World renowned custom car builders Jim and Mike Ring, known collectively by the name of their Spring Green, Wisconsin company Ringbrothers, have updated their 1948 Cadillac, Madam V.
First displayed at the SEMA Show in November 2016, Madam V looks very much like a restored and modified third-generation Cadillac Series 62 two-door coupe, but under the skin she’s quite different – the chassis, interior and drivetrain all come from a 2016 Cadillac ATS-V.
That includes the twin-turbo 3.6L V6 gasoline engine (production code LF4) which produces 464 horsepower and 444 pound-feet of torque and the eight-speed Hydra-Matic 8L90 paddle-shift automatic transmission. The exhaust is mostly stock, but custom stainless steel Flowmaster tailpipes give it a more robust note.
Inside, Madam V features most of the technology one would expect to find in a ’16 ATS-V but would have been considered the work of aliens or supernatural beings back in 1948. It includes information and media control on a full-color display, a rear vision camera, Push-to-Start, rain-sensing windshield wipers and OnStar auto crash response.
Madam V pictured in 2016, before facelift.
Ringbrothers unveiled Madam V in the Flowmaster booth at the 2016 SEMA Show. She has now been given a facelift, giving her a more classic look than she had five years ago. This has been achieved partly by giving the car a more authentic front end, with greater use of chrome, and partly by fitting a set of wheels which, while still very dramatic, are less racy and seem more in-period than the ones used in 2016. The refresh, which also included a complete respray with BASF paint, took over 1,000 hours to complete.
Two ATS-Vs and two Series 62s were sacrificed to create Madam V. There will always be controversy about whether this is an appropriate use of Cadillacs built in either the 20th or the 21st century, but there’s no doubt that in this case the result is very compelling.
Cadillac Series 62 Coupe “Madam V” Interior
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Greg
The front end/ grille is a 1949!
RichOne
Great updates by the Ringbrothers! Very cool and classy ride! The 2016 version was nice, but this creation really is more appealing to me. The new wheel and tire combination is gorgeous and sets off the design perfectly.
Breamworthy
I like it, reminds me of real Cadillac era
Angel harris
Now, this is the kind of stories and information I’d like to see more of. Yes, articles on the 2021 Escalade are informative and useful, but articles on stuff like this are needed much more of, IMO.
Quite frankly, I never heard of Ringbrothers until now.
Learn a lot on Cadillac Society.
Sue C
Gorgeous! And I am a white Cadillac fan, as was my father. I love this car and the updates! The Ring Brothers are wonderful!
C. A. SMITH
Stunning ’48, but would have liked to see at corners of the grill radiused a little. The sharp corners detract from the beauty of the form and trap the eye. (I worked as a designer for GM and am semi-retired.)