Cadillac's Elmiraj Concept: The Bold Preview of Its Rolls-Royce Rivalry

Cadillac's long-standing rivalry with Rolls-Royce is heating up again now that the Celestiq is in showrooms. But before that production model arrived, the brand offered a striking preview of its ambitions with the Elmiraj concept, unveiled in 2013 as a direct challenge to the Rolls-Royce Wraith.

The Elmiraj was a personal luxury coupe with a long hood and short trunk, drawing design inspiration from the 1967 Eldorado. 5-liter V8 producing 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, paired with an estimated eight-speed automatic gearbox. Cadillac never officially confirmed the transmission.

5 seconds if it had reached production, aided by ceramic brake discs.

The interior featured camel leather, Brazilian Rosewood trim, and titanium accents. Front seats could slide up to ten inches and rear seats four inches to ease entry. A ten-inch dashboard display could be hidden when not in use, and even the roof lining was finished in Rosewood.

Cadillac used structural techniques from its ATS and CTS models to keep the car lighter than its size suggested.

The Elmiraj never went into production, but its spirit lives on in the 2026 Celestiq, an all-electric ultra-luxury sedan with a 655-hp dual-motor powertrain and a starting price of $400,000. That's less than a Rolls-Royce Spectre, while offering about 80 more horsepower and a range of over 300 miles per charge.

The Celestiq's cabin includes an electrochromic glass roof with four independently adjustable quadrants, plus hand-built personalization for each buyer. Whether it outsells the Spectre remains to be seen, but Cadillac is finally back in the ultra-luxury fight.