It may be the end of an era for the Cadillac DTS sedan, but the last example to roll off of the line at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant has a bright new future ahead. It’s become the latest acquisition of collector Nicola Bulgari, an avid fan of the marque and vice chairman of the luxury goods firm that bears his family name. The DTS — which remains the best-selling large luxury car in the U.S. — will be replaced within the next year or so by an all-new vehicle based on the striking XTS Platinum Concept that was revealed at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.
As for this final 2011 DTS, it will be in good corporate company. Bulgari, whose grandfather opened his first jewelry shop in Rome, Italy, in 1884, owns numerous GM vehicles, highlighted by an assortment of significant Cadillac and companion LaSalle-badged models. His current collection includes a 1932 Cadillac 355B V12 Fleetwood Sedan, a 1940 LaSalle Convertible Coupe, and a pair of 1947/49 Cadillac Model 7533 Limousines that were part of the papal fleet in Rome as well as more contemporary Caddys including a 2009 XLR-V Coupe fitted with a custom Bulgari speedometer, a 2010 CTS Wagon and 2009 CTS-V Sedan. Bulgari notes that like most of the vehicles in his collection, this farewell DTS will periodically be driven on the street.
