car, or at least not since he’s had enough money to buy whatever satisfies his whim. Well, thank Cadillac for changing that. Jordan now has a 443-horsepower, supercharged 2006 XLR-V hardtop convertible in his fleet for driving to Hanes underwear commercial shoots, autograph signings, or heading out for a few slices of deep-dish pizza in his home town of Chicago.

Production of the Cadillac XLR-V will be extremely limited, numbering less than 1,000 examples annually, and ownership requires you to relinquish $94,485 for the car, $815 for destination charges, and $1,700 to Uncle Sam in the form of a gas guzzler tax. Put it all together and the total comes out to a clean and neat $100,000. That’s roughly $25,000 more than the regular XLR, a comparatively simple ride lacking the V’s stout powertrain, hand-crafted leather interior, tasteful visual tweaks, and upgraded suspension, steering, and braking components.

Whether or not these upgrades are worth the extra coin is a matter to be decided by individual shoppers. Blue-collar yahoos will opt for the affordable Chevrolet Corvette that comes out of the other door at GM’s Bowling Green, Kent., assembly plant, but those shelling out 100 g’s for the upper-crust 2006 Cadillac XLR-V will be rewarded with a rare ride offering supercar performance for thousands less than its exotic competitors.

As befitting the Cadillac badge and its $100,000 selling price, which includes an $815 destination charge and a $1,700 gas guzzler tax, the 2006 XLR-V is equipped with more than just a supercharged Northstar V8 engine. The hand-crafted leather interior features heated and cooled seats, a nine-speaker Bose surround sound system, XM satellite radio, a touch-screen navigation system, and 12 months of complementary OnStar Directions and Connections service including stolen vehicle tracking, hands-free calling, emergency assistance, and more.

Both occupants will benefit from front and seat-mounted side airbags, whereas the driver enjoys a heads-up display on the lower left corner of the windshield with a readout for speed and radio settings. There’s also a memory feature for the mirrors, climate control, audio system, power seat, and power tilt/telescoping steering wheel. That last item is wrapped in soft leather with controls for the radio and climate system, but it’s oddly oversized like the wheel used in the Corvette. Adding a bit more luxury and convenience are rain-sensing windshield wipers, rear parking sensors, a power trunk lid, and high-intensity discharge headlights with washers.

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