Cadillac has unveiled the striking Sollei, which could just be one of the best concept cars I’ve seen in years for one simple reason: one look explains everything about it. Well, almost everything. The name is a portmanteau of sol grafted onto the first three letters of leisure. Just like the fact that the Volkswagen Tiguan’s name is a merging of tiger and iguana, I’d love to say that I’m making this up but I’m not.

With that out of the way, allow me to explain the car that requires no explanation, although you probably know what I’m going to say already, dear reader. The Sollei is a four-seat cabriolet of grand proportions, with bold yet not brash styling to be found all over. The grille is imposing yet delicately detailed with pinstriping all pointing towards the centrally mounted badge.

Stacked lights are found at the outer edges, almost disguised to look as though they are part of the bumper trim. Gently flared arches house turbine-style alloy wheels that use negative space to create the illusion of six spokes. A mid-level character line connects the front and rear wheel arches while a high-level crease links the front and rear lights.

I love symmetry in design, so the pinstripe inserts in the rear bumper, prominent tail lights and high-level light bar matching the detail at the front please me greatly. The convertible concept looks just right with its roof down, to the point where I never want to see the metallic-finish fabric hood being raised from its stowage area. Caterham Sevens never look right when fitted with a roof, do they? The Sollei is hand-painted in a finish called Manila Cream, a colour first used on Cadillac production cars in 1957. This almost matches the main colour of the interior, although my eyes were drawn to something else first: wood. 

I am beyond bored of aluminium, carbon fibre-effect and piano gloss trim elements in cars, so the Sollei pleases on another level with the use of unstained wood veneers that stretch from the dash to the rear bulkhead, with each side’s trim meeting its end at the fridge which sits between the two rear seats. Chevron detailing can be found on the door panels and the centre console trim, mirroring the patterns found in the grille.

More veneers feature on the rear of each individual seat where they form a sunburst pattern, while the leather on the bases and backrests also feature a design in this vein. The piece of least interest to me is the 55” full-width infotainment system which is presented on what is more of a dash-shelf than a dashboard to my eyes. It is joined by an angled display on the centre console, and while nothing is said of their functionality or purpose save for picking between 126 ambient lighting settings, the display theme is also colour matched to the upholstery.